Factory user manual....

[thrashingcows]

...For a 1987 Dodge ram LE250 regular cab.

Looking for the rated towing capacity for my truck. how heavy a trailer can I haul? 360/727, 3:55 Dana and 2wd.

Been searching around on-line and can't find anything.

 

[BootHead]

that info. should be on a decal on your vehicle somewhere.......in the door striker area, underside of the hood, or glove box area:huh:
only 87 I had was a van so shoot me.

any evidence of factory tow package? That ups the numbers a little bit.

Dippy should get this one, he sold hitches all day in between liner jobs.

 

[thrashingcows]

All the door jam sticker states is the GVW, so what I can haul minus the weight of the truck. I need to know the towing capacity.

I had a buddy check his 98 dodge ram 1500 4x4 and it's rated for 7600lbs, his wife's 02 ram is only rated at 6800lbs.

 

[thrashingcows]

Here's why I need this info....


I'm asking this because I'm looking to buy an enclosed trailer. I only have a single car garage and I'm looking to buy a project car to hot rod, and old 48 Desoto. So with an enclosed trailer I can store either the wagon, or the desoto, when I'm not working or driving either.

The problem is that I will need to buy a trailer that has a GVW of 10,000lbs. Since the trailer weighs approx 3000lbs and my wagon is 4600lbs and the desoto will probably be that much as well. So the standard 7000lb trailer rating will not be enough to legally haul/store the car.

If my 87 ram is not up to the job, again leagally, then I will probably start looking for a pre 94 cummins powered ram.

 

[v8440]

I suspect it's not up to the job, legally. By the way, why are you looking for a pre-'94 diesel ram? I think you'd be happier with a '94 to early '98 diesel ram, for a variety of reasons I'd be happy to go into if needed. (Not the least of which is the ease with which you can get FREE extra power out of them, vs the 1st generation ones.)

 

[thrashingcows]

I suspect it's not up to the job, legally. By the way, why are you looking for a pre-'94 diesel ram? I think you'd be happier with a '94 to early '98 diesel ram, for a variety of reasons I'd be happy to go into if needed. (Not the least of which is the ease with which you can get FREE extra power out of them, vs the 1st generation ones.)

I would prefer the pre-94 because of the styling. I just prefer it. Plus down the road I have plans to convert the extended cab long box to a later 70's early 80's crewcab short box.

But I would still love to hear the benifits of the 94-98's. Always looking to learn.

 

[v8440]

Benefits of the 2nd gen diesels...

More comfortable interior, better handling, MUCH stiffer frame (the 1st gen frames were somewhat marginal for the 160 hp engines they received), stronger axles in the 2nd gens, MUCH MUCH MUCH better manual transmissions in the 2nd gens (to the point that the ONLY way to get a good one in a 1st gen is to put an nv4500 from a 2nd gen into it), better (though still kinda crappy) auto transmissions in 2nd gens, MUCH MUCH more power potential from a 2nd gen due to having the bosch p7100 injection pump instead of the bosch rotary pump...

The only real downside I can think of to a 2nd gen is that the front suspension/steering is junk on the 4wd's. There're parts out there to fix them correctly, but you have to spend some money to do it.

(by 2nd gen, I mean the '94 and up trucks, in this particular case being limited to early '98 or earlier. A mid '98 or later will have the 24 valve engine, which due to the crappy fuel system is considerably less reliable than the 12v.