First Time Towing Ram 1500 V6

[iplax13]

I just picked up a 2017 1500 quad cab with the trusty old v6 in it.

I want to bring my excavator and or tractor up state with me this weekend.

Will the truck be okay towing a 4500lb mini excavator on a single car trailer?

Roughly 100 miles each way, with moderate hills(nyc to castkill mountains)

Is there anything I should be worried about?

Thanks,

 

[Quyonmob]

Depends on the gear ratio.

3.6/8spd/3.21 only has a tow rating of around 4200lbs IIRC
3.6/8spd/3.55 is around 7200lbs IIRC

The 8spd behind the pentastar is a much smaller (weaker) unit that the hemi 8spd.

I tow 3500lbs on the regular with with 3.6/3.21 and it does very well, just don't fear the rpm.

 

[iplax13]

Depends on the gear ratio.

3.6/8spd/3.21 only has a tow rating of around 4200lbs IIRC
3.6/8spd/3.55 is around 7200lbs IIRC

The 8spd behind the pentastar is a much smaller (weaker) unit that the hemi 8spd.

I tow 3500lbs on the regular with with 3.6/3.21 and it does very well, just don't fear the rpm.

So your are saying itll rev a little higher, but should be ok for the 2 hour drive?

 

[Quyonmob]

Not ok with 3.21

 

[crash68]

Considering that between the excavator and trailer your probably looking close to 6500 lbs. If your V6 has 3.21 gearing it might be interesting trying to climb in the mountains and your truck will let you know it. Even with 3.55 expect the RPMs to frequently get into and above the mid 4K rpm range, the torque peak for the engine is 268 ft.lbs @4400 RPMs
Set up the WDH to return the weight back to the truck's front wheels. It's best to set this using a CAT semi truck scales.

 

[TerraNewf]

Might be a bit heavy, I took a 6x12 trailer loaded so about 3600#'s. My 2015 with 3.6/3:21 did it without a sweat. The total trip one way was 2400 kms, level and mountainous terrain. My new Hemi does a lot less shifting.

 

[Leonard Russo]

Mini excavator loaded onto a trailer is heavy for a V6! Use the Ram website to plug in your vin and it will tell you exactly what weight & payload your particular truck is capable of towing !

 

[El Huapo]

Trailer brakes and a good trailer brake controller might save your life if you're in the hills. If your trailer and it's load total as much or more weight than the towing vehicle, your truck's brakes may (read that as "probably") NOT be enough and things could get tense. Take care.

 

[dls56]

Trailer brakes and a good trailer brake controller might save your life if you're in the hills. If your trailer and it's load total as much or more weight than the towing vehicle, your truck's brakes may (read that as "probably") NOT be enough and things could get tense. Take care.

Braking is a greater concern for sure. The truck may struggle pulling but that won't get you hurt. Mini-excavators range in size and weight but are generally pretty stout for a V6.
Good luck.

 

[Quyonmob]

Braking with the V6 isn’t the concern as it has the same brakes as the rest of the 1500s, including the ones rated to tow 11,500lbs.

I’m not saying to ignore it as an issue for a 1500, but braking with the hemi is the same as braking with the Pentastar, which is the same as braking with the eco diesel.

 

[El Huapo]

Braking with the V6 isn’t the concern as it has the same brakes as the rest of the 1500s, including the ones rated to tow 11,500lbs.

I’m not saying to ignore it as an issue for a 1500, but braking with the hemi is the same as braking with the Pentastar, which is the same as braking with the eco diesel.

I agree that the newer trucks have good brakes, better than any of the older ones I have had.

I do not agree that smaller motors have the same engine braking on a hill as a big one---if that's what you meant.

I did mean to refer to *trailer brakes* as being important since the OP didn't say his truck had them. In any situation with anything except a lightweight utility trailer, I consider trailer brakes a must-have. He did say he would tow in some hills, I hope he did have trailer brakes, 'cause when you have to hit the brakes hard going downhill and the trailer starts trying to pass you, it's too late to ask for trailer brakes. And yes, it did happen to a friend of mine and it rolled him and his truck.

I hope this doesn't come across as Mr. Snarky, that's not my intention. I get the feeling that a lot of younger, maybe less experienced folks post questions here and I don't want to steer them wrong. Maybe I spent too long on Emergency Response Teams. Happy Trails, Y'all

 

[Quyonmob]

I agree that the newer trucks have good brakes, better than any of the older ones I have had.

I do not agree that smaller motors have the same engine braking on a hill as a big one---if that's what you meant.

I did mean to refer to *trailer brakes* as being important since the OP didn't say his truck had them. In any situation with anything except a lightweight utility trailer, I consider trailer brakes a must-have. He did say he would tow in some hills, I hope he did have trailer brakes, 'cause when you have to hit the brakes hard going downhill and the trailer starts trying to pass you, it's too late to ask for trailer brakes. And yes, it did happen to a friend of mine and it rolled him and his truck.

I hope this doesn't come across as Mr. Snarky, that's not my intention. I get the feeling that a lot of younger, maybe less experienced folks post questions here and I don't want to steer them wrong. Maybe I spent too long on Emergency Response Teams. Happy Trails, Y'all

No, I’m talking about the truck having the same brakes regardless of engine option.
Significant Engine braking is only induced manually in these trucks anyhow, by forced downshifts. The amount of engine braking applied under normal conditions by using tow/haul would also likely be irrelevant to engine choice (obviously except eco-diesel) as it is so minimal. Determining which engine could provided the most engine braking would be interesting as it would depend more on engine dynamics than displacement.

 

[PoMansRam]

I just picked up a 2017 1500 quad cab with the trusty old v6 in it.

I want to bring my excavator and or tractor up state with me this weekend.

Will the truck be okay towing a 4500lb mini excavator on a single car trailer?

Roughly 100 miles each way, with moderate hills(nyc to castkill mountains)

Is there anything I should be worried about?

Thanks,

Assuming your 2017 is a 4x4, express model with 3.21 gears, the max you're supposed to pull is 4470 lbs. Obviously this doesn't account for passengers, cargo, etc, etc..

Provided your trailer is all setup with working brakes, you're the only one in the truck and you're using a WDH with sway control, I personally wouldn't having an issue with this particular trip. I would not let the 8spd transmission beyond 6th gear, which if you enable "tow mode", it will stay there anyway unless the road is flat enough for long enough and it will go to 7th.

I wouldn't call the 8HP45 transmission small and weak at all compared to the 8HP70. It's got a totally different bellhousing than the 70 and is rated to have less torque applied through it, which you would expect from something bolted to a V6 compared to a V8.

I would NOT do this type of towing with this truck regularly.

 

[El Huapo]

I just picked up a 2017 1500 quad cab with the trusty old v6 in it.

I want to bring my excavator and or tractor up state with me this weekend.

Will the truck be okay towing a 4500lb mini excavator on a single car trailer?

Roughly 100 miles each way, with moderate hills(nyc to castkill mountains)

Is there anything I should be worried about?

Thanks,

Hi iplax13, So it has been quite a while since you posted the original questions and I imagine you did that tow job, how did it go for you? Truck handled it OK? Any "White-knuckle" time? Hope all went well

 

[BigHornRam1]

Hi,

I have a 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 crew cab 4x4 with the v6 and 3.21 gearing with tow package. I am looking at purchasing a trailer that has a dry weight of 4600 lbs. I figured that if I add another 1000-1400 lbs max in luggage water etc. That would put me at 5600-6000. I will be putting a WDH on and trailer brakes. I have heard the numbers on the truck are conservative and it will be fine. I don't want to be restricted on where I can go...mountains etc. Will this truck be able to safely handle it. I just bought the truck so a new truck is not an option. Thanks!

 

[PoMansRam]

Hi,

I have a 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 crew cab 4x4 with the v6 and 3.21 gearing with tow package. I am looking at purchasing a trailer that has a dry weight of 4600 lbs. I figured that if I add another 1000-1400 lbs max in luggage water etc. That would put me at 5600-6000. I will be putting a WDH on and trailer brakes. I have heard the numbers on the truck are conservative and it will be fine. I don't want to be restricted on where I can go...mountains etc. Will this truck be able to safely handle it. I just bought the truck so a new truck is not an option. Thanks!

Kind of an old thread here, but still relevant! LOL

Is your 2017 for sure a crew cab? That's pretty rare for a pentastar powered Ram 1500. Most are quad cabs. I'd have to look up the specs again, but I thought the 4470 max trailer weight was for quad cabs. The bigger the cab, the less the tow capacity. Regardless, it sounds like you are going to be well above that.

Also, if this is a travel trailer, the lack of aerodynamics associated with them pose additional concerns IMO.

 

[BigHornRam1]

Yes. It's a crew.

I typically don't go fast when pulling. I would keep it between 55-60 mph. Also, if I don't fill up the tanks I can keep the weight to around 4900...even with luggage.

Does that seem more doable?

 

[Quyonmob]

Kind of an old thread here, but still relevant! LOL

Is your 2017 for sure a crew cab? That's pretty rare for a pentastar powered Ram 1500. Most are quad cabs. I'd have to look up the specs again, but I thought the 4470 max trailer weight was for quad cabs. The bigger the cab, the less the tow capacity. Regardless, it sounds like you are going to be well above that.

Also, if this is a travel trailer, the lack of aerodynamics associated with them pose additional concerns IMO.

Lots of crew cab pentastar trucks around here, like mine.

 

[Quyonmob]

Hi,

I have a 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 crew cab 4x4 with the v6 and 3.21 gearing with tow package. I am looking at purchasing a trailer that has a dry weight of 4600 lbs. I figured that if I add another 1000-1400 lbs max in luggage water etc. That would put me at 5600-6000. I will be putting a WDH on and trailer brakes. I have heard the numbers on the truck are conservative and it will be fine. I don't want to be restricted on where I can go...mountains etc. Will this truck be able to safely handle it. I just bought the truck so a new truck is not an option. Thanks!

You are over your tow cap. With the crew it is like a measly 4200lbs thanks to the 3.21 gears. 3.55 puts it at 7000lbs.

Honestly, I tow this guy, and it does fine. Just stay out the 7th and 8th gears. Don’t fear Higher RPM.

 

[Different Drummer]

I also own a 2017 V6 Crew cab with 3.21 gears. Mine is 2WD so I get a tiny bit more in the weight category. I wouldn't pull what OP suggests on a regular basis and for any long distances. If you are going to do it don't even think about using 7th and 8th gears. Both are OD. 6th is 1:1 . Use the transmission judiciously. Anticipate climbs and manually down shift early. Learn your engines torque curve and keep it operating in its most effective range. Keep an eye on operating Temps. Especially transmission and give serious consideration to shortening service intervals. And by all means don't cheap out on the fluids you buy.