The Towing Capacity of Ram Trucks: How Much Can They Handle?

You should not take a toy hauler or a fifth wheel to the lake or mountains with anything but a strong truck. Get it wrong and you’ll burn up your transmission, or worse.

Ford, Chevy, and Ram make trucks built for towing and hauling. But it’s the Ram that incorporates lightweight aluminum and other weight-saving materials upfront. You won’t get a better ride than with Ram’s independent front suspension and coil-spring rear-end.

Ram makes several models built for best-in-class towing. Each is designed with different types of towing in mind. Read and learn the Ram truck towing capacity for each model.

Ram Models and Trims

Towing and payload capabilities increase as you move from the lighter-weight 1500 up to the 2500 and 3500 models.

At each tier, you have a different engine and trim choices. Make sure you consider all the factors that go into towing capabilities

We’re not focusing on trim levels here. If you want to learn more about the trim levels, check out this 2023 Ram truck review.

1500 2500 3500 Ram Truck Towing Capacity

Towing and payload capacities vary depending on truck weight, engine, and other options. Always verify the exact towing and payload capacity on the model you choose.

Ram 1500: up to 12,750 lbs towing. Up to 2,300 lbs payload.

Ram 1500 Classic: up to 10,610 lbs towing – up to 1,930 lbs payload.

Ram 1500 TRX: this model is designed for speed. It can tow. It comes with a  702-horsepower, Supercharged 6.2L Hemi V8. it has 8,100 lbs towing and 1,310 lbs payload.

Ram 2500 6.8L Hemi: up to 19,910 lbs towing. Up to 4,010 lbs payload.

Ram 2500 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel: up to 17,540 lbs towing. Up to 3,910 lbs payload.

Ram 3500: up to 37,090 lbs towing. Up to 7,680 lbs payload.

The best resource for finding the exact towing and payload capacities of each truck trim level and engine type is the Ram truck capacity guide.

Important Considerations When Towing

Not all Ram trucks come ready for towing. You will want to buy the tow package if the model you choose does not already come set up for towing. The tow package provides a brake controller, class IV receiver, and a 4 & 7-pin trailer connector.

Remember that payload capacity relates to towing capacity. Heavier trailers have heavy tongue weights. Tongue weight gets subtracted from cargo capacity.

Here’s the formula to determine how much cargo capacity you need:

The Ram truck’s cargo capacity – tongue weight (assume 10% of trailer weight) – weight of the cargo – the weight of passengers = how much cargo capacity remains.

If you come up with a negative number, you need a truck with a higher cargo capacity.

Where to Buy Your Next Vehicle

Buying a car in Kansas? Visit Parks Motors Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. We’re 9 miles east of high prices at 11865 SW Highway 54, Augusta, KS.

Don’t forget to check out our other Augusta car options at Parks Chevrolet at 11865 SW Highway 54, Augusta, KS, 67010

We at Parks pride ourselves on being the best dealership in Kansas. We love families and invite you to become a part of ours. You’ll enjoy our hassle-free approach to the car-buying experience and friendly atmosphere.

Not ready to drop by? Give us a call, we want to hear from you.