Towing with a Ram 1500 regular cab short bed

[Budnicks]

I towed all over the western states for a couple years
with a used 1976 c/10 Silverado step-side short bed 350/th400
"heavy 1/2" from the summer of 1977-1981-ish
World Finals Ontario Motor Speedway, mostly hauling
half my garage in tools, sleeping bags pads pillows, couldn't afford a hotel
my 8 sec. 23 altered blown FI 301cid 1806# car
or my 67 Camaro, back halved big tire/14x32, iron 468 LS7 N2O/PG 2500# car
all up & down the west coast, from Concord Ca. to

as far as from Kent Washington all the way down to Pomona Ca
as far east as Morrison Co./Mile High Bandimere, from Concord & back
using a 20' Big-Tex tandem axle/with trailer brakes open trailer...

Never really any issues, no trailer whip,
I had to be very careful how I loaded the truck & trailer
so it towed well
no tail heavy truck load (all my **** in a lil' short bed)
or tail heave or tounge heavy trailer makes for a really bad tow...
It wasn't ideal, but it was what I had, had to make it work...
I was only 18 I couldn't afford much more than that...
Tire blowout, 2 seperate times
1 on the trailer & 1 on the front of the truck was the worst,
scary ****...

 

[moparedtn]

"Bert" had several years of sporadically pulling a Red Cross supply trailer to the various events
(and disasters, of course) for a 5-6 year span. The trailer, loaded, crossed the scales at almost 6,000 lbs.
and was a 12 foot long enclosed jobber.
That didn't bother me at all, knowing he is rated around 10k - but more importantly, it didn't bother
Bert much either.
Oh - and we gots some "hills" around these parts....

 

[33 IMP]

Trials and tribulations of a guy that owns a car trailer..... or a pickup.

 

[Kern Dog]

Ed, did it bog or move slow up the hills? I don't worry so much about the engine, it is the transmission that has me cautious.
I may be making more out of this than is likely but I've wondered if the action of a slow rpm WOT climb up a grade is harmful to a transmission if the fluid stays in a safe temperature. I don't know transmissions well enough to know. If a transmission guru were to chime in and let me know, I'd appreciate it.
I've been good about servicing the fluid and filters in the 545 and even replaced two transmission control modules, a job that Eldubb440 is familiar with as well. I know that overheating is the leading cause of failures so I'm sure the ATF+4 and the external cooler do help with that.

I have a spare 5.7 to swap in and I'm thinking about buying a rebuildable 545 and have it gone through, just to have for when this one suddenly craps out.

 

[moparedtn]

This thread does remind me of how Fred got here over a dozen years ago.
Charlie (previous owner) towed it here, about a 3 hour drive at my insistence.
(Yes, I paid him to do so).
His old "magnum" powered 1/2 ton did just fine; he told me he tows stuff
for folks all the time with the rig (he still has it to this day).
And yes....where he lives, they have HILLS there too.

 

[moparedtn]

Ed, did it bog or move slow up the hills? I don't worry so much about the engine, it is the transmission that has me cautious.
I may be making more out of this than is likely but I've wondered if the action of a slow rpm WOT climb up a grade is harmful to a transmission if the fluid stays in a safe temperature. I don't know transmissions well enough to know. If a transmission guru were to chime in and let me know, I'd appreciate it.
I've been good about servicing the fluid and filters in the 545 and even replaced two transmission control modules, a job that Eldubb440 is familiar with as well. I know that overheating is the leading cause of failures so I'm sure the ATF+4 and the external cooler do help with that.

I have a spare 5.7 to swap in and I'm thinking about buying a rebuildable 545 and have it gone through, just to have for when this one suddenly craps out.

Naw, the 5.7 in Bert has always been a "ringer" engine as far as I can tell. Sucker is still stout at 180k now.
The transmission (545RFE) has gotten fluid and both filters at 50k intervals and continues to operate
perfectly....and now I'm knocking hard on wood, trying to kill the jinx I just put on him.

 

[Kern Dog]

I was hoping that my story is not an outlier, a rare thing....
399,400 miles give or take but those are really actual freeway miles for the most part. I worked at least 65 miles from home on various jobs since buying the truck in 2007 so it is safe to state that 75% of the miles were long freeway commutes. It is parked indoors every night too.

 

[moparedtn]

I was hoping that my story is not an outlier, a rare thing....
399,400 miles give or take but those are really actual freeway miles for the most part. I worked at least 65 miles from home on various jobs since buying the truck in 2007 so it is safe to state that 75% of the miles were long freeway commutes. It is parked indoors every night too.

I consider the non-MDS 5.7 Rams to be some of the last of the good ol' pickups, regardless of what some say
their weaknesses are.
This thing has been an absolute rock for damn near 20 years now, despite being relegated to semi-neglected
"retired" status these days. Short of me breaking a sensor underhood once (oops) and starting to rust where
he sits under the carport, he's been as good a truck as any of any model year for me.
He is, as I've told my wife more than once, my "last truck".

 

[Mackman]

I wish you lived closer to me!

 

[Kern Dog]

I wish you lived closer to me!

What....you need a place to fully disassemble your car and forget about it?
Sure....bring it right over.

 

[Detective D]

I can't speak to the 5.7's.
A 5.9 Magnum, heck a 5.2 Magnum, you could pull the handle to low and hold the gas to the floor the whole time both ways and the engine wouldn't GAF.
Old 318's were like that too.

Most the reason you want something bigger, is to tow something bigger. Or, if you are a person of means, so you can haul whatever doing 90mph on the interstate like a dang fool and live to tell about it.
I had a 2001 Off Road edition with the 5.9 and factory 4.10's etc. That truck was a brute.
I sold it to my brother in law and bought my mechanic's old '02 2500HD with 8.1+Allison. Not because I did not like the Ram, but because this truck had 108k on it when I picked it up 5 years ago and it can pull the freckles off an Irish girl. My towing duty was mostly car dolly and a utility trailer, but I inherited a significant weight capable dump trailer. Loaded down, the Ram grunted but it was fine. The 2500 weighs 8300lbs with me and half a tank of gas in it, gets an extra gear in the box, and frankly doesn't care what i hook to it.

It really comes down to what you have and your expectation of how much you need to "hurry". I do not tow frequently, I bought the truck I have now as an opportunity mostly.
Hell I grew up with a 63 Ferd... I dunno, F350? 9 foot box, split rims, inline 6, top speed 45 against the wind 55 with, stack of leaf in the back 8 inches thick... and rode with Pa towing home 8 ton loads of feed, 10 ton fertilizer spreader from the coop.... just couldn't use 3rd gear lol, nice easy ride home doing 30mph with the pedal to the floor. Never had an issue. No power steering, no power brakes, drums all 4 corners, probably 95HP.... bias ply 10 ply tires with recaps on sometimes(16")
It really comes down to convenience unless you live in the mountains or plan to travel across them IMO. i always felt downhill was more dangerous with an auto trans than a manual. Uphill just means you drop a gear.

 

[Mackman]

What....you need a place to fully disassemble your car and forget about it?
Sure....bring it right over.



View attachment 1565928

Was hoping for someone to work on it when I’m not there.

 

[MiradaMegaCab]

3500+ pounds of 8X8X16 concrete blocks
4000+ pounds of dirt and concrete

KD avoid 2nd prime WOT downshifts

Ultimately the UPSHIFT schedule is;
1st 3.00:1
2nd 1.67:1
3rd 1.00:1
4th 0.75:1
5th 0.67:1

The DOWNSHIFT schedule is;
1st 3.00:1
2nd 1.67:1
2nd Prime 1.50:1(downshift/highway accel)
3rd 1.00:1
4th 0.75:1
5th 0.67:1
Notice the 2nd Prime gear, there’s only 2 clutches applied while in a 2nd Prime Downshift.

See post #2
2nd gear prime downshift???

While you have a stock truck with no power adders, towing and a WOT downshift can smoke the limited (2) clutches that are applied in 2nd Prime.

 

[440 4 speed]

We had a 76 Blazer full time 4 wheel drive. Had to be very careful loading cars on a trailer. It was very easy to get the trailer shaking the dog.
Our 3.0 litre stick Toyota 4Runner was far more stable.
The 2006 4.0 litre “ “ “ “. Is rated to pull 7500 lbs, and is a dream. As long as the wheel base is longer than the tread I feel comfortable.

 

[Kern Dog]

The DOWNSHIFT schedule is;
1st 3.00:1
2nd 1.67:1
2nd Prime 1.50:1(downshift/highway accel)
3rd 1.00:1
4th 0.75:1
5th 0.67:1
Notice the 2nd Prime gear, there’s only 2 clutches applied while in a 2nd Prime Downshift.

See post #2
2nd gear prime downshift???

While you have a stock truck with no power adders, towing and a WOT downshift can smoke the limited (2) clutches that are applied in 2nd Prime.

I appreciate the information. It clears up some but not my main question.
Does running at WOT at a fairly slow and steady speed cause accelerated wear?
For instance....Going up a hill while maybe maintaining 25-30 mph? There should be no downshifting if it is already in second/1.67 gear unless speeds slow even more.

 

[5.7 hemi]

An engine runs at its best volume metric efficiency at WOT. If the trans is locked, I don’t think there would be a disernable wear on it either. However, don’t take what I say about the trans as gospel

 

[MiradaMegaCab]

Going WOT without a 2nd Prime Downshift is fine.
So if you’re approaching an incline while towing, manually shift to 2nd gear, let the shift take place, roll into the throttle and you’ll be fine. Upshifting to 3rd is fine.

I’d turn OD off by double clicking the Tow/Haul button if you plan on staying WOT in 3rd gear. The OD Clutches might not like a WOT upshift.

I don’t see a problem running WOT for some period of time.

 

[Kern Dog]

Thanks, that does reassure me some. I figured that upshifting-downshifting under such strain put heavy stress on the transmission.
I've also suspected that towing like this is more stressful that rapid acceleration while unloaded. I've leaned on the gas with this truck the entire time I've owned it. The ATF never smells burned when I've serviced it.
No aftermarket tuning, just the stock 5.7 engine....the only changes are a K & N cold air intake, a Flowmaster muffler and a switch from 3.55 to 3.92 gears.

 

[gtx6970]

Biggest issue with a too RCSB is when it gets squirley the short truck will make it harder to recover. There for cause all kinds of issues / safety hazards.


I tow an open 20 ft with my quad cab short bed. But I dontnpushbit hard ...especially on curvy roads.
And being honest I think I would feel better with a heavier tow vehicle doing the towing.
IMO only

 

[Kern Dog]

Maybe I'm lucky but this truck is as stable as I've ever felt. Towing, it never seems to feel unsettled at all. It does need more power but it isn't like a loaded C body with a slant six.