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Attempting to get a higher tow rating

1K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  highlandchef 
#1 ·
Looking to beef up my truck to get a higher tow rating. It's a 2001 1500 Ram 4x4 quad cab 5.9 w/ tow package 110k miles. Mostly tow a 26' camper and on flat land its ok but I usually camp in the mountains and climbing up some of those hills scare me i'm just worried i'm over working the truck, so i'm looking at a few things I can do to fix this. One of the huge things that's hurting me I know is I have about 7" of lift and 37" tires on it, but this I am not willing to get rid of.

The truck is very well maintained, runs smooth, have some basic bolt ons Intake/headers/exhaust. I just ordered the plenum gasket repair kit just to be ahead of the game, and also a superchips tuner so I think power wise i'll be ok. Now i'm worried about blowing out drivetrain components, especially with the 37"s. I know I could swap out to 4.56 gears but thats a little to pricey for me right now.
A friend of mine keeps tring to sell me his 98 2500 5.9 witch is in rough shape for pretty cheap, could I swap the axles from that truck on mine without much modification. Is the 2500 tranny any different than mine, would it be worth it to swap that as well. The 2500 has a tow rating of about 1000#'s more than the 1500 with the same motor, is that just from the 8 lug axles?
 
#2 ·
In short you cannot increase the tow rating of a vehicle. That's not to say you can't increase it's capabilities but legally it will have the same rating. Guys who are serious off-roaders beef up all the time.

Doing it for towing though has other issues. If you are involved in an accident and your load exceeds the trucks rating your insurance company may not cover you. That could leave you out of pocket and liable for someone else's losses as well.

The 2500 has stronger axels, brakes, frame etc.
 
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