Towing with a 2011 Ram 3500 Dually info

[tuffr2]

I just helped a friend pick up a used horse trailer with living quarters. The truck was a 2011 Ram 3500 cab chassis crew cab with a hauler bed. In 2011 Ram Cab Chassis was ordered with 4:10 gears and 6 speed manual. The 4 horse trailer with 15' shortwall living quarters empty weighed 10,000 lbs.

Solo driving 65mph to 70mph the truck got 17.3 mpg. Towing the 10,000lb 35 foot horse trailer the MPG was 10.3. The truck had only 1,200 miles on it. Rolling down the highway was very pleasant.

The horse trailer can carry 5,000 lbs. of horses. Towing with weight shifting horses might be different.

[jesilvas]

What were the RPMs 65-70?
I'm surprised that trailer was that light.

[tuffr2]

The 6 speed manual with 4:10 gears ran at 1,900 rpms at 65mph and 2,100 at 70mph.

[jesilvas]

Perfect RPM range. Did it have enough power down in 6th or did you ever have to down shift?

[tuffr2]

I only have experience now with the 2011 Ram Dually and a 2012 F-450. Neither truck has to down shift very often. What happens it the truck will increase turbo boost as can be seen on the Ford 450 since it has a boost gauge. This Ram did not have the turbo boost gauge but I imagine it does the same - instead of downshifting it will increase turbo boost.

The F-450 is an automatic that I run with the gear indicator on so I see it stays in 6th gear when climbing moderate inclines.

The Ram towed from Calverton Long Island NY to Johnstown Pa on route 80. The trip towing was 375 miles. There were only moderate inclines. When we got into the mountains on country roads in Pa there was more gear selection needed. But never below 3rd and mostly in 4th and 5th. This was on Rt 164 which winds up and down the mountain ridges.

When I was driving I felt the Ram towing the trailer in the mountains was not much different than driving solo.

My friend said the same thing.

From what I have read and now experienced to a degree, the Ram, Ford and Chevy dually trucks would perform very similar.

Now my friend told me in 2001 the Ram diesel dually 5 speed he used for towing did not have the power his 2011 has.

[jesilvas]

Increased boost just means it's increases fuel to the cylinders which increases exhaust gas which increases boost. It's loading up the motor but not lugging down to the point of needing to change gears, which is good.