One of the reasons people get pickup trucks is that they are supremely capable vehicles when it comes to towing and hauling, and putting your truck to work for you can be rewarding and exciting. They look tough; they are tough. Especially the pickup trucks in our RAM inventory near Stafford and Houston here at Gillman Chrysler Jeep Dodge RAM, like the popular and capable 2015 RAM 1500. But there are some things you should know about towing and hauling to help you maximize your truck's performance and to help keep you safer.
When you check out the 2015 RAM 1500 at Gillman Chrysler Jeep Dodge RAM you will want to pay attention to its specs. The following are a good place to start:
GCVW (Gross Combined Vehicle Weight): this is the total amount of weight the truck can handle, fully loaded, and includes payload, passengers, and the trailer, boat, or other items you tow.
GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight): this is the total amount of weight minus towing.
GTW (Gross Trailer Weight): this is the total weight of a fully loaded trailer or other towed item.
Curb Weight: this is the total weight of the truck with gas, oil and fluids, and standard equipment, minus cargo and passengers.
Axle Ratio: this is the ratio of driveshaft rpm (revolutions per minute) to the rear axle. Generally a lower number means more efficiency from the engine, and a higher number means more power for towing.
Trailer Tongue Weight: this is the downward pressure or force the trailer coupler exerts on the trailer hitch ball. This corresponds to GTW, and ideally the trailer tongue weight should only be between 10 percent and 25 percent.
The 2015 RAM 1500 is designed to do big things like towing heavy trailers and boats and anything else you can attach to its trailer hitch. When you know all the basics about towing you can really put this tough pickup truck to use and put its max towing capacity and max payload capacity to work for you. So come to Gillman Chrysler Jeep Dodge RAM to check out the 2015 RAM 1500 in our Stafford-area RAM inventory today!