mtofell
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2014
- Posts
- 2,653
- Reaction score
- 2,301
- Ram Year
- 2014
- Engine
- Hemi 6.4
This is a very similar load to the report Drittal gave a week or so ago except I'm a 5th wheel and he's a TT. And my terrain was quite a bit easier.
Truck - 2014 6.4 Hemi 4X4 CC Outdoorsman w/3.73 gears
Total weight - 18,050#
Truck - 10,100#
Trailer - 7950#
The trip consisted of leaving the Portland, OR area, heading down flat I-5 for about 35 miles, then through Salem and out state hwy 22 towards the coast. Another 50 miles or so up over the coast range (less than 1000' but lots of rolling hills) to Lincoln City on the coast.
Overall, the truck did GREAT. Pulling down the interstate is a breeze, even with this heavy load. The truck seems to really like 4th gear. Once in the hills it's a lot of manual shifting from 4 down to 3 or 2. I find if I wait for the truck to shift automatically it's too late and will bog down in the new gear. By shifting manually I can head into a good hill with the RPMs high and pull it with ease.
The sweet spot for this truck in 2nd gear seems to be about 58mph. I feel like I could accelerate up a cliff at this point. The downside of this truck and the 3.73 gears is at lower speeds on steep winding roads where it hunts between 1 & 2 (see Drittals report). Highway pulling is nearly perfect. I suppose it would be nice if the tranny could shift quicker but it's a minor annoyance while towing near the truck's limits. My earlier thoughts of re-gearing are, at least for the time being, on the back burner.
What I was surprised at is my 5th wheel's "weight problem". The thing has a listed dry pin weight of around 1800#. I knew the load would be close to my 10,000# GVWR but was surprised I exceeded it by 100#. The 5th has the normal pots/pans and bedding but I had almost no water on board. The truck had nothing but my B/W sliding hitch in the bed (200#??) and just myself (235#) + wife and 3 kids (270# total) in the truck. It's hard to believe I added 500# to the pin weight by loading - that would mean 2500# of stuff in the trailer but that can't be since I'd be way heavier than 8K on my trailer axles. Yellow sticker weight of the dry 5th rolling out of the factory was 9040#. So, it seems it is a bit pin heavy and/or the brochure pin weight was not terrible accurate.
In the end, the weight isn't a huge deal. So I'm 100# over 10,000#.... it's not like the tires are going to explode
Although, I may explore the option of the air bags just to be sure. It is funny though, the sag in the rear end is pretty minimal. Really just enough to level out the truck. A truck with a sagging ass is like a comb over.... two things I refuse to be any part of
Mileage wise I'm sorry to say I don't care enough to pay very close attention with gas being 1.80/gallon (and my company paying the bill) The best I can report is what the DIC displayed. Cruising down the freeway I could see 10 or more while rolling at 55. It dropped quickly as I increased my speed up to 65.
In the hills it drops quickly as well.... more in the 7-8 range. Even 6 pulling some really long/steep grades. I'd guess for the trip I averaged around 8 with the interstate and hills. My old Duramax hauling a similar weight 5th wheel use to get about 10-11 on the same exact trips. Overall, I'm happy with the mileage. And I'm VERY happy with truck's performance. Granted this is just the first real trip and my opinions and experiences could change but my fear that I bit off more than I could chew with the new 5th wheel are largely put to rest.
Truck - 2014 6.4 Hemi 4X4 CC Outdoorsman w/3.73 gears
Total weight - 18,050#
Truck - 10,100#
Trailer - 7950#
The trip consisted of leaving the Portland, OR area, heading down flat I-5 for about 35 miles, then through Salem and out state hwy 22 towards the coast. Another 50 miles or so up over the coast range (less than 1000' but lots of rolling hills) to Lincoln City on the coast.
Overall, the truck did GREAT. Pulling down the interstate is a breeze, even with this heavy load. The truck seems to really like 4th gear. Once in the hills it's a lot of manual shifting from 4 down to 3 or 2. I find if I wait for the truck to shift automatically it's too late and will bog down in the new gear. By shifting manually I can head into a good hill with the RPMs high and pull it with ease.
The sweet spot for this truck in 2nd gear seems to be about 58mph. I feel like I could accelerate up a cliff at this point. The downside of this truck and the 3.73 gears is at lower speeds on steep winding roads where it hunts between 1 & 2 (see Drittals report). Highway pulling is nearly perfect. I suppose it would be nice if the tranny could shift quicker but it's a minor annoyance while towing near the truck's limits. My earlier thoughts of re-gearing are, at least for the time being, on the back burner.
What I was surprised at is my 5th wheel's "weight problem". The thing has a listed dry pin weight of around 1800#. I knew the load would be close to my 10,000# GVWR but was surprised I exceeded it by 100#. The 5th has the normal pots/pans and bedding but I had almost no water on board. The truck had nothing but my B/W sliding hitch in the bed (200#??) and just myself (235#) + wife and 3 kids (270# total) in the truck. It's hard to believe I added 500# to the pin weight by loading - that would mean 2500# of stuff in the trailer but that can't be since I'd be way heavier than 8K on my trailer axles. Yellow sticker weight of the dry 5th rolling out of the factory was 9040#. So, it seems it is a bit pin heavy and/or the brochure pin weight was not terrible accurate.
In the end, the weight isn't a huge deal. So I'm 100# over 10,000#.... it's not like the tires are going to explode
Although, I may explore the option of the air bags just to be sure. It is funny though, the sag in the rear end is pretty minimal. Really just enough to level out the truck. A truck with a sagging ass is like a comb over.... two things I refuse to be any part of Mileage wise I'm sorry to say I don't care enough to pay very close attention with gas being 1.80/gallon (and my company paying the bill
) The best I can report is what the DIC displayed. Cruising down the freeway I could see 10 or more while rolling at 55. It dropped quickly as I increased my speed up to 65.In the hills it drops quickly as well.... more in the 7-8 range. Even 6 pulling some really long/steep grades. I'd guess for the trip I averaged around 8 with the interstate and hills. My old Duramax hauling a similar weight 5th wheel use to get about 10-11 on the same exact trips. Overall, I'm happy with the mileage. And I'm VERY happy with truck's performance. Granted this is just the first real trip and my opinions and experiences could change but my fear that I bit off more than I could chew with the new 5th wheel are largely put to rest.
