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Old 07-01-2013, 05:41 AM   #1
oscarlovel
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Outback 277RL & 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad SLT?

My truck is paid for. It is a 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 with Towing Package, 5.7 Hemi with 5 Speed Automatic and 3.92 rear end. It has the 20" rims and fairly new tire -- and did I mention, it is paid for! LOL! We just put a deposit on a Keystone Outback 277RL on Saturday. Supposedly, my truck will handle this trailer, but I'm a bit worried as I have been down this road before and had to buy a new TV because I bought too much trailer. I would prefer not to have to purchase a different truck if possible, but if push comes to shove, I'll do what I have to. It is me and the wife now, along with our dog and cat. We'll be pulling maybe 6-10 times a year at a max. Can I upgrade the rear suspension and make this work, or what? Anyone have any experience they can offer with this combo?
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Old 07-01-2013, 06:06 AM   #2
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There are no upgrades that will increase capacities. But more data would be handy:
From the door sticker, what's your cargo capacity?
What's its rated towing capacity?

As for lengths, you're *really* pushing it. That's a 35 foot trailer and your truck is a little on the short side. You'll need some serious anti-sway equipment, like a Hensley or Propride to keep the sway at a minimum.
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Old 07-01-2013, 07:17 AM   #3
oscarlovel
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So how about a 2012 Dodge 2500 with the diesel in a crew cab? I may have a line on that.
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Old 07-01-2013, 08:06 AM   #4
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As Scott pointed out, beefing up your suspension, adding airbags, etc., won't increase the towing capability of this or any other tow vehicle.

Having more information about the truck - check the sticker on the door - and a bit more about the TT will help. Dry weight of the TT really doesn't mean too much so that info isn't all that helpful.

You may be close to the limits but without more facts, it's hard to say. If you are concerned about being close, then you might pursue the 2500 option. At least with this, you won't have to worry and having a diesel is a big plus when towing.
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Old 07-01-2013, 08:48 AM   #5
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I would check out the Ram Body Builder. com site for your towing needs on a 1500 pick up truck. If you do go the way of a new truck and buy the diesel version I would either get a 2013 or a 2014 2500HD Ram. As these trucks now have the best towing ability and they are using the SCR for emissions, fuel economy is much better with the newer models than the older 6.7L engines.

I know from my own experience with my 08 truck.
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Old 07-01-2013, 09:20 AM   #6
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Our Outback 277RL tows nicely, but we have a E350 van with the 6.0L Powerstroke. One reason it tows well as the 277RL carries a lot of weight on the tongue. Almost all the storage is forward of the axles - under bed, wardrobe, pass through compartment, etc. The only heavy thing behind the axles is the fresh water tank. I think you are going to be real close to the total weight rating of your 1500 ......
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Old 07-01-2013, 02:50 PM   #7
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Jim w

I have your make, model, year truck with same motor. I get 11 mpg at 65 mph no matter what. What would give that much better economy to account for $30,000 difference in upgrade?
Towing 12,000 pounds loaded.
Perhaps I misread your comment. They will have to pry my Dodge from "my cold dead hands" .
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Old 07-01-2013, 02:55 PM   #8
oscarlovel
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Outbackmel View Post
I have your make, model, year truck with same motor. I get 11 mpg at 65 mph no matter what. What would give that much better economy to account for $30,000 difference in upgrade?
Towing 12,000 pounds loaded.
Perhaps I misread your comment. They will have to pry my Dodge from "my cold dead hands" .
Are you talking about my current D1500 with 5.7 Hemi?
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Old 07-01-2013, 03:31 PM   #9
f6bits
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At least with the 2500 diesel, you get more wheelbase and truck weight which will go a long way toward mitigating sway. Plus you'll get crazy tow and cargo capacity.
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Old 07-01-2013, 05:01 PM   #10
Bob Landry
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My understanding is that the rear suspension on the Ram 1500s is a little soft, so bags or helper springs may be in order just to control sag. They won't increase the capacities in any way.

That said, I towed a 277RL for two years with a Tundra 5.7L, 6 Spd, and 4:30, basically the same drive train. I traded for a F250, for payload, not towing issues. The 1500 is going to suffer the same 1/2 ton issues, payload. I managed mine pretty close and loaded everything in the trailer. The 277RL is very heavy on the tongue, and by the time you add the WD hitch and put gear in the front pass through, you are going to be pushing 1000 lils on the tongue, that and the hitch go into the payload numbers. It will be easy to overload the 1500, but with a Reese WD and dual cam , it will tow OK. Depending on where you are going to tow, I would do a few rips with te 1500 and see how it does.

I will admit, I think the F250 tows it much better, but I really did like the Tundra.
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Old 07-02-2013, 05:58 AM   #11
Jim W
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Outbackmel View Post
I have your make, model, year truck with same motor. I get 11 mpg at 65 mph no matter what. What would give that much better economy to account for $30,000 difference in upgrade?
Towing 12,000 pounds loaded.
Perhaps I misread your comment. They will have to pry my Dodge from "my cold dead hands" .
Outbackmel, Yes, I am stating that the 2013 and newer trucks will have better fuel economy than the earlier 6.7L engines. I was at the TDR rally in Columbus IN and at the CMEP plant were the Ram/Cummins engineers also stated that the new 2013 trucks had better fuel mileage than the older trucks. The reason is they have eliminated the fuel dosing on the 5ft injection for cleaning the DPF. They have redesigned the emission system to meet the latest Bin 2 Tier 5 emission requirements and are now using UREA. Some users have reported around 17 to 20 MPG on the highway unloaded and when towing they see 11 MPG with less than 20,000 miles on the truck. The engine mileage will get better has the mileage increase as the engine breaks in.

Sorry for high jacking the tread.

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Old 07-02-2013, 07:26 AM   #12
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Update

Called my son in Houston yesterday who is the sales manager of a large auto/truck dealership down there. Turns out he has a 2010 Dodge Ram Crew Cab 4x2 with long bed, Cummings Diesel, 6 speed Auto and 53K miles on it that he can sell me for my 1500 and minimal cash. This is a no-brainer to me, so we're off to Houston on Friday to do the trade. thanks for the advice. I know in the long run I'll be happier and the truck should probably last me for the rest of my towing days.
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Old 07-02-2013, 10:15 AM   #13
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2008 Dodge 2500 w 6.7 diesel

Quote:
Originally Posted by oscarlovel View Post
Are you talking about my current D1500 with 5.7 Hemi?
No, I saw a quote in the response chain that piqued my interest as to "why"
newer diesels supposedly get better mileage. My part of the conversation is over

Sorry for the confusion.
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Old 07-02-2013, 05:44 PM   #14
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I tow a Laredo 303tg which is also heavy on the tongue with a 2012 ram slt 5.7. It has plenty of power, braking and stability are your issues. We only pull 3 or 4 hours from home with no mountains and I find it really tows well. I have a 4 point sway equalizer hitch and don't feel a thing when a 18 wheeler blows by me doing 60 in the right lane. I won't upgrade my truck for doing 6-8 trips a year. Try it out before u decide
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Old 07-07-2013, 04:19 AM   #15
oscarlovel
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Further Update

After all considerations, we decided to bite the bullet and went ahead with the purchase of a new 2013 Dodge Ram 2500 Crew Cab 4x2 with the LWB and long bed. Very, very nice truck. Drove from Shreveport, LA down to my son's dealership SW of Houston on Friday, picked the new truck up, said goodbye to my 1500 and headed home that afternoon. Trip was without incident. BTW, this is the deisel model with the six speed transmission and 17,500 lbs. towing capacity. FWIW, I got 23.5 MPG on the trip home driving an average of 65-75 mph for the whole trip. Having had a 99 Dodge 3500 with the 5.9 Cummins, I can tell you that I never got that kind of mileage before. And the 1500 only bested at 17 mpg on a good day. I'm happy. The proof will come in the towing. We pick up the Outback 277RL the middle of next week.
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Old 07-07-2013, 04:30 AM   #16
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You're gonna love the new truck, especially when you hook up to the trailer. Congratulations
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Old 07-07-2013, 05:29 AM   #17
Jim W
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oscarlovel View Post
After all considerations, we decided to bite the bullet and went ahead with the purchase of a new 2013 Dodge Ram 2500 Crew Cab 4x2 with the LWB and long bed. Very, very nice truck. Drove from Shreveport, LA down to my son's dealership SW of Houston on Friday, picked the new truck up, said goodbye to my 1500 and headed home that afternoon. Trip was without incident. BTW, this is the deisel model with the six speed transmission and 17,500 lbs. towing capacity. FWIW, I got 23.5 MPG on the trip home driving an average of 65-75 mph for the whole trip. Having had a 99 Dodge 3500 with the 5.9 Cummins, I can tell you that I never got that kind of mileage before. And the 1500 only bested at 17 mpg on a good day. I'm happy. The proof will come in the towing. We pick up the Outback 277RL the middle of next week.
Glad you got the Cummins 6.7L engine and the 68RFE Auto with the 3:42 differential. Now the question is the fuel mileage was that from the EVIC display or was the mileage hand calculated?

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Old 07-08-2013, 03:04 PM   #18
oscarlovel
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Filled up this evening and the EVIC showed 22.1 mpg after driving around in the city a bit. I hand calculated 21.2 mpg. Fairly close all-in-all, especially since I have no way of knowing if the dealership did, indeed, completely fill the tank. Still, even if it is 21.2, that is pretty good considering the engine has less than 500 miles on it and I never got that good with the Hemi, nor the 5.9 Cummins in my 99 3500 Ram. I'm happy. Taking delivery of the Outback 277RL on Wednesday evening, so I'll see how it tows pretty soon.
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