2005 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 5.7 Hemi - What's your towing experience?

I am a relatively newbie.  We had a large pop-up and I handled pulling it great.  We have since bought a 2005 Jayco 27BH. It max's out at 7500. My truck has a tow rating of 13000.  On paper, as long as I stay under 13000, it will work.  I have an eaz-lite WD hitch.  Also, truck has the 3.55 rear axle.  Is the drive train tough enough?
What is your experience of pulling TT around that weight?

Thanks,

John

My friend had an 04' same truck and he towed around 7500 but he found his tranny temp would creep up on him so he installed an extra tranny cooler and put on a finned rear diff cover that held an extra quart of oil and used Royal Purple in the diff. With his equalizer hitch it still gave him some sway but he could run 60-65 all day long. Until any kind of a hill of course.

Does your truck have a tow package?

I could not find the 2005 stats in Trailer Life for some reason but for 2006, the highest tow rating for a 1500 4WD with the Hemi and 3.55's is 7,500 lbs (Quad Cab, Standard Bed). I'm guessing that the 13,000 lb figure is your Gross Combined Weight Ratio (GCWR) - max weight of the truck and trailer together. So, it would be tough to pull that TT if it was fully loaded but if it's slightly lighter you would probably be ok.

Yes, the truck does have the tow package and its a short bed.

I knew it will be close on weight if both are loaded to the max.  Yes, the GCWR is the 13,000.  I plan on doing whatever it takes to stay under that.

Subtract the GVWR from GCWR and you're pretty close to the max wieght you can tow.  There are a few other variables, but that should give you a starting point.

I had a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 5.7 hemi, 3.92 rear end and towed a 6300 lb TT with it and was very satisfied with the performance.  I would still have that truck today but it was stolen 2 years ago and I replaced it with a a 2009 Dodge 1500.  A 7500 lb TT will put you near the maximum you can tow.  I believe my 2005 was rated to tow 8200 lbs max.  The best thing to do is weigh both your truck and TT on an a scale and see exactly what you have.  I towed our TT over 11,000 ft mountains in western CO with the 2005 and it did fine for me.  Good Luck

Thanks Lowell.  If I had the 3.92 gears, I would feel alot better about the drivetrain.  Wondering how much difference the 3.55 would be from you experience.
Have my eye on a 2005 Ram 2500 with just 53,000 mile. Basically same style as mine, but greater tow capacity.  Even trade.  I'm thinking about it.

im assuming you know that this 13k lbs you speak of is not all trailer weight....

true. Thats Gross Combined Vehicle Weight.

I think you will be ok, but get the vehicle weighed when loaded as for towing the trailer (including passengers). Or weigh the combined truck and trailer as you travel. The Jayco probably isn't loaded to its max (GVWR), so you should have a bit of headroom on the actual weights.

Thanks Gary,
 
    I plan to the get the Combined weight of the truck with full tank with the Wife and I on board, along with the trailer.
Then weigh it again loaded for a vacation.  Just concerned about the drive train.  Yes, the numbers says it can. 
I think that since it will be used only occasionally for heavy towing, It should stand up to it. 

I had an 05 Chevy 2500HD with eh big block V8 @ 6.0 ltr.  I towed a 24.5ft 5'er for nearly 4 years but didn't like it.  It did all right, just not spectacular.  At the end of a 6+ hour day of towing I was exhausted.  (Load was about 75% of max ratings)

I bought an 09 GMC, Duramax AND upgraded to a 30ft 5'er and I love the combination.  At the end of the day I haven't been fighting either the load or the road and I'm fresh and contented.

My experience is that if you push the limits of your tow vehicle you will pay for it in more ways than one.  I am EXTREMELY happy with my current set up.  I pull with gusto and cruise comfortably on the toughest terrain.

Good luck though.

OldSoldier said:

  I am EXTREMELY happy with my current set up.  I pull with gusto and cruise comfortably on the toughest terrain.

Good luck though.

Click to expand...

I can say the same pulling my rig with thegasoline  5.7 hemi 1500 4x4.  I typically cruise at 60 mph.  They truck will go faster but 60 is fine with me.  I never felt that it was a difficult or a tiring trip making up to 500-600 miles in a day on good highways.

Okay.  Back from a 2300 mile trip from KC to Grand Canyon thru 9 states, including Southern Colorado Rockies.  From about 590 ft elevation to 11,000 ft.  We fought a stiff headwind, wouldn't you know it, both coming and going. The truck pulled it.  It did not pull it easily.  It had to use a lot of engine rpm to do it, especially in the mountains.  I believe the 3.55 rear axle had a lot to do with that.  The rest of the drive train, IMO, is sufficient.  If you occasionally go to the East Coast, it would be fine. In the Midwest, the setup is fine.  But If I ever go West coast again, I'll have a bigger, beefier truck...

For what its worth... I got a P0405  and P0406 error during the trip.  This relates to a EGR valve issue. The Dodge has a "Digital" sensor to tell the EGR valve to open or close.  It did not seem to effect the engine performance at all, fuel economy may have been affected. (Maybe from "Poor" to "Very Poor")  When I was not pulling the trailer, after 10 to 20 miles, the light would go out. This never happened before while pulling in Missouri. So I'm not sure if that was due to elevation change or because the engine was sucking a higher volume of fuel. I had bought a replacement EGR valve, but haven't installed. I see no reason to change it now.  ( Stealership wanted $120 for one and would have to order it in, O'Reilly's had one in stock for $39.00)

Bottom Line - I'm looking to trade up to a 3/4 ton truck with 3.9ish rear axle gears.

Thank you all for your input!

gudde1251 said:

For what its worth... I got a P0405  and P0406 error during the trip.  This relates to a EGR valve issue. The Dodge has a "Digital" sensor to tell the EGR valve to open or close.  It did not seem to effect the engine performance at all, fuel economy may have been affected. (Maybe from "Poor" to "Very Poor")  When I was not pulling the trailer, after 10 to 20 miles, the light would go out. This never happened before while pulling in Missouri. So I'm not sure if that was due to elevation change or because the engine was sucking a higher volume of fuel. I had bought a replacement EGR valve, but haven't installed. I see no reason to change it now.  ( Stealership wanted $120 for one and would have to order it in, O'Reilly's had one in stock for $39.00)

Click to expand...

Interesting.  I once had an oxygen sensor warning code on my 2005 Dodge Ram when I started the engine at about 10,000 ft.  We were not towing the TT at the time, just pulled over to admire the view.  I took it to the Dodge dealer in Montrose, CO and they reset the code, didn't change the sensor ,and I never had the code show up again.

I have a question I also have a 2005 dodge ram 1500 4x4 5.7 hemi.  It has stock 20 inch rims which I have heard make some difference in towing capacity.  Not sure where to find the gear ratio for the rear end.  My 5th wheel weighs 6690 pounds dry.  How do I know what my truck can handle in relation to a 5th wheel most info I see is for bumper towing not for 5th wheel...is it the same?  thanks

Derby said:

I have a question I also have a 2005 dodge ram 1500 4x4 5.7 hemi.  It has stock 20 inch rims which I have heard make some difference in towing capacity.  Not sure where to find the gear ratio for the rear end.  My 5th wheel weighs 6690 pounds dry.  How do I know what my truck can handle in relation to a 5th wheel most info I see is for bumper towing not for 5th wheel...is it the same?  thanks

Click to expand...

I'm not certain but if you have 20" rims, I think that it is most likely you have 3.92 axle ratios.  If you have no other way to find the axle ratio, you could block the front tires, put jack up one of the rear tires, put the tranny in neutral.  Put a mark on the drive shaft near the rear end. then rotate the jacked up tire by hand and count how many revolution of the drive shaft it takes to get one complete rotation of the tire.  If it is a 3.92 ratio, you will get almost 4 complete revolution of the drive shaft to one revolution of the tire.  But be pretty accurate, don't mistake 3.92 for 3.73 of 3.55.

Derby said:

I have a question I also have a 2005 dodge ram 1500 4x4 5.7 hemi.  It has stock 20 inch rims which I have heard make some difference in towing capacity.  Not sure where to find the gear ratio for the rear end. 

Click to expand...

Mine had a bar code sticker just behind the right rear tire, on the front side of the axle housing.  Kinda difficult sticking your head in there.  Also, you can take your VIN to the Local Dodge Stealership and they can print out a data sheet for your truck.