NEED HELP 2014 Dodge Ram 2500 5.7 V8

[Ultrapapa10]

Don't do the 4.10 rear look at 3.55 or 3.73

[terry735001]

Originally Posted by Esdharbour22

Lol sorry about that!! I guess some numbers would be helpful lol. We're looking at a 2014 ram 2500 5.7L hemi v8, 4.10 gears, 4WD, crew cab. The 5th wheel is 8870lbs dry, 35'10 & I don't know the pin weight. We're not dead set on this camper but we are looking for something similar. Specs on the truck say it can tow a loaded trailer weight of 13,200#. I have come across some calculators on line that say it can only tow a 5th wheel that is around 9000# max. It' seems like they are adding the pin weight as payload then using the full trailer weight in the calculation. This is where the confusion sets in. I know any cargo/passengers in the truck takes away from the towing capacity but from 13,200 to 9000 seems like a huge drop when none of that was added into the equation. We would LOVE a diesel, but like I said before...it's not in the budget & whatever truck we get will be our only vehicle . I just sold my 07 Tundra tonight & plan on trading in my wife's 2013 Durango ASAP. I have a company car & since my wife is a stay at home mom, she rarely drives

humm i would look in to the trans that comes with the truck as the 9000# max that some are saying could be right

one thing to keep in mine .. what can the park pall in the trans hold back on a hill

there have been many run away trucks over this and so there is only one tire and a park pall to hold you back

some well say i never park on a hill .. nether did the run away trucks on a hill that got stopped for a car crash or some thing funny going down a hill on a funny road .. or braking down going up a hill

just about any truck can move and stop a load but we want you to be safe with the number and GVWR all the number you can find and give well help alot of us here to help

[Highway 4x4]

You are really going to want the 6.4 if you are sticking with gas. The 5.7 really isn't going to pull that big 5er no matter what the gears you have and if you do the 5.7 you will not be happy unless you really like hearing a V-8 at 5000 RPMs on every hill. There is a long thread about the 6.4 and towing on the Cummins Forum. I had a 5.7 in a 2500 and pulled a 6400 pound TT one time then sold the truck to my son who never tows. There is talk that the 2500 with 6.4 will get the 8 speed trans soon and that will really help. The 6 speed will do it and 3.73's will give you best of both worlds. If you go with 4x4 it will help you sell the truck at the other end. Ram's new 4x4 system has no effect on MPG.

[jimcumminsw]

Originally Posted by Esdharbour22

THX y'all for the info. Unfortunately we can't afford a diesel so that's outta the question. Does anyone have any info regarding the 2014 ram 2500 5.7 v8 & towing a 2014 Coachman Chaparral lite 279BHS? We've both been doing research for over a wk now & can't get a straight answer. All info I could find is about a diesel. We live in Va & we camp pretty close. We just got back from myrtle beach & our current camper was just too small for us. Now were thinking about going to Fl maybe next yr. Other than that we stay w/in 3-4 hrs from home. Would this truck be ok to pull the Chaparral you think?

How do you know that you can not afford a diesel engine pick-up truck? Have you gone to the dealer and asked what they are really selling for; not the MSRP.

You can also look at the 1500 ECO-diesel Ram truck or a 2500 Ram Tradesman truck. The tradesman with the 6.7L Cummins and the 6 sped automatic transmission MSRP is around $38,505. You do not have to have the top of the line pick-up truck to get a diesel engine equipped truck.

Back in Nov 07, I purchased a 2500 SLT Ram with the Cummins and 6 sped auto for $38,000; MSRP was a little under $50K. Ram will deal to sell trucks.

Jim W.

[gggplaya]

Originally Posted by jimcumminsw

How do you know that you can not afford a diesel engine pick-up truck? Have you gone to the dealer and asked what they are really selling for; not the MSRP.

You can also look at the 1500 ECO-diesel Ram truck or a 2500 Ram Tradesman truck. The tradesman with the 6.7L Cummins and the 6 sped automatic transmission MSRP is around $38,505. You do not have to have the top of the line pick-up truck to get a diesel engine equipped truck.

Back in Nov 07, I purchased a 2500 SLT Ram with the Cummins and 6 sped auto for $38,000; MSRP was a little under $50K. Ram will deal to sell trucks.

Jim W.

1500 ecodiesel has exceptionally low payload ratings, like 1000-1300lbs. It truly is a half ton pickup.

[fvstringpicker]

You may want to consider backing down to a 2012-13 and go with a diesel. Kinda what I did. I didn't want to get to a point where I to factor in a full tank of gas to see if I'd be overloaded.

[jimcumminsw]

Originally Posted by gggplaya

1500 ecodiesel has exceptionally low payload ratings, like 1000-1300lbs. It truly is a half ton pickup.

This is per the latest information from Ram trucks, an I quote.

"RAM TRUCK ANNOUNCES INDUSTRY'S BROADEST ALIGNMENT WITH SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS (SAE) J2807 TOWING STANDARDS ACROSS ALL PICKUP TRUCK SEGMENTS
- Ram Truck is the only full-size pickup truck manufacturer to adopt the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J2807 towing practices in all three pickup truck segments (1/2-ton, ¾- ton and 1-ton)

- Ram pickup maximum towing capacities unchanged or improved under SAE standardized J2807

- Ram 1500 owns the top positions in pickup fuel economy and SAE affirmed towing capacity for V-6 engines

- Ram 1500 3.0-liter V-6 EcoDiesel with 8-speed transmission combines best-in-class fuel economy of 28 MPG with up to 9,200
lbs. of towing capacity"


I posted only what pertained to the ECO-Diesel truck in the 1500 segment.

for more information see this link:

http://www.turbodieselregister.com/

Jim W.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by jimcumminsw

- Ram 1500 3.0-liter V-6 EcoDiesel with 8-speed transmission combines best-in-class fuel economy of 28 MPG with up to 9,200 lbs. of towing capacity"...

That doesn't answer gggplaya's point. That truck doesn't have enough payload capacity to handle the hitch weight of even a tiny tandem-axle RV trailer. You will run out of payload capacity for hitch weight long before you get close to the manufacturer's published towing capacity. It's probably similar to my F-150 EcoBoost in that light. Mine has a tow rating of 8,400 pounds, and it can easily tow that heavy a trailer over hill and dale without breathing hard, but it runs out of payload capacity for hitch weight with my TT that grosses only 4,870 pounds.

[Jugghead]

I'll assume your weight calculations are in your favor. I previously had a RAM1500 with the 5.7 and I was pulling a 8k TT. That engine worked really hard pulling that thing. Honestly it unnerved me how frequently it was at 4000 RPMs to keep speed, that I move up to the diesel. If you got to go with the gas, I encourage you to get the 6.4.

[Mekanic]

Originally Posted by Jugghead

I'll assume your weight calculations are in your favor. I previously had a RAM1500 with the 5.7 and I was pulling a 8k TT. That engine worked really hard pulling that thing. Honestly it unnerved me how frequently it was at 4000 RPMs to keep speed, that I move up to the diesel. If you got to go with the gas, I encourage you to get the 6.4.

The power curves of the newer engines are Nothing like the old one a lot of us are used to.
Where years ago 4000 RPM was the point where no more power was had if you went higher, and that is now where a many of these newer engine just start to work well. Today 4000 RPM won't hurt any of the newer design engines.
This has happened on all the trucks. GM, Ford and Chrsyler.
The LS, Tritons, and late model Hemis are all designed for much higher RPMs over the older designs.
They all have 2 things in common, crank driven oil pumps, and NO distributors.

[caissiel]

If it was me I would keep the Tundra as it has a 2000 lbs advantage and the engine cab run at 5000 RPM all day long.
Money saved will buy a Ram 1500 diesel later that will definitely be the best choice for that lite model trailer. Also Ford eco boost will do fine.
But the 250/2500 has definitely a 2000 lbs disadvantage with a 5.7 engine.
It can do it but not practical for me.

[gggplaya]

Originally Posted by caissiel

If it was me I would keep the Tundra as it has a 2000 lbs advantage and the engine cab run at 5000 RPM all day long.
Money saved will buy a Ram 1500 diesel later that will definitely be the best choice for that lite model trailer. Also Ford eco boost will do fine.
But the 250/2500 has definitely a 2000 lbs disadvantage with a 5.7 engine.
It can do it but not practical for me.

Can't really pull a fifth wheel with a tundra reliably. That extra 2000lbs of frame and beefier axle components are there for a reason.

[jimcumminsw]

Originally Posted by SmokeyWren

That doesn't answer gggplaya's point. That truck doesn't have enough payload capacity to handle the hitch weight of even a tiny tandem-axle RV trailer. You will run out of payload capacity for hitch weight long before you get close to the manufacturer's published towing capacity. It's probably similar to my F-150 EcoBoost in that light. Mine has a tow rating of 8,400 pounds, and it can easily tow that heavy a trailer over hill and dale without breathing hard, but it runs out of payload capacity for hitch weight with my TT that grosses only 4,870 pounds.

SmokeyWren; would you agree that the authors of SAE: J2807 Towing Standard knows what to include and not include in this standard. Since the authors are vehicle engineers at the various manufacturing plants in the US. At least this was the way when we authored articles and standards for SAE in the heavy equipment industry.

This is a synopsis from the STANDARD which Ram has included in the article for their press release; and I quote

"The SAE J2807 towing standard outlines dynamic and performance criteria as it relates to a given vehicle. Examples within the standard include a number of tests while towing: 0-60 MPH time allowance, tackling the notorious Davis Dam Grade while maintaining no less than 40 MPH for single-rear-wheel trucks and 35 MPH for dual-rear-wheel trucks, a constant radius under steer test while increasing speed and a sway maneuver using aggressive steering input. The purpose is to put all trucks through the schedule of tests in which operators will likely see in the real world. SAE standards have existed in a number of other areas including engine torque and horsepower. Ram Truck is the first to adopt the official towing standard for ½-ton, ¾-ton and 1-ton trucks."

Where in this synopsis is the mention of payload capacity for towing?

Ram even states in their "RAM BODY BULIDER'S GUIDE" in foot note three and I quote” Payload and maximum trailer weights are mutually exclusive. Additionally, the GAWR’s and the GVWR should never be exceeded.”

To me this means that the frame of the truck and suspension of the truck is carrying the load not the pick-up bed of the truck. When you do a force diagram of the mass (trailer load and or tongue weight) the frame and pinning components are under load not the bed.

Jim W.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by jimcumminsw

Ram even states in their "RAM BODY BULIDER'S GUIDE" in foot note three and I quote” Payload and maximum trailer weights are mutually exclusive. Additionally, the GAWR’s and the GVWR should never be exceeded.”

That's the key item that usually gets lost in these forums. GVWR should never be exceeded.

Compute max trailer weight per the GCWR (or tow rating which is based on GCWR), and compute max hitch weight per the GVWR (or payload rating, which is based on GVWR). Convert max hitch weight to max trailer weight, then whichever one gives you the least max trailer weight is the limiter. And I'll guarantee you that GVWR is almost always the limiter for tandem-axle RV trailers.

Yeah, some brands have weak rear suspension so that GAWR has to be considered too, but for most pickups loaded for a towing trip the GVWR will be the limiter.

SmokeyWren; would you agree that the authors of SAE: J2807 Towing Standard knows what to include and not include in this standard. ...

"The SAE J2807 towing standard outlines dynamic and performance criteria as it relates to a given vehicle. "...

Where in this synopsis is the mention of payload capacity for towing?

It doesn't address payload capacity (GVWR). J2807 addresses only pulling capacity (GCWR). But then the footnote says: "Oh, by the way, you can tow the weight calculated using the J2807 standard only if you don't exceed GVWR while doing it."

To me this means that the frame of the truck and suspension of the truck is carrying the load not the pick-up bed of the truck. When you do a force diagram of the mass (trailer load and or tongue weight) the frame and pinning components are under load not the bed

Agree, but that has nothing to do with anything we're discussing. The GVWR considers the frame, suspension, brakes, tires, wheels and axle weight limits, not the weight limits of the bed. The receiver hitch is attached to the frame, not the bed. The 5er hitch is attached to the frame, not the bed. The bolts for some 5er hitches go through the bed, but then they attach to the frame of the truck.

So as I continue to emphasize in these forums, the limiter for max trailer weight for almost all pickups and SUVs with single rear wheels is GVWR, not GCWR.

The purpose of J2807 was to get all manufacturers to use the same standards for computing GCWR, and thus the advertised tow rating. But it doesn't address the same problem we've always had with GCWR. GCWR tells you only how much weight you truck can pull, but not how much hitch weight it can haul. So manufacturer's tow ratings under J2807 will still be inflated because they all assume a tow vehicle with no options and nothing in the truck but a skinny driver.

So your job and mine of trying to explain to newbees how much RV trailer they can tow without being overloaded will still be complicated because J2807 does not address GVWR.