3.21 gear ratio - anyone actually towing with it?

Burla · Jan 30, 2014

Diller said:
When towing, I keep the speed between 65 and 70.

Allow the papa bear in me to come out a bit sir. You should back it down a bit IMO. Honestly, the ride is half the fun anyhow. I was a truck driver and anything you tow will create temperatures in your trailers wheels. Number one consumer trailers usually have smaller tires, so they are turning much faster. Also, trailers carry more side pressure because they constantly jossle around. Next time you go 70 plus towing, stop your truck and just feel your trailers tires. Then try backing it down to 55 and do the same at some point. Keep is safe.

smiley · Jan 31, 2014

3.21 gear ration - anyone actually towing with it?

Yup I have a boat with 12" tires bias ply garbage and they get very hot going 75 (North Dakota Interstate) just a matter of time before they blow out that is why I intend to replace with radials it all depends on the load I suppose too. To stay on topic what are your RPM's around 70 towing with 3.21's?

$miley

Diller · Jan 31, 2014

smiley3303 said:
Yup I have a boat with 12" tires bia ply garbage and they get very hot going 75 (North Dakota Interstate) just a matter of time before they blow out that is why I intend to replace with radials it all depends on the load I suppose too. To stay on topic what are your RPM's around 70 towing with 3.21's?

$miley

I already put radial tires on my trailer (brand new) and I do agree, 70 is the max I will pull and that is just to pass. 95% of the drive I am at 65.

With the 3.21s I am around 2000rpm at 70mpr in 7th gear. 8th gear at 70 is right above 1500 rpm.

Noved · Feb 2, 2014

With the 8 Speed and 3.21s does it like to hunt at times while in tow/haul at highways speeds or downshift a lot?

DublDee · Feb 2, 2014

I have the 8 speed and 3.21 gears, and honestly the largest thing I've towed is my 18' boat on a tandem EZ Loader trailer and I had to look in the mirrors to remember it was there. No problem at all, but I'm not sure what the weight of my boat and trailer are combined.

Diller · Feb 3, 2014

Noved said:
With the 8 Speed and 3.21s does it like to hunt at times while in tow/haul at highways speeds or downshift a lot?

In tow/haul it doesn't hunt at all. It will downshift if it needs too but only for some good size hills at 65-70. If I have the truck in cruise control, not in tow/haul, and going through a lot of hilly terrain, it will jump up and down. If I let my foot control the speed or put it in tow/haul, it is much better.

I would never be afraid to tow with this truck up to the max rating. If I need to go over, new truck or new gears.

JFTJR82 · Feb 9, 2014

My truck has the 3.55 gears in it. When I bought the truck I asked the dealer about towing. They told me that unless you tow a trailer every day or frequently go on long trips towing a trailer, you don't need the 3.92 gears and that I'd just be wasting gas. They said that as long as whatever you're towing is within the towing capacity of the truck the 3.55's will tow it just fine. I plan on getting a camper sometime in the near future, something about 14'-16' feet long and once I get it to camp it will most likely just stay there. With all that being said I decided to go with the 3.55 gears. I'm not really sure about the 3.21's though. I didn't even know they made these trucks with a 3.21 gear ratio.

SoCal13 · Mar 7, 2014

Does anyone else with an 8 speed and a 3.21 have anything to say on the matter?

salibas007 · Mar 7, 2014

I have the 8sp with 3.21.. I've towed 2 quads and a trailer behind. Feels like I'm towing a feather. Had it not been for the mirrors, I'd forget I had anything. Combined weight around 2500lbs. I know it isn't much, but it's a start

This summer I'm planning on pulling my boat with it. Weighting in at 5000+ lbs.. I was told it won't be an issue. I have the towing package, and I believe the towing package on a 4wd with 3.21 gears goes up to around 8000 lbs.

Ocelot · Mar 7, 2014

Actually, trailer tires, even radials like I have are only rated at 65mph. I'm never in that much of a rush going camping and certainly not going back home LOL
The difference between 65mph and 70mph is only ten minutes over a two hour drive.

Seriously though, it's always nice to have more truck than you need for towing, but if you're within the stated weight limits, you'll be fine.

People have been towing trailers for 50 years and more with trucks and cars that had nowhere near the HP, torque, cooling, etc, that today's modern engines have.

It might be cool to be able to tow a 28 foot, 8000 lb trailer up a mountain at 65mph, but it sure isn't necessary. Hell, a semi can tow a house, but ever watch the tow uphill?

Ray

Retired Coastie · Mar 11, 2014

My truck has the Pentastar with 3.21 gears. I tow a small 1200# pop-up trailer and I haul approximately 200-400# of stuff in the bed. I drive a regular route from Phoenix to Williams, Arizona. The climb is significant, up to about 6000 ft. I use tow/haul, I do not use cruise while towing, and I will manipulate my gears manually while climbing and descending. For the climb, I go mostly between 4th to 6th, and same for coming back down. If the rpm's are around 4k climbing, I'm doing about 65 mph climbing. I use the engine to slow me when descending. I have had NO problems. The engine is fairly quiet even at 4/4500 rpm's. Transmission and cooling temps never get out of range, and temps are over 100 degrees for the first hour of my tow during the summer.

I bought mine to tow what it is rated for, no more.

aplineman · Mar 11, 2014

I was actually told that with the 3.21 gears that 1st gear is actually a lower gear and better to take off with than what comes in the 3.92s. I'm not great with gear ratios though. I do know that is is supposed to be better than the 5 speed with 3.92s when pulling, plus you get better gas mileage because you have 2 overdrive gears.

loveracing1988 · Mar 12, 2014

salibas007 said:
I have the 8sp with 3.21.. I've towed 2 quads and a trailer behind. Feels like I'm towing a feather. Had it not been for the mirrors, I'd forget I had anything. Combined weight around 2500lbs. I know it isn't much, but it's a start

This summer I'm planning on pulling my boat with it. Weighting in at 5000+ lbs.. I was told it won't be an issue. I have the towing package, and I believe the towing package on a 4wd with 3.21 gears goes up to around 8000 lbs.

I would check again, mine has 3.55's and is a crew cab longish box qith the 8 speed and it is rated for 8800 lbs. If I remember right with 3.21's it was down in the 5k range max towing.

loveracing1988 · Mar 12, 2014

aplineman said:
I was actually told that with the 3.21 gears that 1st gear is actually a lower gear and better to take off with than what comes in the 3.92s. I'm not great with gear ratios though. I do know that is is supposed to be better than the 5 speed with 3.92s when pulling, plus you get better gas mileage because you have 2 overdrive gears.

Your 1st gear final ratio is better than a truck with the 5/6 speed with 3.92's but if both have 8 speeds it is the same transmission. Towing especially with 3.21's you won't see much of those 2 overdrive gears unless it is a small trailer. Towing around 4000 or so pounds going 60 I could sometimes get into 7th gear and I have 3.55's. If you have 3.21's towing 5000 pounds it is doubtful you will ever get out of 6th.

Diller · Mar 12, 2014

loveracing1988 said:
Your 1st gear final ratio is better than a truck with the 5/6 speed with 3.92's but if both have 8 speeds it is the same transmission. Towing especially with 3.21's you won't see much of those 2 overdrive gears unless it is a small trailer. Towing around 4000 or so pounds going 60 I could sometimes get into 7th gear and I have 3.55's. If you have 3.21's towing 5000 pounds it is doubtful you will ever get out of 6th.

I tow up to 6000# and spend most of my time on the interstate in 7th. It will kick down to 6 for medium hills and 5 for the big hills.

Just towed a car (5000 with trailer) up Monteagle TN that has a 5% grade for several miles and the truck stayed in 6th and maintained speed just fine.

loveracing1988 · Mar 13, 2014

Diller said:
I tow up to 6000# and spend most of my time on the interstate in 7th. It will kick down to 6 for medium hills and 5 for the big hills.

Just towed a car (5000 with trailer) up Monteagle TN that has a 5% grade for several miles and the truck stayed in 6th and maintained speed just fine.

Mine was a 7' tall utility trailer so im sure that has something to do with it as well, wind resistance is a big factor I forgot about.

aplineman · Apr 19, 2014

I towed this trailer, full of mulch. This trailer weighs over 4000 empty and it did great. On steep hills it dropped down to 5th running about 3000 rpms. Transmission temps stayed good, 190-200°.

8SpeedHemi · Jun 13, 2014

I have the 5.7, 8 speed with the 3:21s on a crew sport. I tow a 26' Ultralight TT (30.8" overall length bumper to hitch) with a 5336 dry weight (including 2 full propane tanks) and about 6600 fully loaded. I have the stabilizer hitch assembly and although I know the trailer is there, the truck pulls it fine. Getting going from a stop is nothing with the 8 speeds ratios and at highway speeds the things handles great. The temps stay well within the safe zone, but I am curious to see how it will handle going through the mountains as so far it has been all fairly flatland and easily negotiated grades. Hope that helps a little?

Towing capacity for the Crew 4x4 5.7, 8 speed and 3:21s is 7400. They released a number of 7940 for 2014 but the actual safe tow rating as per Dodge for the 2013s and 2014s is 7400. In 2013 they drastically underrated the trucks at 6500 as the 8 speed tranny was new for this set-up, but they have since released the proper specs.

accelerus · Jun 23, 2014

so I've gone though the thread and trying to understand (this is my first truck with towing capability)

Taking delivery of a 2014 Ram 1500, with the V6 Pentastar, 8 speed, 3.21 gears. I see on the towing chart from dodge with me, some light gear, I should be able to tow about 4000lbs.

My question is: that's assuming I'm towing along, and actually using 8th gear correct? Would I ever be able to lock out 8th and tow in 6th or 7th? Sure, I won't go as fast, but I'd be able to (safely) haul more? up to say 5000-6000lbs?

I realize that would be working the engine more, I suppose I'm asking: in a situation like that where I'm close to or above the 4000lb dodge chart limit, what would be the concern if I'm towing in 7th? The trailer hitch getting ripped off? the transmission blowing up? engine blowing up?

I'm mostly just curious -- I actually will probably never tow anything (not part of the job) but I do like to know what it's safely capable of.

Thanks in advance! Great to be a member here, looking forward to learning all I can!

VirtualRAM · Jul 1, 2014

I just "came down" from an 03 2500 5.7 with 3.9 gears to a '14 1500 5.7 with 3.21 gears, 8spd.

Towing a 14' trailer with a total load of 3500lbs, the 1500 actually has better acceleration than the 2500 did. Sure, it bounces a bit more than the stiffer 2500 suspension did, but otherwise I don't notice it back there anymore than I did on the 2500.

How are you guys seeing what gear the tranny is in?

3.21 gear ratio - anyone actually towing with it?

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