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Have you got a Dodge Ram 5500, and do you want to know what it can tow? Do you already have a wonderful RV, and do you want to make sure a Dodge Ram 5500 can safely tow it before you purchase your new truck?
These trucks are notoriously powerful and some of the best in the business, and if you want to know what the towing capacity of a Dodge Ram 5500 is, the short and sweet answer is “a whole lot”!
That’s not going to cut it for you if you’re trying to make the necessary calculations to determine whether a Dodge Ram 5500 is the right new truck for your RV, or you’re looking to buy an RV that your Dodge Ram 5500 can pull, of course. Let’s have a closer look at what this bad boy can do for you, then!
Can a Dodge Ram 5500 Pull a Big RV?
The Dodge Ram 5500 is a common choice for RV-ers, because it has a lot to offer! These 4 x 4 workhorse trucks, which hare primarily designed for heavier commercial use, come in a few different “flavors”:
- Four different trim options are available — Laramie , Limited, SLT, and Tradesman.
- A Dodge Ram 5500 can have a two-door or four-door crew cab.
- You can get a Dodge Ram 5500 with or without an upfit, a handy storage space on the back, often used for commercial purposes. Should you choose an upfit, you’ll have multiple options, which will affect the overall towing capacity.
The choices you make will affect the towing capacity of the truck, but even without an upfit, your Dodge Ram 5500 will have a payload capacity of anywhere between 10,700 and 11,450 lbs.
Yes, that means that your Dodge Ram 5500 will indeed be able to pull a big RV! Whether you have a camper, fifth wheel, travel trailer, or toy hauler, a Dodge Ram 5500 is definitely going to be able to handle it. In fact, most RV-ers would be able to get away with a Dodge Ram 3500, which has a lower towing capacity, but if you’ve got a luxury fifth wheel, you’ll need a heavy-duty truck. A Dodge Ram 5500 will serve you well in this case, and you’ll have a hard time exceeding the truck’s towing capacity even if you were actively trying to.
A Dodge Ram 5500 can comfortably pull a most class A RVs, which are motor homes that have dry weights between 13,000 and 30,000 lbs, but by the time you load your huge RV up with amenities and cargo, you will want to enter full mathematician mode before you make any purchases.
Ram 5500 Towing Capacity: How Much Can a Dodge 5500 Pull?
The towing capacity of a Dodge Ram 5500 depends on its specifics. Broadly speaking, however, the minimum towing capacity of a Doge Ram 5500 is 34,290 lbs, and depending on your trim, cab, and upfit, it can go up to an impressive 34,800 lbs. This makes the Dodge Ram 5500 the most potent truck in the Dodge family — it’s the truck you’ll want to go for when nothing else will do.
Do you need a closer look before you make any purchases? Get your info straight from the horse’s mouth, and head over to Ram trucks’ handy Dodge Ram 5500 weight table to see the specifics for yourself. If you’re hoping to get closer insights into the towing capacity of slightly older Dodge Ram 5500 models, meanwhile, this chart from Axle Advisor is a good place to start.
How Much HP Does a 5500 Ram Have?
Dodge Ram 5500 trucks are equipped with mighty engines — a large part of what makes these vehicles such powerful towing trucks. With a 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel 16 engine, Dodge Ram 5500 trucks have a max horsepower of 3,60, and a maximum torque of 800 pound-feet.
These engines aren’t only ridiculously powerful, they’ll also last you forever — so long as you pour the right kind of love and care into their maintenance, of course.
What Is the GVWR of a Dodge Ram 5500?
Truckers and RV-ers alike need to be intimately familiar with a vehicle’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, or GVWR. A vehicle’s GVWR is different to its “curb weight”, which is what the vehicle weighs when its empty of cargo or passengers. The GVWR of a vehicle represents, simply said, the maximum weight a truck can safely carry — but you can learn more about the intricacies of GVWR here.
The GVWR of a Dodge Ram 5500 without an upfit comes to a grand total of 19,500 lbs!
Is a Dodge 5500 a 2-ton Truck?
Trucks are classified according to their Gross Vehicle Weight Rating in the United States. There are eight different classes.
Classes one through three would be considered light duty trucks, and examples would include Toyota Tacoma vehicles and Dodge Ram 2500 trucks. Classes four through six are categorized as medium duty, while classes seven and eight are heavy duty.
The Dodge Ram 5500 falls into class 5, which officially makes it a medium duty truck. Trucks in this class can weigh from anywhere 6001 to 19500 lbs (which is 7258 to 8845 kg, in case you were curious). In that sense, it informally falls into the “two-ton” truck range, in that two-ton trucks are, like the Dodge Ram 5500, considered to be medium duty trucks.
The term “two-ton truck” is sometimes used to describe any medium duty truck. As payload capacities increased with innovations in modern engineering, however, ton ratings have remained unchanged. So for all practical purposes, the answer to the question would be yes — the Dodge Ram 5500 is a two-ton truck.
What Class Truck Is a Ram 5500?
A Dodge Ram 5500 is a class 5 truck. That makes it nearly the heaviest-duty vehicle you can drive without having to obtain a class B driver’s license.
What Is the Difference Between a 3500 and 5500 Ram?
If you are specifically looking for a reliable truck that will always be able to pull your large RV, complete with all its cargo and amenities, wherever your heart desires, this is an excellent question. You may wonder if you really need to purchase a Dodge Ram 5500 truck, or whether a Dodge Ram 3500 may also suit your needs.
Both trucks are fully capable of hauling most types of RVs, including campers and travel trailers. The main differences between the Dodge Ram 3500 and Dodge Ram 5500 are, however, that:
- The Dodge Ram 3500 has a towing capacity of 18,210 lbs if it’s equipped with a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 engine, while it can have a towing capacity of 18,210 lbs if it’s got the same 6.7-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel engine a Dodge Ram 5500 usually has. The towing capacity of a Dodge Ram 5500 maxes out at 35,220 lbs, which is considerably more.
- In terms of payload capacity, the Dodge Ram 3500 maxes out at 6,840 lbs, while the Dodge Ram 5500 offers a maximum of 12,510 lbs.
Both vehicles give you access to a range of customization and seating options, and both are wonderful trucks for RV-ers. If we’re going to be honest, most RV-ers will get by just fine — and then some — with a Dodge 3500. If you’re not sure what kind of heavy hauling might be in your future, though, the Dodge Ram 5500 packs more power. It’s a truck you really can’t go wrong with.
In addition to the increased GVWR and payload capacity of the Dodge Ram 5500, these trucks are also built to last. Compared to the Dodge Ram 3500, the Ram 5500 is, without a doubt, the more powerful vehicle. The only question you need to ask yourself is whether you need that.
What Transmission Is in a RAM 5500?
Dodge Ram 5500 trucks are equipped with both a manual and an automatic transmission, and for heavy towing — like hauling your fifth wheel or other RV — most drivers will prefer automatic. These are five and six speed automatic transmissions.
Have you heard about problems with Dodge Ram 5500 automatic transmissions, and are you considering buying an older model? It’s good to know that the issues reported were found in Dodge Ram 5500 models put on the market between the years 2009 and 2017. Purchasing a new model will help you evade these issues altogether.
