Picking up 10000 pound fifth with brand new 2500 6.4 hemi...considerations?

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SK2500

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Wow, I dont know how you do it. Im originally from WV and camping in WV was what made me decide to trade my 6.4 in on a diesel. I would have kept it if I spent more time on lesser hills and I was only pulling about 10K +/- with the 6.4 and 3:73. I cant begin to imagine pulling near 15K on the regular. I was screaming in second gear in places on the interstate with just the 10K behind it.

I haven’t been into WV with it yet. And I lived in St Albans for 10 years. The hills in WV will probably be rough lol. I am going to upgrade to a Cummins eventually. For now the 6.4 is working pretty well. I knew it would be slower on the go but I don’t mind. Next time I will upgrade the rig before the tow vehicle lol


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Mountaineer83

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Hemi 6.4
I haven’t been into WV with it yet. And I lived in St Albans for 10 years. The hills in WV will probably be rough lol. I am going to upgrade to a Cummins eventually. For now the 6.4 is working pretty well. I knew it would be slower on the go but I don’t mind. Next time I will upgrade the rig before the tow vehicle lol


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I just towed my 42 footer back from Georgia last weekend to Logan County. I have the 4.10 rear and it did relatively well. My GVWR on the trailer is 15,500 but I wasnt that heavy. I used to live in Dunbar up until last month!

I down shifted to 2nd on a couple hills on I77 from Bluefield. But truck didnt miss a beat. I'd say I averaged between 78 mpg maybe. Stopped 4 times but wasnt empty either when I filled up.
 

Rickydelivers

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How often are you guys pulling? I was advised for my needs the truck I picked out('18 6.4 crew cab 3.73s) would be adequate to tow 8-10k once or twice a week 300 mile round trip, 3 or 4 hill or mountain passes no higher than 3500 elevation) They actually gave me the impression the Cummins would be overkill for my needs. Thoughts?
 

Mountaineer83

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I had a 34' travel trailer when I stepped up from my Tundra. It weighed about 7800lb empty, probably close to 8500 loaded. My Ram handled it really well. I did have a few longer hills where the speed was slower and it would shift to 2nd, but it was bad. If on the interstate here I WV I held 3rd or higher on most hills. I do have 4.10s, but it doesnt seem like a big step from 3.73s.

Even with my 5th wheel close to 14k or 15k it doesn't do bad at all for a gas engine. I'd say you should be more than fine if you let the truck perform like it was designed, meaning let it rev to make power!
 
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Rickydelivers

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Thanks! That's good to hear. I only have 300 miles on her and some said to wait til 1k to tow, so I will be crossing my fingers!
 

Hd74ica

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Well I may be foolish but when all else fails read the instructions. In other words the owner's manual is there and I would follow it. Yep I'm old but I'm also old-fashioned and I feel that it is better to error on the side of caution. Hey but what do I know?
 

WAKEMASTER

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I would follow the manual as far as break in period goes. It is written for a reason. As far as the load goes you will be happy with the performance of the 6.4. That engine will be able to handle the load well. You are still way under the max towing rating of the truck combo.
 

smurfs_of_war

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How often are you guys pulling? I was advised for my needs the truck I picked out('18 6.4 crew cab 3.73s) would be adequate to tow 8-10k once or twice a week 300 mile round trip, 3 or 4 hill or mountain passes no higher than 3500 elevation) They actually gave me the impression the Cummins would be overkill for my needs. Thoughts?

The truck you picked out should be able to pull all day every day for it's whole life. There really isn't a magic number on how many days per week or distance the truck is rated to pull. The only thing to watch is service- if it's working hard like that often, be on top of it. If you're trailer is 8-10k, it will pull that every day if you so choose. I get Forest Whitaker eye when I hear some of the bull that falls out of some sales people. They act like they actually have a fu**ing clue about anything. More often than not they don't know if their own ass is punched, bored, or blasted out.

That said, that doesn't mean it may or may not shorten the lifespan of certain components or the truck itself, but- it's a HD. It's designed to be a pack mule not a race horse.
 

Rickydelivers

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smurfs That is good to hear! The salesman(dealership) I was dealing with, was pretty versed in towing and hauling. He actually (to my surprise) talked me out of the Cummins after me explaining my wants and needs. He said the big diesel would work, but may be "overkill" for what I was going to use the truck for. I try to stay on top of all my personal and work vehicles as far as the maintenance, so that shouldn't be a huge deal. Thanks again for chiming in!
 

joshuaeb09

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smurfs That is good to hear! The salesman(dealership) I was dealing with, was pretty versed in towing and hauling. He actually (to my surprise) talked me out of the Cummins after me explaining my wants and needs. He said the big diesel would work, but may be "overkill" for what I was going to use the truck for. I try to stay on top of all my personal and work vehicles as far as the maintenance, so that shouldn't be a huge deal. Thanks again for chiming in!

The cummins is very well likely overkill for your needs and just has a higher cost of ownership. Most of the commercial fleets around here are moving to gas HD's as they run into long term issues with all the crap on modern diesels that aren't being worked hard enough regularly enough. It's getting more and more common for every truck in the fleet to be gas with a couple of dedicated diesel heavy tow/haul trucks that only get used for the big stuff. That being said I'm not arguing against anyone getting a modern diesel cause they want one and are willing to pay that higher cost of ownership, but from a practicality standpoint I'd avoid one unless I absolutely needed it.

Even if you find the 6.4 lacking later on a gear swap is a lot cheaper than upgrading to a diesel (So long as your weights aren't unreasonable) and can really change the towing performance of that gas motor by giving you more mechanical leverage.
 

Rickydelivers

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Joshuaeb09 Very well said! Thanks for the confirmation. I do realize this motor will work harder and scream more than the monster Cummins, gut like I previously mentioned, I will be only towing once maybe twice a week and not even be close to the max. So far as a daily driver, I love it. The MPG's arent the greatest(showing 13.9, but my hand calculation is closer to 13) but hopefully it'll get better as i put more miles on the truck, currently just surpassed 550 miles this afternoon.
 

pcschwenke

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I have a 6.4 I’m my 3500 Laramie and tow a 9200lb trailer every weekend from mid May-September. No regrets. This truck is also my daily driver to work-10miles one way. A diesel would not be happy in this situation. I do have 4:10 gears.
 
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