Towing 8,000 lbs with 3.21?

[LIMtnBkr17]

Hey everyone.

I have a 2017 1500 Crew Cab Express with 3.21 gears and the 5.7. When I leased it I got the towing package and have an oil and trans cooler. I was shocked when I found out my truck only had 3.21 gears. Guess I just assumed with a tow package it would have been more suited for towing.

I am looking into travel trailers and was wondering if someone can explain to me why a 3.92 can tow 10,000 lbs and 3.21 can only tow 6k. Aren’t brakes and suspension the same? I’ve read the 8spd is much better suited for towing and if tow/haul mode is on and you keep it out of 8th gear it is fine.

My main question is, has anyone towed a 8,000lbs travel trailer with 3.21 gears? I live in central New York so there are some hills but nothing massive.

99% of my driving is with the truck empty and if I buy out my lease I would throw some airlift 1000HD’s in to help with the weight.

I am a mason and have plenty of experience towing heavy loads between equipment, blocks, etc. My personal truck and daily driver just happens to be a half ton. I can’t load my family in a F-550 and head to Old Forge.

But aside from the trans working pretty hard on stop and go (which there isn’t much of) how bad could it be?

 

[naumaa1]

I did 8500 with my 3.21 at 6500ft elevation in Colorado and it did just fine. Out in the hills with a side wind makes me want to get a 2500 but power wise I had no problems

 

[spokanedj]

But aside from the trans working pretty hard on stop and go (which there isn’t much of) how bad could it be?

It's not just trans, but every component from engine, flex plate, trans, drive lines, etc. The higher gearing in the diff actually puts less load on all those.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[Gero]

I've hitched 9200lbs before on my 3.21 and it did fine. Towed it for a friend for about 200miles.

 

[Fieldoc]

2018 longhorn 5.7 3.21's. Have pulled 2000 miles with 7000 lbs behind, not an issue. Previous ram had 3.92's and only difference was holding 6th or 7th gear longer.

 

[stateofdade]

My 2018 big horn crew with 6.4 bed is rated for just over 8k. My TT is about 7700 lbs with all our gear. No worries.

Sent from my SM-G935U using Tapatalk

 

[LIMtnBkr17]

Thanks everyone. I feel better about it now. It will probably be around 8k max loaded, will only be twice a month at most and I probably won’t go more than 400 miles. Mostly flat terrain. 99% of my driving is commuting empty so the 3.21 will help a little with gas.

 

[Gero]

You'll be fine. Just don't raise your truck and dont run aggressive at tires and you'll get decent mileage.

 

[OC455]

Fellow Central NY'er here, I've run from the Rome area to Lake George with my Big Horn no issues. Little over 5500lbs with a Keystone Hideout 260 LHS. I run Timber Grove ASAM air springs and don't have an issue. You plan on running heavier, as long as you have a weight distribution hitch setup right, you should be good to go.

 

[LIMtnBkr17]

Thanks everyone. I feel better about it now.

It will probably be around 8k absolute max loaded and will only be twice a month at most. Mostly flat terrain and probably no more than a few hundred miles.

99% of my driving is commuting empty so the 3.21 will help a little with gas. I didn’t want to have to justify a 3/4 ton or having more than one vehicle.

 

[Elkman]

When you add the tow package you also have the option to pay an additional $95 (at least for the 4WD trucks) to have lower gears installed in the truck. That is about a tenth the cost to have them changed out later.

Always a good idea to do some research before spending $50,000 on a truck. Ford and Chevy provide lower gears with their tow packages but not Ram and with Toyota their trucks all come with low gears standard.

Taller gears put more stress on the transmission and on the engine and this reduces the trailer weight that can be towed. The engine power in terms of lb ft of torque also affects the towing capacity which is where a diesel engine with less horsepower than a gas engine may be able to tow a heavier trailer.

I highly recommend that anyone who plans to buy a new tow vehicle to take a few minutes and download the manufacturer's towing guide. Ford, Chevy, Toyota, and Ram provide these in PDF form and they provide information that you will not find in the truck or car brochures.

 

[LIMtnBkr17]

When you add the tow package you also have the option to pay an additional $95 (at least for the 4WD trucks) to have lower gears installed in the truck. That is about a tenth the cost to have them changed out later.

Always a good idea to do some research before spending $50,000 on a truck. Ford and Chevy provide lower gears with their tow packages but not Ram and with Toyota their trucks all come with low gears standard.

Thanks for the info. I leased the truck and thought with a tow package RAM would be smart enough to put tow gears in. Why would you not? The option was never offered/mentioned. I didn’t spend 50k for a tow vehicle. I leased a daily driver that may occasionally tow. The dealer actually went 100 miles to get the truck with the options I wanted, they almost nailed it.