EcoDiesel, A Maiden Voyage

[Diamondpilot]

These posts knocking the capacity of the 1/2 tons Rams crack me up. First off and I've said this before, most people don't care. They put what they want in the bed and tow what they want and if its over the limit, they don't care and/or don't understand. Second off for the people that do care, DON'T BUY ONE. Ram offers a 3/4 ton or 1 tons that will handle just about anything.

I don't car if your Volvo, Toyota, your Smart Car can carry more weight than a Ram 1500, lets see you stick a fridge in the back of a Smart Car or Priusus.

Thats not the issue. Let's say Ram advertises 10,000# tow capability. It's not possible. Put me in a Ram 1500 with nothing else I am left with 800# of payload. This means with 10% tongue weight its not possible to get to the advertised number. Ram is the only manufacturer with this issue.

Owning a 3/4 ton just don't work for many
The ride and size are a issue. For example none of the 3/4 or 1 ton trucks I have owned from Ford, GM, and Dodge, 7 in all, would fit in my employer's parking garage while all 15 or so 1/2 ton trucks will.

Chris

 

[aczlan]

Thats not the issue. Let's say Ram advertises 10,000# tow capability. It's not possible. Put me in a Ram 1500 with nothing else I am left with 800# of payload. This means with 10% tongue weight its not possible to get to the advertised number. Ram is the only manufacturer with this issue.

Here are some numbers to play with.
The Dodge is a 2015 Crew Cab Ram 1500 TRADESMAN with the 5.7-Liter V8 HEMIi MDS VVT, the 5'7" bed, the automatic transmission, 4x4 and the 3.92 axle ratio.
Advertised as "Max Payload 1,443lbs, Max Towing 10,100, GCWR 15,650#, curb weight 5350#" (Ram Trucks - Towing Capacity Chart)
Lets say that we have that truck (the highest towing/payload rated 1500 with the big 4 door cab that Dodge has listed) and are going to work on a hunting camp.

• 150# lumber rack on top and a 150# toolbox in the bed (300# of payload used and 1143# remaining)
• We add to it 4 200# guys (900# used, 543# remaining)
• Between them, they have 200# of personal gear (sleeping bags, clothes, whatever) (1100# used, 343# remaining)
• They also have 150# of food, cookware, etc) (1250# used, 193# remaining
• Last but not least, they have 190# of tools (Rakes, shovels, axes, picks, chainsaws, weedeaters, etc) (1440# used, 3# remaining).
• Now, the truck weighs 6790# and has 3# of payload left.

To that, lets add a L3200 (2623# with loaded tires (500#, a loader (600#), and a Landpride FM2160 60" flail mower (695#) on a Carry On 7000# 76x16 trailer (7X16APFTFR2BRK, 1,750# empty weight, 5,250# capacity with 20# of chains or straps holding things down). That puts the trailer at 6188# which means that we should have 618# on the truck, except that we can legally only put 3# on the truck.
If we attach the truck and trailer, we are 615# overweight on the truck.

Lets take the highest payload/towing rated 2015 F150 with the full size cab (2015 SuperCrew, 4x4, 3.5L EcoBoost V6, Auto, 5.5' bed with the Max Trailer Tow and Heavy Duty Payload Packages)
Advertised as "Max Payload 2310#, Max Towing 11,000, GCWR 17,100#, curb weight 5128#" (2014 Ford F-150 | View Full Specification Library | Ford.com)
Same setup as the Dodge:

• 150# lumber rack on top and a 150# toolbox in the bed (300# of payload used and 2010# remaining)
• Add to it 4 200# guys (900# used, 1410# remaining)
• Between them, they have 200# of personal gear (sleeping bags, clothes, whatever) (1100# used, 1210# remaining)
• They also have 150# of food, cookware, etc) (1250# used, 1060# remaining)
• Last but not least, they have 190# of tools (Rakes, shovels, axes, picks, chainsaws, weedeaters, etc) (1440# used, 870# remaining).
• Now, the truck weighs 6568# and has 870# of payload left.
• We can now legally add the trailer and tractor from above and still have about 250# of payload left on the truck.

Aaron Z

 

[dodge man]

Ya we get it, buy the Ford.

I also agree people shouldn't be overloading their trucks and towing more than the truck is rated for. People are not suppose to murder, rape, steal, cheat on their wives etc. but it happens.

 

[aczlan]

Ya we get it, buy the Ford.
I also agree people shouldn't be overloading their trucks and towing more than the truck is rated for.

I could do the same thing with a Titan (2016# payload, 576# left without the trailer,~42# overweight with the trailer attached) or Chevy(1957# payload, 517# left without the trailer, ~101# overweight with the trailer attached), my point is that one should make sure they know exactly what they are getting when they buy a truck and they should check what its payload is, not just assume that it has the capacity because they showed the truck hauling a bulldozer in an ad...

Aaron Z

 

[jejeosborne]

I could do the same thing with a Titan (2016# payload, 576# left without the trailer,~42# overweight with the trailer attached) or Chevy(1957# payload, 517# left without the trailer, ~101# overweight with the trailer attached), my point is that one should make sure they know exactly what they are getting when they buy a truck and they should check what its payload is, not just assume that it has the capacity because they showed the truck hauling a bulldozer in an ad...

Aaron Z

You obviously didn't read the fine print on the bottom of the ad......."bulldozer depicted is constructed of Styrofoam, driven by professional driver in a closed course, do not attempt to tow a real bulldozer, back seat not intended to haul humans."

 

[mikehaugen]

Owning a 3/4 ton just don't work for many
The ride and size are a issue. For example none of the 3/4 or 1 ton trucks I have owned from Ford, GM, and Dodge, 7 in all, would fit in my employer's parking garage while all 15 or so 1/2 ton trucks will.

Chris

I know what you are saying Chris, but really can any complain about the ride on a 3/4 ton anymore? For gm and ram anyway the bodies are the same so dimensions are the same, except at crossover years sometimes. The only thing left is ride height, and even that isn't always true. I am working on a truck for a guy right now, 2002 f-350 cc drw 4x4 psd and I swear it is lower than my brother-in-law's 2000 f-150. I don't know what the suspension packages are, but it seems (mostly from gm and ford) that you can get a lower 4x4 heavy-duty truck... rams always seem to be higher.

 

[wawajake]

What I learned from this thread is Ford people cannot stand to have a thread about Ram trucks without doing their typical bashing. I also learned that Ram truck manufacturers have decided not to exaggerate as much as the Ford truck makers.
I think I will stick with the somewhat more honest truck maker ........Ram.

 

[Diamondpilot]

What I learned from this thread is Ford people cannot stand to have a thread about Ram trucks without doing their typical bashing. I also learned that Ram truck manufacturers have decided not to exaggerate as much as the Ford truck makers.
I think I will stick with the somewhat more honest truck maker ........Ram.

Buy what you want. I would put Dodge at the top of the pile if they had a payload to match that nice truck.

If you do buy a Ram leave the family at home when you go to the Grocery Store. You will be overweight leaving.....


Funny part is you bash Ford but they clearly have the best overall 1/2 ton combination. If you're honest with yourself they have the best overall combination.


It's also funny you are so blind that you can't see Ram is the only manufacturer with payload issues. Nissan, Toyota, GM, and Ford have it figured out. Maybe it's the Engineers at Fiat are used to building vehicles for Italians.

Chris

 

[wawajake]

You know Chris it is actually insulting that you would think that us Ram truck owners do not have any experience knowing what our trucks are actually capable of. I have a 2008 Ram 1500 4 x 4 SLT , with the 5.7 Hemi , it replaced a 2004 Ram 1500 4x 4 when the lease was up in 2008 because that truck served me so well but I wanted the MDS hemi this time.
I regularily drive my truck the five hour trip to my daughters house hauling my tandem landscape trailer with my Kubota tractor and whatever implements I need that week for helping build their house. The box of the truck (with Leer cap) is filled with any tools or projects I made for my daughter and the cab even manages to handle the groceries I stop for and weight of my Australian Shepherd Dog. On other weekends I find myself and the truck loaded with drywall , or hay or cedar posts or gravel, or sod. In all cases it handled it with no concerns.
You enjoy your Fords..... I enjoy my Dodge , both are very similarily capable although the Dodge has also looked better than Fords since early 2000s . I look forward to new models that Dodge brings out like the diesel that the OP of this thread hoped we would be discussing. But except for your hijacking (bashing) in the thread , it was supposed to continue to talk about that models capability. I plan on replacing my truck when I retire in three years so I was interested in this new Ram model. If I was interested in a Ford model I know where to find their exaggerations if need be.

But I imagine you will continue your bashing as I see from your ridiculous last sentence of your above post.

 

[aczlan]

You know Chris it is actually insulting that you would think that us Ram truck owners do not have any experience knowing what our trucks are actually capable of. I have a 2008 Ram 1500 4 x 4 SLT , with the 5.7 Hemi , it replaced a 2004 Ram 1500 4x 4 when the lease was up in 2008 because that truck served me so well but I wanted the MDS hemi this time.
I regularily drive my truck the five hour trip to my daughters house hauling my tandem landscape trailer with my Kubota tractor and whatever implements I need that week for helping build their house. The box of the truck (with Leer cap) is filled with any tools or projects I made for my daughter and the cab even manages to handle the groceries I stop for and weight of my Australian Shepherd Dog. On other weekends I find myself and the truck loaded with drywall , or hay or cedar posts or gravel, or sod. In all cases it handled it with no concerns.

Was it within its payload rating? That's the point, the truck may be physically capable, but if you cant (legally) carry that much weight and you get into an accident, your insurance company can walk away from you and leave you swinging in the wind.

Aaron Z