I've got a 1992 Cummins 5-speed D250, and I occasionally tow vehicles heavier than a car. I like it, but it lacks a lot of modern creature comforts that newer trucks have.

I can't wrap my head around paying $70K for a new Cummins truck, or even $30-$40K for a used one. So I started looking into the tow capacity of newer lighter-duty trucks and discovered something interesting.

From the info I've found, the towing capacity for my '92 Cummins 5-speed 2500 is listed as right around 11,900 lbs.

The towing capacity for a 2014 Ram 1500 with a Hemi is 10,450 lbs.

Both capacity ratings are higher than my 10,000 lb trailer capacity.

Has technology advanced to the point that 1/2 ton trucks are that much beefier than they used to be, or has something changed in how the "official" towing capacities are rated?

My 1998 Dodge 1500 is only rated at 7800 lbs.

Anyone with real-world experience want to chime in?

I can say that my 2014 Ram with a 6600lbs loaded trailer stops better than my moms 91 D350 5 speed with the same trailer and car on it.
I need more trailer brake with the 91 than the 2014 , both RCLBs
That's my only experience between the 2 .

I can comment a bit based on my experiences and research. I have a 2016 1500 with the ECO-Diesel and I tow a (dry weight) trailer of 6400 lbs. The trailer has a 750 lb tongue weight.

The first thing that I found is that the newer RAMs are actually rated at over 3/4 ton versus the 1/2 ton category they're in (1500 model). I found this after I noticed newer RAM 2500s with similar trailers to mine, had a similar ride height after being hooked to their trailers. My ride height (with trailer connected via a load-distribution hitch) was slightly lower in the rear. I simply opted to add air bags to even up everything. Running 25 lbs in the bags is all that is needed.

As ric3xrt noted, the brakes on these truck are incredible and of course having good trailer brakes is a must.

The other things that help out a great deal are, the 8-speed transmission and the Tow / Haul setting that holds the transmission in gears longer before shifting. Certainly, rear end ratio and tire size are other factors.

- EM

I've seen a lot of newer 1500's towing heavier trailers. Trailer brakes and the integrated controllers help a lot on these vehicles. I have modified my 92 D250 club cab CTD auto with rear discs, a lock up converter and soon to have a hydroboost conversion. With the more advanced trailer brake controllers on the market today I love my 92. Stops as well as the 06 2500 QC CTD 4WD I had and the 07 GMC *cough* 3500 4WD crew cab I had.

Creature comforts? I have A/C, cruise, power locks, windows and a stereo with bluetooth and an aux input. I even have a Garmin navi unit if I need it. And I know the fuel mileage is better than any of those other trucks and it's paid for. So what else do I really need? Oh yeah, 4 doors, but I have the crew cab Power Wagon for those outings with the wife and dogs. Maybe someday I'll combine them all in to one truck but not now.

The main difference you'll find is the Hemi (if auto) will constantly be shifting when towing something heavy, not enough torque.

you can always multiply TQ to get more but whatever HP you have you are stuck with, so what if it shifts sometimes?

Another thing that helps the newer trucks handle bigger trailes is the vehicle weight and footprint, they are wider, longer and heavier, all help with the overall ability to manhandle the trailer behind it. I noticed also that my 2011 1500 was much more stable towing trailers with 20" wheels than the 17"s, less sidewall flex means better control of everything.

1992 D250: 160 HP, 400 ft. lbs. torque
Ram 5.7 Hemi: 347 HP, 407 ft. lbs. torque

Currently the owner of a 92 D250 Cummins with automatic and former owner of a 11 1500 Crew cab I can offer some insight.

Short version, the 11 tows faster but the 92 is much more stable.

Long version, both trucks are factory rated for a 12000 gcvw. The 92 is transmission limited by the factory but manual trans trucks were rated as high as 17000 gcvw. Both have 3.54 gearing. Both are between 5500 and 6000 lbs empty so up to a 6500# trailer.

Trailer in this case is either a 28' camper or an 18' car hauler.
Clearly the horsepower advantage is with the 11, much more nimble in traffic and merging, maintaining speed on hills better. But it just felt so unstable even with sway control and weight distribution. Non tow mirrors sucked too.

The 92 took more forethought into merging and plan on staying in the slow lane on hills. But the mirrors are much better (standard tow mirrors not giant west coast) and the whole rig just feels more stable, even without sway control or distribution.

These are comparisons based on making the same trip several times with each truck.

We sold the 11.

I have an 84 crew cab D350 with a 91.5 intercooled Cummins and a 727 with gear vendors overdrive and my 2015 2500 4x4 regular cab 5.7 Hemi Ram tows, stops, and pretty much does everything better than the one ton crew cab and tows 11,870 lbs. The only thing it lacks is fuel mileage, but with diesel being higher than gas now it is becoming a wash. Probably won't have the Cummins too much longer.

My 2015 is 383 HP 400 ft lbs, strange they upped the hp and lowered the torque...

I think the frame and brakes are not too bad on the newer 1500's. The stock coil spring suspension should have been left on Chevys where it belonged. The stock coils are more suited for mall duty than hauling anything. The sway bars are pretty thin on the 1500 as well. I bought an 18 1500 as it is good enough to tow with once in awhile but I bought a set of airbags for it. I really prefer a diesel for towing as on a hill they just hunker down and pull whereas you feel like you are beating the heck out of a gas motor pulling a load up a hill.
So bottom line is I preferred my Cummins trucks for towing but for occasional tow duty the 1500 will handle it. Here is my 15 1500 with an empty 26 foot on with the wonderful stock coils.
I used this 1500 and that 26 footer on my last move. It involved hauling the 26 footer with my Viper once and my Twin Turbo Stealth another time with other shop stuff loaded in the trailer as well. Two long hills on this trip one of which is 8 percent and runs for about 15 miles. I hated the engine in that 15 and I can tell you if it was possible to break it I would have. She started to finally run better after the moves but I got rid of the truck anyway. Bottom line is a gas 1500 will do what you need it to do.

So I just sold my 14 crew 1500 hemi/8spd and went to a 90 d350 dually.

The main reason is that I didn't need a truck payment on a truck that gets 3-4K miles a year.

That being said, it definitely pulled better than my d350 in terms of getting on the highway. This being an open car trailer with a diesel truck on the trailer The d350 does sit nicer with trailer.

But I would not hesitate to go back to a new 1500 gas. It pulled nicely. and definitely had power. and for the record 1500s hemi is a 395hp 407 ft lbs.

I have a 2002 Cummins with the HO & 6spd manual and a 13 longhorn 1500. While both are rated to TOW . . . you have to look at the carrying capacity. The 1500's are ONLY going to be around 1300lb. Put a 700lb tongue weight and then yourself in truck, and then anyone else, stuff in the box, etc, you can see where you quickly are BEYOND the carrying capacity (according to Ma Mopar) of the 1500. However, check rating on your Cummins - it will tow the trailer, as well as you and your stuff. Sure the Longhorn I have tow my travel trailer fine, but the Cummins does it "with ease" compared to hearing the Hemi and the 8spd Auto shifting . . . must say, would rather tow with a Cummins, and 3/4 ton !!! Don't be fooled by "how much you can tow", you have to look at ALL the ratings !!! It's all the manufacturer's doing it . . .

An 02 HO is very different beast from a 92

Yes it is but there is just under 2 tons of cement in this truck. Show me a 1500 anything that will do this.

That is true . . .but what I am getting at is the actual GVW rating between trucks. Don't think that the "newer" Ram 1500 are great . . . look at the Ram forum and you will find most are not happy with the "low" GVW rating of the 1500. I would think that the 92 250 would have much better GVWR than a newer 1500 - they are ONLY a 1/2 ton (1000lb) rated machine. The concept of the 1500 (or any 1/2ton) towing up to 12,000lb, is more than just the engine/tranny, brakes . . . especially if you get pulled over by the troopers.

In British Columbia, years ago, the provincial truck cops, were pulling over every "light truck" and weighing them - any 1/2 ton with a camper in the back was turned back and not allowed on the roads in BC . . . according to the manufacturer's GVWR the trucks were overloaded ! . . .

Just my two cents worth . . .

I brought home 48 80lbs sacks of concrete in my wife's 05 1500 QC and it sat level. That's 3840lbs and it was in one trip and 3840 lbs exceeds the rated bed capacity of any 1/2, 3/4, or 1 ton for the high horse riders out there.

You know the rules. Pics or it didn't happen.

I find it very hard to belive that all that weight was in the bed of that 1500 and it sat level without some help from something. The 05 also doesn't have coil springs like the new trucks do. But beyond that there is more to the heavier rated trucks than just what the springs will hold like the axles and brakes.

I know my 2016 1500 1/2 ton is actually rated over 1600 lbs (over 3/4 ton). I assume the 2500 has a similar "over-rating" .

- EM

Yes they do, my D250 is rated at a GVR of 9800 pounds. These trucks only weigh about 5000 pounds empty.

Gj, my 92 2wd diesel scales at 5500# with just me and a tank of fuel. I'd suspect your 4wd would be closer to 6000.

And 4wwd would be a W250

The engine alone weighs in the neighborhood of 1100 lbs. Truck weight, with fuel is probably over 6500 lbs, especially if it’s 4wd.

Edit. Just looked it up. People scale these early Cummins trucks at 5500- 6800 lbs, depending on configuration, fuel loads, etc

I think the terms 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, and 1 ton are old and obsolete. All of them have a higher payload than that name suggests right? I have an 11 F350 that my company provides and it has a payload of like 5500 lbs. I have had 5800 in the bed(80 golf cart batteries), it set lower but level and drove like a dream. I would have preferred to leave them in there from a ride comfort stand point.

That isn't my truck in the pic. It's from another forum. The guy builds houses in Mexico.

My 92 CTD is a 2WD, my crew cab is a 4WD. But even at 5500# that is still over a 2 ton weight rating.

Today I bought twenty four 80 lb. bags of Quickrete at Lowe's and made sure to take before and after pics.

I guess the old D250 "sat level" with that 1,920 lbs on it... but it doesn't normally sit level.

A new 1500 won't sit that high with 500lbs in the bed.

My trusty old 5.2 1998 1500 I've owned since 1999.

First pic is empty, second with one "scoop" of limestone, second with two scoops.

Guy who loaded says each scoop weighs between 1900 and 2000 lbs, so I'm guessing the little half-ton hauled home between 3,800 and 4,000 lbs.

We pretty much only keep this truck around for hauling mulch and stone, or whatever else would make a mess in my '92. It has never let us down!

Empty:


One scoop of limestone:


Two scoops, between 3800-4000 lbs.

Looks like that second scoop didn't change the ride height at all. Was it already on the stops?

problem being, I have been looking. and though I know the older trucks, and don't care for the newer "technology", less actual steel in the newer trucks, more plastic, ridiculous price tags, and the inability to find anything besides a 4 door with a 5-foot-something bed keeps me in an older truck, though the last 4 have been 87-96 Dakotas. last 3 in a row 318s. still have 2 of those. but I would take a "square body" D or W series, any day over the newer trucks. I have been on the lookout for another.

Around here the prices for solid square body D or W trucks has gone insane and the 90's rams are getting tougher to find anything that's not rotted out junk.

They are getting pretty pricey everywhere, especially the diesels. I paid twice as much for my 74 crew cab as I did for my 92 club cab diesel 5 years ago.

I inquired on a truck in my nieghborhood awhile back. It was a 8 out of 10 92 reg cab W250 diesel with a manual trans. I thought this would be a $8000 truck(i wasn't looking so I didn't really know). He wanted $15K for it, I about crapped myself. It was only for sale for a week or so then it was gone so I imagine he got somehwere near that.

He must have some kind of connection because he has had two more nice ones since then and doesn't have them long at all.

I have a 1997 ext cab 4x4 dually 5 sp that I bought new. With a enclosed trl and 2000 pound race car {no motor} went up lookout mt pass at 70 mph so I will keep driving it. But will listen to anyone how to get it to ride softer and add rear disk brakes!!!

I have an'18 eco-diesel and a '93 W250, I am in the process of upgrading the '93 and I will be happy with the results. The thing you must keep in mind is you can build these older trucks to compete with the newer trucks(adding hydro-boost, bigger turbo, injectors, air bags), might not be apples to apples, but you will have the power to tow but no payments.