That's not been my experience at all. And to be honest in terms of braking I feel very little effect of the trailer since the trailer should be stopping its own weight.
Trailer brakes aren’t active <15 mph with the OEM brake controller
Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
That's not been my experience at all. And to be honest in terms of braking I feel very little effect of the trailer since the trailer should be stopping its own weight.
Trailer brakes aren’t active <15 mph with the OEM brake controller
I've read about this being an issue for people; not a very good "feature" and Ram doesn't seem to think it's an issue. The manual slider to apply the brakes still works, I use it every time I hook up my 5w for a tug-test.Trailer brakes aren’t active <15 mph with the OEM brake controller
After reviewing the video, a couple of comments:You guys talking about the gear ratio .... it's frustrating to see that come up because it has no effect. It just means he is in 5th instead of 6th but the power and rpms are the same at those 2 points in otherwise identical trucks.
@392DevilDog you are probably correct about revving the hemi high, but on the other hand very few have the stomach to do that. For a start it's very loud, very exhausting, and uses a metric ton of fuel.
IMHO if I can't tow my trailer at < 2500 on straight level ground with a small/moderate headwind, then my truck isn't big enough.
Below is a comparison video just released yesterday. It compares a hemi vs Ford Hybrid vs Toyota vs GM 3.0 diesel. I think the outcome of that video is so obvious; the hemi is "screaming away", the two turbos are cruising at 2300 or less and the diesel takes the crown. It's why I want that diesel so bad.
OP, my suggestion, try a diesel (either the GM or the Ram's ED, but keep payload in mind!!) if you end up ditching your truck for something else. I tow with a 3.21 and sit in 6th at 2300 RPMs, which is comfortable for me, but I probably wouldn't be happy sitting at 3000 forever:
Diesel, Hybrid, V8 or V6 for towing? Full-Size Truck Towing Comparison
Wondering which half-ton truck and powertrain is the best for towing? This is the video for you! We have the Ford F-150 Hybrid, GMC Sierra Duramax Diesel, Ra...www.youtube.com
After reviewing the video, a couple of comments:
First, I think the Rebel was disadvantaged due to its heavier, oversize tires, which probably impacted the fuel consumption test quite a bit.
I also noticed that during the test the rear seats were in the upright position. I have tested this myself with a Db meter and the rear seats in the down position help damper the sound coming through the rear cab vents. I'm not sure, but I believe on top of that the Rebel comes with different (presumably louder) mufflers.
Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 03 June 2018. Now at: 066221 miles.
So, after spending many hours both surfing the web and visiting the dealerships I’m in concurrence with IvoryHemi’s assessment on the pros and cons. So far the F-250 seems to offer the most truck for the money. I’ve already posted that I don’t want to go diesel. The Ford offers the 7.3 with the 10 speed but 3:55 gears or 4:30. If I wanted the 3:73 I would have to go with the 6.2 and the 6 speed or an F-350. 4:30 is way too steep of a gear for me. That’s for really heavy duty stuff or drag racing in my opinion. One of the “cons” for me is that the Ford is about 18” longer. That’s big enough for for non trailer-pulling parking problems including in the garage. I’ve got a decent sized garage but my vehicles have to share it with a lot of my woodworking machines, one of my many hobbies. And, the Ford is pretty damned tall with about 1-1/2” to spare height wise. Comparably equipped the Ford seems to be priced the best, at least the way I have been building them online. I do like the F-250 towing mirrors. Power retractable, telescopic and heated. No need to flip them 90 degrees like the Ram mirrors I’ve been looking at. No doubt many here will be touting the Ram 2500 and I really like the 8 speed transmission/gearing combinations but as I mentioned before I am having difficulty getting past the fact that it’s made in Mexico. I know that no matter where it’s assembled it could have foreign parts from various countries and ultimately Ram/FCA is in charge of quality control but I just like to see vehicles assembled here by American workers.IMO:
Ford
Pro: best gas powertrain combo with 7.3L V8, 10-speed auto/4.30 axle and 34 gallon tank.
Con: hard plastic interior materials everywhere, rough ride
GM
Pro: independent front suspension gives decent ride, 36 gallon tank
Con: old 6-speed automatic with the 6.6L gasser and only 3.73 axle, average interior quality
Ram
Pro: coil or air suspension, best interior quality, ZF trans, 4.10 axle
Con: 31 gallon tank, smallest interior space with old 4th Gen cab
I wonder ????? Why that would be. Must be that they sell more chevys, nah, can't be. Ram Rules.there do seem to be a few more chevys on the lots to pick from right now tho.
What are you trying to accomplish with gears, if your trying to create power/milage ?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
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.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.
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.What are you trying to accomplish with gears, if your trying to create power/milage ?
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
Remember that trailer tires from the factory are only rated foe 55 MPH
Thanks. I ordered my Longhorn 2500 8 weeks ago last Monday. Status is still at D1.