Camper Towing

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JohnnyMac

There are no stupid questions, just stupid people.
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2018 1500 Laramie
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3.0 EcoBurner
One thing to consider is that the hemi's max torque is around the 4000 rpm mark and max HP is around 5600 rpms, so they do generally have to downshift to get into that power band when towing something.
 

Willie Mosher

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Pull camping trailer or big Box trailer
At about 5000 lbs your always gone
To get 8.5 to 11 mpg. 1/2 or 3/4 ton.

For this we gone say you all tow at 65 mph,
and went tow low gears get better gas mileage (3.92 in 1/2 ton an 4.10
In 3/4 ton)
Low gear let use more of the transmission to get sweet spot for engine .
The big 3/4 an 1ton can get little better gas mileage at same trailer.
Sen they are better at towing .

If gone use 1/2 ton unload truck at stop go traffic the same Applies (Lot City driving)
The 3.21 are for open highway.
 

buckley888

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Similar experiences towing some trailers this summer, 4-6k lbs, 8sp trans, 3.92 diffs, tow/haul on, freeway with some fairly big hills, uphill the trans kept the engine at ~4000 rpm, average 10mpg round trip. No complaints.

FYI: Relatively flat drive round trip Seattle to Portland, round trip, mostly 70-75 cruise control, Costco 87 octane, 20mph (hand calculated).
 

TomB 1269

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Schenectady NY
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2019 Classic
Engine
5.7 Hemi
3.21 gear trucks are extremely sensitive to changes in drag or inclination, i.e. wind and hills. I have been in mind unloaded traveling a now stretch of road with a constant head wind (no sure what, but higher than normally) and couldn't keep the truck in 8th gear even at 72-75mph when she normally sits in 8th.
I was swapping 6/7 nearly constant above 75 and it only settled down to a 7th with an 8th gear hit every so often when I dropped down around 70. It felt like I was dragging a 6000lb brick behind me. Again I was unloaded, not trailer, nothing, and I know the section of road and how she normally drives. I had had other trucks thru here with stiff winds in the past but never noticed it as much due to lower rear gears, 3.73, and a lower top gear, i.e. 6 speed tranny.
The size of 8th gear and the tall rear gears make these trucks "hunt" between 7 & 8 as they are only running 1800 or so at almost 80 mph. Therefore any additional load an the tranny shifts down.

I love my truck but really would have like to have tried on 3.55s as I think they would have been a good mix for me and slowed the hunting for most of my driving. But as others will tell you, if you tow often you want 3.92.

Now the nice part of these transmissions, is they are so damn intuitive. I would never let someone else, particularly a 21 year old with no trailering or heavy payload driving experience, drive any of my past trucks / vans on the highway towing any real load, even on fairly flat road (i.e. Buffalo to Albany NY), never mind a 97 Sonoma on a full car trailer. However, I had enough confidence in the transmissions capacity to predict, select and shift appropriately even under those conditions I put my son under the wheel for around an hour or so of our 4 hour trip.

While she may drink fuel, she will tow like a dream in my opinion. So Just fill her up sit back set the cruise around 68-72 and just let her do the work.

Side note, when towing you may want to step up to 89 octane in the tank, as the engine was designed to provide its best / better performance on 89 octane and its possible you could see 1 to 2 mile per gallon more, i.e. at 3.68 per gallon and 9 miles to the gallon your cost is 0.41 cents per mile, at 4.11 per gallon for 89 octane and 11 miles per gallon you would only spend 0.37 cent. Not a huge amount, but $1 cents on every 25 gallons, or 50 additional miles on every 25 gallons, i.e. 225 mile on a 25 gallon tank or 275 miles on a 25 gallon tank and that's actually a $9.69 less to travel 275 miles on 89 octane at 4.11/gallon because you only use 25 gallons, vs 30.5 gallons at 9 miles per gallon to travel 275 miles..............

How many miles is your trip each way?
And is that the Displayed MPG on the dash, or hand calculated? I find my dash is 0.5mpg to almost 1mpg high depending on driving done, when hand calculated.
So if its off by 0.5mpg (i.e. 8.5 on 87 octane & 10.5 on 89 octane), then a 300 mile trip is about $12.50 less on 89 octane...... Just think that's a free 6 pack of beer at camp :rotflmao:
 
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gofishn

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hemi 5.7L, 345 cu in
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!
FarmerGal

Yes the Ram 1500 can tow serious weight but your Ram 1500 is not designed for towing but for getting maximum fuel economy.
It will pull that trailer all da long even up hills with that ransmission bu t will far harder to do it than a truck built for pulling. However, 90% of the time, when you are not pulling that camper, you are going to get max fuel mileage and, in teh end, still have a hemi that will jump off the line.
 
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farmergal

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Oops....haven't checked this for a while. Thanks to the new suggestions, remarks, etc. We are heading out in a couple days so we shall see what happens and once I'm back, you'll know how I feel. The 87/89 octane suggestion is very helpful. Thanks to all of you....K
 

gofishn

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2022 Ram 1500 5th Gen, Big Horn, 4X4, Crew Cab, 6'4" Box
Engine
hemi 5.7L, 345 cu in
Oops....haven't checked this for a while. Thanks to the new suggestions, remarks, etc. We are heading out in a couple days so we shall see what happens and once I'm back, you'll know how I feel. The 87/89 octane suggestion is very helpful. Thanks to all of you....K
let us know how it turns out. Also, what kind of hitch are you using? Little things can make a big difference when it comes to towing.
 
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farmergal

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We're back. It was about 330 miles one way with most of it in the mountains.....Kentucky, Tennessee, NC and into SC. It seems we got just about or above 11 mph. It did pull great though. Wouldn't know it was back there unless you were going up a hill. Not sure what kind of hitch. It was with the camper and I know it has a sway bar. Quite easy to hook in. I kept track of all the vehicle info such as oil temp, engine temp, etc. along the way and it never changed. All in all, we are pleased with the trip. As long as we aren't hurting the truck, we'll be going somewhere in the camper again.IMG_2200 (1).jpg
 

Mandride

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I tow a 23' Lance camper with payload right at 6300 and even when empty at 5300 we get 9 to 11 depending on where we are towing. I get around 3 to 4 when towing the smokie mountains climb on I-40 west bound. To Florida 11 MPG 13 if behind a semi. I have the 2019 1500 limited with 3.21 gears. no e-torque. My son had a 2021 Ram 2500 with 4.11 and 6.4 and got the same. It is just Gas. But to be clear in the long run you come out ahead with Gas over Deisel. May work a little harder but lean to use tow mode if running hills and no tow mode on level ground.
 

ramffml

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May work a little harder but lean to use tow mode if running hills and no tow mode on level ground.

Always use TH when pulling something > 3000 pounds, doesn't matter what ground you're on.
 

69GWC

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I towed about 7100lbs camper with mine with 3:21s with no problems but I did tow locked out in 6th gear with TH on and with that done it would not switch gears around
I don’t like towing heavy in overdrive gears IMO that’s where you will hurt the truck.
 

Eric Troup

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Towing a 6,000 lb travel trailer with a 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel with 3.92 has been a very nice experience. No gear hunting, strong acceleration off the line, and holds 70 mph easily on the interstate. 6/7% grades in NC and TN mountains have been handled well. Not as strong of course as the Ram 2500 Cummins but very good nonetheless. Anti-Sway hitch has made for a stable ride.

Not sure what to replace it with when time comes but I do prefer a diesel towing.
20201119_154557509_iOS (2).jpg
 

gofishn

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2022 Ram 1500 5th Gen, Big Horn, 4X4, Crew Cab, 6'4" Box
Engine
hemi 5.7L, 345 cu in
We're back. It was about 330 miles one way with most of it in the mountains.....Kentucky, Tennessee, NC and into SC. It seems we got just about or above 11 mph. It did pull great though. Wouldn't know it was back there unless you were going up a hill. Not sure what kind of hitch. It was with the camper and I know it has a sway bar. Quite easy to hook in. I kept track of all the vehicle info such as oil temp, engine temp, etc. along the way and it never changed. All in all, we are pleased with the trip. As long as we aren't hurting the truck, we'll be going somewhere in the camper again.View attachment 505689
Not sure if it is camera lens distortion or actual Squat but truck seems to be squating a bit. Might want to invest in a set of Tuftruck springs.
Can go with variable rae spring and keep OEM ride but truck will squat 2 inches , faster, than if you go with constant rate springs.
I went with constant rate, on my 4th gen truck but seriously thining of Variable rate for this 5the Gen truck.

Hated OEM Ride of the 4th Gen but like this 5th Gen ride.
Go Figure.
 
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