Toyota Tundra vs RAM

[JCWDCW]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

I
I'm considering adding one leaf to the rear springs. Anyone done that?

My Dakota was a bit challenged with a lot of bend on the 750 lb bars for my 25' 1989 Classic. I had an extra leaf and a helper spring added along with re-rolling the existing springs. Raised the rear about 1.5 inches, and when the hitch and chains were adjusted it sat perfectly level with a lot less lift required by the torsion bars. I now pull a '96 25' classic with the truck using 1000 lb bars and it has never had any issues with the frame or the receiver. The receiver was beefed up by Can-AM who added some stiffening struts when I picked up the '96 because we needed to set it up the Hensley that came with the trailer. Hensley broke and I now use an Easylift 10000/1000

The down side is without a load the truck head lights don't shine as far out in front. Chose not to adjust them as then they are way too high when pulling the trailer. I don't notice any difference on the steering.

JCW

[AFTER TAXES]

I have a 2002 tundra 4.7 and it tows 1964 22' just find, my son has a 2018
tundra 5.7 great power, bigger truck....roll with the tundra.
enjoy whatever decision you make, be safe

[JCWDCW]

Originally Posted by BayouBiker

Strange, perhaps I'm lucky, My 2013 doesn't have a lick of rust on it. Sits out in the humidity and rain all year long. Been up north to Chicago in the winter snow a few times also, all winter once.

My 2003 Dakota (Dodge) has no rust and I run in Southern Ontario where salt is the rule of he day in winter. But! I had the vehicle treated with Crown Rust Preventer for the first 6 years, then every other year thereafter. The frame is in great shape...that is more important than the body.
JCW

[BayouBiker]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

What is the payload of your FJCruiser?? Pulling a 27' with this rig may be fun and fine for you, but it surely was not designed nor is it recommended for pulling a TT like a 27'AS safely.

Yeah, for other readers, don't try this at home!!! This vehicle is designed for occasional off road and is not designed for towing medium and heavy trailers without significant upgrades. It will seem fine if one does not experience an emergency, but then when you need the vehicle to perform, this one will fail unless you keep the speed below 50 or so.

[Cyclist]

Originally Posted by BigSxyWhtGuy

We are 2500 towing our classic 30 which is 10,000 lbs. zero issues after 35k miles and working on our third year full timing. Benefit of the 2500 is the integrated trailer break system. Don’t think the tundra or 1500 have that stock.

Our 2013 Ram 1500 has an integrated trailer brake controller which works extremely well. It came as part of the tow package.

[MickeyC]

Definitely go with the RAM 2500 6.7 Cummins. There's no replacement for torque. You'll never regret it. You can pull any trailer you want with the RAM diesel.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by jeffmc306

PS: Mollysdad, RAM isn’t “made by FIAT”, it’s “owned by FIAT”.

I once owned a real FIAT. A 124 Spyder. Beautiful, but it spent 8 months in the shop out of the one year I owned it. It's not a good feeling to see your car on the hoist and two mechanics yelling in Italian at each other. I'd take it in because the wipers quit, and on the way home, I'd hit a bump and the lights would go off.

RAM 1500’s are made it Michigan, 2500’s in Mexico. Fix it again Tony is reserved for the FIAT 500’s. Tongue firmly in cheek!

I insisted I got one of the bodies made in Kansas City (at that time) because I was all into "Buy American". I think I got a Monday body.
The engine was made in Mexico, and I never had a problem with it.

Originally Posted by vintageracer

so before you go trashing the Dodge Ram how about a little more information such as the year model of the RAM you did not like. A LOT has changed in just the last 5 years for the better from ALL the truck manufacturers.

"Fool me once shame on You, Fool me twice shame on me."
That's the great thing about capitalism, I get to vote with my feet.
However, if you love your Ram, great!

[BayouBiker]

Anyone can have the bad luck of a poor experience, but one off stories are a poor predictor of vehicle reliability. Best to check the customer satisfaction survey results. Modern RAM trucks do well as do many other brands and models.

[Daquenzer]

I have a 28' and pull with F150 3.5 Ecoboost (2017). I have plenty of power. Cruise along at 65 no problem. Up hills; no problem. 387hp and 470lbs of torque at 3500rpms. I think the Ram 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi with the rightly configured should easily pull your 25'. I just ordered a new 2020 F150 XLT and set it up to tow 12,500lbs. But you aren't going to just go on the lot and get one set up right. Really have to special order it. Probably true for the RAM 1500 as well.

Google "Ram 1500 gauntlet test" to see tfltruck put the Ram through its paces. It's a very good truck. Maybe your Tundra doesn't have the correct differential and not correctly set up.

I would resist going to a 3/4 ton; especially a diesel. Very big truck. And unless you are towing a great deal not necessary. And you are going to spend 15,000 to 20,000 more a diesel; more for fuel and maintenance; and if something goes wrong $$$$$$

[jeffmc306]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

"Fool me once shame on You, Fool me twice shame on me."
That's the great thing about capitalism, I get to vote with my feet.
However, if you love your Ram, great!

Yep, I get it about owning a lemon. I was a NSE certified mechanic in the ‘70’s and worked on my share of turds. The Big Three made some awful vehicles back then. Remember the Ford Pinto or Chevy Vega? People have forgotten\forgiven them for making such junk.

Today you can’t find a “bad vehicle” like before - consumers won’t tolerate it. We were a GM family growing up; I worked for GM dealers. When it came time for a new tow vehicle I drove a Chevy and a GMC before I voted with my $$ and bought the RAM. It was better than the competition. That’s the beauty of capitalism. Like Lee Iacocca used to say “If you can find a better built vehicle, buy it!”

Back to your Fiat Spider - check out Car Talk’s Tommy Magliozzi’s story about finding a sucker to buy his Spider: https://www.cartalk.com/content/fiat-sale

[Too tall]

Gerrit no offense I had to check if this was April Fools!
We tow a 26'FC RBT with a 2017 Tundra. There is no issue towing your trailer. The only "issue" per se would be capacity in the bed which is limited. Depending on how your WD hitch is setup you have at least but not alot more than 500lbs you can put in the bed.


I'm going to take a WAG that your issue is how the Tundra's lock up differential works. If you leave it in "D" the truck will downshift and than go into a mode that allows the truck to manage the hill and trailer without harming any components.



I recommend you put it in manual mode and downshift as needed.

Originally Posted by Gerrit

Hi,

We have a 2018 Toyota Tundra 5.7 V8. When towing our 22FT Sport AS no problem. We upgraded to a 25FT RB 2020 model and now struggling to tow especially uphill. There's a big change and we're looking onto a bigger/stronger truck.
Would like to know your input as the Tundra is almost at max towing capacity with the new AS. According to stats the RAM 150 trucks towing capacity is 11,500lbs vs the 10,000 for Tundra. The RAM 250 even better at almost 20,000lbs with 6.7L diesel.

Thx

[TG Twinkie]

When I am towing the transmission is in manual mode set at 4th gear. It is the highest gear that is not overdrive.

Rarely use cruise control. Too much shifting. When you slow below the set point. CC slams the throttle to the floor.
Leaving the transmission in D mode causes a lot of lugging. Hard on the tranny and engine. IMHO
Of course it is in tow/haul mode.

[brokeboater]

Originally Posted by jeffmc306

When it came time for a new tow vehicle I drove a Chevy and a GMC before I voted with my $$ and bought the RAM.

I was a true blue Toyota driver. But when I needed a diesel truck I had to look elsewhere. I went out to buy a Ford with strong consideration given to a GM product. I included the Dodge in the mix just because I felt it prudent, but I never in my life thought I'd buy a Chrysler product. For my own reasons I came home with a Dodge. 217K trouble free miles of travel so far. No cracked dash, no windows falling out, no rust problems. Amazing stuff. I just seriously looked into buying a new Tundra just because new is nice sometimes and I think the Tundra fully capable of being a tow vehicle for a 25' Airstream. But when I do all the computations the old Dodge, as horrible as they are, is just fine, still. Very nice actually.

[Lafitte]

Originally Posted by MickeyC

Definitely go with the RAM 2500 6.7 Cummins. There's no replacement for torque. You'll never regret it. You can pull any trailer you want with the RAM diesel.

^ what he says

[Whamm511]

[QUOTE=Mollysdad;2380547]I've owned both, although the Ram was then a Dodge Ram.
I've never had so many problems with a vehicle as I did with the Ram. Never got over 50 K miles before dash cracked overnight, sunglass holder flopped down broken, always pulled right, but dealer said it "was in spec." Electric window fell into door requiring replacement of motor.
I resolved to never, ever buy a truck made by FIAT!

I now have a 2015 Tundra and pull my 26' with ease. Since climbing mountains is at most 0.01% of my driving, I'll take it slow and enjoy a truck that doesn't fall apart.

I’ve got a Dodge Ram, 2005, 4x4, 5.7L H w/216,000 and never had any problems with mine other than normal wear. I drive in some very adverse road conditions and off road to job sites. I have replaced virtually every front suspension component in the last 15,000 miles. But 200000 miles on the original equipment ain’t bad.

I’ve checked the VIN and my Dodge Ram was made right here in the USA. I’m not a Fiat owner but I’m not anti-Fiat either. There are a lot of them running around Europe and they’ve been in business for a long time.

[SandKSmith]

The new Ram 1500 is a great daily driver and a pretty good tow vehicle too. It’s not too long or tall so it’s easy to get in and out of, and easy to park compared to a 2500. Our 2019 Bighorn crew cab, short box, 4x4 does a great job towing our ‘06 25’ Safari. The 3.92 gears help. Our payload is 1747 lb. Being the Bighorn, we traded payload for the sunroof some of the other bells and whistles. We head up to the Mogollon Rim in Northern Az often this time of year. At 7700’ it’s a bit cooler there than Phoenix. There are miles of 6% grades on the way there and back. It has plenty of power for those 6% grades. It’sJust as stable and comfortable going down those grades too. We just came back from there a couple of days ago. 9.5 MPG going up, 13.5 MPG coming home. I have no complaints about our decision on the Ram. I will say, however that if we had a 27’ Airstream, I’d probably head to a 2500.
Steve

[ZeGermans]

I may be wrong but doesn't the Tundra still have that old 6 speed tranny? it may be running on slightly higher rpms than others... apart from Tundras sometimes anyways sounding like a semi... although as stated before rpms are your friend when climbing...

As for newer transmissions like the ZF8HP or the Ford-GM 10R80 / 10LXX I know we all think we are the best drivers in the world and believe we are smarter than any computer... but fact is, these have become so smart so that even when towing and/or climbing they perform much better in auto than we think we can outsmart them in manual. Hence on the RAMs no more manual shifting (I know you can somewhat influence with the gear limiter...) Contrary to what someone else stated, I believe the best you can do is use cruise control and let the computers do their job to get best fuel economy and least wear and tear...

[Photobum]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

What is the payload of your FJCruiser?? Pulling a 27' with this rig may be fun and fine for you, but it surely was not designed nor is it recommended for pulling a TT like a 27'AS safely.

100% agree.

I towed my 25 ft flying cloud with a 2004 F150 for seven years. With 230,000 miles it got slower going up hills. Bought a 2017 Ram 3500, diesel and the aisin tranny. Love it. Love.

[AirLewis]

Purchased a Ram 2500 6.7 Cummins five yrs ago...TV for fifth wheel. Now towing 28 AS. Thought about a 1/2 ton for the AS, just couldn’t do it! 6.7 Cummins has the the power you need! Zero rust!

[pickupjason]

Originally Posted by Too tall

Gerrit no offense I had to check if this was April Fools!
We tow a 26'FC RBT with a 2017 Tundra. There is no issue towing your trailer. The only "issue" per se would be capacity in the bed which is limited. Depending on how your WD hitch is setup you have at least but not alot more than 500lbs you can put in the bed.


I'm going to take a WAG that your issue is how the Tundra's lock up differential works. If you leave it in "D" the truck will downshift and than go into a mode that allows the truck to manage the hill and trailer without harming any components.



I recommend you put it in manual mode and downshift as needed.

We tow a 25fb with a 2019 Tundra. My total towing mileage is only around 2000 miles. I don’t have any issue towing it uphill or downhill. I do need to down shift manually to maintain the speed when go up to hills. Maybe the loud engine sound from higher RPMs make you feel the truck is struggling but I do feel the truck has enough “power” to handle my 25’ trailer.

Maybe OP could rent a ram 2500 from enterprise rent a truck for towing the airstream before making any decision.