Building a new RAM

[abillerbeck]

I actually have a European car (Range Rover) and do tow near its 7700 limit now. The issue is the limiting tongue weight of 770. And frankly the rover is NOT happy towing our 7k toy hauler. 8 MPG on premium gas is lame. Brakes are working over time. Poor rear view even with mirror extenders. I do agree that we like bigger things in America. But my toy hauler is considered “small” at 24 feet and the rover has amoung the highest towing limit of any SUV (Euro or US).

Horses for courses I suppose. Wanna tow, get a truck if fits family budget. As a bonus, I find the ram interior to be as nice as the rover--not a downgrade in any way (In my opinion).

Agree, different strokes for different folks. Having a bigger truck does make for a nicer towing experience. Ford Expedition is rated for 9,300 lbs and Chevy Tahoe and Suburban are both around 8,000 lbs. My only point was the 3500 dually diesel is way overkill if the trailer is only 7,700 lbs... I mean some of the 1/2 ton trucks are in the 13,000 lb range these days. You can add air helper bags in the rear to help with squat or stiffer springs and you can use weight distributing hitches and sway control bars to help with squat and sway. Also tow vehicle brakes shouldn't be a factor because the trailer brakes should be doing all (or most) of the work for the trailer weight if setup properly

And the interiors are super nice in the Rams, way nicer than my 2004 Land Rover!

 

[2500ltd]

Max payload is 2419.07 LBS. Max towing is 16,419.07 LBS per sticker. My tongue weight is around 1000 lbs towing the AS. This leaves 1400 lbs for stuff. Note: That when providing the payload number, Ram has already taken into account 150 pounds each for a driver and passenger plus a full fuel tank. So there is plenty of capacity. And you cant beat the smooth ride of the 2500 (especially with the air suspension) as compared with 3/4 ton trucks from Ford or Chevy/GMC. I attached a picture of my set up.View attachment 11818

Nice rig. Thanks for the point about people and gas being accounted for. Didn’t know. That’s helpful.

 

[2500ltd]

Agree, different strokes for different folks. Having a bigger truck does make for a nicer towing experience. Ford Expedition is rated for 9,300 lbs and Chevy Tahoe and Suburban are both around 8,000 lbs. My only point was the 3500 dually diesel is way overkill if the trailer is only 7,700 lbs... I mean some of the 1/2 ton trucks are in the 13,000 lb range these days. You can add air helper bags in the rear to help with squat or stiffer springs and you can use weight distributing hitches and sway control bars to help with squat and sway. Also tow vehicle brakes shouldn't be a factor because the trailer brakes should be doing all (or most) of the work for the trailer weight if setup properly

And the interiors are super nice in the Rams, way nicer than my 2004 Land Rover!

You’re totally right. There’s a bit of a bias towards bigger. Started out looking at the 1500 but was quickly scared into HD for payload. With everyone’s input, I do see 3500 is overkill. 1500 could work, you’re right as well, but 2500 would handle potential squat right out of the gate, allow me to option the truck to my liking without counting, remove any kind of worry about cargo and have room for a larger trailer in the future. Looks like a good option to me.