The tow rating on a 2009, 3500, 2/wd, Auto, DRW, 3:73, is only 13800lb, On my 2004, 2500, 2/wd, SRW, Auto, 4:10, is 13,450lb. The only reason I was looking for a new truck was I'm looking at a bigger 5th wheeler, What's up with this, a 3/4 ton truck to a 1 ton and I can only tow 350lb more?

http://www.dodge.com/towing/D/vehicl...E+Transmission

http://www.dodge.com/towing/D/vehicl...c+Transmission

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Its the gearing!

 

Just an educated guess here...the 09 3500 is heavier and Ram is deducting that weight. Gears make a difference too. I know it probably makes no sense to us but its odd how they calculate things.

 

Also the Dodge is the only manual that is rated higher than a slush box auto. Buy a manual if you want to haul more.

 

Not true for the 4th gens! I think it all boils down to gearing and the manual is only available in 3.42 and 3.73 with a max tow rating of 14,300 for a SB 4x2 3500 3.73. The auto is available in 3.42, 3.73, and 4.10 and has a max tow rating of 17,000 for a QC 4x4 3500 4.10. These are for '09 models and are a little different for the '10s and '11s (14,100 for the manual and 17,000 for the auto)...

 

Auto vs Manual trans arguements aside, I agree that it is the overall gearing (such as in the axles) that provides the overall tow rating capability. Automatic equiped truck with 4.10 wins over a manual with 3.73...

I imagine that if the Manual was available with the 4.10 then it would be the king though.

 

Yep its all the 4.10 vs 3.73, get 4.10's if you want to tow heavy.

 

I think the big number that's being overlooked here is GVWR, the 3500 has ~2000lb more payload capacity than the 2500 in the specs linked above. If you're running close to GVWR due to pin weight but are still a bit below GCVWR then a 3500 would give you some breathing room.