Ram 1500 Ecodiesel for 27FB--Advice and Calculation Help

[theflash44]

So far my favorite TV to buy is a 2015 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel (Laramie or Laramie Longhorn ideally). Is this enough truck to safely tow my 27FB? At the moment I'll be doing semi-regular camping trips in northern CA and eventual (read: hopeful) full-timing. With some of the towing limits on the Ram, and me buying a ProPride since they are highly recommended, I think I would be okay on towing but having to keep payload under careful consideration. My GVWR on my AS is 7600, the max payload on the Ram is in the picture at 1344. Could someone help me grind some numbers and give any neighborly advice?

The row I highlighted is a truck I found available in my area so will take some preference.

Key point, I do not want a 3/4 ton..

Thanks for all the help!

[Lance M]

A 27' FB has a lot of tongue weight. With a Laramie or Longhorn, you will have a payload around 800-900lbs. Most likely, you will exceed the payload and GVWR depending on how heavily you pack.
For sure, the firewood and cast iron BBQ pit will have to be left at home.

My thread about my EcoDiesel and weights are here. See post #58 for weights.

I ordered a fully optioned Lone Star (Big Horn) just to get a bit higher payload. I'm normally over the payload number a bit, as well as the truck's GVWR but axle weights and GCWR are under rated maximums. I could actually load another 1,500lbs in the trailer as long as none of it was on the tongue.

Hope this helps.

[eheffa]

Originally Posted by theflash44

So far my favorite TV to buy is a 2015 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel (Laramie or Laramie Longhorn ideally). Is this enough truck to safely tow my 27FB? At the moment I'll be doing semi-regular camping trips in northern CA and eventual (read: hopeful) full-timing. With some of the towing limits on the Ram, and me buying a ProPride since they are highly recommended, I think I would be okay on towing but having to keep payload under careful consideration. My GVWR on my AS is 7600, the max payload on the Ram is in the picture at 1344. Could someone help me grind some numbers and give any neighborly advice?

The row I highlighted is a truck I found available in my area so will take some preference.

Key point, I do not want a 3/4 ton..

Thanks for all the help!

I've been considering the Dodge EcoDiesel too but the maximum payload values are pretty sketchy IMO. If you're thinking of full-timing, the payload here is pretty borderline. Do you really want to have to worry about whether the extra tool box or the trip to Costco has just put you over the limit?

With the 27FB, the 3.92 Rear end would give you a little more towing reserve. I have a 25 FB and we tow in a lot of mountainous terrain. I would definitely opt for the 3.92 Rear end over the standard Rear Diff.

my 0.02...

-evan

[Mrjkq]

The RAM (Chrysler) factory stats are towing capacity of 9200 & a payload of 1610 pounds. I own a 2015 RAM 1500 Laramie Limited ecodiesel & will tow my (on order) 25ft Flying Cloud with it. My TT GVWR is around 7200 Lbs, hitch weight in the 850 LB range, your 27ft I assume is larger in both catagories.
Personally I don't see you having any trouble pulling that trailer with the 1500 ecodiesel.
Payload is the important thing here, my WD Hitch is an Equalizer weighting about 80LBS total, so using the payload factor of 1610 LBS, subtracting the tongue weight & hitch weight I have room for somewhere around 700 lbs of people & cargo. Not much to spare but within the weight capabilities of my truck. You will have less than 700 lbs so limiting your cargo & presuming your and your wife don't each weight 250 Lbs, you will be fine, but totally maxed out.

[MacPDX]

The EcoDiesel is on the low side of 1/2 ton payload numbers. It can work as a tow vehicle with careful packing, both on the truck and in the trailer. But, remember, payload is a constantly moving variable as you load/unload items from your rigs.

Also, keep in mind, that the payload number in the chart is prior to any options, such as step/nerf bars, spray-in or other type bed liner, bed cover, etc. The yellow sticker on the driver's door frame will show the actual payload with the options installed at the factory. Any options added by the dealer or yourself will need to be subtracted from this number.

[kscherzi]

Don't forget that a properly set weight distribution hitch will move a court to third of hitch weight back onto the trailer tires.

[theflash44]

Originally Posted by Mrjkq

The RAM (Chrysler) factory stats are towing capacity of 9200 & a payload of 1610 pounds. I own a 2015 RAM 1500 Laramie Limited ecodiesel & will tow my (on order) 25ft Flying Cloud with it. My TT GVWR is around 7200 Lbs, hitch weight in the 850 LB range, your 27ft I assume is larger in both catagories.
Personally I don't see you having any trouble pulling that trailer with the 1500 ecodiesel.
Payload is the important thing here, my WD Hitch is an Equalizer weighting about 80LBS total, so using the payload factor of 1610 LBS, subtracting the tongue weight & hitch weight I have room for somewhere around 700 lbs of people & cargo. Not much to spare but within the weight capabilities of my truck. You will have less than 700 lbs so limiting your cargo & presuming your and your wife don't each weight 250 Lbs, you will be fine, but totally maxed out.

Thanks Mrjkq. What's got me for a loop is your payload? Based on the towing charts I got, the only 1500 with a payload of 1610 is the HEMI. So my TT GVWR (still learning acronyms) is 7600 and my hitch weight is 870. So what am I factoring here? Payload - TT Hitch Weight - (Passengers + Gear) = Wiggle Room?

Let's say my payload is at 1344#'s and I opt for the ProPride and I'm averaging some numbers I've seen compared to other posts. 1344 - 1000 - (400) = negative wiggle room. Am I doing something wrong here?

[slowmover]

The axle limits are the real thing, the other not so much. IOW, if one went over the "rating" somewhat it wouldn't matter at all. Setting up the hitch is what matters, not the weight in this instance.

How much one travels -- climate terrain and load out -- is the thing. For a vacationer doing 5k towing yearly and otherwise needing an economical solo pickup, the EB looks like a match.

Weight as a concern is seriously overdone. It isn't to the point.

[theflash44]

Originally Posted by kscherzi

Don't forget that a properly set weight distribution hitch will move a court to third of hitch weight back onto the trailer tires.

Ok so this would buy me back another ~300 pounds since I'm using the average tongue weight of north of 1000 pounds..?

[theflash44]

Originally Posted by slowmover

The axle limits are the real thing, the other not so much. IOW, if one went over the "rating" somewhat it wouldn't matter at all. Setting up the hitch is what matters, not the weight in this instance.

How much one travels -- climate terrain and load out -- is the thing. For a vacationer doing 5k towing yearly and otherwise needing an economical solo pickup, the EB looks like a match.

Weight as a concern is seriously overdone. It isn't to the point.

Ha thanks. I'm mostly making myself crazy on this I think. It's no wonder you guys claim you're all nuts.

[ckottum]

Mrjkg, that's a simplified and only somewhat useful way of knowing how much weight the Airstream will add to the truck, with no consideration for weight distribution hitch transferring some of that weight to the trailer axles. The only way to know for sure is to weigh the loaded truck alone, then weigh the loaded truck and trailer (only the truck axles on the scale) with w.d. applied and subtract. The difference is how much weight the trailer adds to the truck.

We have a FC 25' and Ram 1500 which we have traveled throughout the country many times. We load everything we need for six months travel, which is surprisingly little, weigh the rig together to ensure the axles and tires are not overloaded.

The 27 FC factory hitch weight is actually less than the 25 FC. We load our gear and have modified our trailer toward a goal of 10% trailer weight on the hitch, which is 730 lbs. That works on our truck's 1340 lb maximum recommended payload but more importantly that we as owners do not overload the axles or tires.

Based on our experience the Ram 1500 is a very good match to a FC 27. Whether it will work for any particular person depends more on the person than the truck. A larger truck has its own arguable issues, this is enough for now.

cheryl

[DC Bruce]

You should view the fast lane truck's video of this pulling a 7000 lb trailer up the I-70 grade across the Continental Divide in Colorado. The conventional wisdom seems to be that the real tongue weight of the FC 27, loaded for camping, is around 1,000 lbs. a WD hitch could shift maybe 200 lbs of this off the rear axle. My personal opinion is that it is easy to overemphasize mileage. If you sit down and actually calculate the difference in dollars between towing with this engine and a gasoline engine, especially one that uses regular grade gasoline (which is much cheaper than diesel), you'll see that it's not that important. The VM motori Diesel engine is relatively untried in this kind of service, and you will definitely notice the lack of 100 or more hp vs. the gasoline alternatives when you're trying to merge. It's pretty easy to find a gasoline powered crew cab, with nice trim, that has 1500-1600 lbs of cargo capacity from Ram, Ford, GM or Toyota. If you look very hard, you can find a Silverado or Sierra 1500 with the max trailer tow package, which will give you over 1900 lbs cargo capacity in a crew cab at an upper trim level. I found one of these with the 6.2 liter 420 hp/460 lb-ft torque in Colorado with about 4000 miles on it. I flew out to buy it and just drove it home last week. Running empty, I averaged 24.9 mpg for my last 400 miles, crossing the Appalachians at 65-70 mph. Worst 400 mile average was in Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota where the speed limit on the Interstate is 80. Then, it was 21.9 mpg. A lot of this is due to cylinder deactivation, which produces a very sharp mileage increase when it kicks in, aided by direct injection which shuts off fuel delivery to the deactivated 4 cylinders. Towing, I don't expect such dramatic results, since I expect cylinder deactivation may be disabled by tow/haul mode. In any event, except going downhill, I doubt the load on the engine would be light enough to permit 4 cylinders to deactivate.
In any event, if it were me, I don't think I would consider Ram's little diesel for this trailer. There are lots of other choices in the 1/2 ton class.

[Mrjkq]

Oh, DC Bruce you got my little fiat Ecodiesel in tears, it's somewhat impotent I guess. Don't under estimate a diesel that's been running European vehicles of all sizes for years. Now, seriously ( I'm not mad just having fun) your point is well taken, the Hemi is a GD powerhouse @ 390 HP & I love that sound & it's capacities are, well, above & beyond.
All my previous trucks have been diesel & some of us just like diesel, period. So I guess to each their own!

[kscherzi]

I think its plenty of power. My 5.4 liter 2003 Ford pulling the same trailer has 350 lbs of torque with just 4 speed transmission pulling the same 27FB. Better yet the diesel is turbocharged, has eight gears, and altitude has as no effect. Pulling up your normal 6 percent grade I can do 55 mph close to sea level. At altitude, maybe 40 mph. I've pulled to Death Valley across four 8,000 foot passes. Not speedy but respectable. The Dodge diesel should perform much better.

[eheffa]

I agree.

The EcoDiesel has plenty of pulling power, the issue is the payload capacity (especially after you account for the extra weight of a more loaded option package...)

-evan

[ckottum]

The Tradesman model is available with the Ecodiesel, 8-speed transmission, and a choice of differential gears to pull any Airstream anywhere. We looked at them, basic trucks with the highest payload rating of the 1500 line and a great value.

Great fuel economy as well but like any diesel it takes a lot of trouble-free miles to recover the initial extra cost of the engine and routine maintenance.

cheryl

[Rocinante]

Idea: Take a test drive in the truck you're most interested in and get it on some scales to see what it actually weighs with a couple of people and a full tank of gas. I'm pretty confident your actual payload capacity will be significantly lower than they have led you to believe - regardless of what fuel the truck burns.

That said, we just returned from a very successful cross-country trip towing our Int'l Signature 27FB with our 2014 Ram 1500 Laramie gasser configured for max towing. It had sufficient power for pulling up and then controlling down hill runs on long 6-8% grades. We love our truck.

However, we carefully manage the weight in our truck and forward of the TT axles because of the load capacity question. We made things worse by putting a cap on our truck before we realized how close we were cutting it on load capacity. It all seems to be working out OK, but probably best not to repeat our mistake, as our Airstream puts at least 15% of its weight on the tongue. Your dealers will likely under-estimate that weight. Ours certainly did. So, we don't have a generator or cast-iron grill, we keep the forward storage compartment, accessible via the hatch, as light as we can and after every trip we re-assess to see what else we could leave home next time. So far, so good.

[eheffa]

Originally Posted by ckottum

The Tradesman model is available with the Ecodiesel, 8-speed transmission, and a choice of differential gears to pull any Airstream anywhere. We looked at them, basic trucks with the highest payload rating of the 1500 line and a great value.

Great fuel economy as well but like any diesel it takes a lot of trouble-free miles to recover the initial extra cost of the engine and routine maintenance.

cheryl

If you live in Canada and pay $1.20 to $1.50 / litre (or $4.55 to $5.68 / US gallon) for fuel those fuel costs are recouped much more quickly. By approximately 50,000 km or 30,000 miles or so you will have broken even....from then on, it's pulling ahead for total outlay costs. That's of course assuming that Diesel and Regular gas are approximately the same cost (not always the case though). You also have to factor in the cost of DEF, higher oil change, filter costs etc. Resale value is probably higher on the Diesel so maybe you reach break even earlier than that. ???

If the bulk of a vehicle's driving is towing, it's no-brainer; but, many of us are still tied to jobs and other commitments that have us driving short distances around town...Diesels don't like being half warmed up and shut down for short hauls.

Not an easy equation to work out.

I'm thinking that I will just stick with my just fine 2010 F-150 and try not to think about the fuel economy too much when I'm towing.

Contentment is an elusive state. I'm occasionally there.

-evan

[Moflash]

Originally Posted by theflash44

Ok so this would buy me back another ~300 pounds since I'm using the average tongue weight of north of 1000 pounds..?

A wd hitch does not change the tongue weight as it just distributes the load to the tv front axels and the tt axels .The tongue weight is still there and remains constant.
Read up on the subject as it simple physics but can be confusing.

[tjdonahoe]

I am so glad I have a dodge with a 6.7 as it don't matter where we are going or how much weight we will be carrying, we just go,my mileage seems to be constantly at 12 mpg,our fuel is now at 2.75$/ gal.