Camper Towing

[farmergal]

We have the 2021 Ram 1500 5.7 L Hemi eTorque and have tried towing a pull behind camper with a factory completed weight of 4758#. I was expecting it to run down the road without much effort. We only pulled it on a 4-hr. trip with nearly all level ground....a few hills here and there. It was constantly gearing down several gears and then back out. Gas mileage was only 9 mpg. I had it in Tow/Haul mode. Am I doing something wrong? Shouldn't it pull that weight down the road hardly knowing anything is behind you? Suggestions? Help! Thank you........K

 

[chopperman1]

Depends on your gearing, guessing 3.21's based on your feedback. MPG plummets while towing a camper, they are far from aerodynamic! Your 4800# camper is probably closer to 5800# or even more when loaded, it adds up quick!

 

[Fake-Account27]

Welcome to gas towing, 9 mpg is pretty common for most people. I get 11 to 12 with my cummins.

You are also towing towards the upper end of what I would recommend for a 1500 series truck.

 

[bcbouy]

not to mention you are basically towing something with the aero of a brick.

 

[farmergal]

Yes, it is 3.21. We had nothing loaded in it....just as it came. I was told this truck should tow at least 12,000# so was expecting to cruise down the road. Gas mileage isn't as big a concern as it's up/down in the gearing....drives me nuts, esp. since doing this basically on flat terrain. I thought I was doing something wrong for sure.

 

[dhay13]

you won't be towing 12,000 with that truck, especially with 3.21's. The 3.21's will lower the tow rating. Guessing your max tow with those gears is probably closer to 8000-9000lbs? Aside from that, even with 3.92's 12,000 would likely not be legal due to GRAWR and GCWR. I know my step-sons 9300lb TT put him over GRAWR on his Tundra, which had 200lb higher GRAWR than the 1500 Ram. That 12,000 they advertise isn't really achievable once you factor in other limits.

And yeah, that big brick behind you takes alot of extra power to get through the air. I got 7 MPG towing a 7500lb TT with my 1500

 

[JerryETX]

Welcome!

The shifting and mpg is normal and to be expected. A TT has wind drag that adds an estimated 20% at minimum to the weight. On smaller TT's it might even more than 20%.

 

[Magnus Sport]

Got back from Florida to Louisiana towing 5k lb camper trailer and averaged around 11.5, kind of what I expected

 

[farmergal]

From what you are all telling me, I might as well get used to it or get rid of the TT. I love our Rams (been a Mopar gal since a kid) so won't be getting rid of them. Had an '06 1500 Laramie til last Sept. and gave it to our youngest....when we bought this '21. Our oldest just bought a 2500 Cummins diesel 6-speed standard so we can always use it for the camper.

Thanks for the input and helping me understand a little better everyone!

 

[runamuck]

sounds like a similar size trailer to mine. 28' and 6000#. I use tow/haul and tow at 68 or so and I get 8.5 - 10 burning regular. I guess the big difference is the 3.92 rear end in mine. mine will settle in around 1900 rpm and go to 2100 every now and then on mostly flatish terrain. last week I towed from DFW to hot springs and back and saw some 2750 in the hilly parts but for the trip my average was 9.5 and speed anywhere from 65 in the hills to 68/69 on I-30

 

[Wire4money]

Yes, it is 3.21. We had nothing loaded in it....just as it came. I was told this truck should tow at least 12,000# so was expecting to cruise down the road. Gas mileage isn't as big a concern as it's up/down in the gearing....drives me nuts, esp. since doing this basically on flat terrain. I thought I was doing something wrong for sure.

There is no way a 3.21 Hemi is rated for 12k. You can put your vin in the ram site and it will tell you what your max trailer weight is. With my Hemi, 3.91 gears, and a fairly light Bighorn Quad cab, my max trailer is 11,300. The 3.21 will be considerably lower.

 

[Randy Grant]

Actually, the weight isn't the MPG killer. Wind resistance is. You are dragging a sail behind you. Pulled a 16000# and a 11000# fifth wheel behind Duramax, and got the same MPG. Same wind resistance. Weight only really kicks in when you go over mountain roads with a lot of elevation changes. Pull the fifth wheel now with a 3.92 hemi, and still get about 11/12 on the flats. If bucking a headwind, less.

 

[bborzell]

I have a 22 Laramie, 5.7 eTorque, 4WD, 3.92, Quad cab, 5’7” bed. I tow a 21’ fiberglass (quite a bit more slippery that typical stick built campers) camper w/ 5,000 GW and have completed 2 cross country trips.

I use tow mode exclusively while towing. The truck gears down occasionally through mountains, but nothing unexpected. It can easily maintain 65-70 mph on pretty much every mountain pass we encounter.

Gas mileage ranges from 9-10 in mountains to 13-14 on the flat. Without the camper, I see 16-17 mpg.

Guessing that the two major factors are the 3.92 axle and the aero of the trailer.

 

[Doug Ram]

We have the 2021 Ram 1500 5.7 L Hemi eTorque and have tried towing a pull behind camper with a factory completed weight of 4758#. I was expecting it to run down the road without much effort. We only pulled it on a 4-hr. trip with nearly all level ground....a few hills here and there. It was constantly gearing down several gears and then back out. Gas mileage was only 9 mpg. I had it in Tow/Haul mode. Am I doing something wrong? Shouldn't it pull that weight down the road hardly knowing anything is behind you? Suggestions? Help! Thank you........K

Afraid not... a 5,000 pound boxy camper behind a 1500 gaser is likely not to get very good mpg (or stay in one gear). Not even in the flats, and especially not at highway speeds.

If you want better MPG and performance, keep speed low, certainly no more than 65 and DON'T use the cruise control. You can also improve MPG by improving aerodynamics for the truck and trailer: install a lightweight pickup bed cap. One that is as high as your cab roof. You might bet better gas mileage when towing a large boxy camper with a large SUV like the Chevy Suburban/Tahoe, or the new (and very nice) Jeep Wagoneer. The best gas mileage I ever had towing a camper with a gas engine was when I had a 2005 Dodge Durango, with a heavy duty optional tow rating of 9,000 lbs. So there are many factors affecting performance:
- Weight
- Aerodynamics, especially the trailer's
- Axle ratio on the tow vehicle,
- Wind, whether you are going into the wind (or with the wind),
- Speed.

Your performance is about what I'd expect. In fact your gas mileage is one reason I went with the EcoDiesel 1500 Ram.

 

[Sammy]

So many factors when it comes to this. Ie tire pressures, wind resistance, hitch set up. But your towing with a gas truck. Your powerband is in the higher end of the rpm’s. Your not towing with a diesel that makes its max torque at 12-1500 rpm. As others have said. Your pulling a sail, one that weighs about the same as the truck your pulling it with. Get used to taking your time while your towing your mpgs will drop if your not trying to keep up with traffic.

 

[Panduh]

I tow a 29 ft., 6400 lb. TT w my 2016 RWD 1500 hemi w 3:92 axle. I get ~10 mpg at 65 mph and 8ish at 70 mph. No lack of power and no sway. The truck is "rated" to pull 10,000 lbs. I think that's absolute BS. With a properly set up WDH I am within 300 lbs. of my rear axle gross weight capacity. It is a toy hauler though, so the tongue weight actually decreases when I put more stuff (motorcycles, etc) in the garage area behind the TT's axles.

 

[CaptOchs]

My trailer is a 35ft heartland. Weights 7000# with around 720 in hitch weight. I have a Reese dual cam WDH. Truck is 2013 Bighorn with 5.7 and 3.92 gears. It's rated for 10,050#. Tows excellent. I run with tow-haul mode. I try to keep it between 63-65 MPH. I do use cruise control a lot of the trip and I think it helps with MPGs.

 

[WWSvendsen]

More important than towing capacity is payload capacity. That's what bit me with my F150 and my TT. Plenty of power, but never good when the tail wags the dog.
Average about 10-11 mpg. Loaded it's about 7K.

 

[Ratman6161]

From what you are all telling me, I might as well get used to it or get rid of the TT. I love our Rams (been a Mopar gal since a kid) so won't be getting rid of them. Had an '06 1500 Laramie til last Sept. and gave it to our youngest....when we bought this '21. Our oldest just bought a 2500 Cummins diesel 6-speed standard so we can always use it for the camper.

Thanks for the input and helping me understand a little better everyone!

Yes, get used to it. The down shifting is because the peak torque of your Engine is at around 4000 RPM. It will shift to get the engine to an RPM where it has enough torque for the circumstances. This isnt wnything to be concerned about.
Also, you might be equally disappointed with the 2500 Cummins. It's true the Cummins will make a lot of torque low in the RPM range. But looking at the practical benefits...not really there for a smaller trailer. Where I live gas is $3.59 a gallon and diesel is $5.18. If you get 9 mpg with your truck and 12 MPG with the cummins, driving 100 miles would cost $40 with your truck and $43 with the diesel. Then you will also need DEF with the diesel and much more expensive maintenance. That's why I went with the 6.4 Hemi in my 2500.

I also agree with those who say aero is a big factor. Towing my 16x7 enclosed snowmobile trailer that's only 1,200 lb empty qnd much more aero than my travel trailer, I still only get about 12 mpg. Funny thing is that if I more than double the weight by loading two snowmobiles and related gear, there is little or no measurqble impact on mpg.

 

[Fediej]

Welcome!

The shifting and mpg is normal and to be expected.

Normal for a gas V8, but it's still annoying.

From what you are all telling me, I might as well get used to it or get rid of the TT. I love our Rams (been a Mopar gal since a kid) so won't be getting rid of them. Had an '06 1500 Laramie til last Sept. and gave it to our youngest....when we bought this '21. Our oldest just bought a 2500 Cummins diesel 6-speed standard so we can always use it for the camper.

Thanks for the input and helping me understand a little better everyone!

There's nothing wrong, Your gas V8 is just doing what it does, and that's letting anyone it can know in dramatic fashion that it's doing "work." One of the main reasons I went with diesel.