1500 or 2500 - Need some advice here

[BarbinLA]

I have decided to replace my Silverado half ton with a Dodge Ram 4x4. I pull a 6000 pound, 27' Heartland North Trail camper (bumper pull) and have a good anti-sway, sway bar set up. I have been looking at the 1500 5.7L Hemi and believe it would do the job, but have wondered if the 2500 would be the smarter choice for trailer towing. I live in relatively flat (some hills) and would not be in the mountains often (Smoky Mountains are a favorite destination) . Would it be worth it mileage wise, towing wise to get the 2500 or would the 1500 be enough? I appreciate your response!

 

[smurfs_of_war]

A not too well optioned 1500. I learned that the hard way. Otherwise money is on the 2500 to cover all your bases.

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[BarbinLA]

What kinds of problems did you run into with the 1500? With the 3.92 rear end and the 5.7L Hemi, I thought that would do fairly well. If you were going with the 1500, what options does it really need? I will definitely look at the 2500 as well.

 

[Mega-Hemi]

Depends on how often you pull the trailer. If you pull alot, go for the 2500. For only a few times a year I wouldn't want to sacrifice the ride quality of the 1500. That being said, the 2500 ride quality has come a long way in the past few years.

 

[smurfs_of_war]

The driveline has GOBS of pulling power and stopping power. No complaints at all. This truck is a beast. Payload is the limiter you will face with a 1500 towing a camper. Any of the higher trim models have horribly low payload. Lower than should be compared to other 1500/150 models that are equally equipped actually. So, your tongue weight on a trailer can quickly chew up your total carrying capacity of the truck. Had I known it was going to be as low as it was, I definitely would have gone straight to a SLT 2500 rather than my Laramie 1500. Live and learn I guess. And, keep in mind, I am overloaded with a trailer that is 5500lbs loaded and ready to camp with me, my wife, and 3 kids in it. Not very big. I am not going to preach though, I am the LAST guy that should be giving overloading advice ! I just don't want someone to make the same mistake I did and cost them a pile.

So, your 6000lbs trailer, if fully loaded, can chew up 900lbs of available payload capacity (carrying capacity) for your 1500 before you even load people and gear into the truck- that is using the 15% tongue weight guide. Granted, it likely won't be that much, but who wants to waste valuable camping time babysitting this stuff? This basically leaves the Laramie and Longhorn out for sure (in 4x4 anyways). Even the Sport I am seeing with fairly low payloads. Always look at the TREAD act sticker before you sign off to make sure you will have enough room. Don't follow the online tools like the slider on the site or the spreadsheets. Any and all additional options will take away from this. My truck according to the VIN lookup was supposed to have 1280lbs payload which would have been enough. When I gave them the go ahead to order and signed off, you can imagine my shock when I got it and realized it was far, FAR less. Now we are stuck taking two vehicles camping and looking for an old diesel one ton. I will be on my head by a lot of $$$ to trade off on a 2500 now.

Like mentioned above, you can likely do nicely with a 1500, just babysit your weights and take it easy. Or, do what I should have done to begin with. Skip the 1500 and go to the 2500 and don't look back.

Not the weight police here, just want to make sure you're covered

 

[audio1der]

^ GREAT advie. SOF & I have talked about this at length, and he wouldn't steer you wrong. As mentioned above, a lower model (ST/SLT) 1500 cn do the job, but it also depends on what else you'll use the truck for. If it is a daily driver you may lean to a 1500 anyway. If it's mostly for pulling and you have a 2nd or 3rd vehicle I'd lean to a 2500 w/6.4.
I also wish we had gone to a 2500; the 1500 gets such terrible mileage that we're getting a 2nd car to commute and it will be only for pulling and the odd family trip.
The 1500 has more power than it deserves to, but the frame can be lacking for windy conditions, to keep a longer trailer under control- even with a good sway controlled, WD setup (I have a dialed-in Reese dual cam sway control setup). The brakes are as strong as I've ever needed, even in emergency stops.
If you already have your trailer you should know your loaded tongue weight. There are sliding rule tools on the RAM site which help you determine how much payload you'll have left- have a look, and good luck! They're great trucks with great build quality. We really enjoy ours, just wish it had beefier bones underneath. Our bad.

 

[whatroads]

I've had both an 05 2500 QC 4x4 HD Hemi w/ 4.10 and now an 11 1500 QC 4x4 w/ 3.92. I've towed the same 31 FT 7k+ lb travel trailer with both.

I have the 10K tow pkg on the 1500 and it tows with no issue. I have a 10,000lb rated Equal-i-zer WD hitch. Same WD hitch used on both trucks. I take my TT out about 12-15 times a year. Distance is about 35 miles to the camp site. I do have some hills. One hill is a couple hundred yard long 7% grade. No issue at all with the 1500. When towing I get about the same milage, (8-10), with both trucks. When not towing, if I keep my hwy speed below 75 mph I get 18-19 MPG with the 1500, (calc by hand). The 2500 I was lucky to get 15

For me, it comes down to how the truck is used. If I were doing more towing, or if I had to go off road often, I would get the 2500. My 1500 only gets light "truck" use. If I used it like a farm truck I would still have a 2500

If you opt for a 1500 look for 3.92 gear, 17 inch tires and the rear stabilizer bar for an indication the truck has the heavy tow package. Better yet, Run the VIN number and be sure

 

[audio1der]

If you opt for a 1500 look for 3.92 gear, 17 inch tires and the rear stabilizer bar for an indication the truck has the heavy tow package. Better yet, Run the VIN number and be sure

Good synopsis. Not sure what benefit the 17's have over 20's other than cheaper replacement cost? If you compare apples to apples (i.e. P-rated 17's to 20's or LT 17's to 20's) they won't provide or remove any additional towing capacity.

 

[Mega-Hemi]

Good synopsis. Not sure what benefit the 17's have over 20's other than cheaper replacement cost? If you compare apples to apples (i.e. P-rated 17's to 20's or LT 17's to 20's) they won't provide or remove any additional towing capacity.

The 17's w/ tires are 1.6" shorter so will tow a little easier. Almost like having a higher final ratio.

 

[audio1der]

^Huh; I thought they all had 33" tires. Learn something new everyday.

 

[Mega-Hemi]

Nope, a 265/70-17 is 31.6" in diameter, a 275/60-20 is 33" in diameter.

Tire Size Calculator

 

[BarbinLA]

Well, I've taken the plunge...

Wow - great advice here! I SO appreciate you all taking the time to give it! I use my truck mostly for around town and living in the South, there are not many large hills in my area. I use my TT typically for going to the beach (down hill! ). I purchased a 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi engine, heavy duty towing package and 3.92 rear axle ratio. My TT has a tongue weight of 550 pounds and the truck typically is only holding two passengers when I haul the camper. I think, based on these conversations, I'm going to be okay. I drive my truck pretty conservatively, so I guess I will see how the mileage works out. I just couldn't justify the 2500 for those few trips when I was going farther than 100 miles or into hilly territory. Let's hope I was right!

 

[smurfs_of_war]

Wow - great advice here! I SO appreciate you all taking the time to give it! I use my truck mostly for around town and living in the South, there are not many large hills in my area. I use my TT typically for going to the beach (down hill! ). I purchased a 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi engine, heavy duty towing package and 3.92 rear axle ratio. My TT has a tongue weight of 550 pounds and the truck typically is only holding two passengers when I haul the camper. I think, based on these conversations, I'm going to be okay. I drive my truck pretty conservatively, so I guess I will see how the mileage works out. I just couldn't justify the 2500 for those few trips when I was going farther than 100 miles or into hilly territory. Let's hope I was right!

Congrats! Enjoy the truck!

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[Bigdaddy]

Congrats!

 

[audio1der]

Sounds like you'll be just fine. ENJOY!!!

 

[BarbinLA]

You guys are awesome! Thanks for helping out a newbie! Taking the truck to Atlanta tomorrow for my son (an engineer and overall picky consumer) to check out. Looking forward to the drive (not necessarily Atlanta traffic...) in the Ram and my first time checking mileage. Im still in that break-in period, but I'm a numbers person, so this will be interesting. Thanks again to all of you who took the time to provide advice and give reassurance!!

 

[ljvsnyder]

I had a 2500 with a cummins towing a camper about the same size. My neighbor has about the same size camper and tows with a 1500 with a 5.7. I have driven both. For short trips the 1500 is fine but if I were towing on a long haul, I would take the 2500 every time. As far as fuel mileage I was at 14 in town and 17 on why with 34" tires. Neighbor gets Round 17 around town and 19 hwy. Towing I saw 13 mpg and he is see in 8-10 mpg. So good luck with the purchase. Hope my advice helpsm

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[smurfs_of_war]

You guys are awesome! Thanks for helping out a newbie! Taking the truck to Atlanta tomorrow for my son (an engineer and overall picky consumer) to check out. Looking forward to the drive (not necessarily Atlanta traffic...) in the Ram and my first time checking mileage. Im still in that break-in period, but I'm a numbers person, so this will be interesting. Thanks again to all of you who took the time to provide advice and give reassurance!!

Brand new? Hemi? 8 speed? 3.92? Might want to ignore the mileage for a bit

It does get better though

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[Bigdaddy]

At the point on where I'm at I stop worrying about the mileage, and with the 2500 hemi I'm happy.

 

[smiley]

Do you have a picture of your setup? Have you had a chance to tow with it yet?