Just purchased a 2023 Ram 1500 and a 2023 Keystone Hideout 176BH - Tow question

[Bsac314]

Hi all,

New to the forum. Somewhat knew to towing (had experience when i was younger towing boats but were always with diesel 2500's). We had a pop-up when I had my Ford and towed fine.

I just bought the Ram, it's 3.6L. I was towing the camper back home (GW on camper about 4k-4.5k) and it just seemed like the Ram was not liking going above 60 MPH. Was breaking cautiously but when i got home you could see quite a bit of brake dust. I did get a weight distribution hitch and did not feel much sway on a windy day.

Just wanted to know if you have any suggestions, tips or if that is natural - you could smell it.

 

[Travelin Ram]

That’s about normal for a V6 towing a travel trailer. Lots of wind resistance.

 

[Bsac314]

Thanks so much!

 

[Zoe Saldana]

Hi all,

New to the forum. Somewhat knew to towing (had experience when i was younger towing boats but were always with diesel 2500's). We had a pop-up when I had my Ford and towed fine.

I just bought the Ram, it's 3.6L. I was towing the camper back home (GW on camper about 4k-4.5k) and it just seemed like the Ram was not liking going above 60 MPH. Was breaking cautiously but when i got home you could see quite a bit of brake dust. I did get a weight distribution hitch and did not feel much sway on a windy day.

Just wanted to know if you have any suggestions, tips or if that is natural - you could smell it.

" but when i got home you could see quite a bit of brake dust"

What brake setting did your use?

And light or heavy electric?

 

[Bsac314]

i believe both were set high - i have the curt bluetooth one.

 

[2003F350]

Ditch the bluetooth and get the integrated brake controller installed, if you can activate it yourself there are instructions on here, if not the dealer can activate it. Make sure you get the correct part number for the kit, if it isn't for your year it won't function properly. I've heard some people say the bluetooth one works good, but it is one more place exposed to the elements that could fail.

Once you've done that, I suggest setting your gain somewhere around 6.0 and start from there, you might be able to go down some but 6.0 is a good starting place for the integrated brake controller, at least that has been my experience.

As for not liking getting above 60 mph...that's normal for a v6 truck. It's got to spin up to make power, and it doesn't have the power available that the 5.7 does, or even a 6.4 2500. You're not going to win any races with a V6 while towing, so get used to lower speeds.

 

[mtnrider]

What gear ratio do you have? If it's the 3.21 you are probably over your towing weight limit that's why it struggles. Should have got the 5.7 engine minimum.

.

 

[Zoe Saldana]

i believe both were set high - i have the curt bluetooth one.

Ditch the bluetooth and get the integrated brake controller installed

 

[2003F350]

What gear ratio do you have? If it's the 3.21 you are probably over your towing weight limit that's why it struggles. Should have got the 5.7 engine minimum.

.

This is also true, if you've got the 3.21's the truck is going to struggle. My wife has the eTorque with 3.55's and it pulls our flatbed full of quads just fine (downshifts on grades but that's to be expected), but I wouldn't really want to put our camper behind it. I mean sure it would do it in a pinch but I wouldn't want to regularly do it.

 

[quickster2]

Check your owner's manual as well. On my Durango when I had it with the Pentastar 3.6, they also specified a frontal load as well as the tow rating. On a wide and tall trailer you might be triggering this limit as well. I had a single axle wide and tall utility trailer and I only got 11 to 12 MPG at highway speeds. All due to the frontal load as it was a big air dam. It towed my heavier fishing boat just fine.

 

[ramffml]

How many times is this "the 3.21 will struggle at speeds" going to get trotted out? It will run just as strong as the 3.55, just maybe using a different gear. Off the line performance from a dead stop is the only thing that changes with rear axle ratios, that and final overdrive (which doesn't come into play while towing).

Agreed with the suggestion to get factory trailer brake controller, it's integrated really well into the system and works flawlessly.

 

[Bearcatrp]

If you don’t have the tow package, your wear out your tranny sooner. The 6 cylinder will be ok (not great) for towing but don’t start flooring it to get up to speed, especially if you do not have the tow package. Tow package will have the transmission cooler, which you want if your towing.
Also, hope you have better luck with your keystone RV than my 2022 keystone. I don’t recommend keystone to anyone after the crap I have went through. Go to keystone forum and you will see the crap folks with new campers are going through.

Keystone RV Forums

The Best Resource Forum for Keystone RVs, we cover all the Keystone RV products here as well as fixes to common issues and problems owners may have. Come join us and become part of the Keystone RV Family here.

www.keystoneforums.com

 

[2003F350]

Also, hope you have better luck with your keystone RV than my 2022 keystone. I don’t recommend keystone to anyone after the crap I have went through. Go to keystone forum and you will see the crap folks with new campers are going through.

Keystone RV Forums

The Best Resource Forum for Keystone RVs, we cover all the Keystone RV products here as well as fixes to common issues and problems owners may have. Come join us and become part of the Keystone RV Family here.

www.keystoneforums.com

The entire RV industry has suffered when it comes to quality over the last few years - not just Keystone. I was once a part of it, and I've continued following it, and basically if you want a good unit get one built before April 2020 or after the start of '23. Anything between that can be pretty suspect, as the industry was experiencing HEAVY turnover throughout that time. I mean, we're talking people would work less than two weeks and quit, meaning everyone was constantly in training, and people with no experience with their job was attempting to perform it.

Honestly it's amazing they built anything during that timeframe.

That said, you've got to remember that online forums aren't necessarily the best place to determine if a unit is well built or not - if you only follow forums, which typically are used only when someone has a problem, then you'd likely never buy anything. People don't tend to sing the praises of their stuff to an online forum, just air their grievances.

For instance, I had a '17 'Wagon with the 6.4 Hemi. On this forum alone I was CONSTANTLY hearing about how it is a major problem that the MDS lifters fail and wipe out the cam, usually around 50-75k miles, and that you can hear a tick shortly before it does it. Because of this, I watched mine like a hawk, only ran Mobil One, and religiously changed my oil every 5k. I went to 102k miles before a MAF sensor died that took forever to diagnose and led me to a new truck, but never once did I have any issues with lifters or the cam.

 

[Danny Phillips]

This is why I went with the 2500 diesel. 65 mph up and down hills love the engine brake,

 

[crash68]

If you don’t have the tow package, your wear out your tranny sooner. The 6 cylinder will be ok (not great) for towing but don’t start flooring it to get up to speed, especially if you do not have the tow package. Tow package will have the transmission cooler, which you want if your towing.

Don't tell anyone but all the 8HP transmissions on the trucks come with a "tow package". The 3.6 has only ever came with an 8HP based transmission and even has an engine oil cooler.
The factory truck tow package basically adds towing mirrors, receiver, and brake controller.

 

[MESchroder]

Hi all,

New to the forum. Somewhat knew to towing (had experience when i was younger towing boats but were always with diesel 2500's). We had a pop-up when I had my Ford and towed fine.

I just bought the Ram, it's 3.6L. I was towing the camper back home (GW on camper about 4k-4.5k) and it just seemed like the Ram was not liking going above 60 MPH. Was breaking cautiously but when i got home you could see quite a bit of brake dust. I did get a weight distribution hitch and did not feel much sway on a windy day.

Just wanted to know if you have any suggestions, tips or if that is natural - you could smell it.

I made a similar mistake with a 2010 TRX with a 4.6L that had lots of horsepower. I had a VERY long trip from Florida to Missouri. Struggled to go over 60. Traded it in for a 2018 2500 w/Cummins. Now I have a 35' Keystone Alpine 5th wheel and couldn't be happier.

 

[PolarisCobra]

I have the Echo Bluetooth brake controller, use it with my Keystone Bullet 272BHS. The brake controller works just fine for me. I made a few adjustments to the sensitivity, and have gotten to the point where the truck and trailer brakes are very well balanced. The rig stops almost as fast as without the trailer, and the trailer does not feel like it is pulling the truck back.

I think it is a fine option if you don't have a brake controller, or if you have more than one tow vehicle, the brake controller stays with the trailer.

 

[Matt2221]

It's no better than the new ford's. You need a 2500 if your going to be towing alot.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Don't tell anyone but all the 8HP transmissions on the trucks come with a "tow package". The 3.6 has only ever came with an 8HP based transmission and even has an engine oil cooler.
The factory truck tow package basically adds towing mirrors, receiver, and brake controller.

Agreed - I've seen several posts where someone has said, "You need the tow package". This confused me, as there was no 'tow package' offered when I bought this 2500. As I ordered it, it just came standard with a tow capacity of 15,500# and all I did was add the brake controller. Viola! Tow package. Now, maybe the 1500 models offer some kind of 'tow package', but I didn't research them as I needed more two/cargo capacity than a 1500 offered so there was no point.

 

[Tulecreeper]

It's no better than the new ford's. You need a 2500 if your going to be towing alot.

Depends on what you're towing. If nothing over 5000#, then a 1500/150 model will do just fine, even towing daily. My last truck was a 2000 Silverado 1500 - no tow package. I towed twice a week, every week, all year for 20+ years with it pulling a 3000# boat, either fishing in the spring/summer, or duck hunting out of it in the fall/winter. Never skipped a beat, and when I sold it this year with 200,000 miles I got 45% back from what I paid for it.