Why does Ram tow the least?

[RoadKing]

Hey,

Get a little bored on night shift occasionally and my co-workers and I start talking about trucks.

I understand there is a lot of engineering that goes into making a class leader in towing. Meaning there is more too it than HP Torque and Gears.

For instance the Chevy 5.3 will tow 11,200lbs the 6.2 more. The Ram 5.7 is 10,700.

The Ram does have more hp and torque but in whole it does not quite match
the Chevy.

Why? Is it because Ram chooses to use the coil springs in the rear to help achieve the quality ride at the cost of a few hundred towing lbs?

None Ram guys will just say the frame can not hang in there.

Being Chevy has the 6.2 in their 1500 I wonder if Ram will put the 6.4 in their 1500


Thanks

 

[Birddog]

Not everyone tows at their maximum capability so I am just going to assume that Ram is giving the ratings based on the weight of the bells and whistles you order in the truck that may make your truck weigh more than the other manufacturers trucks. If you order a bare bones single cab with a hemi your truck weighs less so you can tow more so you don't go over your payload weight. The crew cab weighs more so it tows less. Also, I'm sure that Ram isn't giving you a rating of 10,500 lbs knowing that one pound over will break the truck instantly. One more thing is that the other companies give about 3 or 4 trim levels where Ram is offering about 10 so you can get your truck with the bells and whistles you want with more options overall. I don't know about the 1500 but the heavier trucks got a tow rating boost for 2016.

 

[darthdzl]

Short answer: because they actually give figures using testing that conforms to SAE standards. The other guys don't.

If they did, Ram would tie at worst.

 

[Csanders1992]

Hey,



Get a little bored on night shift occasionally and my co-workers and I start talking about trucks.



I understand there is a lot of engineering that goes into making a class leader in towing. Meaning there is more too it than HP Torque and Gears.



For instance the Chevy 5.3 will tow 11,200lbs the 6.2 more. The Ram 5.7 is 10,700.



The Ram does have more hp and torque but in whole it does not quite match

the Chevy.



Why? Is it because Ram chooses to use the coil springs in the rear to help achieve the quality ride at the cost of a few hundred towing lbs?



None Ram guys will just say the frame can not hang in there.



Being Chevy has the 6.2 in their 1500 I wonder if Ram will put the 6.4 in their 1500





Thanks

The 6.2 has more power than the Hemi. Another thing to consider is Rams rating is probably based on 8spd/3.92 gears. The 6.2 is only offered with an 8spd/3.23 gears, I could be wrong on that number.


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[cptwing]

The 6.2 has more power than the Hemi. Another thing to consider is Rams rating is probably based on 8spd/3.92 gears. The 6.2 is only offered with an 8spd/3.23 gears, I could be wrong on that number.


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The 3:23 gears would tow less than the 3:92 by far all other things being equal.

 

[MikeG]

Just my .02 but if you're towing over 10k you need a 2500/3500

 

[MADDOG]

Check each make truck's UVW and GCVWR.

 

[The War Wagon]

So what have you & the Chebby lovers ACTUALLY towed?

 

[clh1220]

Just my .02 but if you're towing over 10k you need a 2500/3500

That's the right answer. And I personally think that if your towing over 8500 , very often ,you should be looking at a 2500. Besides towing capacity you have payload.with a 10k trailer you will be out of payload.even with you 3.92 gears which do nothing for payload.

 

[theviking]

That's the right answer. And I personally think that if your towing over 8500 , very often ,you should be looking at a 2500. Besides towing capacity you have payload.with a 10k trailer you will be out of payload.even with you 3.92 gears which do nothing for payload.

Yes. I towed some pretty heavy loads with my old 1/2 ton Ram and it could get interesting. Certainly wouldn't want to pull a 10k load with one for any distance.

 

[Kenneth1977]

I wouldn't be so concerned with the gears but rather the spring rate and tire choice .

 

[smurfs_of_war]

The short answer (derived from all of the above replies) is these numbers are meaningless. They are a ***** measuring competition used to sell trucks to the misinformed. I am a bit more conservative. I would start looking at a 2500 around the 75-8000lbs mark. Payload considerations aside- since there is actually a VERY small minority of RV'ers that actually pay attention to that or even understand it- if you got any of these trucks up to their ceiling of towing cap, you're not going to have a very good time. My F150 (at the time was one of the coveted) was rated for just shy of 10,000lbs. We had hooked a trailer to it with some small equipment. Knowing the approximate weight of the equipment, we knew it was north of 9000lbs. By the middle of the 50km trip we weren't sure what was going to die first- the truck or us.

Long story short- these numbers are derived by hooking a certain weight to the truck and pulling a certain grade at a certain speed within a certain time and not overheating or burning things up or dropping below a certain speed. These aren't rated for the long term. The guys I see (from ALL brands) with the big 5th wheels and 10,000lbs bumper pulls- I think their nuts and I can see the dealerships rubbing their palms in anticipation for a new truck every 3 years or some serious maintenance work. Maybe the F150s and the GMs have a more robust cooling system? Could be something as little as that.

There was an article I read some time back, I think it was in Truck Trend, they had an interview with one of the uppers of Ram and this very question came up. The answer was- they didn't rate them higher because the majority of their customer base didn't need it higher. After gathering data they found such a small minority of people towing above 5000lbs if at all, they opted to leave that job up to the HD units for long term towing.

 

[cc rider]

I see we are talking 1/2 tons here. But doesnt ram have the highest towing cap. and payload in the hd trucks (3500drw aisin w/ 900ft.ibs torque yada yada)?

 

[Dubstep Shep]

There are two main reasons in my opinion.

1) Ram is the only one that adheres to SAE standards for tow ratings right now. Ford and Chevy are going to implement in next year I believe.
2) Ram is the only one that uses coil springs.

 

[TRCM]

The 6.2 has more power than the Hemi. Another thing to consider is Rams rating is probably based on 8spd/3.92 gears. The 6.2 is only offered with an 8spd/3.23 gears, I could be wrong on that number.


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The standard 6.2 truck has 3.23 gears...the max tow version has 3.42 gears

 

[spoon059]

There are two main reasons in my opinion.

1) Ram is the only one that adheres to SAE standards for tow ratings right now. Ford and Chevy are going to implement in next year I believe.
2) Ram is the only one that uses coil springs.

Toyota started using the J2807 ratings in 2011, so they are the first. Ram decided to use them as well, so they have slightly lower numbers.

Coil suspension in the half ton likely lead to lower tow ratings as well.

The biggest answer is that Ford and GM both used to use STRIPPED DOWN trucks to test for max tow ratings. They would jettison the bumpers, spare tire, dashboards, use lighter wheels, etc to get a lower GVWR. With a lower GVWR, they can advertise a higher tow rating.

Reality sets in long before you get to the higher tow rating though. To SAFELY tow, you need higher tongue weights. My 2010 Tundra was rated to tow 10,200 lbs. But my payload was only 1400 lbs or so. With me, my wife and kids, we had 1000 lbs payload. With a weight distribution hitch weighing 75 lbs, that left me with 925 lbs. In theory I could tow 10,200 lbs... but that is INSANE with only 925 lbs of tongue weight. Certainly not feasible with an RV or high wall trailer. Theoritically possible with a flatbed trailer hauling concrete or something.

Reality is, anything over 7500 or 8000 lbs is likely going to have too high of a hitch weight for most half ton trucks. The Ecoboost with max payload is an exception. Those numbers are just bragging rights in the half ton.

 

[RoadKing]

Well for sure with the coil springs in the rear the Ram rides so smooth i love it. I belive Ram probably figured most of the segment that buys Ram does not tow that much so why not make a real smooth ride. Looks, smooth power and ride is why i choose Ram. I recently driove a F150 and the ride is just too stiff for me. Of course the Ram 1500 is plenty suitable to tow lots if stuff but if you are towing a lot of weight you might as well move to 3/4 ton.

 

[PippinAin'tEasy]

Take a good listen to really fast tag at the end of the latest Ford ads and one will notice that one truck is required for max towing and another configuration for max hauling.

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[RoadKing]

When I first posted this question I still surprise myself how naive I can be.

I forgot to consider that manufacturers make an art of manipulating whatever is required to get numbers they want.

 

[clh1220]

If it's mostly about the springs, maybe they should of offered a heavy half option with stronger springs or air bags to increase payload. You can do the same thing to your truck but you can't get the factory ratings. I still think over 8500 is a bit much for a half ton.