Why does Ram tow the least?

[SlowRoller]

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

LMAO!!!

AGAIN!!????!!!

I remember another thread a while back that started off like that,,,

The Chebby/Ferd guys had you all excited,,,

All ya need to tell them is, until they own a 4th Gen RAM for themselves, they simply won't understand...

Fact is, now more than EVER, folks don't need 10,000 lb capable 'half tons',,, MOST 1/2 tons are daily drivers used to haul people and grocery's, with an occasional trip to Home Depot and maybe a few tows to the lake.

RAM is about the only one of the big 3 that 'gets it' and focuses their 1/2 ton on the ever increasing 'urban' / light duty /creature comfort market that's thriving in the US.

'Others' are still bragging about dropping 2 tons of rock in the bed, towing 4,000 lb logs around on a mountain, or hauling 167 bales of hay,,,

Well Bubba, there ain't much need for that 'round here!!!

LOL!!!

 

[RoadKing]

Yeah i have associates that are not into trucks and they will ask me why do i drive a truck and i tell them they may be a 12 pack of beer away from sucking divk in their Prius but my commuter vehicle of choice is Truck. Lol.

 

[audio1der]

I hate to sound like a broken record (honest!) but numbers are only one factor for towing. I agree wholeheartedly with some of the comments above; if you tow above 8,000lbs often AND/OR pull a trailer longer than 27', you should look at 3/4 tons. There is simply too much side area/volume on many "1/2 ton towable" trailers for a 1/2 ton to control.

But at the end of the argument, would you rather drive a truck which may have lower ratings but does it well, or the "highest" ratings which some with a new pair of undies for every mile you drive pulling that much?

 

[gofishn]

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.

Exactly.

Back when TOyota was starting their full size truck, For let slip early extimates fo their towing capacity. Toyota came out with an advertised tow load about 100lbshigher than the leaked FOrd.
TUrns out the leaekd FOrd towing was actually about 500lbs less.

Huge contrating outfits killed a ton of toyotas for those first few years and now you rarely see one on a job site.

Darn sneaky of FOrd but sheer Genius.

 

[Andy578]

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.

it's not bad, actually the truck handles 10k pretty good. pulled a tractor home for a friend about 350km with a few pretty steep hills without a single issue and never once felt unsafe

 

[drittal]

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.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I547 using Tapatalk

Correct, "properly equipped 5.0 liter 4x2" for max payload. 3.5l ecoboost 4x2 for max tow.

I believe this is because the ecoboost isn't offered in a standard regular cab other than the tremor. At least it wasn't when I bought mine 3 yrs ago.

 

[Dubstep Shep]

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

LMAO!!!

AGAIN!!????!!!

I remember another thread a while back that started off like that,,,

The Chebby/Ferd guys had you all excited,,,

All ya need to tell them is, until they own a 4th Gen RAM for themselves, they simply won't understand...

Fact is, now more than EVER, folks don't need 10,000 lb capable 'half tons',,, MOST 1/2 tons are daily drivers used to haul people and grocery's, with an occasional trip to Home Depot and maybe a few tows to the lake.

RAM is about the only one of the big 3 that 'gets it' and focuses their 1/2 ton on the ever increasing 'urban' / light duty /creature comfort market that's thriving in the US.

'Others' are still bragging about dropping 2 tons of rock in the bed, towing 4,000 lb logs around on a mountain, or hauling 167 bales of hay,,,

Well Bubba, there ain't much need for that 'round here!!!

LOL!!!

I guess my family is the exception to this.

My dad has always owned a 1500 truck. He doesn't like how large the 2500s are, and he REALLY doesn't like how loud the diesels are. That said, he pulls about a 10,000lb load a few times a year with that truck, and does so without trailer brakes. His current truck is a F-150 with the maximum towing and all that, and it does pretty damn well pulling a tractor that size. He's really conservative with his driving when he's pulling it though. He also doesn't ever modify any of his vehicles, so there's that.

Me on the other hand, I wanted a truck that would be a great daily driver but that I could also tow 8,000lbs worth of trailer, car, and tools to the track with. I even went so far as to put a gooseneck hitch in because they pull so much better. My truck pulls fantastically right now thanks to the air helper bags and a few other mods.

IMO anyone that never pulls anything with their truck needs to go get something like a Toyota Tacoma. The 1500s should be working to increase their towing and payload, not reduce it.

 

[MikeG]

Just cause a truck can pull a load doesn't mean that it should. You have to think about braking, stability and can the truck control that much weight.

 

[Limeybastard]

I guess my family is the exception to this.

My dad has always owned a 1500 truck. He doesn't like how large the 2500s are, and he REALLY doesn't like how loud the diesels are. That said, he pulls about a 10,000lb load a few times a year with that truck, and does so without trailer brakes. His current truck is a F-150 with the maximum towing and all that, and it does pretty damn well pulling a tractor that size. He's really conservative with his driving when he's pulling it though. He also doesn't ever modify any of his vehicles, so there's that.

Me on the other hand, I wanted a truck that would be a great daily driver but that I could also tow 8,000lbs worth of trailer, car, and tools to the track with. I even went so far as to put a gooseneck hitch in because they pull so much better. My truck pulls fantastically right now thanks to the air helper bags and a few other mods.

IMO anyone that never pulls anything with their truck needs to go get something like a Toyota Tacoma. The 1500s should be working to increase their towing and payload, not reduce it.

Nicely said. As I didn't primarily purchase mine either for just towing, I believe my spec pulls the least weight. 3.21 diff 8 speed etc.

Tacoma are so popular and seem to be well loved in the USA, that's the impression I got. But mainly used as a car by mom's for grocery around my neck of the woods.

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

 

[SlowRoller]

IMO anyone that never pulls anything with their truck needs to go get something like a Toyota Tacoma

I've had far too many taco's to fit in a Taco,,, or a Colorado, or a Frontier,,,,, LMAO!!!

 

[clh1220]

Pulling 10k trailer with a 1500.Hell with any pick up for that matter, with no trailer brakes. Glad I don't live there.

 

[Dubstep Shep]

Pulling 10k trailer with a 1500.Hell with any pick up for that matter, with no trailer brakes. Glad I don't live there.

Like I said, he drives conservatively when he pulls it. Like he gives himself a quarter mile to stop it at 60mph.

I've pulled that load and it's really not hard to stop with that truck.

 

[clh1220]

You ever hear of **** happens.like somebody pulling out in front of you. That is not a 1/4 mile away.

 

[Rzrman328]

Just cause a truck can pull a load doesn't mean that it should. You have to think about braking, stability and can the truck control that much weight.

^^this.

It's not about getting that weight moving.....that's the easy part....

It's about stopping and controlling it.

 

[Dubstep Shep]

You ever hear of **** happens.like somebody pulling out in front of you. That is not a 1/4 mile away.

You clearly aren't understanding the situation.

This isn't a major city here. There isn't traffic. It's open highways.

And you can always be alert and looking for the possibility of someone pulling out in front of you.

My dad has been doing this for probably 30 years now and I've done it for probably five and we've never even had so much as a close call because we're careful. We aren't even outside the trucks rating.

 

[cc rider]

Absolutely insane. i did it briefly (10k), but i had trailer brakes. Even with them its risky. Stuff happens in a split second. Grandma or that girl texting can cut you right off. Just when you thought you were paying attention......

Pulling 10k trailer with a 1500.Hell with any pick up for that matter, with no trailer brakes. Glad I don't live there.

 

[preachp]

Hi All,
What about lowering 1000lb chunks of wood out of a 100ft high trree? how about dragging 8, 10, 12 inch diameter branches out of the way? I bought my Tradesman to be a nice looking, nice riding, working truck. If I didn't need it to work I would have bought a Jeep.
If I am sold a truck that is advertised as able to pull a 8400 lb load it better be able to do it safely. If not that is selling me a false bill of goods. That is why I chose a RAM. I want what I pay for not some slice of blue sky pie or a heaping serving of rainbow pudding. Inflated numbers can get people killed. That is what the 2807 standard is all about. It entails braking in various situations, load control and pulling ability.
Here is an article describing what the J2807 is.
SAE J2807 Tow Tests - The Standard

preachp

 

[spoon059]

My dad has been doing this for probably 30 years now and I've done it for probably five and we've never even had so much as a close call because we're careful. We aren't even outside the trucks rating.

With all due respect, you are wrong. First of all, the trucks rating requires trailer brakes on any load over 3000 lbs I believe. You are 3.5 tons OVER that rating.

Second of all, at 60 mph you are moving at 88 feet per second. Average reaction time while driving is 2.3 seconds. That means you are traveling over 200 feet before you even hit the brakes. Your 1500 will take about 180 feet to stop from 60 when its EMPTY. I imagine we are well over 300 feet when towing 5 tons without brakes. Now its taking at least 500 feet to stop. That is a LOT of distance to cover. If an oncoming car crashes, if a kid runs out, if an animal runs out... there are a lot of circumstances.

Accidents happen all the time to people who think they are being "careful" and it won't happen to them.

60 mph is WAY too fast if you are overloading your brakes.

 

[Dubstep Shep]

With all due respect, you are wrong. First of all, the trucks rating requires trailer brakes on any load over 3000 lbs I believe. You are 3.5 tons OVER that rating.

Second of all, at 60 mph you are moving at 88 feet per second. Average reaction time while driving is 2.3 seconds. That means you are traveling over 200 feet before you even hit the brakes. Your 1500 will take about 180 feet to stop from 60 when its EMPTY. I imagine we are well over 300 feet when towing 5 tons without brakes. Now its taking at least 500 feet to stop. That is a LOT of distance to cover. If an oncoming car crashes, if a kid runs out, if an animal runs out... there are a lot of circumstances.

Accidents happen all the time to people who think they are being "careful" and it won't happen to them.

60 mph is WAY too fast if you are overloading your brakes.

It appears you're right about the trailer brakes. I wonder though. Technically the trailer has brakes, but the truck didn't come with a brake controller, even though it's rated to tow that much. Technically you aren't pulling it without brakes. I've told my dad to get a controller though. He doesn't want to do anything that isn't stock on the truck though, and that's just how he is. I've got one on my truck though.

As for reaction times, you can be reactive towing that much. I'll stick to being proactive. Much safer that way.

My point in saying that is when you're pulling that much you have to be extremely proactive with your driving. There's someone that looks like they may pull out in front of you in 1/8 mile? Slow down. Driving in the city? Slow down. Going up and down hills? Slow down. Etc. If you're always anticipating these things before they happen, you don't get surprised.

The 60mph figure is for a highway in good conditions with no traffic, literally no one in front of you for a mile, and a good 50 yards to either side of the highway that are cleared so you can very easily tell if there are any animals. Tires, loading, and other possible components that could catastrophically fail or cause catastrophic failures are checked every time. If those aren't the conditions then you slow down lol.

 

[Cleave]

It appears you're right about the trailer brakes. I wonder though. Technically the trailer has brakes, but the truck didn't come with a brake controller, even though it's rated to tow that much. Technically you aren't pulling it without brakes. I've told my dad to get a controller though. He doesn't want to do anything that isn't stock on the truck though, and that's just how he is. I've got one on my truck though.

I'm sure he's probably set in his ways but I think you need to talk some sense into him. Not getting a brake controller for a 10K lb load because it "isn't stock" is crazy. Have him go to the dealer and get the factory one installed.