Trucks are made to be the workhorses of the automotive world. You expect your Ram truck to tow heavy loads, but what happens when something changes?
People tend to get weaker with age, and most vehicles begin to run down a bit. The difference: we can replace parts on older trucks to make them last a lot longer. Although we can replace some parts on people, this doesn’t usually make them stronger. A strange phenomenon is happening with the Ram truck tool that makes for some serious trouble for truck owners.
What’s up with the tool?
Ram has offered a convenient online tool for owners to check the exact capabilities of their trucks. Owners simply need to enter the VIN, and the tool provides the exact payload and towing number for that specific truck. Strangely, some owners have found the tool lists different numbers from when the truck was purchased. In some cases, these numbers have dropped by several thousand pounds, which can be alarming. So far, no one has been able to figure out what the problem is or how it can be fixed to be useful for owners.
How troublesome can this issue be?
The example given by the team at The Fast Lane Truck shows the tool listing the 2022 Ram 2500 Limited Crew Cab 4WD with the 6’4” bed and the 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine. The tool shows the truck with a 2,069-pound payload capacity and 20,049-pound tow rating when captured about a year ago. A more recent search using the exact same truck results in 1,980 pounds of payload and 15,050 pounds of towing capacity. While the payload change is nearly 100 pounds, the difference of 5,000 pounds of payload can be extremely alarming.
Wait, that Ram truck can’t pull that much?
Clarification came from a Stellantis representative, but instead of actually making things clearer, they’re much more alarming. None of the Ram 2500 configurations are officially rated to tow more than 20,000 pounds. In fact, the greatest tow rating of any 2022 Ram 2500 pickup truck is 19,990 pounds. This begs the question of why this tool would return a figure above the official rating, which makes the problem much worse. Considering this tool is simply programmed to provide results based on the VIN entered, it might be smart for Ram to pull down the tool until it can be fixed.
It’s not only the heavy-duty Rams that have problems?
While some might think that the glitch could only impact one specific model and still trust this tool for the desired information. In some cases, the numbers change in the opposite direction based on how the VIN is entered. By entering the VIN of a 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn Crew Cab 4WD 6’4” bed truck, the results differed immediately.
When the VIN for this half-ton Ram truck was entered with capital letters, the resulting payload is 1,317 pounds, and towing was listed at 11,217 pounds. Change to lowercase letters and the payload increases to 1,780 pounds and towing to 11,240 pounds. Are any of these numbers correct? This seems like more evidence that Ram needs to take this online tool down and either reprogram it or choose another way to list payload and towing numbers.
Should owners work within a buffer for these figures?
It’s easy to understand that it’s unsafe to tow a load that’s rated higher than your truck’s capacity. The same goes for payload. The trouble with the examples given are the changes and listings that go above what Ram has ever offered for a particular truck. Certainly, there should be a buffer between what you need to tow and the maximum rating for your truck, but here’s a problematic scenario.
Which Ram truck makes the most sense?
The maximum tow rating for the Ram 1500 is 12,500 pounds. If you have this half-ton truck in the right configuration to tow at this level, you should feel comfortable towing a trailer that weighs 11,000 pounds. What if the online tool suddenly tells you that your truck now only tows 10,500 pounds? Does this mean you’ve got the wrong Ram truck? Should you have purchased the Ram 2500HD and added the Cummins diesel engine? This configuration costs thousands of dollars more than the Ram 1500 that should be able to handle the job.
Thankfully, there’s a chart you can trust
Similar to all vehicle manufacturers, Ram offers a full towing charge which breaks down the capacities by configuration, making it easy for you to see exactly what your Ram truck can tow and carry. This information is posted on the Ram trucks website, but it seems that Ram should scrap the buggy online tool that offers different results for the same truck and do what General Motors does for its trucks.
How does GM list the information for its trucks?
Instead of leaving the information online for truck owners to look up, why not list the information for each truck on that truck? General Motors provides a trailering information sticker on every pickup and SUV. This sticker offers the GVWR, GCWR, payload, tongue weight, and towing capacity for the truck. This is useful and easy to access, making it much easier for owners to know how much they can pull and carry in their trucks. Of course, this information assumes the truck continues to use factory settings and is void of any aftermarket modifications.
Don’t pull the wrong trailer
Current and future Ram truck owners concerned about the payload and towing capacity of their trucks should avoid the online tool and stick to the chart provided by Ram. The tool is flawed and should be removed until it’s corrected. Even if Stellantis continues to offer this online tool, truck owners don’t have to use it. You should work within a buffer for towing and payload, but that buffer doesn’t need to be so wide that you have to pick a heavy-duty truck when a half-ton pickup gets the job done.
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