3.92s and airlift for towing?

[GearHead71]

I currently have a 2017 Laramie with 3.21s, towing mirrors and brake controller to tow our 26' (30' including the tongue) TT. It weighs about 6000lbs loaded up for camping and the truck pulls it fine. However, in the next year or two we're looking at getting a slightly bigger camper, probably around 8,800lb GVWR and about a 750lb tongue weight.

This would be slightly pushing it for my truck (1284lb payload and a little over 8000lb towing). I was thinking about getting a 2020 with the 3.92s and factory air suspension. Will this be enough of an increase from my current truck? Also, everything I read on the RAM site about the factory air suspension just talks about how it makes it more aerodynamic at high speeds, eases entry and exit, things like that. I don't care about any of that, I just want the rear Not to squat when I hook up the camper. I put an air lift 1000 on my current truck and I made it a big difference.

Is the factory airlift worth it for the money? Or my better off with an aftermarket solution?

Sorry for the long post, this is only part of my thought process on upgrading.

 

[Pdiddy919]

The air suspension will level out when loaded up, but it does take away from payload. I'm not sure how much. I would definitely get the 3.92 with that heavier trailer, especially if you drive in hilly or mountainous areas.

 

[GearHead71]

We live in Colorado and all of our camping is up in the mountains. That's a good point about the airlift and payload though. I need to see what the payload rating would be. I'll definitely hit that before I hit the 11,XXX lb towing capacity.

 

[Boston]

You should also give serious consideration to getting a Hemi powered 2500 with air adjustable rear suspension and 3.73 rear end.
Tons more payload and towing. Literally.

Jump into rams website and scroll to the bottom and look under towing for model comparison.

 

[GearHead71]

You should also give serious consideration to getting a Hemi powered 2500 with air adjustable rear suspension and 3.73 rear end.
Tons more payload and towing. Literally.

Jump into rams website and scroll to the bottom and look under towing for model comparison.

That's exactly where I'm stuck. I keep going back and forth on 1500 or 2500. The four to six times a year we tow the camper the 2500 would be awesome. But the rest of the year a 1500 is more practical. I'm having a hard time deciding.

 

[Boston]

That's exactly where I'm stuck. I keep going back and forth on 1500 or 2500. The four to six times a year we tow the camper the 2500 would be awesome. But the rest of the year a 1500 is more practical. I'm having a hard time deciding.

I get it.

I think as you go up to the 1500 air ride world that capacity actually goes down v coil sprung.

You don’t mention using WDH. That would help move some weight on to the front axle.

 

[Deezl]

This is my exact payload and towing. 2019 1500 Limited, crew, 6'4" bed, 5.7 Hemi (non etorque), 3.92 gears, 4-corner air suspension, 4x4.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[GearHead71]

I get it.

I think as you go up to the 1500 air ride world that capacity actually goes down v coil sprung.

You don’t mention using WDH. That would help move some weight on to the front axle.

I have an equal-i-zer hitch that helps quite a bit. But I still sag about 2 inches. The draw to the Gen 5 in that regard would be the increase in payload. Mine is only about 1280lbs. If I can get a gen 5 1500 with 1500lbs or more that will help with getting a camper with a larger tongue weight.

This is my exact payload and towing. 2019 1500 Limited, crew, 6'4" bed, 5.7 Hemi (non etorque), 3.92 gears, 4-corner air suspension, 4x4.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Thank you very much. That helps me a lot. 1780lbs is a 500lb increase from what I currently have which would be great. And the towing is roughly 3000lbs more. That's what I'd be hoping for.

 

[GearHead71]

The extra towing and payload is my end goal for getting a new RAM. I know it's not nearly as big of a difference as it would be if I went to a 2500 but I'm hoping it will still suit my needs.

In addition to the towing/payload difference the Gen 5s have lots of other little features that I want:
Android auto
Rambox
Front center bench seat has a shoulder belt and headrest
Dampened tailgate
Panoramic sunroof
Bed utility package
Off road package
Proximity unlock
Push button start

None of them are NEEDED but all of them added up make it tempting

 

[Boston]

I found a longhorn air 3.92 crew sb and took then vin into rams towing section and got this response.

It's lower than you want. https://www.colonialdodgechryslerje...chusetts-8a2157240a0e0a6b43a3789ba47ce659.htm

 

[COSPILOT]

Having towed large and heavy trailers for decades I’m a fan of bigger is better for the tow vehicle. This really isn’t Ram specific but 1500 vs 2500, or F150 vs F250 for Ford guys.

I wouldn’t blink an eye and buy the 2500. You can get away with the 1500 but it won’t be fun. We had a variety of trucks in the family business and I refused to tow more than a small trailer with the F150, instead I would take my Excursion with 7.3 or the SuperDuty. I’m not a fan of towing at the limit of a vehicle, ever. I prefer such a solid vehicle doing the towing that I have to remind myself I have a trailer attached while I safely go up I-70 in Colorado at 75mph, and safely descend on the other side of the tunnel.

Short trips are different and I’ll do it, but longer than across town no thanks, give me the bigger and stronger truck.

 

[LNDRCKT]

I looked up the difference in weight between the air suspension and coil and it’s 33lbs. That is what you loose in payload. The main benefit is it will level the truck out and is easier to load the trailer as you can adjust the height of the ball 4”. I wouldn’t get a Ram with out the air. I’ve towed our 23’ Airstream 7k loaded without any issues at all. 3.92 gears definitely do feel better that’s the 3.21’s.

The air suspension will level out when loaded up, but it does take away from payload. I'm not sure how much. I would definitely get the 3.92 with that heavier trailer, especially if you drive in hilly or mountainous areas.

 

[GearHead71]

I found a longhorn air 3.92 crew sb and took then vin into rams towing section and got this response.

It's lower than you want. https://www.colonialdodgechryslerje...chusetts-8a2157240a0e0a6b43a3789ba47ce659.htm

That's kind of what I'm afraid of. Not sure if the longhorns are heavier than a "regular" laramie but that payload isn't much better than my current RAM. Defeats most of my reason for getting a new truck.

Having towed large and heavy trailers for decades I’m a fan of bigger is better for the tow vehicle. This really isn’t Ram specific but 1500 vs 2500, or F150 vs F250 for Ford guys.

I wouldn’t blink an eye and buy the 2500. You can get away with the 1500 but it won’t be fun. We had a variety of trucks in the family business and I refused to tow more than a small trailer with the F150, instead I would take my Excursion with 7.3 or the SuperDuty. I’m not a fan of towing at the limit of a vehicle, ever. I prefer such a solid vehicle doing the towing that I have to remind myself I have a trailer attached while I safely go up I-70 in Colorado at 75mph, and safely descend on the other side of the tunnel.

Short trips are different and I’ll do it, but longer than across town no thanks, give me the bigger and stronger truck.

The camper we could be trading ours in for is:
6700lbs dry
8750lbs GVWR
765lbs dry hitch weight.

Do you think that would be pushing it for a 1500 with 3.92s and air ride? The payload is what makes me nervous. 765 hitch weight (minimum) plus 485lbs for the 5 of us in the truck, plus 50 for the dog already puts us at 1320lbs... If the payload ends up at 16XX like someone posted above it would be tight, but we'd probably be ok. If it's 1384 like the other post above we'd be in trouble.

That is what you loose in payload. The main benefit is it will level the truck out and is easier to load the trailer as you can adjust the height of the ball 4”. I wouldn’t get a Ram with out the air. I’ve towed our 23’ Airstream

I think I'm set on getting it with the air ride. Thanks!

 

[COSPILOT]

That's kind of what I'm afraid of. Not sure if the longhorns are heavier than a "regular" laramie but that payload isn't much better than my current RAM. Defeats most of my reason for getting a new truck.



The camper we could be trading ours in for is:
6700lbs dry
8750lbs GVWR
765lbs dry hitch weight.

Do you think that would be pushing it for a 1500 with 3.92s and air ride? The payload is what makes me nervous. 765 hitch weight (minimum) plus 485lbs for the 5 of us in the truck, plus 50 for the dog already puts us at 1320lbs... If the payload ends up at 16XX like someone posted above it would be tight, but we'd probably be ok. If it's 1384 like the other post above we'd be in trouble.



I think I'm set on getting it with the air ride. Thanks!

Also keep in mind you loose 3% per thousand feet in elevation for non turbo or supercharged engines. People forget that or frankly never knew it to begin with, but heading up any pass in Colorado you are asking a lot of the motor under a full load. Before you ask, I’m a private pilot and this was drilled into our head from day one.

Also, I’ve yet to see anyone not far exceed weights with camping, myself included. Each trip it just builds up, the food, the toys, extra water, it’s simply never ending.

Most of my friends with campers have 3/4 ton trucks with Diesel engines in Colorado.

 

[Boston]

2500 can come with air ride in the rear. It makes a massive difference.

I really think you should find a 2500 with high spec and drive it. It’s 6ft4 standard bed is another advantage.

PS: RVs never get smaller. The next one as you are finding is bigger and heavier. Get a 2500 now to avoid having to upgrade again.

 

[devildodge]

You have to use a VIN in the configurator to get the accurate number.

If you just use a trim and a configuration...it will be wrong and list it as it is a tradesman.

Hope that makes sense.

Without a VIN you are just getting the towing chart number.

With a VIN you are getting the configuration with the options that make it a Limited.

Very few people have a truck that will be 1700 in payload...you will not get that with a limited. Need a tradesman or lightly optioned Bighorn.

 

[devildodge]

This is my exact payload and towing. 2019 1500 Limited, crew, 6'4" bed, 5.7 Hemi (non etorque), 3.92 gears, 4-corner air suspension, 4x4.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Does your door sticker match that?

Did you use your VIN for this?

If so that is awesome payload for a limited. I would be interested to know more.

 

[intelligence209]

Personal experience, my air suspension does excellent leveling, between the suspension and distribution bars, it never has a noticeable sag. I won't ever buy without it again.


If there was just 2 of you maybe 3 I'd say get a 1500.
But since there is 5 of you. And considering your trailer tongue weight is gonna be around 1k after cargo (batteries,propane tanks, and weight added in front of the axles adds to tongue i believe). Id go for the 3/4ton.

You'll be happier considering youll never have to worry about payload, you'll be able to utilize your trunk space for wood, bikes etc, generator etc.

 

[WXman]

When I was shopping, it was all about numbers. I've seen 2500s with barely over 2,000 lbs. of payload. I've seen 1500s approaching 2000 lbs. of payload. As you rightly noted, payload is more important than towing capacity because that's the number people run out of the fastest. What it all boils down to is the specific trim and options you're planning to buy. When I was shopping, the Longhorns with options had the lowest payload, sometimes significantly lower.

Rather than buying solely based upon 1500 or 2500, I'd shop for the payload you need to get the job done. In the end, I decided to go 1500 EcoDiesel with the Bighorn trim level. It gives me the payload I need for our family of 5, enclosed trailer, ATVs, gear, etc. and all the torque I'll ever need, BUT, the 98% of the time I'm not towing I have the benefit of the superior fuel economy the 1500 provides.

 

[JJRamTX]

This is tough. I am in Colorado also and tow my boat up over to Blue Mesa occasionally and it is 9,300 Lbs with close to a 1,000 Lb tongue. My air ride makes this seem like no big deal and the truck makes Monarch Pass 11,312 Ft even not that bad. The 1500 can do this and the biggest factor for me would be wind pushing around the ~5600 Lb truck compared to the ~7100 Lb truck and the wind factor on the TT.