Help me to understand towing capacity

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Fordiesel69

Joined
Sep 10, 2005
Messages
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Location
Erie, PA
2014 Ram 1500 Tradesman 3.6L Pentastar with 3.21 axle ratio.

Looking at the attached screen snip of these trailer towing ratings im confused how an axle ratio can reduce the trailer weight so much.

4200 lbs is absolutly nothing for a truck. Aside from horsing the engine and driveline, how can I find out how much weight the truck can pull legally (and not get a ticket)?

What would happen if I pull too much and just keep it in a lower gear and put up with the lack of power?
towingchart.JPG
towing2.JPG
 
The legal amount is 26000lbs iirc, until you need a CDL. Unless an officer sees it and can show it's unsafe.

Gearing is a lever, so the 3.55 is a bigger lever. Sure 4200lbs isn't much for a truck, I can do it all day every day, but I have the v8.

You need the grunt to pull the load. I think the biggest risk is over heating components whether it's the engine or transmission.
 
The most likely occurrence is the transmission will run hotter than it should an shorten it's life significantly.
 
Funny you should ask, I wondered that myself. From what I learned on Ramforums, it's a DOT requirement on how quickly you can accelerate while pulling a load that makes that number change depending on the axle ratio.

Stellantis/FCA/Chrysler did have a lookup tool on their website where you could put in your VIN and it would tell you what your towing capacity was, as well as being able to tell you what axle ratio it was built with. I had to lookup my truck because I couldn't find it anywhere.
 
Gear ratio definitely is huge for towing, especially on the higher end for a vehicle. However, 3.21 to 3.55 really isn't that much of a diference. I could see if it was something like 3.21 to 4.30 making such a big difference.
 
IMO the manufacturer is a little conservative on the smaller engines and lower gears to protect the drivetrain from warranty failures.

Back when manual transmissions were available in a pickup the trailer weight rating was lower than the same truck with an automatic. Manufacturers assumed clutches would burn out early from hotshots pulling boats up the ramp, while not necessarily a warranty item, they didn't want a bad rep.
 
From the below forum thread, it looks like the consensus is that GCWR (aka GCVW) isn't generally enforced, as it's not listed on the manufacturer's placard.

Question about GCVW Rating and enforcement - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

Other; Brakes, Electrical, Hitches, Weight Distribution & CDL Discussion - Question about GCVW Rating and enforcement - So I'm in a discussion on another forum about GCVW rating... Non-commerical towing, and under 26,000lbs combine... My understanding is the GVW + Trailer rating cannot exceed...
www.ford-trucks.com

Personally, I would be concerned about civil liability and/or possible criminal negligence charges stemming from a collision where I was operating outside of manufacturer's specs. Along the same lines as filling the truck box with too much gravel - it's unlikely a non-commercial driver is going to have a problem between the landscaping supply store and home, unless they get in a bad crash.
 
You want to tow legal, you follow the placard on your truck. Nothing legally increase you GCVWR (here in WA anyway). Air bags/shocks/leafs don't change the placard. They change the truck but not what that placard says.

If you wreck you will most likely be weighed and you don't want to be illegal. Happened to a guy I camped with, while I didn't feel he was at fault he was over payload and was ticked for running into someone for pulling out in from of him. They weighed his setup here in Washington state.

Axle ratio is huge for towing. My current 1 ton has 4.10s I have driven the same truck with 3.73s and the difference is a much bigger than I expected it to be.
 
The Ram uses the J2807 standard (as do all halftons). Part of the testing is 0 to 30 acceleration tests, and the v6 with the 3.21 just doesn't have that low end tug in first gear to get a high enough score in that specific test.

Longer answer; don't worry too much about the tow ratings, they are generally ludicrous. The v6 with the 3.92 is rated to tow about 800 pounds less than the v8 hemi with the 3.21, and anybody that has towed with both will tell you there is a far bigger difference in power than just 800 pounds. Off the line, sure, the v6 with a deep first can probably tug quite hard vs the v8 with a tall gear. But on the road when the transmission is in 3rd through 6th, the v8 will run circles around the v6 regardless of gear ratio.

If you're careful going slow off the line, you can probably exceed your tow rating safely. Never go WOT (regardless of gear ratio). Once you're in second or third or beyond,, your truck will perform identically to a 3.92 or whatever, because the transmission will make up the difference in gearing (remember that final gear ratio = transmission gear * rear axle ratio, you can adjust either one to get more torque at the wheel).
 
hemioiler said:
The Ram uses the J2807 standard (as do all halftons). Part of the testing is 0 to 30 acceleration tests, and the v6 with the 3.21 just doesn't have that low end tug in first gear to get a high enough score in that specific test.
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Not in 2014.

J2807 wasn't adopted amongst domestic truck manufacturers until 2015. SAE introduced the testing standard in 2013 but Ford decided not to adopt it until the F150 was refreshed in 2015. GM and FCA chose to also wait, so their trucks wouldn't be handicapped in the market by potentially lower towing and payload.

That's the crazy thing: Under J2807, the trailer towing capacity of the 3.6L w/ 3.21 would probably be less than 4200 lbs.

The 3.6L w/ 3.21 gear is a CAFE special. FCA offered that combo on cheap leases to feed truck buyers (most of whom don't haul more than groceries) a product while not decimating their CAFE ratings with Hemi fuel economy. In 2013, the 3.6L/8-speed/3.21 combo was marketed as the HFE, High Fuel Efficiency, model.
 
MrHorspwer said:
Not in 2014.

J2807 wasn't adopted amongst domestic truck manufacturers until 2015. SAE introduced the testing standard in 2013 but Ford decided not to adopt it until the F150 was refreshed in 2015. GM and FCA chose to also wait, so their trucks wouldn't be handicapped in the market by potentially lower towing and payload.

That's the crazy thing: Under J2807, the trailer towing capacity of the 3.6L w/ 3.21 would probably be less than 4200 lbs.

The 3.6L w/ 3.21 gear is a CAFE special. FCA offered that combo on cheap leases to feed truck buyers (most of whom don't haul more than groceries) a product while not decimating their CAFE ratings with Hemi fuel economy. In 2013, the 3.6L/8-speed/3.21 combo was marketed as the HFE, High Fuel Efficiency, model.
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Right, I missed the fact that he had a 2014.

With the DT/5th gens, the v6 with 3.21 is rated to tow b/n 6200 and 6700 depending on trim and 4x4. Clearly the ET is helping that drivetrain get off the line quicker, but the rest of the drivetrain is the same. I'd have no trouble towing 6000 to 7000 pounds with the OP's truck even without ET, the rest of the truck is rated to tow 12,000 + with the lower ratings only due to gear ratio choice and engine choice; brakes are the same, suspension is the same, etc, so if he takes his time and doesn't beat it, and is only going shorter distances once in a while I'd say go for it (within reason). Just keep an eye on engine and transmission temps.
 
Fordiesel69 said:
2014 Ram 1500 Tradesman 3.6L Pentastar with 3.21 axle ratio.

Looking at the attached screen snip of these trailer towing ratings im confused how an axle ratio can reduce the trailer weight so much.

4200 lbs is absolutly nothing for a truck. Aside from horsing the engine and driveline, how can I find out how much weight the truck can pull legally (and not get a ticket)?

What would happen if I pull too much and just keep it in a lower gear and put up with the lack of power?View attachment 174363View attachment 174364
Click to expand...
For personal use, I wouldn't worry about the manufacturers tow ratings, they aren't mentioned in most states highway traffic laws. But your hitch equipment all has to be rated for your load.
I had a brief talk with a local hitch manufacture/repair shop on why even the business run pickups are all running around exceeding the manufactures unbraked tow ratings? He listed all the requirements in the ontario highway traffic act, and any vehicle can tow near 3000lbs unbraked, legallly. Smart car, Geo metro, anything if you can source a hitch that carries a manufacturers load rating for the 3k lbs(but he wouldn't build one for you either).

Have a read of your states highway traffic laws, and go talk to a guy that certifies trailers and hitch setups, probably you can legally tow way more than you'd want too, but go ask an expert for your state.

Also I think running your transmission in it's 1:1 ratio gear should keep it from heating up as much, but do some reading on a RAM forum and see if anyone there has anything to say that's relevant.
 
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IndyIan said:
For personal use, I wouldn't worry about the manufacturers tow ratings, they aren't mentioned in most states highway traffic laws. But your hitch equipment all has to be rated for your load.
I had a brief talk with a local hitch manufacture/repair shop on why even the business run pickups are all running around exceeding the manufactures unbraked tow ratings? He listed all the requirements in the ontario highway traffic act, and any vehicle can tow near 3000lbs unbraked, legallly. Smart car, Geo metro, anything if you can source a hitch that carries a manufacturers load rating for the 3k lbs.

Have a read of your states highway traffic laws, and go talk to a guy that certifies trailers and hitch setups, probably you can legally tow way more than you'd want too, but go ask an expert for your state.

Also I think running your transmission in it's 1:1 ratio gear should keep it from heating up as much, but do some reading on a RAM forum and see if anyone there has anything to say that's relevant.
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Yep-they don't matter until they do! Like when you run in to somebody when you are over payload ratings.
I'm waiting for this to happen to me-as I am wishing for a new King Ranch pickup truck. And my Lawyer wants a bigger boat!
 
CKN said:
Yep-they don't matter until they do! Like when you run in to somebody when you are over payload ratings.
I'm waiting for this to happen to me-as I am wishing for a new King Ranch pickup truck. And my Lawyer wants a bigger boat!
Click to expand...
Well good luck, payload is a different thing and I can't remember if its in my traffic law. Like I said, you see dozens of single axle unbraked trailers that exceed the manufacturers tow ratings every day... If it was legally risky, I don't think they wouldn't be as popular for business use?
 
IndyIan said:
Well good luck, payload is a different thing and I can't remember if its in my traffic law. Like I said, you see dozens of single axle unbraked trailers that exceed the manufacturers tow ratings every day... If it was legally risky, I don't think they wouldn't be as popular for business use?
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It is risky...very. If you have an at fault accident-you and your Lawyer can explain how you know better than the manufacturer that can up with the payload rating in the first place/or flaunting any other law like maximum trailer weight before you need brakes set by your state. It will be very interesting to hear!
 
I've driven with a fairly heavy no brakes trailer behind me and it was no problem in a 3/4 ton.
The issue would seem to be what a truck can comfortably tow and with a half ton the answer seems to be not much.
If I towed regularly, which I never will, I'd be looking for something that would easily pull my RV without a lot of wagging,
 
Despite the non stop warnings, there are a few of us who will, er, ah, tow anything under the sun. That V6 and gear combo will get 10,000 pounds rolling if you want it to. I have been known (in the past) to tow a 3 race car trailer with a 170HP Ford 300 cubic inch six F150 regular cab and 4 speed auto. Did just fine making it's way out to Mid Ohio/Pocono race tracks, up to Canada and down to Mexico, etc.

Whether you are comfortable with such a setup may be more up to your level of tolerance of other driver's annoyance at you than anything else. I can tell you that 30MPH up a long incline is normal, as is a 55MPH maximum speed. Few vehicles are that underpowered today.

Back when I was doing this, many roads were just 2 lanes each way, and often construction would reduce it to one lane. People really would get angry at my slow progress, would take about 30 seconds to 1 minute, and I'd regularly pull over to be courteous.
 
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