For Those Pulling Campers with their 1500 3.21 or 3.92

[WhattheTruck!]

Right on! And agreed on the weights, just wanted an easy example as a reference point. If I had gone the gas route, I would have been debating the ROI of the 3.2 vs. 3.9 as well.

 

[ColoradoCub]

I live in the Rockies, when I tow my 6000 lb camper Im constantly going up and down and sometimes really high up and really high down, to me the 3.92's were the right choice. The other thing to consider is that if one swaps the wheeny 32" tires that come on the rams for anything a little beefier and then add trailer plus wind or terrain thats where the 3.92 really shines.

 

[silver billet]

ride quality gets worse though.

That is true, but from the small amount of time I had in one few weeks back, it is better ride than a 1500 that has upgraded springs like the sumo's I had on my 1500.

Sometimes it's better to go bigger than you need, rather than trying to make smaller truck work near its max.

 

[daberk]

well...I can give you a fresh report, in August I towed my 23 Jayco Hybrid,( #4200 dry weight), fully loaded, with gear in the truck, all in we were about #6000...we went from Boston to FT Collins CO, then up to Sturgis, then back. 600-700 miles a day, until we got there, and same on the way back. All together, 4700 miles. I have 3.21 rear end in my Limited. Towed like an absolute dream. I run a WD Hitch, with a sway bar. We even went thru the Aug 10th "Derecho" storm in Iowa,(112 mph winds). Very happy with the 3.21...if I was towing #7000 or more, i would go 3.92...anything under that, either one will be fine. Good luck sir!

I've just started towing this year. With a 5.7 1500 and 3.92 gears do you need a WDH/swaybar for 6k lbs? I've been pulling my 21' boat (~5k lbs) this summer with a B&W Stow & Tow with no problem.

 

[jdefoe0424]

I've just started towing this year. With a 5.7 1500 and 3.92 gears do you need a WDH/swaybar for 6k lbs? I've been pulling my 21' boat (~5k lbs) this summer with a B&W Stow & Tow with no problem.

Towing a boat is much different from towing a camper or large enclosed trailer. I believe Ram recommends/requires one over 5k lbs, and you would definitely want it for a camper over that weight. They also typically have some sway control built into them which will help with the giant wind sail that campers usually are.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

 

[bill-e]

28', 7k+, 3.92, tows great.

 

[JJRamTX]

Towing a boat is much different from towing a camper or large enclosed trailer. I believe Ram recommends/requires one over 5k lbs, and you would definitely want it for a camper over that weight. They also typically have some sway control built into them which will help with the giant wind sail that campers usually are.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

+1 for this. Towing a boat is much different than a TT. My 9300 LB boat is easier to tow than my Cargo Trailer due to wind factors. My next truck will be a 3500 SRW Limited when they do the 5th Gen update on the 3500 with Pano Roof, and four corner Air Suspension to make it ride way better. I will need 4,000 Lb payload for the 5Th wheel and another 1,000 for people and gear but don't need or want the extra 1,000 Lb more payload with the Dually since I don't like the Dually for Off Roading or Automatic Car wash restriction.

 

[hoodac78]

Getting ready to pull the trigger on my '21 Laramie 4WD Order. I am still debating if I should go with the 3.21 or 3.92 axles. I drive ~30,000 miles per year. I plan to have this truck about 3 years and would like to get a camper again within a year or 2. The truck will be my Mom of 3 Suburban replacement. We don't have a truck currently to pull a 5th Wheel, so would just be bumper pull. Having to buy a used 2500 may delay a camper purchase even longer. Kids really want a pontoon, so may just have to settle for that for awhile. Our last camper was a 23 foot, and really wanted more around 30 ft. But, may just need to buy smaller just to get going with the truck I have. I often was the one taking the camper when we had it before and we like to take 2 vehicles with a boat. My husband and son usually would go a day or 2 early with his truck bed camper and boat and my 2 girls and I would come with the camper after. I don't need my dream camper now, just miss camping!

So I'm curious, what camper length/weighs are you comfortably pulling with your 1500? And which axles do you have? My understanding is that a 30 ft is really going to be too long to safely pull a 1500 anyway.

I have a '19 1500 Limited with 3.92's and pull our 29' TT with it. The trailer is about 7600lbs wet. It pulls it no problem, and I average around 12.5mpg. On another note, and I cannot stress this enough......do not cheap out on a good weight distribution hitch with anti-sway.....it's the best thing for safety, and it will help to make your towing experience more enjoyable. There is nothing worse than going down the highway, white knuckled and feeling uncomfortable. Just my opinion. Good luck!

 

[OldMarine]

I've just started towing this year. With a 5.7 1500 and 3.92 gears do you need a WDH/swaybar for 6k lbs? I've been pulling my 21' boat (~5k lbs) this summer with a B&W Stow & Tow with no problem.

just like jdefoe said...a #5000 boat I probably wouldn't bother, but a Travel Trailer is like towing a billboard...wind hits it with FORCE. I tried towing my TT without a WD hitch first, and over 60 it got a little nervy..with the WD hitch I hit 80 several times on the flatland's, and it towed like a dream.

 

[daberk]

just like jdefoe said...a #5000 boat I probably wouldn't bother, but a Travel Trailer is like towing a billboard...wind hits it with FORCE. I tried towing my TT without a WD hitch first, and over 60 it got a little nervy..with the WD hitch I hit 80 several times on the flatland's, and it towed like a dream.

Can you back the trailer w/WDH the same as you would with a normal hitch (I have a B&W Tow & Stow)?

 

[silver billet]

Can you back the trailer w/WDH the same as you would with a normal hitch (I have a B&W Tow & Stow)?

I can backup my trailer using a Husky Centerline WDH. Not sure how tight I can turn, but haven't noticed any limits yet.