Need more towing capacity

[homedad]

I have a 2019 1500 Laramie and still love it. The problem is that my wife is tired of our smallish RV and dragged me to the RV show. She keeps leaning toward 6500 pound trailers and ours is at the very limit already even with an equalizing hitch. I decided that instead of trying to find an identical 2019 Laramie with a 3.92 Axle ratio I would consider moving up to a 2019 2500 Laramie. I found one but the neighbor (huge truck guy but mostly ford) said that the 6.4 L is a dog as far as acceleration. I'm not a lead foot but what I was concerned about is this lifter thing I keep hearing about. Something about roller lifters seizing and burning up the lobe of the camshaft. Anyone who has any experience with the 6.4...how is the power? Is this lifter issue overblown or inevitable? I only have 44K miles but I'm wondering if I'm headed for trouble and maybe move to something else entirely.

 

[woody284]

Someone will chime in soon with some information you’re looking for.

I have a 19’ tradesman with 6.4 and 32,000 miles. I had a 40’ /12500 lb fiver when I bought it. Truck pulled it fine ( only short pulls). I hated the camper so I downsized to a bumper pull 34’ / 7500 lb. I short pull most of the time as our camper stays in one spot all summer. I have pulled this one on one trip that was 3-4 hours one way. It pulled fine and did everything I asked of it. Granted fuel economy is around 9 mpg.

To say it’s a dog would be an individual opinion of what you’re comparing it too. I don’t think it is. It’s a heavier / bigger truck so it’s not going to feel like your 1500.

 

[Grateful Dad]

6.4 and 8 speed is a great combo. The Hemi might be the oldest gas offering but it’s no dog and FWIW, any HD gasser will get around the same mileage. I tow a 10k lbs 5ver with no issue other than the inability to pass a gas station

Don’t idle the truck excessively and don’t do 10k mile oil changes, you’ll be good to go.

All the gas offering have their “issues”, GM and Ford’s amazing Godzilla is no exception.

 

[homedad]

Thanks. I only get 7-8 mpg towing with my 5.7 so this will be an improvement

 

[jsalbre]

You’ll get about the same with the 2500 towing. Maybe a little better if you keep speeds low.

 

[homedad]

Looks like the one I was interested in doesn't have adaptive cruise control and it appears that a Ram 2500 with ACC is incredibly rare for some reason. I guess the hunt continues,

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

6500lbs camper is not to much for the 1500 it would be a perfect match

 

[Dave01]

You'd love the 6.4 and 8 speed. Very powerful, excellent towing up to 10k IMO. Night and day compared to a 5.7 and 8 speed, and I'm a fan of that powertrain, 5.7 certainly can handle 6500 lbs. with no problem, but the 6.4 makes it effortless.

I have adaptive cruise in my Laramie, it was pretty fully optioned. Not that rare, but definitely have to find well optioned Laramie or a Limited.

 

[Units]

6500lbs camper is not to much for the 1500 it would be a perfect match

I would say weight wise yes. I towed my 31’ TT with a 6500lb dry weight. Personally, I felt It was right on the edge of being too much for a 1500, it was white knuckle getting passed by a semi. Much better towing experience with my 2500 and the same TT.

 

[homedad]

Yes the weight of the trailer doesn’t tell the whole story. My wife is a bit of a pack rat. Add food, clothes, bedding, some water, bikes, a generator, wood, portable waste tote, 5 gallons of gas, a big dog and 4 people and it’s most likely over my limit. And now she’s liking bigger rigs.

 

[homedad]

As far as adaptive cruise control it seems like most of the ones I see that are even close to my budget seem to not have this feature. I’m trying to replicate my 1500 but can’t seem to. My Laramie is well optioned and I feel a bit spoiled.

 

[Dave01]

As far as adaptive cruise control it seems like most of the ones I see that are even close to my budget seem to not have this feature. I’m trying to replicate my 1500 but can’t seem to. My Laramie is well optioned and I feel a bit spoiled.

On my '21 window sticker it shows up under Customer Preferred Package 2GH, Safety Group B. When I was looking to buy, I think this was the only Laramie I saw it on, all the others were Limited's. And yes, when you start adding these option packages the price rises quickly, because it won't just be the one package, as you see from the window sticker this Laramie had the majority of options you'd see on a Limited.

 

[ppine]

Consider a used diesel. Then you can pull anything you want and get much better mileage and longevity.

 

[Riccochet]

I would say weight wise yes. I towed my 31’ TT with a 6500lb dry weight. Personally, I felt It was right on the edge of being too much for a 1500, it was white knuckle getting passed by a semi. Much better towing experience with my 2500 and the same TT.

That was my experience. On paper it's fine, in practice it's not. I went through two 1500's before buying my 2500. It's not the weight either, it's the length. That's a lot of sail behind a 1500.

I firmly believe, now, in having way more truck than I need.

 

[homedad]

The problem with diesels is the initial cost is out of my budget not to mention the fuel is 35% higher.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

The problem with diesels is the initial cost is out of my budget not to mention the fuel is 35% higher.

35% more fuel efficient as-well so the cost equals out

 

[Firebird]

I pulled this 35' camper with my 6.4

 

[Dave01]

The problem with diesels is the initial cost is out of my budget not to mention the fuel is 35% higher.

It sounds to me that if you are looking for adaptive cruise as an option, you probably don't want to buy an older used diesel, want a truck in the last few model years. Like in Firebird's picture above, you can pull a lot of camper with a 6.4 before you run out of towing ability. The economics are what they are, it's fair to say that the increased cost of diesel fuel is offset with fuel efficiency, but at the same time you pay 12k more for the same truck and more for maintenance. Don't get me wrong, I love diesels and had a string of them before my current Ram, I made my decision based on not wanting to pay the premium for the diesel while knowing I'd be towing 10k max. I don't regret my 6.4 decision at all.

 

[Units]

I pulled this 35' camper with my 6.4
View attachment 68981

How’s that spread axle pull? I almost got one of those.

 

[Units]

If it’s diesel you want, buy it.
If it’s gas you want, buy it.
In the end, get what you want and just make sure it pairs well with the camper you intend to pull with it.