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Old 07-18-2020, 04:06 PM   #1
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Tow vehicle ram 1500 v6

We are ordering a 19 and will need to upgrade our vehicle. Was thinking of a ram 1500 and wondering if a v6 would be enough for the mountains or should I just bite the bullet and get the v8.
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Old 07-18-2020, 06:15 PM   #2
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Bite the bullet !’
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Old 07-19-2020, 07:02 AM   #3
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That answer just about covers it. Several points to make but they all have been made before, but you will be better off with more capacity than less. Yep. Go ahead and bite the bullet. The eco diesel also has plenty of power if fuel economy is what your after. Towed a Casita (about 3k lbs) with one for 8 years with only a 2 mpg drop while hooked up. Most of the time in Colorado, New Mexico.
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Old 07-19-2020, 07:30 AM   #4
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I’ve owned four Ram 1500 trucks and only the very first one had a V6 - Learned my lesson!
If you are determined to buy a V6 then get a Ford F150 EB
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Old 07-19-2020, 09:37 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by Videocrafters View Post
We are ordering a 19 and will need to upgrade our vehicle. Was thinking of a ram 1500 and wondering if a v6 would be enough for the mountains or should I just bite the bullet and get the v8.
What is the tow rating and GCWR of the V6?

People act like you can't have your vehicle even downshift going up a grade. They want a huge engine that stays in the highest gear as they drive by semi-trucks which can slow down even going up extended slight grades.
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Old 07-19-2020, 09:39 AM   #6
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V6 gas or V6 ECO Diesel?
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Old 07-19-2020, 09:51 AM   #7
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What is the tow rating and GCWR of the V6?

People act like you can't have your vehicle even downshift going up a grade. They want a huge engine that stays in the highest gear as they drive by semi-trucks which can slow down even going up extended slight grades.
My V6 Ram down shifted if something even looked like a hill and was constantly searching for the right gear when towing
It struggled towing in the Mountains of Wisconsin
The gas mileage when towing was about the same , when not towing the V6 did slightly better .
To me a full size truck and a V6 engine are not compatible unless all you use the truck for is commuting to and from your place of employment.
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Old 07-19-2020, 10:03 AM   #8
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was constantly searching for the right gear when towing
Then change your throttle position and or speed so it doesn't hunt. It hunting for a gear isn't the fault of the vehicle, it's the fault of the operator.
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Old 07-19-2020, 10:14 AM   #9
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Then change your throttle position and or speed so it doesn't hunt. It hunting for a gear isn't the fault of the vehicle, it's the fault of the operator.
When I set my cruise control at 55 on relatively flat terrain , and it still constantly shifts then in my opinion the vehicle is not well matched to the task at hand
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Old 07-19-2020, 10:31 AM   #10
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When I set my cruise control at 55 on relatively flat terrain , and it still constantly shifts then in my opinion the vehicle is not well matched to the task at hand
🤔 Good point.
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Old 07-19-2020, 10:44 AM   #11
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I would not tow in cruise control mode and the v-6 pentastar motor is a good motor used in a lot of Mopar and Jeep products. That said the extra weight of the Ram takes away some of the v-6 capacity. I had a Ram 2009 and now have a Ram 2014, both with the Hemi. The 2009 had the 5 speed auto and I got 12 mpg towing or not. The 2014 has the 8 sp auto and I get 20 unhitched and 14 hitched. If you have to make the smaller motor work harder, which it can do, it will decrease MPG.
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Old 07-19-2020, 10:51 AM   #12
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I would not tow in cruise control mode and the v-6 pentastar motor is a good motor used in a lot of Mopar and Jeep products. That said the extra weight of the Ram takes away some of the v-6 capacity. I had a Ram 2009 and now have a Ram 2014, both with the Hemi. The 2009 had the 5 speed auto and I got 12 mpg towing or not. The 2014 has the 8 sp auto and I get 20 unhitched and 14 hitched. If you have to make the smaller motor work harder, which it can do, it will decrease MPG.
Why not use cruise control? Do it all the time towing or not. Works great on my F150.
Sounds like the 8 speed was a major improvement on the Ram.
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Old 07-19-2020, 10:55 AM   #13
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Why not use cruise control? Do it all the time towing or not. Works great on my F150.
Sounds like the 8 speed was a major improvement on the Ram.
I do use cruise unhitched but if my memory serves me right the manual says not while towing. I guess because you hit the brakes to deactivate can cause issues while towing with cruise activated.
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Old 07-19-2020, 11:36 AM   #14
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The V6 Ram will be adequate. The Hemi more than enough
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Old 07-19-2020, 11:59 AM   #15
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We are ordering a 19 and will need to upgrade our vehicle. Was thinking of a ram 1500 and wondering if a v6 would be enough for the mountains or should I just bite the bullet and get the v8.
HI; Videocrafters... We tow with a 2016 V6 EcoDiesel Ram SBox quad cab. Running around Ontario at 31.5 mpg's Imp. towing around 25 mpg's. Servicing is more expensive but the 8spd. tranny is a towers delight. We usually use tow/haul setting to prevent shift hunting. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
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Old 07-19-2020, 12:02 PM   #16
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We have the RAM 1500 Classic 2019 Eco Diesel and highly recommend. Gas mileage is great.
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Old 07-19-2020, 12:12 PM   #17
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HI; Videocrafters... We tow with a 2016 V6 EcoDiesel Ram SBox quad cab. Running around Ontario at 31.5 mpg's Imp. towing around 25 mpg's. Servicing is more expensive but the 8spd. tranny is a towers delight. We usually use tow/haul setting to prevent shift hunting. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
Tell me if I'm wrong but for those of us in the south I calculate that to be Running around Ontario at 26.25 mpg's US. towing around 20.8 mpg's.
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Old 07-19-2020, 12:13 PM   #18
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The V6 Ram will be adequate. The Hemi more than enough
From my experience with Escape Trailer owners , being just adequate doesn’t make the grade otherwise they would have spent their hard earned money on a trailer that was just “ adequate “
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Old 07-19-2020, 12:16 PM   #19
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We took our 2015 RAM Eco diesel pulling the 5.0 TA over the Teton pass with no problems. also been on I70 going in either direction several times, it's always held the speed going up the passes. I heard feed back the ford 10 speed gets quite annoying constantly shifting. There is not perfect truck for every situation and use.
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Old 07-19-2020, 12:24 PM   #20
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I pulled a trailer for many years with a 1998 Ram. It had a 5.9 V8 that had horsepower and torque comparable to the current Pentastar V6. We always got where we needed to go, but in the mountains out west - where we traveled a lot - it struggled on long grades.

We now have a 2019 Ram 5.7 hemi. Far greater horsepower, but better gas mileage than our old 98 5.9. With the 8 speed transmission towing is a dream - and your 19 would be lighter than our 5.0TA so you'd hardly notice it back there. Love the extra power of the V8, easy acceleration when needed, and people generally don't get a huge improvement in towing MPG with the V6.

What percentage of your driving will be towing? If that's the primary use for your truck I'd recommend the V8. If you will also use the truck as a daily driver and not pull big loads often then the V6 would get you by....but you will definitely appreciate the V8 when towing.
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