uh [censored] no to the puny eco diesel. until it shows up in volume in fleet trucks or low end models at a reasonable price in my mind it is just a toy engine. it is not for serious towing, nor does it have a long term track record for reliability.
Does anyone here with a Ram 1500 eco-diesel...
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My new Ram is a 1500 and is rated to tow 10,000 pounds plus. Adding 500 pounds more truck is no huge improvement. It's a 5.7, 8speed, 3.9 gears.
I would have no problem at all doing that. Pump up the tires, get the tongue weight right, and drive carefully. My boat is not nearly that heavy, but many folks consider the ratings as a guideline only and tow far more than they should without incident.
The only thing better would be a 5th wheel setup like I have for the Dmax.
And no worries on the VM Motori Diesel, those guys make a GREAT engine and have a long track record of performance...
I would have no problem at all doing that. Pump up the tires, get the tongue weight right, and drive carefully. My boat is not nearly that heavy, but many folks consider the ratings as a guideline only and tow far more than they should without incident.
The only thing better would be a 5th wheel setup like I have for the Dmax.
And no worries on the VM Motori Diesel, those guys make a GREAT engine and have a long track record of performance...
Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
uh [censored] no to the puny eco diesel. until it shows up in volume in fleet trucks or low end models at a reasonable price in my mind it is just a toy engine. it is not for serious towing, nor does it have a long term track record for reliability.
That is nothing more than an opinionated statement.VM Motori has been building diesel engines since the 40's. They are a very reliable platform.
My advice to the OP is to decide on a travel trailer (or at least narrow it down to a few) so that you can get a better idea of the max GVW and tongue weight. Some trailers are more tongue weight heavy than others and with a half ton pick up you will likely exceed your payload before you exceed the tow ratings. I have no experience with the new Ram 1500, but I have been following a guys report on his new Ecodiesel and he has very positive things to say about it. He hauls his race car in an enclosed car hauler several hundred miles each way. His previous truck was an F250 power stroke and the new Ram gets similar fuel mileage pulling the exact same trailer and obviously much better when empty.
I'm usually the guy that recommends erring on the side of caution and stepping up to a larger tow vehicle if there are any doubt's,and this is no different. All I'm saying is, figure out what exactly your needs will be, and go from there.
If your interested, here is a link to the thread I mentioned.
http://www.turbodieselregister.com/threa...wer-and-cooling
uh [censored] no to the puny eco diesel. until it shows up in volume in fleet trucks or low end models at a reasonable price in my mind it is just a toy engine. it is not for serious towing, nor does it have a long term track record for reliability.
That is nothing more than an opinionated statement.VM Motori has been building diesel engines since the 40's. They are a very reliable platform.
My advice to the OP is to decide on a travel trailer (or at least narrow it down to a few) so that you can get a better idea of the max GVW and tongue weight. Some trailers are more tongue weight heavy than others and with a half ton pick up you will likely exceed your payload before you exceed the tow ratings. I have no experience with the new Ram 1500, but I have been following a guys report on his new Ecodiesel and he has very positive things to say about it. He hauls his race car in an enclosed car hauler several hundred miles each way. His previous truck was an F250 power stroke and the new Ram gets similar fuel mileage pulling the exact same trailer and obviously much better when empty.
I'm usually the guy that recommends erring on the side of caution and stepping up to a larger tow vehicle if there are any doubt's,and this is no different. All I'm saying is, figure out what exactly your needs will be, and go from there.
If your interested, here is a link to the thread I mentioned.
http://www.turbodieselregister.com/threa...wer-and-cooling
http://www.turbodieselregister.com/conte...L-RIGHT-FOR-YOU
Sorry, wrong link. This is the one I meant to post.
Sorry, wrong link. This is the one I meant to post.
Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
uh [censored] no to the puny eco diesel. until it shows up in volume in fleet trucks or low end models at a reasonable price in my mind it is just a toy engine. it is not for serious towing, nor does it have a long term track record for reliability.
There is so much wrong with everything you said. The engine does in fact have a good track record for reliability go do some research before spouting off nonsense like this
uh [censored] no to the puny eco diesel. until it shows up in volume in fleet trucks or low end models at a reasonable price in my mind it is just a toy engine. it is not for serious towing, nor does it have a long term track record for reliability.
There is so much wrong with everything you said. The engine does in fact have a good track record for reliability go do some research before spouting off nonsense like this
Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
uh [censored] no to the puny eco diesel. until it shows up in volume in fleet trucks or low end models at a reasonable price in my mind it is just a toy engine. it is not for serious towing, nor does it have a long term track record for reliability.
I am not all that far off in agreement, but it is not entirely true. The 2.8L VM diesel in the Jeep Liberty was a pretty good engine. It had a B50 design life of 300,000 miles / 500,000 KM. When I first got mine, the first winter during an ice storm, we pulled a Interstate Battery truck up out of the ditch he had slid off the road in to. The 2.8L didn't even miss a beat. I regularly would pull a 300 gallon fuel wagon around hilly farm ground without any issues. That engine had a strong track record before it got put in the Jeep Liberty.
I can't speak to the one in the Ram 1500, but the 2.8L was a very good engine in the Jeep. After a lot of digging around and gathering what information I could, the 2.8L going into the GM Colorado / Canyon midsized pickups seems to be almost a spitting image of the 2.8L that was put in the American Jeep Liberty in '05 and '06. It ought to be a very good engine for that pickup. They are labeling it a Duramax, but GM has had long ties with VM as has Detroit Diesel and Penske. Seems they are making a smart move taking a VM design and using it in the GM midsize. Who cares if they want to label it a Duramax. The only differences I can find between it and VM 2.8L is it now has a Honeywell water cooled VG turbo, whereas the VM in my Jeep had a Garrett water cooled VG turbo. The common rail pressure will be up 20,000 psi compared to the VM 18,000 psi. And, of course, the new one in the GM will have all the laundry list of EPA junk whereas mine only had EGR. Everything else seems to be a copy of the VM 2.8L.
It is easy for some, especially me, to poo poo the smaller diesels, but unfortunately, the larger 13, 14, and 15L platforms I deal with regularly have some major problems also. Hang around a truckstop and you can learn all the newest swear words that have been invented over these engines.
uh [censored] no to the puny eco diesel. until it shows up in volume in fleet trucks or low end models at a reasonable price in my mind it is just a toy engine. it is not for serious towing, nor does it have a long term track record for reliability.
I am not all that far off in agreement, but it is not entirely true. The 2.8L VM diesel in the Jeep Liberty was a pretty good engine. It had a B50 design life of 300,000 miles / 500,000 KM. When I first got mine, the first winter during an ice storm, we pulled a Interstate Battery truck up out of the ditch he had slid off the road in to. The 2.8L didn't even miss a beat. I regularly would pull a 300 gallon fuel wagon around hilly farm ground without any issues. That engine had a strong track record before it got put in the Jeep Liberty.
I can't speak to the one in the Ram 1500, but the 2.8L was a very good engine in the Jeep. After a lot of digging around and gathering what information I could, the 2.8L going into the GM Colorado / Canyon midsized pickups seems to be almost a spitting image of the 2.8L that was put in the American Jeep Liberty in '05 and '06. It ought to be a very good engine for that pickup. They are labeling it a Duramax, but GM has had long ties with VM as has Detroit Diesel and Penske. Seems they are making a smart move taking a VM design and using it in the GM midsize. Who cares if they want to label it a Duramax. The only differences I can find between it and VM 2.8L is it now has a Honeywell water cooled VG turbo, whereas the VM in my Jeep had a Garrett water cooled VG turbo. The common rail pressure will be up 20,000 psi compared to the VM 18,000 psi. And, of course, the new one in the GM will have all the laundry list of EPA junk whereas mine only had EGR. Everything else seems to be a copy of the VM 2.8L.
It is easy for some, especially me, to poo poo the smaller diesels, but unfortunately, the larger 13, 14, and 15L platforms I deal with regularly have some major problems also. Hang around a truckstop and you can learn all the newest swear words that have been invented over these engines.
Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
uh [censored] no to the puny eco diesel. until it shows up in volume in fleet trucks or low end models at a reasonable price in my mind it is just a toy engine. it is not for serious towing, nor does it have a long term track record for reliability.
Its a full size truck that gets 28MPG hwy and many owners are reporting substantially better mpgs. Just wait till they tweak this thing over the next few model years.
uh [censored] no to the puny eco diesel. until it shows up in volume in fleet trucks or low end models at a reasonable price in my mind it is just a toy engine. it is not for serious towing, nor does it have a long term track record for reliability.
Its a full size truck that gets 28MPG hwy and many owners are reporting substantially better mpgs. Just wait till they tweak this thing over the next few model years.
I think the best advice in this thread is to figure out what trailer you want, and then pick the truck. Based on your description of 8000 lbs, and towing thousands of miles every year, I'd sleep just fine at night picking up a 3/4 ton truck.
The EcoDiesel towing capacity tops out around 8000 lbs in a crew cab configuration. You will be right at the limit, and likely over payload at that point. You can get a gasser than won't be topped out in that department, but not the eco-diesel.
Personally, I'd look at it from the perspective of is this a one time thing I'm asking it to do or a frequent thing. With the miles you are reporting, it would be a frequent thing in my book. In that case, I'd look for something that wasn't maxed out and had some reserve capacity (like 20% or so).
The EcoDiesel towing capacity tops out around 8000 lbs in a crew cab configuration. You will be right at the limit, and likely over payload at that point. You can get a gasser than won't be topped out in that department, but not the eco-diesel.
Personally, I'd look at it from the perspective of is this a one time thing I'm asking it to do or a frequent thing. With the miles you are reporting, it would be a frequent thing in my book. In that case, I'd look for something that wasn't maxed out and had some reserve capacity (like 20% or so).
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
My new Ram is a 1500 and is rated to tow 10,000 pounds plus. Adding 500 pounds more truck is no huge improvement. It's a 5.7, 8speed, 3.9 gears.
I would have no problem at all doing that. Pump up the tires, get the tongue weight right, and drive carefully. My boat is not nearly that heavy, but many folks consider the ratings as a guideline only and tow far more than they should without incident.
The only thing better would be a 5th wheel setup like I have for the Dmax.
And no worries on the VM Motori Diesel, those guys make a GREAT engine and have a long track record of performance...
The problem is (as in your post) there is no mention of PAYLOAD for what you state your truck can tow. When you throw in the payload number it starts to get interesting....in many cases.
My new Ram is a 1500 and is rated to tow 10,000 pounds plus. Adding 500 pounds more truck is no huge improvement. It's a 5.7, 8speed, 3.9 gears.
I would have no problem at all doing that. Pump up the tires, get the tongue weight right, and drive carefully. My boat is not nearly that heavy, but many folks consider the ratings as a guideline only and tow far more than they should without incident.
The only thing better would be a 5th wheel setup like I have for the Dmax.
And no worries on the VM Motori Diesel, those guys make a GREAT engine and have a long track record of performance...
The problem is (as in your post) there is no mention of PAYLOAD for what you state your truck can tow. When you throw in the payload number it starts to get interesting....in many cases.
You can't tow 8k-9k with the diesel ram, if you have a 10% tongue weight which you should you will be over the payload capacity of the truck.
You need to step up to the 2500 to stay legal, I believe the capacity of new Cummins 2500's has been cut as well to around the mid 2500 pound range. But with 800 pounds of tongue weight, two people, so say 400, your at 50% without your stuff.
Also remember your on vacation and don't want to be white knuckling it in the slow lane.
You need to step up to the 2500 to stay legal, I believe the capacity of new Cummins 2500's has been cut as well to around the mid 2500 pound range. But with 800 pounds of tongue weight, two people, so say 400, your at 50% without your stuff.
Also remember your on vacation and don't want to be white knuckling it in the slow lane.
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If you're not in a hurry, you could hope that they'll offer the 3.0T in the 2500. I think that would be quite the package myself.
The 3.0 in a 2500? That would be a no brainer! I'd love to have a new 5.9L Cummins in a 2500 but they don't exist.
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Originally Posted By: CKN
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
My new Ram is a 1500 and is rated to tow 10,000 pounds plus. Adding 500 pounds more truck is no huge improvement. It's a 5.7, 8speed, 3.9 gears.
I would have no problem at all doing that. Pump up the tires, get the tongue weight right, and drive carefully. My boat is not nearly that heavy, but many folks consider the ratings as a guideline only and tow far more than they should without incident.
The only thing better would be a 5th wheel setup like I have for the Dmax.
And no worries on the VM Motori Diesel, those guys make a GREAT engine and have a long track record of performance...
The problem is (as in your post) there is no mention of PAYLOAD for what you state your truck can tow. When you throw in the payload number it starts to get interesting....in many cases.
My payload is just shy of 1900 pounds.
My point was that anyone can peruse the payload and tow ratings and come up with a great towing Ram just as easy as any other brand of truck. I simply went to their website and worked it out.
Diesel was not on our radar, we now own two New Gen Hemis and they are wonderful motors.
The OP may not want a rough riding heavy duty truck. He might want something that rides smoothly and quietly, and he may not have a need to impress his neighbors with his big towing capacity...
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
My new Ram is a 1500 and is rated to tow 10,000 pounds plus. Adding 500 pounds more truck is no huge improvement. It's a 5.7, 8speed, 3.9 gears.
I would have no problem at all doing that. Pump up the tires, get the tongue weight right, and drive carefully. My boat is not nearly that heavy, but many folks consider the ratings as a guideline only and tow far more than they should without incident.
The only thing better would be a 5th wheel setup like I have for the Dmax.
And no worries on the VM Motori Diesel, those guys make a GREAT engine and have a long track record of performance...
The problem is (as in your post) there is no mention of PAYLOAD for what you state your truck can tow. When you throw in the payload number it starts to get interesting....in many cases.
My payload is just shy of 1900 pounds.
My point was that anyone can peruse the payload and tow ratings and come up with a great towing Ram just as easy as any other brand of truck. I simply went to their website and worked it out.
Diesel was not on our radar, we now own two New Gen Hemis and they are wonderful motors.
The OP may not want a rough riding heavy duty truck. He might want something that rides smoothly and quietly, and he may not have a need to impress his neighbors with his big towing capacity...
I don't get how manufactures can advertise those [censored] payload claims.
With 1 person and some [censored] lets take 300 pounds off that, most people keep "stuff" in their trucks and that adds weight.
So realistically that truck's max towing is 5k or less.
With 1 person and some [censored] lets take 300 pounds off that, most people keep "stuff" in their trucks and that adds weight.
So realistically that truck's max towing is 5k or less.
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Yep, that's why when I was shopping, I figured whenever I was towing I'd still have family in the truck. Ergo, 10k towing? Not a chance. Not in a half ton anyhow. Seemed like 5k was about all I could hit, reasonably, given people and cargo load, across the line for half-tons.
It's nice that there is excess capacity; if I ever need to drag something across town I could. But advertising is advertising: take everything with a grain of salt, albeit a grain the size of a salt lick.
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Speaking of which, all these mid-sized vehicles with 3,500lb towing ratings: bogus or not? If a half-ton maxes out well below its advertised rating (for typical usage) wouldn't a minivan max out likewise?
It's nice that there is excess capacity; if I ever need to drag something across town I could. But advertising is advertising: take everything with a grain of salt, albeit a grain the size of a salt lick.
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Speaking of which, all these mid-sized vehicles with 3,500lb towing ratings: bogus or not? If a half-ton maxes out well below its advertised rating (for typical usage) wouldn't a minivan max out likewise?
^^^ varies per vehicle. I towed a 2500lb camper in a T&C with family of 4, 2 dogs, and gear. It did very well, and was an easy pull. The same trailer, minus the dogs, in a nissan pathfinder was rough, jerky, jouncy, and twitchy. the pathfinder was rated at 5500 lbs, the van 2500 (3500 with trans cooler). did both in mtns of west VA, where engine, trans, brakes, and chassis all got worked. The van had better torque, stability. both did fine with power and braking.
Originally Posted By: supton
Yep, that's why when I was shopping, I figured whenever I was towing I'd still have family in the truck. Ergo, 10k towing? Not a chance. Not in a half ton anyhow. Seemed like 5k was about all I could hit, reasonably, given people and cargo load, across the line for half-tons.
They have to be equipped properly. The F150 in my sig has the Max Tow pacakge. Payload from the yellow sticker is about 1860lbs. 4x200 = 800, leaves 1060 for tongue weight. At 10% = 10,060 lbs trailer weight.
Now the "properly equipped" trucks are rare birds on the lots, both new and used. When they appear they tend to go QUICK.
Yep, that's why when I was shopping, I figured whenever I was towing I'd still have family in the truck. Ergo, 10k towing? Not a chance. Not in a half ton anyhow. Seemed like 5k was about all I could hit, reasonably, given people and cargo load, across the line for half-tons.
They have to be equipped properly. The F150 in my sig has the Max Tow pacakge. Payload from the yellow sticker is about 1860lbs. 4x200 = 800, leaves 1060 for tongue weight. At 10% = 10,060 lbs trailer weight.
Now the "properly equipped" trucks are rare birds on the lots, both new and used. When they appear they tend to go QUICK.
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