We recently received the following question from Kevin N. about the possibility of towing a 5th wheel trailer with a Ram Power Wagon that is equipped with a 6.4L HEMI V8.
I currently have a 2007 Dodge 2500 with a 5.7 HEMI V8 that can tow right around 10,000 lbs. I pull a 5th wheel that ways 7,000 lbs dry with a 1,420 lbs hitch weight. I would like to buy a PW and all the info I’ve seen says it can tow right around the same 10,000 lbs. A guy at my local dealership told me it could tow more if it’s a 5th wheel or gooseneck (not sure if that’s true or not). Will I see or feel much difference going with the 6.4L over my current 5.7L and if I were to upgrade my 5th wheel to a 8,500 dry weight with a 1,470 hitch weight could a PW do it without causing to many problems? I believe the GVWR of the camper is 9,900 lbs if that matters. Thanks for any help, Kevin
Kevin, thank you for writing to us. First, you are correct. The latest Ram Power Wagon has a maximum towing rating of nearly 10,000 lbs. Actually, it’s 9,790 lbs for a base model of the Power Wagon. Check all of the Power Wagon towing and payload specs.
Your limiting factor will be the payload capacity. The Power Wagon is an off-road focused truck. As such, it has a different suspension setup when compared to a regular Ram 2500 HD. The single-rate springs are more compliant, but they also limit the payload to a maximum of 1,444 lbs for a base PW. If you add options to the truck, the payload will drop to 1,300 lbs or lower. The payload rating for each specific truck is on the sticker inside the driver door jam.
You are correct to be cautious with the information that a dealership representative gave you. The answer is: the payload rating of the truck does not allow it to tow your fifth-wheel trailer. If your trailer has 1,420 lbs or 1,470 lbs of hitch weight, then it already overloads the truck on payload. It means you cannot bring any people or things.
