Towing without Air Bags

[Forrest Alley]

I have ordered a new 2020 2500 6.4 hemi, I didn't want the air bags suspension. However I do occasionaly haul my 7060 Kubota loader tractor. My trailer is rated to carry 10,000 lbs, and the tractor with loader is under 6,000 lbs I believe.

My question is has anyone tried towing heavy loans on a Ram with just coil springs?.

I have never had any problems with my 2001 2500 Cummins.

Thanks

 

[dhay13]

Should be fine. What is the weight of the trailer? Guessing pretty hefty if it is rated for 10,000lbs. Is that the GVWR? If the tractor weighs 6000 and the trailer weighs even 5000 then properly loaded you would have about 1300-1400lbs tongue weight. You should probably be running a Weight Distribution Hitch with that much weight. My son has about 1100lbs tongue weight with his 8000lb camper and with the WDH set properly it barely squats and rides great.

 

[Forrest Alley]

I made the mistake once before a got a trailer where you had to deduct the weight of the trailer.

But not this one, it will haul 10,000 lbs on top.

 

[Toddz]

Dhay13 is right on the money. With that kind of weight you need a weight distribution hitch, but you would need that with the old leaf spring set ups of the past. My trailer weighs in at 7500 to 9800 lbs (depends on the toys) with 1180 lbs tongue weight. The 2500 handles it like a champ.

 

[crash68]

For a trailer that potentially could be weighing 14K lbs I would seriously consider buying it with a gooseneck hitch.

 

[jejb]

I have ordered a new 2020 2500 6.4 hemi, I didn't want the air bags suspension. However I do occasionaly haul my 7060 Kubota loader tractor. My trailer is rated to carry 10,000 lbs, and the tractor with loader is under 6,000 lbs I believe.

My question is has anyone tried towing heavy loans on a Ram with just coil springs?.

I have never had any problems with my 2001 2500 Cummins.

Thanks

Curious why you did not want the factory air bags?

 

[Forrest Alley]

I had air shocks on a 1974 dodge charger, and it was cool till one went bad and the finder started cutting the tire. I just can't help but believe they won't hold up over time. And there not cheap to replace.

 

[Forrest Alley]

Call me old fashion I guess, I told my wife I'm not sure I did right by ordering a new truck, I love my 2001, but like me it's getting old too. I only have 228,000 thousand miles on it and it starting to get a little rust here and there. I had thought about just putting money into that truck and fixing it up, but the wife insisted I get myself a new truck. I just hope the new one does as well as the old one.

 

[2003F350]

Normally I'm one of those safety first guys, but this begs the question - how far are you hauling it, and how often? 1-2 times a month, more, less? 4-5 miles on back roads (no faster than 55) or 30 miles+ on the expressway?

I ask because if it's just once in a while to haul it to a friend's place or something, your current setup might be okay as long as you load the tractor over the wheels.

If you're hauling it any real distance at speed, then you'll want to consider putting a WDH on that to help out with squat. I doubt you'd need airbags for it.

As for actually pulling it, your 6.4 should be just fine. My PW does great with our camper, and anything else I put behind it.

 

[Forrest Alley]

I pull it 3 to 5 times a year, 50 miles one way, never over 60 mph.

 

[2003F350]

I pull it 3 to 5 times a year, 50 miles one way, never over 60 mph.

With that information, I'd say it's all in how you load it. Since it's a tractor, you can adjust where it sits on the trailer to keep most of the weight on the trailer, and as long as you can adequately secure it, I think you'll actually be okay with your current setup. If the truck looks like it's squatting too much, back the tractor up a bit.

 

[62Blazer]

In my opinion people make a way bigger deal out of towing than what it really should be. A typical 16'-18' tandem axle flatbed trailer with a 12k-14k GVW weighs maybe up to 3,000 lbs. Add a 6,000 lb. tractor and you are looking at 9,000 lb. total weight. That should be way under the rated towing capacity of a standard 2500 Ram with the 6.4. Not a lot of people use WDH in this type of situation when you are talking about towing something way under the max capacity of the truck, and it being a flatbed. The difference with it being this type of trailer and load is you typically have much better control at adjusting the tongue weight, and you don't have the sway associated with an RV or box trailer. I towed 8k-9k on a flatbed trailer behind my last Chevy 2500 all over the place for years with no WDH and it handled great, even up to 70 mph on the freeways.

Don't get me wrong as WDH, air bags, and whatever add-ons are not a bad thing but they should not be needed by any means.

 

[Forrest Alley]

My trailer is 24' dove tail flat bed and I have never had any problems behind my 2001, but that truck has leaf springs. I just wasn't sure how it going to be with the new truck with only coil springs.

 

[AFMoulton]

10k full up no problem with a good WD hitch.


2018 Ram 2500 6.4L 4x4
Amsoil SS 0W-40

 

[Bldrinker]

1800lb tongue weight. Helper bags have 35psi. Truck has 2” leveling kit so the amount of rake looks worse than it is.

 

[392DevilDog]

The coils loose no capacity over leaf springs.

The 2nd Gen is rared 8800lbs. The 4th Gen is rated 10000lbs.

Your hitch is rated around 1800lb tongue weight...just noticed you got a 2020...i think 2000lbs.

You should be fine.

 

[Forrest Alley]

Well I ordered what was supposed to be 2020 laramie longhorn 2500 4x4 6.4 hime, the order sheet said longhorn. I have asked my sales guy just what am I getting, and can't get a straight answer, so I went to the manager and got the same thing. The only thing different was I was told you can't get a laramie longhorn in 2021. The truck is supposed to be shipped on November 10th, so it a wait and see.

 

[2003F350]

Well I ordered what was supposed to be 2020 laramie longhorn 2500 4x4 6.4 hime, the order sheet said longhorn. I have asked my sales guy just what am I getting, and can't get a straight answer, so I went to the manager and got the same thing. The only thing different was I was told you can't get a laramie longhorn in 2021. The truck is supposed to be shipped on November 10th, so it a wait and see.

Laramie Longhorn is the trim level that comes up between PowerWagon and Limited for 2020, for 2021 it has been renamed the Limited Longhorn. Looks like it's basically the same, they just changed the name. That said, the order sheet probably uses Longhorn to save space/ink, and honestly, I don't know why they don't just call it the Longhorn...

 

[mtofell]

No problem without bags for pretty much any receiver hitch pulled trailer (yes, WDH is a good idea - I'm talking strictly payload here). I haul an 11K 5th wheel which puts close to the max payload of 3K in my bed and it does fine without the bags inflated. I have aftermarket (Firestone) bags that I usually inflate just to stiffen up the hinge between the truck and trailer. I can't imagine your 10K trailer on the receiver will even put half of your payload on the truck.

 

[Forrest Alley]

Thanks guys you have made me feel better about it, one more quick question what the deal with all I'm hearing about a leveling kit?, Is the truck not level?, is it for the back or the front or all the way around?.

Remember my last truck is basically 20 years old, and I haven't kept up. Thanks