What would you buy?

[IvoryHemi]

The 5th gen Ram 1500 is rated at 6000-7800lb GVWR (class 2a), with a maximum of 11,900-18,350lb GCWR.
-It has a Front/Rear axle rating of 3700/4100 (7800lb) regardless of configuration, basically meaning that the truck can PHYSICALLY handle that total weight.

5th Gen tops out at 7,200 lbs GVWR

front GAWR is 3,900 lbs

 

[ben b]

A 1/2 ton pickup truck probably shouldn't have less payload (in any configuration) than a Honda Accord. JMO.

I don't disagree with statement above.

My RAM has probably the wimpiest payload available. I have the Pentastar 6 cylinder w/3.21 axle ratio. I have nearly every other option installed. Max payload is rated at 1081 lbs. Makes the 1/2 ton designation, but w/o much room to spare. For comparison, a 2021 Honda Accord has a payload of 850 lbs, per its owner's manual.

While I would like to have more payload, it's not critical for the way I use the truck. I don't regret the options I got (RAM Box, MFT, etc.) since I use them almost every time I drive. I use the truck bed to carry stuff for road trips that is bulky but doesn't weigh much (bikes, skis, suitcases, food, etc).

If you use a truck as a serious hauling vehicle, then I agree it is wise to be careful with the options, buy a more powerful engine and get the 3.92 axle ratio.

 

[mikeru82]

I don't disagree with statement above.

My RAM has probably the wimpiest payload available. I have the Pentastar 6 cylinder w/3.21 axle ratio. I have nearly every other option installed. Max payload is rated at 1081 lbs. Makes the 1/2 ton designation, but w/o much room to spare. For comparison, a 2021 Honda Accord has a payload of 850 lbs, per its owner's manual.

While I would like to have more payload, it's not critical for the way I use the truck. I don't regret the options I got (RAM Box, MFT, etc.) since I use them almost every time I drive. I use the truck bed to carry stuff for road trips that is bulky but doesn't weigh much (bikes, skis, suitcases, food, etc).

If you use a truck as a serious hauling vehicle, then I agree it is wise to be careful with the options, buy a more powerful engine and get the 3.92 axle ratio.

Yeah, mine has yours beat with a whopping 1046 lbs payload rating.

 

[SnowBlaZR2]

Yeah, mine has yours beat with a whopping 1046 lbs payload rating.

 

[mikeru82]

Thank you.

 

[bucolic]

I have owned three Ram Hemi's and just traded my most current one for the EcoDiesel last weekend. I tow a 4900lb camper and here are my observations with about 150K miles over the last two Rams with the Hemi and towing (I didn't tow with the first one).

I had 3.21 gears in my Laramie and towed the camper across the US and back putting over 8000 miles of towing on the truck in 28 days. It had the standard size gas tank and it was brutal on the range. Every 150 miles you had to start hunting for a gas station and it got hairy in Nevada and I actually had to use the 5 gallons of generator gas at one point to make it to the next gas station. So a 33-gallon tank is a must. Other than that towing was uneventful even over the mountain passes and the truck performed well even on steep downgrades. Truck regularly got 21-23 MPG on long trips and about 18 around town. It was not comfortable to tow at 60-65 MPH and the limitations of the 1/2 ton show here.

I traded that in for a ram limited with the 3.92 gears and the 33-gallon tank. Noticed virtually no difference in towing capabilities at speed between the different rear ends. When starting off the 3.92 gears had a little more pull but once you got up to over 50 MPH zero difference. The wind resistance kicked in and neither one of these trucks pulled the light camper with ease at highway speeds. The 33-gallon tank was much appreciated though and made a big difference in fuel stops. My milage dropped noticeably when not towing. I was at 14-15 VS 18 around town and only on a few occasions did I hit 20 MPG on trips. Most of the time it was about 18-19. So the 3.92 gears hit the fuel economy noticeably. Also, another thing I did not care for with the 3.92 gears was taking off. Trying to merge into busy traffic it was super easy to break the tires loose resulting in traction control kicking in and not allowing you to accelerate into traffic. I would place the truck in 4 auto for those conditions to assure I didn't get tire spin. This did not occur as easily with the 3.21 gears.

The current EcoDiesel I have only has about 400 miles on it and I haven't towed with it yet and won't for a couple more months. It's definitely not the Hemi and you can feel the reduced horsepower but it's not bad. You can feel the torque, and it is no slouch, but you can feel the reduced horsepower for sure. Gas mileage though is very noticeable. I am sitting at 23 MPG around town and the range with the 33-gallon tank is pretty impressive. Be interesting to see what mileage I get on my next trip. I have never had a diesel before and the sound is of course way different than the V8 Hemi but cool in its own way. The mellow diesel rattle at takeoff sounds pretty good. At highway speeds though I think this engine is actually quieter and smoother than the Hemi. With the added cost for maintenance on the diesel though that will negate some of the fuel savings.

As for towing with the diesel, I am expecting my experience to be about the same as the previous two trucks. I think the truck will struggle at highway speeds just like the Hemi did. I think that is just a limitation of the engine choices available in the 1/2 ton. For that effortless towing experience I think you need to bump up to a 3/4 ton with the Cummings diesel and then driving while towing probably won't be much different than driving without towing but I don't want a big cumbersome vehicle that won't fit in my garage. The wind resistance on the camper is the killer. I think if towing say a car on a flatbed without all the wind resistance it would tow perfectly fine.

 

[SnowBlaZR2]

Trying to merge into busy traffic it was super easy to break the tires loose

This is the second time I've read this about the 3.92s and this hasn't been my experience at all.

That and me not needing to stop every 150 miles for fuel...I'm starting to think the factory gave me 3.21s and a 33 gallon tank on accident.

 

[IvoryHemi]

This is the second time I've read this about the 3.92s and this hasn't been my experience at all.

That and me not needing to stop every 150 miles for fuel...I'm starting to think the factory gave me 3.21s and a 33 gallon tank on accident.

Every 150 miles you had to start hunting for a gas station

He didn’t say stop every 150 miles, he said search.

150 miles @ 9 mpg is ~17 gallons used. If you refill at 21 gallons, that means ~36 miles of range left (or less if <9 mpg) to start searching for a gas station.

 

[SnowBlaZR2]

He didn’t say stop every 150 miles, he said search.

150 miles @ 9 mpg is ~17 gallons used. If you refill at 21 gallons, that means ~36 miles of range left (or less if <9 mpg) to start searching for a gas station.

No ****. It was a joke.

 

[bucolic]

This is the second time I've read this about the 3.92s and this hasn't been my experience at all.

That and me not needing to stop every 150 miles for fuel...I'm starting to think the factory gave me 3.21s and a 33 gallon tank on accident.

The fuel issue was only when towing and the milage was the same while towing for both the 3.21 and 3.92 gears...about 9-10 MPG. So the 26-gallon tank gives you about 235 to 260 miles of range while pulling the camper. So every 150 miles, you needed to start looking for a gas station, especially out west. On days I put in 700 miles of towing it felt I was at the gas pump more than on the road! Some of this was even though you only went 100 miles you saw a station so you pulled in and topped off just to be safe. With the 33 gallon tank, your range would pop over 300 miles when towing so it removed some range anxiety. On highway 50 in Nevada, I missed the gas station and by the time I realized it, I didn't have enough fuel to reach a station in either direction! Thank goodness I had 5 gallons in a gas can for the generator.

When not towing I would see 550-590 miles of range when filling up on highway trips with the 3.92 gears and the 33-gallon tank so the range is great when not towing. On the 3.21 gears when I hit 22 mpg on some trips I would also see ranges above 550 miles even with the 26-gallon tank so the smaller tank issues are only when towing.

But absolutely the traction control would kick in when trying to rapidly accelerate into traffic. Those 3.92 absolutely broke the tires loose easier. Of course, maybe it was the brand tires on the truck so there are some other issues that could cause that. I also did not have the anti-spin differential.

Also, the shifting on the 3.92s was quicker. It seemed to jam up through the gears faster and I thought the 3.21s shifted smoother but of course, someone else might like the sportier feel!

 

[bucolic]

No ****. It was a joke.

I got it Gotta love these 3.92 vs 3.21 gear discussions and 26 vs 33-gallon tank discussions. About as bad as discussing politics or religion

 

[SnowBlaZR2]

The fuel issue was only when towing and the milage was the same while towing for both the 3.21 and 3.92 gears...about 9-10 MPG. So the 26-gallon tank gives you about 235 to 260 miles of range while pulling the camper. So every 150 miles, you needed to start looking for a gas station, especially out west. On days I put in 700 miles of towing it felt I was at the gas pump more than on the road! Some of this was even though you only went 100 miles you saw a station so you pulled in and topped off just to be safe. With the 33 gallon tank, your range would pop over 300 miles when towing so it removed some range anxiety. On highway 50 in Nevada, I missed the gas station and by the time I realized it, I didn't have enough fuel to reach a station in either direction! Thank goodness I had 5 gallons in a gas can for the generator.

When not towing I would see 550-590 miles of range when filling up on highway trips with the 3.92 gears and the 33-gallon tank so the range is great when not towing. On the 3.21 gears when I hit 22 mpg on some trips I would also see ranges above 550 miles even with the 26-gallon tank so the smaller tank issues are only when towing.

But absolutely the traction control would kick in when trying to rapidly accelerate into traffic. Those 3.92 absolutely broke the tires loose easier. Of course, maybe it was the brand tires on the truck so there are some other issues that could cause that. I also did not have the anti-spin differential.

Also, the shifting on the 3.92s was quicker. It seemed to jam up through the gears faster and I thought the 3.21s shifted smoother but of course, someone else might like the sportier feel!

Oh, I'm even worse. I have a 23 gallon tank.

 

[Ninety-9 SE-L]

Not sure how this turned into a bash the guy with the lowest payload, but I'm happy to be that guy. Good luck with your buying decision. Hopefully you won't have issues with the parts shortages in getting the options you want.

You decided to take it that way. For me, I do want a lot of options/utilities, but I also want a decent amount of payload, which seems to really put me in a spot.

It seems to be the Ram's only real weakness. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think the 5th gen ram was my absolute best choice, compared to other trucks/SUVs on the market, but the impact payload impact is so drastic, I'm wondering why Ram didn't figure out a workaround, like upping the GVWR across the platform.

Lastly, as I got done mentioning, the GVWR is a DOT figure based on its calculations. The absolute maximum your truck can carry on its own 4 wheels is written on the GAWR. The safety of exceeding your payload is on a per-case basis, but obviously not 'legal.'

As built, I guarantee, you could put 2000lbs in your truck and drive it around with no damage. If I put 2000lbs inside of a Honda Accord, I'd probably break a few things.

Contextually, A Honda Accord and a Ram don't exactly fit into the same category, let alone weight class, and I wouldn't be sitting here debating my options if I didn't need a 1500.

I also live in Florida, but we'll be towing all over the country for the next few years, or longer if we decide to just go full time in the camper.

I know the truck is easily capable of towing our camper and hauling all of our gear. I still need to pay attention to those numbers. For me, I'm more concerned about civil liability with as much as I tow. Gross negligence is a reality and I'm not willing to knowingly go an ounce over my truck's stated rating. That's what I'm comfortable with. I'll never sit here and tell anyone else what they should be comfortable with.

Yea, if I was going all over the country with a trailer attached, I'd pay attention to the DOT numbers.

My towing/payload needs change depending on the situation, and it gives me the option of planning my route/setup as-needed. Being able to mostly tow on flat land gives me several options. Now if I do decide to get a camper and take that camper around the country, it would certainly be very moderate compared to what I might drag around town.

5th Gen tops out at 7,200 lbs GVWR

front GAWR is 3,900 lbs

I stand corrected, I guess Google's automatic answer is incorrect.

I noticed some stickers are 3700 front (unless this is a classic):

I have owned three Ram Hemi's and just traded my most current one for the EcoDiesel last weekend. I tow a 4900lb camper and here are my observations with about 150K miles over the last two Rams with the Hemi and towing (I didn't tow with the first one).

I had 3.21 gears in my Laramie and towed the camper across the US and back putting over 8000 miles of towing on the truck in 28 days. It had the standard size gas tank and it was brutal on the range. Every 150 miles you had to start hunting for a gas station and it got hairy in Nevada and I actually had to use the 5 gallons of generator gas at one point to make it to the next gas station. So a 33-gallon tank is a must. Other than that towing was uneventful even over the mountain passes and the truck performed well even on steep downgrades. Truck regularly got 21-23 MPG on long trips and about 18 around town. It was not comfortable to tow at 60-65 MPH and the limitations of the 1/2 ton show here.

I traded that in for a ram limited with the 3.92 gears and the 33-gallon tank. Noticed virtually no difference in towing capabilities at speed between the different rear ends. When starting off the 3.92 gears had a little more pull but once you got up to over 50 MPH zero difference. The wind resistance kicked in and neither one of these trucks pulled the light camper with ease at highway speeds. The 33-gallon tank was much appreciated though and made a big difference in fuel stops. My milage dropped noticeably when not towing. I was at 14-15 VS 18 around town and only on a few occasions did I hit 20 MPG on trips. Most of the time it was about 18-19. So the 3.92 gears hit the fuel economy noticeably. Also, another thing I did not care for with the 3.92 gears was taking off. Trying to merge into busy traffic it was super easy to break the tires loose resulting in traction control kicking in and not allowing you to accelerate into traffic. I would place the truck in 4 auto for those conditions to assure I didn't get tire spin. This did not occur as easily with the 3.21 gears.

The current EcoDiesel I have only has about 400 miles on it and I haven't towed with it yet and won't for a couple more months. It's definitely not the Hemi and you can feel the reduced horsepower but it's not bad. You can feel the torque, and it is no slouch, but you can feel the reduced horsepower for sure. Gas mileage though is very noticeable. I am sitting at 23 MPG around town and the range with the 33-gallon tank is pretty impressive. Be interesting to see what mileage I get on my next trip. I have never had a diesel before and the sound is of course way different than the V8 Hemi but cool in its own way. The mellow diesel rattle at takeoff sounds pretty good. At highway speeds though I think this engine is actually quieter and smoother than the Hemi. With the added cost for maintenance on the diesel though that will negate some of the fuel savings.

As for towing with the diesel, I am expecting my experience to be about the same as the previous two trucks. I think the truck will struggle at highway speeds just like the Hemi did. I think that is just a limitation of the engine choices available in the 1/2 ton. For that effortless towing experience I think you need to bump up to a 3/4 ton with the Cummings diesel and then driving while towing probably won't be much different than driving without towing but I don't want a big cumbersome vehicle that won't fit in my garage. The wind resistance on the camper is the killer. I think if towing say a car on a flatbed without all the wind resistance it would tow perfectly fine.

Good write.

I'm curious what the towing limitations were, exactly? Are we talking stability, wind resistance, or overcoming hills? I've really had no problems with that kind of weight on the back of my Frontier, although I will certainly eat the fuel cost.

The EcoDiesel's sweet spot is around 1600RPM, so if you're sitting at 71MPH on the 3.21, you should be golden, towing or not. As mentioned earlier, the 3.92 will give you more acceleration under 24mph, but after that, there is no real advantage/disadvantage.

How much more maintenance is the EcoDiesel?

The fuel issue was only when towing and the milage was the same while towing for both the 3.21 and 3.92 gears...about 9-10 MPG. So the 26-gallon tank gives you about 235 to 260 miles of range while pulling the camper. So every 150 miles, you needed to start looking for a gas station, especially out west. On days I put in 700 miles of towing it felt I was at the gas pump more than on the road! Some of this was even though you only went 100 miles you saw a station so you pulled in and topped off just to be safe. With the 33 gallon tank, your range would pop over 300 miles when towing so it removed some range anxiety. On highway 50 in Nevada, I missed the gas station and by the time I realized it, I didn't have enough fuel to reach a station in either direction! Thank goodness I had 5 gallons in a gas can for the generator.

When not towing I would see 550-590 miles of range when filling up on highway trips with the 3.92 gears and the 33-gallon tank so the range is great when not towing. On the 3.21 gears when I hit 22 mpg on some trips I would also see ranges above 550 miles even with the 26-gallon tank so the smaller tank issues are only when towing.

But absolutely the traction control would kick in when trying to rapidly accelerate into traffic. Those 3.92 absolutely broke the tires loose easier. Of course, maybe it was the brand tires on the truck so there are some other issues that could cause that. I also did not have the anti-spin differential.

Also, the shifting on the 3.92s was quicker. It seemed to jam up through the gears faster and I thought the 3.21s shifted smoother but of course, someone else might like the sportier feel!

Are those towing mpgs with your 2 the Hemis? I feel like the EcoDiesel/33gal setup won't just give you more range because of the tank, but also because of the engine.

 

[IvoryHemi]

I stand corrected, I guess Google's automatic answer is incorrect.

I noticed some stickers are 3700 front (unless this is a classic):

A little hard to read but sticker does show 3,900 lbs front GAWR

The 1,770 KG can clearly be read which converts to ~3,902 lbs

 

[ben b]

FWIW.... RAM has a payload/towing chart located at: https://www.ramtrucks.com/content/d...am_LD_DT_Trailer-Tow-Weight-Chart_MY21_R1.pdf

Problem is, the chart is for a stripped RAM. For example, the line for my truck says a payload of 1,838 lbs, but the truck sticker says 1,081. Those options add up.

The chart is good to give you a guideline of how much engine, transmission and axle ratio impact your truck's payload/towing ability.

If you have a specific VIN, you can use https://www.ramtrucks.com/towing/towing-guide.html#/landing/bytowing to get an exact number. Not sure whether this is available before the RAM is built.

 

[bucolic]

You decided to take it that way. For me, I do want a lot of options/utilities, but I also want a decent amount of payload, which seems to really put me in a spot.

It seems to be the Ram's only real weakness. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think the 5th gen ram was my absolute best choice, compared to other trucks/SUVs on the market, but the impact payload impact is so drastic, I'm wondering why Ram didn't figure out a workaround, like upping the GVWR across the platform.

Lastly, as I got done mentioning, the GVWR is a DOT figure based on its calculations. The absolute maximum your truck can carry on its own 4 wheels is written on the GAWR. The safety of exceeding your payload is on a per-case basis, but obviously not 'legal.'

As built, I guarantee, you could put 2000lbs in your truck and drive it around with no damage. If I put 2000lbs inside of a Honda Accord, I'd probably break a few things.

Contextually, A Honda Accord and a Ram don't exactly fit into the same category, let alone weight class, and I wouldn't be sitting here debating my options if I didn't need a 1500.


Yea, if I was going all over the country with a trailer attached, I'd pay attention to the DOT numbers.

My towing/payload needs change depending on the situation, and it gives me the option of planning my route/setup as-needed. Being able to mostly tow on flat land gives me several options. Now if I do decide to get a camper and take that camper around the country, it would certainly be very moderate compared to what I might drag around town.


I stand corrected, I guess Google's automatic answer is incorrect.

I noticed some stickers are 3700 front (unless this is a classic):
View attachment 121535


Good write.

I'm curious what the towing limitations were, exactly? Are we talking stability, wind resistance, or overcoming hills? I've really had no problems with that kind of weight on the back of my Frontier, although I will certainly eat the fuel cost.

The EcoDiesel's sweet spot is around 1600RPM, so if you're sitting at 71MPH on the 3.21, you should be golden, towing or not. As mentioned earlier, the 3.92 will give you more acceleration under 24mph, but after that, there is no real advantage/disadvantage.

How much more maintenance is the EcoDiesel?


Are those towing mpgs with your 2 the Hemis? I feel like the EcoDiesel/33gal setup won't just give you more range because of the tank, but also because of the engine.

I have not towed yet with the eco diesel so those are the Hemi numbers. Supposedly the eco diesel will give a few extra MPG when towing also increasing range even more but I'll believe it when I see it myself.

Maintenance is a bit higher on the eco diesel and it uses DEF fluid which adds a small cost. I will start changing the oil myself as reading on here it sounds like it's not a big deal to do and is easier than the gas engine to change. That will offset some maintenance costs.

My personal thoughts on the towing limitations are the wind sail created by a camper. My limited with the 3.92 gears was rated to tow over 10,000 lbs and I have no doubt it could pull that all day without issue if there was minimal wind resistance, like a car on a flatbed. Taking off with the camper was no issue at all and it pulled it up to 40 like it wasn't back there. Add in that camper sail though and it all goes downhill. I had times with a strong headwind that I was struggling to maintain 50 MPH. The engine revved way up switching between 3rd and 4th gear barely keeping up. That wind resistance is the killer. On the flip side, I had one day with a strong tailwind on flat land and I got 13 mpg that day and the truck cruised along smoothly in 7th and even long stretches in 8th gear. That was the only time I had that experience though.

Stability was no issue and the truck felt solid and safe towing. I had sway control and load leveling hitch and it was sure and steady. Going down mountain passes out west was no issue and tow/haul mode did a great job of maintaining speed with minimal friction brake usage. And even going up them was comfortable. You weren't going 70 but not much issue going 40mph even on steep inclines. The truck can tow...it just can't beat mother nature...wind resistance. That's when the struggle begins.

 

[mikeru82]

You decided to take it that way. For me, I do want a lot of options/utilities, but I also want a decent amount of payload, which seems to really put me in a spot.

Take what what way? You mean calling it ridiculous to have 1000 lb payload? Look, I know it's mostly in good fun. Which is why I said I'm happy to be the punching bag. And I still haven't seen anyone with a lower payload. So far I'm the ultimate payload loser.

Like I've said a couple time now in this thread, If I needed more payload but still wanted the options and features I have now, I'd have moved up to a HD Limited. I could have gotten a similarly equipped 2500 Limited 6.4 Hemi with the short bed for just a few thousand more than I paid for my 1500. The only sacrifice I would have had besides a better ride would have been that I couldn't have the MFT. Well, probably also fuel economy LOL. Have you considered going with an HD instead of a LD truck?

 

[mike146]

FWIW.... RAM has a payload/towing chart located at: https://www.ramtrucks.com/content/d...am_LD_DT_Trailer-Tow-Weight-Chart_MY21_R1.pdf

Problem is, the chart is for a stripped RAM. For example, the line for my truck says a payload of 1,838 lbs, but the truck sticker says 1,081. Those options add up.

The chart is good to give you a guideline of how much engine, transmission and axle ratio impact your truck's payload/towing ability.

If you have a specific VIN, you can use https://www.ramtrucks.com/towing/towing-guide.html#/landing/bytowing to get an exact number. Not sure whether this is available before the RAM is built.

after the window sticker is available. Checked mine and I got a whole 1250 lbs payload!!!

 

[SnowBlaZR2]

You mean calling it ridiculous to have 1000 lb payload?

Probably exactly that. Dude stated in his OP that he needs more room for 4 people and will tow probably about 8k lbs. 1k payload is ridiculous for his needs.

Maybe you can get the next one that only needs to bring their cat and a bag of avocados.

Look, I know it's mostly in good fun.

I'd hope it's all in good fun, but maybe I'm just an a-hole.

The only sacrifice I would have had besides a better ride would have been that I couldn't have the MFT. Well, probably also fuel economy LOL. Have you considered going with an HD instead of a LD truck?

I had a 2500 a few years ago, and it wasn't fun to drive around or park in downtown Chicago, NYC, etc. That was a huge downside for me.

 

[IvoryHemi]

Maintenance is a bit higher on the eco diesel and it uses DEF fluid which adds a small cost. I will start changing the oil myself as reading on here it sounds like it's not a big deal to do and is easier than the gas engine to change. That will offset some maintenance costs.

Also, the the fuel filter needs to be replaced every other oil change