Based on everything I’m reading, it seems I made a mistake in the truck I bought

[RV_Goose]

So, you bought a 2500 because it suits current needs, and it will do so very well. I do not feel you planned for future expansion as well.

You will be limited on the 5th wheels because of the pin weight. The 5th wheel sales brochures will understate the pin weight. Plan on a pin weight of 22%, which is average. My 12K toyhauler had my 2013 RAM 2500 diesel within 300 pounds of my 6000 rear axle max. But that was loaded as heavy as it gets with my current trailer. I also loaded most things in the trailer and not in the truck. Like the large cooler filled with beer for a 5 day jaunt.

Knowing I am probably going to buy a larger, heavier 5th wheel I purchased a 2020 RAM 3500 DRW diesel. Now I am now not truck limited to buy a new(er) camper. We are hoping to find a covid camper purchase that the folk find out that RVs are not as leisurely as they thought.

Peruse some RV boards. You will find folks that started with a 1/2 ton truck, and too large of a camper for it. Then went to a 2500, only to then also upgrade to a larger camper. And eventually end up with a 3500. Some with DRW and some SRW. If you buy a large, tall, 5th wheel then you will appreciate the DRW.

 

[Whatatruck]

Who you were fighting with?? LOL

People that thought I was trolling.

 

[Whatatruck]

So, you bought a 2500 because it suits current needs, and it will do so very well. I do not feel you planned for future expansion as well.

You will be limited on the 5th wheels because of the pin weight. The 5th wheel sales brochures will understate the pin weight. Plan on a pin weight of 22%, which is average. My 12K toyhauler had my 2013 RAM 2500 diesel within 300 pounds of my 6000 rear axle max. But that was loaded as heavy as it gets with my current trailer. I also loaded most things in the trailer and not in the truck. Like the large cooler filled with beer for a 5 day jaunt.

Knowing I am probably going to buy a larger, heavier 5th wheel I purchased a 2020 RAM 3500 DRW diesel. Now I am now not truck limited to buy a new(er) camper. We are hoping to find a covid camper purchase that the folk find out that RVs are not as leisurely as they thought.

Peruse some RV boards. You will find folks that started with a 1/2 ton truck, and too large of a camper for it. Then went to a 2500, only to then also upgrade to a larger camper. And eventually end up with a 3500. Some with DRW and some SRW. If you buy a large, tall, 5th wheel then you will appreciate the DRW.

Appreciate the response. I honestly don’t see myself going over 12k ever. I’ve also heard about the harsh ride from the 3500. I’m glad I went with the 2500. If you were able to handle the 12k in a 13’, I hope my 21’ could handle it as well. And this is all what if scenarios. Currently we’re happy with our white knuckle bumper pull. Is prefer to get into a 5er’ but I’m trying to justify the added expense for one currently.

 

[g00fy]

Thanks. I’m getting the itch just to hook up my camper and drive no where.

Honestly I'd recommend you do this it will certainly make you feel better.

I had some similar buyers remorse feelings shortly after buying my 2500 Tradesman 6.7, I figured going up to a 2500 from my 1500 ecodiesel would leave me near limitless for anything I might possibly want to tow. However after starting to look at some entry level 5th wheel toy haulers and their Pin weights i got a bit discouraged as my payload is only 2300lbs based on the artificially low GVWR of 10,000lbs. That being said, the axle ratings on this truck, as @Epsilon Plus plus already mentioned are 6000 & 6040, combined that puts you at 12,000lbs so if you figure your GVWR based on that, you've got a lot more payload headroom. Also, I considered a 3500, but i spoke to a buddy of mine that grew up around HD trucks and has been towing pretty heavy loads since he was probably 16. He told me for as much Daily driving i do with the truck, get a 2500 and throw airbags in it that way it'll retain the smoother ride day to day, but can carry a heavy payload when needed w/o squatting too much and that's what he does for himself he has an old 2001 Ford 7.3 2500 with airbags.

Numbers on paper aside, take it out and tow with it. It'll make you feel better. I started driving & towing with a Turbo Subaru forester back in 2005, just a couple ATV's on a trailer, and it towed great. Then i upgraded to a 2012 Nissan frontier 4.0 V6, the truck itself towed OK but the naturally aspirated V6 sucked, it screamed to tow 2 ATVs up any sort of grade got like 9mpg doing it. I then upgraded again to an ecodiesel 3.0 because my wife and i wanted to get a little toy hauler, which we did, and the Ecodiesel towed like a dream, the 3.0 Turbo diesel pulled really well for it's size and got 14mpg doing it. Unfortunately our 2nd toy hauler was bigger, heavier, and while the 3.0 still pulled it well, it got VERY hot doing it, and the 1500 chassis was getting pulled around by the trailer too much.

Last April Mopar announced the recall on the Ecodiesels for engine fires with no fix available, that was the push i needed to finally trade it in to an appropriately sized 2500. I did initially try to find a 3500, but at the time I couldn't find one and the pandemic was looming, a local dealer had this 2500 and it checked all the right boxes so i jumped on it. After I got the truck the numbers started to play with my head and give me the same feelings of buyers remorse you have, but then I got to tow with it and that all went away. We took the toy hauler fully loaded with 2ATVs & dirtbike and a full water tank, also a truck bed full of gear and generator. Truck pulled like a dream, difference in power vs the tuned Ecodiesel was not as much as i was expecting, but it did it so effortlessly and the temperatures never budged even on the longest climbs of the trip. I'm confident once i throw some bags in the back of the truck i'll have no issue upgrading to a 5th wheel and pulling it cross country.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

This is 6.5 ton of gravel in a trailer that on its own weighs around 3500lbs making it 16.5k total weight behind the truck it handled it wonderfuly and the cummins was hardly phased all this in a 2500….. dont let the fake 10k cap get you aslong as your in your axle limits you will be fine

 

[gimmie11s]

So, you bought a 2500 because it suits current needs, and it will do so very well. I do not feel you planned for future expansion as well.

You will be limited on the 5th wheels because of the pin weight. The 5th wheel sales brochures will understate the pin weight. Plan on a pin weight of 22%, which is average. My 12K toyhauler had my 2013 RAM 2500 diesel within 300 pounds of my 6000 rear axle max. But that was loaded as heavy as it gets with my current trailer. I also loaded most things in the trailer and not in the truck. Like the large cooler filled with beer for a 5 day jaunt.

Knowing I am probably going to buy a larger, heavier 5th wheel I purchased a 2020 RAM 3500 DRW diesel. Now I am now not truck limited to buy a new(er) camper. We are hoping to find a covid camper purchase that the folk find out that RVs are not as leisurely as they thought.

Peruse some RV boards. You will find folks that started with a 1/2 ton truck, and too large of a camper for it. Then went to a 2500, only to then also upgrade to a larger camper. And eventually end up with a 3500. Some with DRW and some SRW. If you buy a large, tall, 5th wheel then you will appreciate the DRW.

100%. Im a believer in DRW now after dragging our 14k toy box around for a few hours 2 days ago.

What an unbelievably different experience than it was with my 2016 2500 cummins. The truck is so planted i only had 1 hand on the wheel the whole time. Really is an amazing difference.

And with the rear air ride, the truck does not ride harsh unloaded. It does surprisingly well. Drove her to work today, actually.

 

[g00fy]

Something else to keep in mind, this is the same Cummins 6.7L they put in the 4500 & 5500, and those have 20,000lb GVWR's and 40,000lb+ GCWR. They also put this motor in even bigger commercial trucks, like at our shop we have a 26,000lb GVWR Freightliner M2 106 with the same cummins 6.7, and in all these heavyweight trucks the output of the motor is actually Derated vs what's in your 2500 SO. So again from strictly an engine standpoint you should have zero worries.

 

[RV_Goose]

Appreciate the response. I honestly don’t see myself going over 12k ever. I’ve also heard about the harsh ride from the 3500. I’m glad I went with the 2500. If you were able to handle the 12k in a 13’, I hope my 21’ could handle it as well. And this is all what if scenarios. Currently we’re happy with our white knuckle bumper pull. Is prefer to get into a 5er’ but I’m trying to justify the added expense for one currently.

My 2013 was leaf springs. 2014 was the start of the coil rear springs.

 

[Whatatruck]

My 2013 was leaf springs. 2014 was the start of the coil rear springs.

Now I’m just asking, but does that make the leaf spring ones more capable?

 

[Phil T]

Of course.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[RV_Goose]

Now I’m just asking, but does that make the leaf spring ones more capable?

in my opinion, yes.

 

[Whatatruck]

in my opinion, yes.

Good to know. Thanks

 

[MEGA HO]

Of course! Before PW switched to a coil springs, the payload wasn't as dismal as it is right now on PW.

 

[Frank]

Currently we’re happy with our white knuckle bumper pull.

Why are you white knuckling? I thought you said it was only 26'? I've got 33' and live in a windy and mountainous area and it's like its not back there. Starting to sound like something isn't set up right.

 

[Whatatruck]

Why are you white knuckling? I thought you said it was only 26'? I've got 33' and live in a windy and mountainous area and it's like its not back there. Starting to sound like something isn't set up right.

We haven’t pulled anything with this truck yet. But with our 14’ 1500 Silverado yes, side winds would make it very scary.

 

[Frank]

We haven’t pulled anything with this truck yet. But with our 14’ 1500 Silverado yes, side winds would make it very scary.

Ok then you are about to find out why this was a good purchase. I drove home last week through a storm with 30 mph winds and didn't flinch. Get out there and have fun.

 

[Plum Cra Zy]

Yay me! Tell me I’ll be ok daddy. Went from a 2014 Chevy Silverado 1500 5.3 liter v8 with a 5’6” bed that had a towing capacity of almost 12k lbs. Traded it in for a $70k 21 Ram 2500 Laramie Cummins Crew cab 6’4” bed with a towing capacity of 15,700 lbs. That’s a 3,700 lb difference, which for the money doesn’t seem like a lot. My Chevy got 17-18 mpg on the freeway after 156,000 miles. Started off with 21-22 mpg. The Cummins is averaging 17 mpg. I guess I didn’t do my homework before buying and let the interior and torque numbers influence my decision. Had I known, I probably would have went with the Hemi 2500 or the HO 3500. I feel I picked the worst one I could have for towing. I own a 2011 26ft bumper pull. Weighs in close to 6k lbs. I felt my Chevy was dying every time I pulled it through the smoky mountains of North Carolina. I’ve also been contemplating buying a 5th wheel but now I’m wondering what size I’ll be able to get. I honestly thought there was more towing capacity and payload on this truck. Sorry for the rant, but I really wonder how bad of a mistake I really made.

I was just looking at ram towing website and most 2500 4x4 laramie ctd seem to be around 20,000 lbs towing cap

 

[Southernspeed]

No need to have second thoughts about your truck versus the hemi equipped version. I had a 2016 6.4 Hemi 2500 (photo) which I traded a few weeks ago for an HO 3500 Dually. This season started hauling the same loads of 216 bales ( 7500lb trailer with 216 bales at around 50lb each ... you do the math, I'm too tired lol) and 14 round bales each time. The Hemi coped well but the slightest grade and it would drop a few gears and sit at 4500rpm (not relaxing!) plus with no exhaust brake, downhill grades were riding the brakes. The 3500 is amazing. It barely knows the load is there. I'm really really impressed by the Cummins. Never thought I'd say that after being a V8 gas man for over 40 years! Enjoy your Cummins, don't wonder 'what if'!

 

[gimmie11s]

No need to have second thoughts about your truck versus the hemi equipped version. I had a 2016 6.4 Hemi 2500 (photo) which I traded a few weeks ago for an HO 3500 Dually. This season started hauling the same loads of 216 bales ( 7500lb trailer with 216 bales at around 50lb each ... you do the math, I'm too tired lol) and 14 round bales each time. The Hemi coped well but the slightest grade and it would drop a few gears and sit at 4500rpm (not relaxing!) plus with no exhaust brake, downhill grades were riding the brakes. The 3500 is amazing. It barely knows the load is there. I'm really really impressed by the Cummins. Never thought I'd say that after being a V8 gas man for over 40 years! Enjoy your Cummins, don't wonder 'what if'!

DRW is a game changer when your load is somewhat heavy. Im shocked at how much easier our new truck handles our 14k lbs 5er.

 

[rb92673]

Just came back from my first real tow with my 2500 Cummins Laramie Megacab. 24' enclosed trailer with car and all my spares, 29' total length. Probably 7-8k total trailer weight with about 1k on the hitch. Towed over the Grapevine here in CA which has a 6% grade for 5.5 miles. Left it in cruise control at 60-65 up and down in 5th. Except for when I had to pass it never downshifted and downhill I never once touched the brakes. ~1800 RPMs. No screaming gas engine going up the hill. Completely stable passing semi trucks.

Go drop your trailer on a go find the steepest hill you can find. It's a beast.