Shopping for our first Ram & need advice related to towing specs

First, I apologize in advance if any part of my query has been answered in other forums (I honestly didn't even know where to start to research it here), but I am a complete newbie both to the Dodge brand and to towing itself. What better place to research answers (aside from the Ram site) than from owner-experts? This means you!

I am seeking the advice of current Ram owners who have experience towing loads ranging from 10,000-15,000lbs. My husband and I will be building a tiny house on wheels on a 24' trailer designed specifically for the task. The house and trailer has an estimated dry weight of 10,500 and a max gross of 15,000lbs once loaded with personal effects. The trailer spec highlights are as follows:

Tumbleweed Trailer Specs:

Radial tires with a 6 lug hub,ST225/75/R15 LRD (4)
Gross vehicle weight rating (GVW) of 9,990lbs
Both axles have brakes
Actual Trailer Width: 8'6"
Trailer Bed Width: 6'11"
Minimum tongue length of 4'
Exterior Structure: HSS 5x2x.120
Interior Structure: C3"x3.5 per linear foot
Dexter Spring 5,200lb axle (2)
Flashing: 22 gauge galvannealed steel sheet
Seven Blade Trailer Connector for electrical wiring
Standard 2 - 5/16” ball hitch
Safety chains: rated for 7,600 each
Hitch Jack: rated to hold 2,000lbs
Scissor Leveling Jacks (4)


With all that info in hand (and the recommendation from a Tumbleweed rep that "F-350 size trucks are typically capable of safely towing the 24' homes"), we are trying to decide which model of Ram would be the most suitable to tow the house first to Colorado from the Dallas area and then around the country and up into Canada and back. Based strictly on what I could glean from the Ram sales site and link to towing info, I'm thinking a Tradesman 2500 Crew Cab (we also have a 2yr old little boy to transport) is the place to start, but when it comes to the specifics like the various axel ratios, diesel vs. gas, and 4x2 vs. 4x4 we're just not as well versed.

I currently drive a Ford Flex AWD and was one of the few vehicles besides the big trucks of various brands that was able to handle driving during our recent "Icemageddon" back in December, so my instinct is to pick 4x4 simply for the added handling capabilities. I know 4x4 is different from AWD (part-time vs. full-time at the very least), though, and I also don't know how that would (or if it even would) apply to towing. As for diesel vs. gas, my instinct is to say diesel, but I don't have much knowledge of them aside from needing to let the engine warm up and that they get better mileage because it burns slower (or some such). Well, that and diesel fuel currently costs an arm & a leg & naming rights to our second born. Neither of us wants a dually if we can avoid it (part of the reason we didn't even consider Fords is because their towing guide suggests that the only way to pull the weight we need to is with dual rear wheels), but otherwise we're pretty open to suggestion.

So, you as a Ram owner: what would you recommend we get?

Just to recap:

-Towing up to 15,000lbs cross-country, including into mountainous regions (though not often)

-To 4x4 or not to 4x4, that is the question.... pros/cons 4x4 vs. 4x2 as they relate to towing?

-Pros/cons of HEMI vs. Cummins for towing purposes?

-Can't go all out on the $$$ either, so we're not looking for massive amounts of upgrades - just what we need to safely pull our house

-Any other recommendations you can make on things we should avoid or definitely need

Thanks in advance for your time! We really appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us!!

-Maighen

Living minimal? I like it.
I believe you will be happier with a Cummins for towing that much weight regularly.
Relating to towing, 4x4 vs 2x4 will make a difference in inclement weather conditions, but that's about it.
Is your 24' foot trailer a 5th wheel or a bumper pull? If it is a bumper pull, you will definitely need a weight distribution hitch.
Gearing should be configured when you select the towing package.
Lower gears like 4.10 pull better but get worse mpg.
Higher gears like 3.56 will get better mpg but put more strain on your engine and transmission to pull.

Just the thoughts and opinions of a 19 y/o redneck from Oklahoma. I'm sure some others will chime in soon.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

The first problem I see is that you will be towing 15,000 lbs on a trailer with a gvwr of 9.990lbs. Probably not a good start. That gvwr should include all of your gear loaded on it. You may want to get a bigger trailer if you need to tow 15,000lbs on it.

That said, a properly spec'd 2500 with the cummins diesel can usually tow up to around 17,000lbs without issues.

Getting the load moving and up the mountains is only half the problem. You need to make sure your gear is not overloaded because you will also want to be able to control it and stop it when going back down.

Hope this helps.

^Glad I wasn't the only one a little unclear with the figures given.

If you're going through mountains and Canada, 4x4 may be required even without any snow. Pulling out of sloped, sandy or wet camp spots often requires 4x4.
At that weight, diesel is not an option. Yes, it's more $ per gallon but you get better MPG both empty and towing. Your Hemi (5.7 or 6.4) simply won't have a long,happy life pulling that weight, and you could be ticketed if pulled over (for being over weight)
The lower your rear end gear ratio (i.e. 4.10 vs. 3.73) will only hurt the MPG a touch, but it gains you a LOT of towing capability and are VERY expensive to change out after you grab the keys.

RUSTY, it's a tongue trailer created specifically for building these houses on, though if I can find a company to fabricate a trailer specific to our needs that won't break the bank I'm not opposed to having a gooseneck built for us. We just don't have the welding skills necessary to retrofit one to be safe enough to build upon, but I do like the idea of both having better towing stability as well as a little extra room to build upon.

NYCruiser, I think that spec info (upon further inspection of the website it came from) is just the bare basics for the trailers they sell, which start at 18' in length. The rep from Tumbleweed is the one who told me the completed house (which includes their trailer they make for the 24' houses) we hope to build has a dry weight of 10,000-10,500lbs and max gross of 15,000lbs with possessions. I haven't confirmed with them yet, but I'm thinking that 9,900lbs may be for their 18' trailer and not the 24' one. I'll have to confirm that for sure one way or another, but that kinda didn't make sense to me either when taking the 15,000 gross amount he reported to me later into consideration.

Audio, could you clarify your post again for me? At one point you say diesel is NOT an option due to that weight, but then you also say that a HEMI "simply won't have a long,happy life pulling that weight." My understanding is that the Cummins engine is the creme de la creme when it comes to diesel engines, and I definitely don't have a problem with the $$ if the benefits outweigh the added expense for both the physical engine and the fuel. My understanding is also that torque is what really helps get you up over hills vs. horsepower and momentum keeps you going. Is the torque with the diesel better vs. the HEMI? I'm working under the assumption that the higher the number lb/ft the better, but sometimes the lower the # the better.

Also, when I used the little towing configuration thing on the Ram website it only gave me a max payload and max towing #lbs on the 3.42 ratio. The other two options (3.73 and 4.10) said 0/0 for those figures. That may just be a glitch on that site, but I wasn't sure. And really... I'm not expecting 22mpg or even 12mpg from a truck while towing. The MPG isn't going to be very important simply because there's not much we can do about it with 15000lbs behind it. We're just going to have to look at a second vehicle for day-to-day travel if we're going to be any one place for too long.

Since we are completely new at towing we want to make absolutely sure we get the safest vehicle for our needs, and while we can't spend $50k+ on a new truck we are certainly not willing to skimp on important features just to save a few bucks. Thanks so much for all your help thus far and for any additional help you (or others) can give!

-Maighen

Wait, it looks like that 3.43 axel ratio was for the dually. The SRW option on the site just shows 7.171, though I'm having refresh issues on this computer (at work, and the wifi is horrid) and it could be reading wrong. Now I'm all sorts of confused!

And really, your opinions..... would a DRW be better for our needs over a SRW model? Again, we'd prefer not to have the ginormous dually, but yet again... safety first!

Also, here's the options I think we need using the Ram builder for a Tradesman 2500 Crew Cab 6'4" box:

6-Speed Automatic Transmission
6.7L Cummins® Turbo Diesel w/Exhaust Brake
Power Heated T-Tow Mirrors w/ Puddle & Signal Lamps
Trailer Brake Control
Wheels: 18" x 8.0" Steel
LT275/70R18E OWL On/Off-Road Tires
Chrome Tubular Side Steps
Cold Weather Group
Anti-Spin Differential Rear Axle
Electric Shift-on-the-Fly Transfer Case
440-Amp Rated Dual Alts (220-Amp Secondary Alt)

Any on there that wouldn't be needed &/or definitely shouldn't get? These options put the MSRP around $45,500, which we can handle. I also have no clue how to haggle (we buy all our vehicles from CarMax for a reason!), so I don't know how to get that $$ down any if it's even possible. I'm thinking we might have to have one built to get absolutely everything we need, but we might get lucky at a dealership. There are TONS of Dodge dealers in the greater DFW area, so we won't be in short supply of options to look at at least.

Maighen, I think what Audio meant to say was that at that weight you can't go without a Cummins. The gas version would haul it but wold probably have a short life, if used for that purpose on any type of regular basis. I wouldn't even look at a gaser for those kinds of weights. My wife and I both love our cummins, as for your list of wants looks like it wouuld be a nice truck, only option I would question is the dual Alts, if your not running a snow plow and something drawing on your electrical system continuously its would be over kill.

You need the Cummins. I would skip the 2500 and get a single wheel 3500.
Not much more money, but more capable.
INMHO you need more info on the trailer. The only criteria a trailer manufacturer has to meet is that the axles and tires are not over loaded.
You need the manufacturer to put you in touch with a couple of other clients and find their real world experiences.
What real world gross weights are they coming up with. Most importantly what real world tongue weights are out there.

At 15000# you are talking 1800 to 2000 for tongue weight. That is a lot. Goose neck design is 10000x a better choice.

I had a 2006 2500 SLT quad cab Cummins and the only regret I had with the truck was getting 3.73 gears instead of the 4.10's. The fuel mileage difference would have been minimal, but the towing performance would have been even better.

I've just put in another email to the rep from Tumbleweed I've been conversing with about all this asking for more specifics on the 24' trailer they make and whether or not I'm just missing a link somewhere to see more specifics on that model. In the meantime, here's the link to the trailer page they have where I got all that info from. You guys that tow are probably infinitely better at deciphering the important details buried in the Greek I see when I read it, and once I hear back from the rep I'll repost his reply to see if that helps clarify the trailer sitch a bit more.

Tumbleweed Trailer

In the vein of discussing goosenecks again, there are two primary things keeping us from automatically jumping on that as a first choice for the trailer:

1) We would have to either retrofit an existing trailer or (more likely since neither of us weld) have a custom trailer made specifically for us that is ready to accept a (mostly) solid wood house being built on top of it. Either way we're looking at a total pain in the butt.

2) We would also then have to design a house from scratch since none of the plans I've seen available are designed for goosenecks. That's not a complete no-go situation, but it definitely complicates things a bit, particularly if we wanted to acutally incorporate the neck itself into the design.

Otherwise a gooseneck trailer would be ideal for all the reasons everyone has already mentioned. Adding the above complications I just mentioned into the mix of building this house, however, may push the build out of our reach both in terms of time frame and finances. It's not impossible, though, so I'm certainly not ruling it out completely. That's the whole point of my query with you guys in the first place.... researching all the little details that are or may be important once we do actually have to haul the sucker around!

I'll let you all know what the Tumbleweed guy says about the trailers. In the meantime I'm going to start looking for custom trailer builders in the area to question about build options.


Oh, and TWO DOG, I keep trying to tinker with the axel ratios on the build website, and every time I try to change it from the 3.43 it automatically selects to the 4.10 a popup tells me I have change back to the HEMI engine. This happens with both the 2500 and the 3500 tradesman (here's a cut-n-paste from the 3500):

"You have selected 4.10 Rear Axle Ratio, which requires some changes to your configuration:

The ADDITION of:
•5.7-Liter V8 HEMI® VVT Engine
•6-Speed Automatic Transmission
•GVW Rating - 10,700 Pounds

The REMOVAL of:
•AISIN Heavy Duty 6-Speed Automatic Transmission
What this includes 3.42 Rear Axle RatioTip StartTransmission Oil Cooler
•6.7L Cummins® Turbo Diesel w/Exhaust Brake
What this includes 180-Amp Alternator5.5 Additional Gallons of Diesel"Cummins Turbo Diesel" BadgeCurrent Generation Engine ControllerDiesel Exhaust BrakeElectronically Controlled ThrottleFront Bumper Sight ShieldsGVW Rating - 11,700 PoundsRam Active Air(TM)Selective Catalytic Reduction (UREA-DEF)
•Cold Weather Group
What this includes Winter Front Grille CoverEngine Block Heater
•220-Amp Alternator"

Not sure what that's all about. Oh, and incidentally, some of those options I chose just to play around with to see what combinations worked. Not really sure if any of them are necessary or not. More questions for later I supposed!

I guess they just have the one ratio now? I really don't know. That engine is a beast and probably doesn't need the gearing as much.

Okay, here's what the Tumbleweed folks said about the trailers:

Length..........Dry Weight...........Gross Weight
18'.................~8,000lbs...............9,990lbs
20'.................~8,600lbs...............9,990lbs
24'.................~10,250lbs.............15,000lbs.


That explains the 9900lb on the site and why it didn't jibe with the 15000lb wt for the total house + trailer. He also stated they're updating their site with a new towing page and the 24' model is also a new one for them, so that's why I couldn't find more info on it.

3.42 is the only available axle ratio for the 2500/3500 SRW. From what I can tell it is the standard ratio for the 3500 DRW as well.

The 3500 DRW has 3.73 and 4.10 available as an option.

Olli