Stay with 1500 or go with 2500?? Need some imput

[baitcaster24]

Hello everyone. I'm hoping to get a little feedback on my current situation.
I currently have a 2010 ram 1500 5.7l, 3.55 gears crew cab, 116,000km with warrant til 200,000km with no time limit. I dont put alot of kms on the truck bc I have a work truck for back and forth throughout the week.
We just purchased a Travel trailer a few weeks ago, gross weight is 5600lbs and max is 7600lbs, tongue weight is 621lbs. My truck is rated for 8400lbs and payload is just under 1400lbs. We probably never will be fully loaded in the trailer but it is possible.
With my current set up does anyone feel its justified to go up to a 2500 or should I stick with the 1500 until my warranty is up? With my driving habits its could last 5-8 years. The reason I'm considering 2500 is for the increased towing and payload. For the most part my 1500 does everything I need it to.
If I were to go up to a 2500 its gets even harder for me to decide between 6.4l or Cummins. Somedays I think the 6.4 is all I would need then others I think diesel is the way. Has anyone bought the 6.4 or cummins and regretted it and wished they bought other?

 

[NewBlackDak]

You can never have too much truck. That said, your 1500 is more than adequate for that trailer assuming you have a good weight distribution hitch.
Gas/diesel really depends on your driving habits. Little short trips are not great for a modern diesels, and can wreak havoc on emissions.


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[BWL]

Your truck should handle that just fine. If you make a few trips and feel like it isn't then look to swap, but I doubt you will.

 

[NCRaineman]

Have you driven the 1500 with the trailer fully loaded? The 1500 can handle that much weight but it might not feel comfortable to you, and how it feels to you is really what the matter comes down to.

 

[John Jensen]

If you need to buy a new truck I wouldn't hesitate. I would go straight to a 2500 Cummins. And if you really want tow power, the 3500 with Aisen Tranny.

That said, If you don't need to buy a new truck your 1500 is adequate.

 

[crash68]

Jumping up to a 2500 comes down to whether you plan on going bigger with the trailer/ need more capacity or it is just want it.
Being your current truck has 3.55 and 6 speed is possibly a negative for pulling your current trailer compared to a new 1500 with 3.92 and the 8 speed. Once you have a WDH set up properly and the load distributed properly (you will have to do the same with a 2500), you should have no issues pulling your current trailer.

 

[MADDOG]

The 1500 is well within spec towing that trailer.

However, it may get a bit slow pulling steeper grades. If you aren't happy with how it performs towing the trailer and are getting too close to your payload rating, then a step up to a 2500 is indicated.

I've pulled with both a 2500 with the 6.4L Hemi and the 6.7L CTD. My 6.4L did just fine with up to 7800 - 8000 loaded trailer weight although steep grades on hot days slowed it down quite a bit.

When it came time to replace the 6.4L powered truck due to an accident I went to the CTD knowing that 1) I'd have NO problem whatsoever towing those loads and, 2) if I decided to go with a larger 5'vr I'd have what I needed to tow that as well.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Firebird]

Having trailered many things with half tons and 3/4 tons, I much prefer the 3/4 ton! There is just no comparison in stability between the two. I currently am back in a 3/4 ton, but went gas for the first time with the 6.4, and so far it has been the perfect choice.

 

[Gero]

Any idea why they dont offer the 2500 5.7 and the 8spd? My biggest reason would be added payload but it would be nice to get the efficiency and smoothness of the 8spd.

 

[NewBlackDak]

Any idea why they dont offer the 2500 5.7 and the 8spd? My biggest reason would be added payload but it would be nice to get the efficiency and smoothness of the 8spd.

The current 8-speed doesn’t have a parking prawl strong enough to hold the weigh of a 2500 with max load.


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[crash68]

Any idea why they dont offer the 2500 5.7 and the 8spd?

It's a good possibility the next Gen HD trucks will get a variant of the ZF 8 speed. There is a video floating around of a 3500 CTD dually with this new transmission and I've seen them at a ZF R&D facility.

 

[mtnrider]

While you are still in the weight range for your 1500 the 2500/3500 will tow so much better and be more stable. How often to you think you will tow? If it's a short trip once a year not a big deal but if you plan on traveling more often the 2500/3500 may be more suited to the task. Also what kind or terrain and altitude will you be towing in?

I've said this before, this is primarily a gas biased forum so you will probably get more leaning that way. (Go to the Cummins forum and ask the same question and you will get a different answer.) I went from a cummins 2500 to a gas and within a year went back to a cummins (taking a big loss on the gasser). if I am going to a HD truck it will be a diesel without a doubt.

.

 

[GsRAM]

At 5900 dry, you'll probably be around 7k plus or so loaded ready to camp weight. That is a heavy trailer for a half ton truck. Your current truck can handle that trailer safely if you set up your wdh properly.

Search for verndiesels posts. He regularity tows heavy with his half ton ecodiesel. However he takes the time to set it up properly and scales it on a cat scale. If your going to tow heavy with a half ton safely, what Vern does is very important.

I went from a 2015 Silverado to my 17 2500 ram and I love this 2500. My 1500 was maxed out and I knew it. I have no plans on going back to a half ton truck. My truck is a tradesman and I still get Compliments and questions about it from folks at the campgrounds. I'm confident I could Go another 2-3k loaded trailer weight over my current tt no problem. Gas vs diesel. Again personal preference. Both are good. My opinion once your over 10k trailer weight you should consider diesel If you do a lot of towing. Modern diesels have some drawbacks with all the emissions bs and such so if you don't need one I wouldn't buy one but that's just me.

I just got back from a week camping trip. Lots of gear, lots of weight. Leaving the dump station and going up a steep hill in the campgrounds my wife (who drove separately with my boys so we'd have more room for gear in my truck) commented it looked like my ram was pulling my tt like a toy (not struggling at all up the hill and it wasn't). Our site was right along this hill so we watched a lot of trucks on the throttle to pull that hill.

With that said, there's nothing wrong with pulling your trailer with your truck if you take the time to set it up correctly so it's safe and stable. On the highway this trip I ran wdh but no sway control and had no issues. When the big boys passed me I had some pull on the wheel, but nothing bad. Typical stuff when towing TTs. The 2500 has the mass/weight to control my tt without sway control. With my 1500 it was a must for highway trips and coming home that was with a 50lb or so bag of laundry in the tub in the bathroom in the very rear of my camper. Terrible idea from a loading standpoint but I wanted to see how the trailer would react)...( you typically want heavy items forward of the trailer axles for tongue weight) but it made no difference with the 2500. It was just as stable as the trip out.

If you want to save money and keep your current truck, I'd try setting it up real good and then take a few trips and make your decision after that. If you want a new truck, then get the 2500 but be prepared for a harsher ride and worse fuel mileage when running empty. I averaged 11mpg towing and on my daily back roads commute I'm usually in the 12s average. On the higheay, empty I've been up over 17 average.

There are trade offs, pros and cons to each. There is no right versus wrong at the weights you stated. More personal preference. I towed heavy with a half ton for years and had no issues, but I invested the time to know my weights and set things up well. Regardless of what your towing with, you need to take your time and be careful. I ran about 60 mph on the turnpike. To test my set up, I ran it up to 72mph for 2 miles and it was still very stable at those speeds but i don't like going that fast towing for lots of reasons. Good luck with your decision.

 

[JohnCh]

Consider this. My 1500 has a GVWR of 6900. A couple of weeks back after camping, I drove on a cat scale with the trailer and found out I was about 160 lbs over weight. Yesterday I decided to weigh my truck with a full tank of gas, me, and maybe 80 lbs of stuff in the bed. I do have a bakflip cover that adds weight and a factory spray on bed liner. I was at 6280 lbs. so add my wife, trailer tongue weight, ice chest, luggage... and boom, I’ll be overweight. If I did it again, I’d get a 2500. BTW, it pulled fine with no issue, but it bugs me that I’m overweight... did that come out right? Ha! The trailer is less probably than 5000 lbs. Total weight from the weigh with camper was 11360 lbs.

 

[GsRAM]

Consider this. My 1500 has a GVWR of 6900. A couple of weeks back after camping, I drove on a cat scale with the trailer and found out I was about 160 lbs over weight. Yesterday I decided to weigh my truck with a full tank of gas, me, and maybe 80 lbs of stuff in the bed. I do have a bakflip cover that adds weight and a factory spray on bed liner. I was at 6280 lbs. so add my wife, trailer tongue weight, ice chest, luggage... and boom, I’ll be overweight. If I did it again, I’d get a 2500. BTW, it pulled fine with no issue, but it bugs me that I’m overweight... did that come out right? Ha! The trailer is less probably than 5000 lbs. Total weight from the weigh with camper was 11360 lbs.

I understand why you feel that way, but 160lbs overweight is negligible. I wouldn't even give that a second thought. If you were 1600 lbs over payload that is an issue. I was maxed out on my 1500 but it still towed my current trailer just fine really, no issues. We are looking at bigger campers so I figured while my truck still had a high value, make the move to 2500 so when we get the bigger camper we'll be set.

I wanted a 2500 from the beginning and convinced myself I didn't "need" one. Big mistake I'm going to try to avoid doing again in the future. I prefer the rougher ride of the 2500 personally. I'm old school and this is what a truck is supposed to ride like, not like a sedan deville from the 70s like my Chevy did....but again that's just me. My brother has a 14 Silverado 1500 and loves the ride.

 

[NewBlackDak]

Consider this. My 1500 has a GVWR of 6900. A couple of weeks back after camping, I drove on a cat scale with the trailer and found out I was about 160 lbs over weight. Yesterday I decided to weigh my truck with a full tank of gas, me, and maybe 80 lbs of stuff in the bed. I do have a bakflip cover that adds weight and a factory spray on bed liner. I was at 6280 lbs. so add my wife, trailer tongue weight, ice chest, luggage... and boom, I’ll be overweight. If I did it again, I’d get a 2500. BTW, it pulled fine with no issue, but it bugs me that I’m overweight... did that come out right? Ha! The trailer is less probably than 5000 lbs. Total weight from the weigh with camper was 11360 lbs.

Move the ice chest and luggage into the trailer over the axle(s), and your problem will most likely take care of itself.


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[Joshwaa]

I tow a heavy camper 9400lbs loaded. Set up the WDH on the Cat scale and have no problems towing it with my 1500. However I mostly stay in Florida so no mountains or steep grades. I think you will be more than good with what you have. One thing you really need to consider is your tires. I would not tow much of anything on the P tires. Step up to an XL at the very least, load range E would be much better option.

 

[Pricejh]

From my experience, I’ve pulled a 25’ TT and a 30’ TT with a ‘12 1500 Ram 5.7 gasser. Pulled them both pretty good. Stepped up to a ‘15 2500 Ram w/6.7 Cummins turbo. Pulls the 30’ like it wasn’t even there. Should have got it in the first place.

The Hemi got about 20 highway and 16 City, 9 pulling either trailer. The Cummins gets about 19 Highway, 16 city, 12 pulling the 30’ TT. While pulling a trailer with the Hemi I was looking for gas at about 125 miles. With the diesel I start looking at around 200.

Oil and fuel filter changes are most expensive, when the are needed. Changed the oil more often on the 5.7 than on the diesel.




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[DarthMegaHD]

Ever since I moved up to 2500 I can't get myself to like any half tons. Drove a new 2019 this weekend and couldn't help but feel like I was driving a soccer mom SUV. My truck is tall stiff and rugged and that's the way I like it. (That's what she said)

 

[Ratket]

^ ha! We traded our 6.4 mega cab in for a New 18 1/2 ton.. but I just couldn’t say no.. got way way to good of a deal.. Anyways, this truck is now my wife’s.” She loves it more than the mega cab” .. I’m waiting for a 8 speed before I get into another 3/4 ton.

The 3/4 ton up trucks are designed for Weight period.. from pulling to stopping. They are more planted, and feel very secure “ I can’t stand the body roll “ in our 1500.. irritates the fck outta me. At the end of the day, it’s what ever you like. Just don’t be that guy towing a 5thr with ur V6 half ton....