Unhappy with 1500 towing. Need Help

[slbenz600]

So then tell us…. If what you say is so true then why is it the 3.21-geared trucks have a lower trailer tow rating than the trucks equipped with the 3.92 gears? Why is it the general consensus of the people that tow with the lower gears have a lot more of a pleasant towing experience than the people who tow with the trucks that have a higher rear-end gears? Hell even the OP in this very discussion created a thread about this very thing that I’m talking about… LOL.

Take any kind of oval track racing as an example; explain to me why race car drivers try to get their gear ratio exactly right so that depending on how big the track is, their rear end gear is not too high or too low? Everybody knows that the lower the gears the more acceleration you’re going yet but the higher gear you have, the more top end but there’s also a balance of having all of that just right so that it’s not too low or too high. Same thing for people who go rock crawling; they generally tend to go with a lower gear set so they can get more gear reduction. Just like how if you put oversize tires on your truck that there’s plenty of resources out there online that will tell you which lower gear to put in there to bring your gear ratio back up to where it was at.

Look, if you want to be such an advocate about the higher gears in these trucks, by all means, go right ahead but there’s a reason why the trucks that have the higher gears in them really weren’t made for towing and why the ones that were, have to lower gears and yes, the eight speed transmission allows for a lot of things to happen with that really high of rear end gears but it doesn’t take away the fact that the 3.92 is better for towing but I’m sure you’re gonna argue this relentlessly so go right ahead. We know what we’re talking about. I’m not even gonna comment about that nonsense you talked about with riding a bike… LOL. I

What are you trying to accomplish with gears, if your trying to create power/milage ?

 

[dwade]

How did you like Hocking Hills? We drove through it a couple weeks ago, but didn't camp. We just bought a TT last weekend and are looking for good spots around OH for weekend trips.

To the original topic of this thread, the TT pulled pretty nice. I ran steady at 65 on the highway in 6 or 7th gear. Ran around 2600-2700 rpm unless it was a long hill or high head winds. Watching the oil and trans temps, they did not run out of line with regular driving. I do have the 3.92 rear end. The trailer is 22' 9" and 4500 lbs dry, probably was around 4800-5000 getting it home. All in all, I feel like the trailer and truck match up pretty well for what I am looking for. I figure I can run about 1000 lbs cargo in the trailer and be within payload on the truck. Plan to put it on some scales as soon as we get it packed up for a proper weekend trip and see where we are.

Hocking Hills was awesome and it wore the wife out walking up n down the trails but she did tell me that we would go back and hit some of the other areas (not connected to each other). It was beautiful.

 

[corneileous]

What are you trying to accomplish with gears, if your trying to create power/milage ?

I wouldn’t necessarily be trying to “create” power or mileage, I would be aiming to put less strain on my drivetrain. Sure, I could possibly get a little bit better mileage because my engine wouldn’t be having to work as hard with the lower geared rear end but since the eight speed transmission I guess makes up for that without more strain on it by it being in a lower gear to compensate so I guess really the only thing I would be aiming for is having a little bit more torque to get up to speed, pass another vehicle easier if need be, pulling hills better and better engine braking.

 

[doc 11 ACR]

What you have is what you have. Don't sweat the small stuff. Your truck will do what you ask of it just don't try to "keep up" with trafic. Keep your speeds down to the 55 to 60 MPH range and you will be fine. Remember that trailer tires from the factory are only rated foe 55 MPH, 60 for short distances. More speed equals more heat and it is heat that kills tires, and speed kills retirement. Enjoy the ride and your retirement. Happy camping!

 

[HEMIMANN]

The 2500 6.4 WILL pull much better. Much better torque. I have towed 9000lbs with both and no comparison. Yes it will still rev on hills but not nearly as hard

Concur. I've owned both engines, 5.7 Hemi in a 1500 Quad Cab, and my current 6.4 Hemi in a 2500 Crew Cab. Despite the much higher truck weight, it pulls much better. Must be a lower torque curve or some such.

 

[IvoryHemi]

Remember that trailer tires from the factory are only rated foe 55 MPH

That will vary.

The factory tires on our first TT were rated for 75 mph and current TT came with 81 mph rating.

 

[GGlaser]

All I know is that if you're going to tow and rev your Hemi that hard I'd be making sure to run full synthetic oil in it. That's a lot of stress on an engine.

 

[OC455]

@Bricknhank

Well, good luck with your decision if you are moving up to a bigger truck.

 

[Bricknhank]

@Bricknhank

Well, good luck with your decision if you are moving up to a bigger truck.

Thanks. I ordered my Longhorn 2500 8 weeks ago last Monday. Status is still at D1.

 

[69GWC]

Don’t tow in overdrive gears, my truck pulled 7k easy locked in 6th gear, 7th and 8th are of gears.