Truck upgrade for occasional towing
- Thread starter RHanna
- Start date
Never heard of those. Though if that what comes on them stock, often they use softer tires that wear out fast.
I have a 2018 ram 2500 4x4 with the 6.4 and it tows my 1997 TJ and my 2014 JKUR fine. Mine has the 4-coil suspension. I was surprised I just figured the rear would be springs but seems to tow ok. We also have a 27-foot Whitehawk travel trailer we tow also no problem. I used it off road a few times when the TJ broke down on me and it was a 2500 truck ride off road lol. I don't use it off road much, more for towing and when my road gets snowed in and the Yaris won't make it to get to work.
Have they been rotated on schedule?
Did the dealer check the alignment?
I believe those are probably the 2 leading causes of cupping.
Have a good alignment done and rotate the tires.
No idea, I've owned the truck a month. I kind of think the tires were not rotated. I've been thinking of replacing the shocks anyway so I think I'll do that and get an alignment done. The tires are cupping on the inside and outside.
Hey @RHanna, if you haven't already, check out Ram HD forum. There's a lot of good information and good people on that forum too.
WHen I experience cupping, its almost always shock/balance related.
I am looking at a couple of Ram 2500s with the 6.4. I want something to better tow the jeep with and we're talking about getting a travel trailer in the next year. Eager to hear your longer term thoughts on the 6.4.
I am looking at a couple of Ram 2500s with the 6.4. I want something to better tow the jeep with and we're talking about getting a travel trailer in the next year. Eager to hear your longer term thoughts on the 6.4.
I've had my '24 since June of last year. We have a 26' travel trailer that's 5,500lbs loaded. It handles the trailer like a boss. Much better than my '21 1500 5.7.
I've got a 2024 RAM 2500 with the 6.4. I only tow my Jeep on an aluminum trailer, so maybe 7500 lbs and that is no problem for the truck to get over the mountains. It revs to keep up with the steepest grades but I can maintain speed, usually no more than 80. When towing I get maybe 9-10 mpg, so plan for plenty of fuel stops. My bladder needs those stops anyway, so no a big deal for me. I am at 20k miles and so far just oil and tire rotations for mx. I am happy with it but can't speak to towing heavier or larger loads.
I'm going to buy the Bilstein 5100s and put those on the truck. It will be about $440 and I hope it will ride better. I've heard that the Bilsteins are stiffer but I think that's what I need. The 5100 on the front are supposed to be for 2" lift in the front but the compression difference is like 0.3" from factory.
Next I'll wait until the fall/black Friday to buy some Michelin tires.
I just went to Coalmont with my jeep and I was probably towing 8000 lbs. I put about 1000 lbs on the tongue and the factory rake went away, the rear was just slightly lower than the front. I think for all of my towing needs I won't have to worry about adding anything aftermarket to help with sag unless I push over 10000 lbs. The braking surprised me but not in a good way. I expected it to brake a lot better but maybe I just didn't have the trailer set up right. Pulling was easier and it held 70 mpg on cruise control no problem.
Went through a similar thought process last summer. I've pulled the rear ends out of two half ton pickups (A cheby and a Ford). Went to a Colorado so I could park in the garage and we had sold our Boat. Started to get to a point where I was towing more again, and this was the "last straw" for me...
It actually towed it pretty well, but I was REAL careful not to let the tail wag the dog. So, I started looking. My dad has a 3500 Silverado w/ Duramax and I really like that truck, we have a 3500 Silverado at my shop with the 6.6 Gasser that is pretty nice. I'm a Chevy guy so I went looking around for an LTZ 2500 with the gasser. Found a black one that was nearly identical to what I would have ordered, so I decided to test drive it and see if I liked it compared to the diesel.
I really didn't want the diesel because I don't drive enough to keep em happy, I didn't want to pay for all the maintenance on a newer one, and I think Chevy has a really good engine with the 6.6 (no multi-displacement crap, no start stop garbage, etc.) Its just a big ol stinkin engine...Yes, its direct injection, but that is actually pretty well proven by now.
I didn't want another black truck...Told them that at the dealership and they threw so much money at me for the Colorado that I decided black wasn't too bad.
Its been over a year and almost 13,000 miles. I love this truck. No, its not plush like a 1500...but the ride isn't bad either. Its comfortable and feels planted. There are two things I don't like about it. Gas Milage is the big one. The other is I would have preferred a "double" cab instead of the giant one that has the 4 full sized doors. However, GM doesn't offer that cab/bed combo in this trim. Its dumb, but whatever. The confidence and ease with which is tows is just so much better than what I experienced with the half tons. Its just a better vehicle for what I need and how I use my truck.
The fuel milage thing is kinda funny. It gets between 14.5 and 10, no matter what. Towing, cruising down the highway, etc. Doesn't seem to matter, it just gets that milage. I'm glad I don't drive much though.
It actually towed it pretty well, but I was REAL careful not to let the tail wag the dog. So, I started looking. My dad has a 3500 Silverado w/ Duramax and I really like that truck, we have a 3500 Silverado at my shop with the 6.6 Gasser that is pretty nice. I'm a Chevy guy so I went looking around for an LTZ 2500 with the gasser. Found a black one that was nearly identical to what I would have ordered, so I decided to test drive it and see if I liked it compared to the diesel.
I really didn't want the diesel because I don't drive enough to keep em happy, I didn't want to pay for all the maintenance on a newer one, and I think Chevy has a really good engine with the 6.6 (no multi-displacement crap, no start stop garbage, etc.) Its just a big ol stinkin engine...Yes, its direct injection, but that is actually pretty well proven by now.
I didn't want another black truck...Told them that at the dealership and they threw so much money at me for the Colorado that I decided black wasn't too bad.
Its been over a year and almost 13,000 miles. I love this truck. No, its not plush like a 1500...but the ride isn't bad either. Its comfortable and feels planted. There are two things I don't like about it. Gas Milage is the big one. The other is I would have preferred a "double" cab instead of the giant one that has the 4 full sized doors. However, GM doesn't offer that cab/bed combo in this trim. Its dumb, but whatever. The confidence and ease with which is tows is just so much better than what I experienced with the half tons. Its just a better vehicle for what I need and how I use my truck.
The fuel milage thing is kinda funny. It gets between 14.5 and 10, no matter what. Towing, cruising down the highway, etc. Doesn't seem to matter, it just gets that milage. I'm glad I don't drive much though.
Do you have an electric trailer brake setup? Having that set up correctly is huge.
The trailer does have brakes, I had my gain at 6.5. Stopping just felt like the trailer brakes weren’t working. Guess I’ll need to check that out. I’ve never had a problem with this trailer but it’s a friend’s trailer that I borrow.
Figure if I could get 15 empty with one I'd call it a win. A lot of the stuff I have read is on par with what you're seeing; 8-10 mpg towing. I dont want a truck payment, but my F150, with just the trailer and jeep, I am pushing 90% of the max payload. Any small stuff in the bed and I know I have exceeded the payload. Another reason for the switch is driving over the CO mtn passes. With the F150 I am limited to about 25 mph with the hazards on. It also has 170k miles and is really starting to show its age, especially the trans.
My experience has been good with 5100s - I had a set on a previous cummins, they're designed for a heavier vehicle. I have them on my current F150 and like the way they perform.
When we get a travel trailer - itll likely be on the smaller side; 4-6k lbs. Sounds like a 6.4 could handle it with ease.
Here's how I set my trailer gain, and will let you test the brakes. Load up and run down an empty road or parking lot at 15-20 mph or so. Don't touch the brakes, get off the gas, and squeeze the manual control on the brake controller. It should slow you to a stop like you are braking the truck, but not lock up the trailer. If it locks up gain down, if you can't feel it braking gain up, if max gain does nothing, it's the brakes.
On the cupping, shocks and alignment will accelerate it, but just not rotating for 50k can do it too. Cupping I've had is normally on more aggressive tires and you can see the different depth between the lugs. If it's just wear on the edges, it may be because the PO drove like a crazy person on tight corners in the mountains.
Cupping example:
Ordered some Rancho RS7MT instead of the bilsteins. Only $360 out the door for all 4 so not too bad. I'm leaning towards just keeping the truck suspension as close to stock as possible. I have no desire to go offroad with it since I have the jeep. The only time I'd have it off of pavement would be when I'm trailering the jeep to some of the offroad parks.
If the brakes were working properly at 6.5 gain the wheels should have locked up when the trailer was empty. On my 19 F-250 4x4 even with my heaviest 14K# dump trailer fully loaded I never need to go past 4.5 usually 3.5 and at 1.5 when empty to avoid wheel lock up. When I first got it I loaned it to a good friend who has the same truck as mine and he brought it back saying I needed to adjust the brakes because the wheels kept locking up. Came back with multiple flat spots on all 4 tires. This is a guy who’s had camping trailers and still had no clue on how to adjust his controller. Lesson learned no one borrows my trailers now.
The best trailer brake controller is a manual lever on the steering column, but its my understanding that those are illegal now.
Our rental truck last month in California was a 2500 with the 6.4. Besides the gas mileage and 4 cylinder mode I liked it quite a bit. It took a day or so to get used to (at the time all I was used to was midsized trucks and suv’s), but after that I enjoyed it. The ride is quite nice for a truck of its size.
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