Probably Crazy

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82corvette

82corvette

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 19, 2006
Posts
287
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The Cornhusker State
DW bought her Dad's pickup from his estate & I think we are gonna try towing with it. It is a 2012 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 Crew Cab with a Hemi, 6spd automatic, 3:92 positraction rearend, tow package with integral brake controller & Rambox storage system & 20" wheels. When she asked if it would pull our Jayco 308FBS 32' travel trailer with superslide I just laughed. Well she said read the book, look it over & see what I think. He had airlift bags installed, & a B&W Turnover hitch installed when he bought it. Today I put 30# in the airlift bags & checked the p-metric 20" tires slid my hitch in & hooked up without the equalizers & anti sway. We headed down the hwy in tow haul mode with a 30 mph wind & was totally surprised! It pulled better than my HD with 6.0 liter gas,4 spd auto.& 4:10 posi. I am going to try to trade off the tires this week for some 8 or 10 plys & give it a little longer trip fully loaded and anti sway & equalizer bars on. If it feels safe I guess I will sell my GMC. Wish me luck!
 
I'm not surprised it moves it along well, but would want to verify the tow rating to be sure none of the components are overstressed.

Just having the 6 speed tranny should be a big plus, and those 20" tires make a big difference in the effective rear axle ratio as well. Taking a quick look at the Ram towing data on their web site, it looks like that combo should be rated for 9800 lbs. How does that compare to your Jayco GVWR? Probably covers it nicely, would be my guess.
 
I pulled the trailer down to the Coop scale last fall & it weighed about 7600# loaded so I think I will be OK. I am looking for heavier tires for the truck, I never have been fond of pmetric tires.
 
82corvette said:
I pulled the trailer down to the Coop scale last fall & it weighed about 7600# loaded so I think I will be OK. I am looking for heavier tires for the truck, I never have been fond of pmetric tires.
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I think you're OK.  If you were towing up steep grades in the high country on a regular basis, you might want to step up to a 2500 with a diesel, but if it's mostly in the flat lands, you should be fine.

That "Rambox" is a cool feature, isn't it?  The only drawback I can see is that I don't see any way to use a camper shell if you wanted to.  Beyond that, having two built in tool boxes is just too cool. 
 
82corvette said:
I agree on the Rambox, but the accessories for it are very expensive.
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Glad you told me that.  We're looking at buying a 2013 Ram 2500 this fall and were debating the Rambox.  I think I'll pass on it for the simple reason I want a shell, but the expense is another consideration.
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
P-metric on that 1500? Not LT metric? I'm shocked they would use a Pxxx tire on a light duty truck, even a gussied up one!
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  What's crazy is it has the trailer towing option, external trans cooler, class 4 trailer hitch & indash brake control.
 
We made a trip to Branson without the trailer this weekend & really enjoyed the cheap gasoline on the way down,(3.19) and after 930 miles total I got to say I like the Ram. The engine braking on the hemi was a surprise in the hills, it really helps hold your speed with the cruise control on. I didn't even know it had hill assist, that was nice in Branson. It seems to pass all the tests this old GM guy had for it, the mileage averaged over 19 & it is stupid powerful. The only complaint I have is a ticking noise in the engine & it has a slight pull to the right. I guess I will have to see if the Mopar dealer is any good! We still need to do a shakedown cruise pulling the Jayco a couple hundred miles before selling my GMC.  Oh yeah about the Rambox, the wife and daughter can fill that up pretty quick shopping!
 
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