Ram with 4.7 for towing

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I buy cars in St. Louis which is about 2 hours away with a mix of flat and rolling hills. I use a small 16' tandem trailer. I have probably pulled this trailer with a couple of dozen different trucks, mostly Dodges.

The 4.7 won't cut it. It will drop out of OD on any small hill or with a little head wind. And that is when the trailer is empty.

At 287 cubic inch, I consider the 2.7 a lite duty engine in full sized trucks.

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You don't tow in OD.

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Have been towing been towing everything from 16 foot horse trailers, to enclosed race trailers, to hauling big bales and for the last 20 years with 318 or 4.7. Best is use a 3.92 gear.. If you have a 3.55 use a shorter tire to use the gear better. Still not as good as a 3.92 with a shorter tire but will work as long as not to windy or hilly. I just towed through 4 states with a 3 horse with dressing room using a 4.7 and 3.55 gear. Windy and hilly was tough with the 3.55 but --. In all the years have never had what is called a white knuckle ride and have pulled many thousand miles. Get the load balanced right(60/40 front to rear) and the trailer brakes set right. Drive accordingly. Just because the speed limit is 75 doesn't mean that you have to drive that.

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And I was complaining about my 454" motor and 4:56 gears in my old truck.

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I buy cars in St. Louis which is about 2 hours away with a mix of flat and rolling hills. I use a small 16' tandem trailer. I have probably pulled this trailer with a couple of dozen different trucks, mostly Dodges.

The 4.7 won't cut it. It will drop out of OD on any small hill or with a little head wind. And that is when the trailer is empty.

At 287 cubic inch, I consider the 2.7 a lite duty engine in full sized trucks.

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You don't tow in OD.

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Did you miss the part about the trailer being EMPTY?

I wouldn't own a truck that couldn't pull a small empty trailer on OD. I don't even consider that "towing". But thanks for your opinion.

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I buy cars in St. Louis which is about 2 hours away with a mix of flat and rolling hills. I use a small 16' tandem trailer. I have probably pulled this trailer with a couple of dozen different trucks, mostly Dodges.

The 4.7 won't cut it. It will drop out of OD on any small hill or with a little head wind. And that is when the trailer is empty.

At 287 cubic inch, I consider the 2.7 a lite duty engine in full sized trucks.

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You don't tow in OD.

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Did you miss the part about the trailer being EMPTY?

I wouldn't own a truck that couldn't pull a small empty trailer on OD. I don't even consider that "towing". But thanks for your opinion.

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Nothing there stating empty. By the way what is a 2.7???? PS I wouldn't tow anything bigger than a small utility trailer or light boat without it being locked out of OD, Maybe that is why I have never hurt an engine or transmission.

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I buy cars in St. Louis which is about 2 hours away with a mix of flat and rolling hills. I use a small 16' tandem trailer. I have probably pulled this trailer with a couple of dozen different trucks, mostly Dodges.

The 4.7 won't cut it. It will drop out of OD on any small hill or with a little head wind. And that is when the trailer is empty.

At 287 cubic inch, I consider the 2.7 a lite duty engine in full sized trucks.

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You don't tow in OD.

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Did you miss the part about the trailer being EMPTY?

I wouldn't own a truck that couldn't pull a small empty trailer on OD. I don't even consider that "towing". But thanks for your opinion.

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Nothing there stating empty. By the way what is a 2.7???? PS I wouldn't tow anything bigger than a small utility trailer or light boat without it being locked out of OD, Maybe that is why I have never hurt an engine or transmission.

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I buy cars in St. Louis which is about 2 hours away with a mix of flat and rolling hills. I use a small 16' tandem trailer. I have probably pulled this trailer with a couple of dozen different trucks, mostly Dodges.

The 4.7 won't cut it. It will drop out of OD on any small hill or with a little head wind. And that is when the trailer is empty.

At 287 cubic inch, I consider the 2.7 a lite duty engine in full sized trucks.

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You don't tow in OD.

---

Did you miss the part about the trailer being EMPTY?

I wouldn't own a truck that couldn't pull a small empty trailer on OD. I don't even consider that "towing". But thanks for your opinion.

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Nothing there stating empty. By the way what is a 2.7???? PS I wouldn't tow anything bigger than a small utility trailer or light boat without it being locked out of OD, Maybe that is why I have never hurt an engine or transmission.

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2.7 instead of 4.7 was a brain fart. Good that you caught that. Maybe the bold will help clear you up on the other part.

Anyway, most who have pulled much seem to agree that the 4.7 is not the best choice.

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May not be the best choice (I agree) but can be made work with gearing, proper weight distribution, and brake set up, and driving accordingly. I was brought up in the day when a person pulled with what was available. We hauled cattle to market in the back of a 48 Ford half ton if the bigger truck 1 1/2 or 2 ton truck was not available, people pulled big airstream type campers with a car, hauled 300 bushel of 60 pound per bushel wheat to market in the box on a 1 1/2 ton truck. People didn't have a special vehicle for everything and the trucks were users not Sunday go to meeting vehicles. Saw this at a trail ride last fall.