Gear Ratio for Ram 3500

[Dave Jenkins]

I’m looking at a 2015 Ram 3500 with 4WD and DRW to pull my GD Reflection 320MKS (loaded weight 13,995 lbs.). The rear axle ratio is 3.42. Would that be a good choice?

 

[Dave Jenkins]

I should have mentioned that the Ram is a 6.7 diesel.

 

[geotex1]

Depends. Which transmission does it have? The AISIN or the 68RFE? More generally, that is highway gearing so you won't be snappy off the line with that load on back and it'll be harder pulling the hills.

 

[el Rojo]

I would want a 3:73 minimum.

My two cents.

Red

 

[Mjmnklm]

I’m looking at a 2015 Ram 3500 with 4WD and DRW to pull my GD Reflection 320MKS (loaded weight 13,995 lbs.). The rear axle ratio is 3.42. Would that be a good choice?

Hey Dave. The previous two comments are good info. There's not enough about your truck to know exact numbers. Your best bet is to check the stickers on the door sill or go to MyMopar and put in the VIN. The least a 2015 3500 DRW will pull is 16,660. That's a CC, LB, 4wd with the regular output 6.7 CTD engine and transmission. With a 3.42, I would really think you'd be better off with the HO engine and Aisin transmission which changes that max tow to 20,510 lbs. Payload on a DRW is not an issue if you're pulling a 320MKS. Either way, your truck should be able to do what you want. It's just a matter of how hard it will have to work to do so. Here is a link to the page for 2015 RAM 3500 towing and payload capacities https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/towing_guide/pdf/2015_ram_3500_towing_charts.pdf

 

[the.jmo]

My 15 2500 has 3.42
I pull my 380th with it and it does just fine. Could there be better, of course. My new drw I bought has 4.10
I would say if you don’t mind the rpm 4.10 all the way for the most grunt.
A happy medium for towing and highway non towing would be 3.73
However I will say the only reason I have 3.42 is because there was no other option in 2015.
Will it achieve the job with ease. Yes.
Is it the BEST mouse trap, no.
I just pull hills in 4th and flats in 5th for the most part


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[Mjmnklm]

My 15 2500 has 3.42
I pull my 380th with it and it does just fine. Could there be better, of course. My new drw I bought has 4.10
I would say if you don’t mind the rpm 4.10 all the way for the most grunt.
A happy medium for towing and highway non towing would be 3.73
However I will say the only reason I have 3.42 is because there was no other option in 2015.
Will it achieve the job with ease. Yes.
Is it the BEST mouse trap, no.
I just pull hills in 4th and flats in 5th for the most part


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380TH? Momentum?

 

[the.jmo]

380TH? Momentum?

Correct


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[Dave Jenkins]

Thanks for all the info, guys. We're looking at a 2018 Tradesman crew cab with DRW, 4WD, 3.73 rear axle ratio, Aisin transmission, limited-slip differential, and trailer brake control. Mileage is 104,790. Looks like it should handle our '21 320MKS with ease, and even something larger if we should wish to trade up sometime in the future. Right now, we have been living in our RV in a campground since January, when we sold our house and most of our possessions, and are extremely comfortable. My wife says it feels like an extended vacation with all the comforts of home! She is facing one more surgery, to fuse vertebrae in her lower back, and once she recuperates from that we will hit the road.

Getting back to my original question, I did some research on 2015--2018 Ram 3500 trucks on ramtrucks.com and it appears that only the crew cab, long bed, 4WD, dually diesels offer a choice of 3.42, 3.73, or 4.10 rear axle ratios. It appears that everything else has the 3.43 rear end. It also appears that DRWs only come on long-bed trucks, if I'm reading the data correctly. I should add that some of the gas-powered trucks do offer a choice of rear-axle ratios, but I'm only interested in diesels.

 

[the.jmo]

You can get a short bed on a drw with the mega cab configuration.

It sounds like what you need is a mega cab Laramie drw with Aisin and 4.10!


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[Dave Jenkins]

Verrrry hard to find!

 

[el Rojo]

Thanks for all the info, guys. We're looking at a 2018 Tradesman crew cab with DRW, 4WD, 3.73 rear axle ratio, Aisin transmission, limited-slip differential, and trailer brake control. Mileage is 104,790. Looks like it should handle our '21 320MKS with ease, and even something larger if we should wish to trade up sometime in the future. Right now, we have been living in our RV in a campground since January, when we sold our house and most of our possessions, and are extremely comfortable. My wife says it feels like an extended vacation with all the comforts of home! She is facing one more surgery, to fuse vertebrae in her lower back, and once she recuperates from that we will hit the road.

Getting back to my original question, I did some research on 2015--2018 Ram 3500 trucks on ramtrucks.com and it appears that only the crew cab, long bed, 4WD, dually diesels offer a choice of 3.42, 3.73, or 4.10 rear axle ratios. It appears that everything else has the 3.43 rear end. It also appears that DRWs only come on long-bed trucks, if I'm reading the data correctly. I should add that some of the gas-powered trucks do offer a choice of rear-axle ratios, but I'm only interested in diesels.

The Tradesman your looking at will pull that reflection fine. It will pull a Momentum @ 20,000 too. We pulled our Momentum with a Duramax, 3:73 gears in the west as well as Colorado. We did Wolf Creek pass at 20 mph but we did it. That was without the HO cummins and asian.



Red