Breaking Down the 2021 Ram 1500's Towing Capacities

The 2021 Ram 1500’s top trim levels are the most luxurious in its class, but where does towing capacity fall for such a posh truck? Ranging from 6,290 pounds to 12,750 pounds, there’s plenty of towing range for those looking into the new Ram 1500. Read on to see our guide to the 2021 Ram 1500’s towing capacities. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that Ram recommends using a weight distribution hitch for towing anything more than 5,000 pounds.

Related: Pickup Trucks 101: Why Weight Capacities Are Important

What we list below are the highest ratings available with an empty truck. Adding options and other payload items or people can decrease the maximum towing capacity. Be sure to never exceed any of the weight ratings for the truck or trailer. Knowing how much a truck is rated to tow and following those ratings will keep drivers safe and provide a good base for those looking to purchase a new trailer.

What’s the 2021 Ram 1500’s Maximum Towing Capacity?

The Ram 1500’s maximum towing capacity of 12,750 pounds is achieved in the Tradesman Quad Cab (extended cab with four doors) configuration with the 6-foot-4-inch bed, two-wheel drive and 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 with eTorque (Ram’s mild-hybrid system). The only required item on top of that is the Max Tow Package that includes 18-by-8-inch wheels, a 3.92:1 axle ratio, a full-size spare tire, LT275/65R18 tires and the Trailer-Tow Group. The Trailer-Tow Group includes a Class IV receiver hitch, trailer tow mirrors and trailer brake controller. The price of this configuration starts around $38,000 with destination charge.

What’s the 2021 Ram 1500’s Minimum Towing Capacity?

The lowest tow rating for the 2021 Ram 1500 is 6,290 pounds, available in a variety of trims, including the Tradesman, Big Horn/Lone Star, Laramie and Laramie Longhorn/Limited; the Big Horn/Lone Star and Laramie Longhorn/Limited pairings are essentially the same package but go by different names depending on where it’s sold. All configurations with this minimum tow rating are crew-cab models (the 1500’s largest cab) with the 3.21 axle ratio, a 6-foot-4-inch bed, four-wheel drive and the 3.6-liter V-6. Pricing starts around $41,000 for the Tradesman and goes up to roughly $58,000 for the starting price of the Laramie Longhorn/Limited.

Max Towing Capacity by Engine

Ram currently offers five engines for 2021. There are only two transmission options, both eight speeds: the Stellantis-built 850RE paired with the 3.6-liter V-6, and the ZF-made 8HP75 with the V-8s and EcoDiesel.

3.6-Liter V-6 With eTorque (305 Horsepower, 269 Pounds-Feet of Torque)

The V-6’s highest tow rating is 7,740 pounds in the 2WD Quad Cab with the 6-foot-4-inch bed. It’s available in two trims: Tradesman and Big Horn/Lone Star.

Both have the 3.55 axle ratio. The Tradesman starts around $34,000, while the Big Horn/Lone Star start near $39,000. The second highest tow rating is 7,640 pounds available in the 2WD Laramie Quad Cab with the 6-foot-4 bed, which starts near $44,000. The third highest is 7,620 pounds in the 2WD Limited crew cab with a 5-foot-7-inch bed and 3.55 axle ratio. It starts around $59,000.

5.7-Liter Hemi (395 HP, 410 Pounds-Feet)

The maximum tow rating for the non-eTorque Hemi is 11,650 pounds in the Quad Cab with a 6-foot-4-inch bed. All three max towing configurations with the 5.7-liter Hemi are 2WD with the 3.92 axle ratio. There are three trim levels with this tow rating: Tradesman, Big Horn/Lone Star and Laramie. Prices start around $37,000 for the Tradesman and go to more than $46,000 for the Laramie. The second highest rating is 11,500 pounds for all six trim levels of the crew cab with the 6-foot-4 bed except the Rebel that comes with the 5-foot-7-inch-bed. Prices start around $40,000 for the Tradesman to around $59,000 for the Limited. The third highest rating is 11,450 pounds for the crew cab with the 3.92 axle ratio and a 5-foot-7 bed in four different trim levels: Tradesman, Big Horn/Lone Star, Laramie and Laramie Longhorn/Limited. Prices start around $40,000 for the Tradesman and top $59,000 for the Laramie Longhorn/Limited.

5.7-Liter Hemi With eTorque (395 HP, 410 Pounds-Feet)

The 5.7-liter Hemi eTorque’s highest rating is 12,750 pounds in the 2WD Tradesman Quad Cab with the 6-foot-4-inch bed and Max Tow Package; it starts around $38,000. Following that up are three trim levels in 2WD with the 3.92 axle and 6-foot-4 bed at 11,560 pounds. They are the Tradesman, Big Horn/Lonestar, and Laramie. Prices range from about $38,000 for the Tradesman to around $46,000 for the Laramie. Coming in third for this engine is a rating of 11,410 pounds available in four trim levels: Tradesman, Big Horn/Lonestar, Laramie and Laramie Longhorn/Limited. All of them are 2WD crew cabs with the 3.92 axle ratio and 6-foot-4 bed. Starting prices range from around $40,000 for the Tradesman to about $59,000 for the Limited.

Related: Pickup Trucks 101: How Much Can My Truck Tow?

3.0-Liter V-6 Diesel (260 HP, 480 Pounds-Feet)

The maximum tow rating for the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel is 12,560 pounds in the 2WD Tradesman Quad Cab with the 6-foot-4-inch bed and Max Tow Package; this configuration starts around $41,000. Next up is 10,080 pounds in the same trim without the Max Tow Package but including the 3.92 axle ratio. This starts around $40,000. The third highest rating is 10,040 pounds in the 2WD Big Horn/Lone Star Quad Cab with the 6-foot-4-inch bed. This one includes the Max Tow Package and starts around $42,000.

Max Towing Capacities by Cab

Quad Cab

The Quad Cab has only one bed length option (6 feet, 4 inches and 140.5-inch wheelbase) and offers the 12,750-pound maximum towing capacity available in the Ram 1500. It is the Tradesman trim level configured with 2WD and the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 with eTorque. The only required option is the Max Tow Package that includes the 3.92 axle ratio. This configuration starts around $38,000.

Crew Cab With 5-Foot-7-Inch Bed

Crew-cab models with the 5-foot-7-inch bed and 144.6-inch wheelbase have a maximum towing capacity of 11,500 pounds. Oddly enough, this highest crew-cab tow rating comes with the Ram 1500 Rebel and non-eTorque 5.7-liter V-8 engine with 2WD, starting around $50,000.

Crew Cab With 6-Foot-4-Inch Bed

There’s 11,500 pounds of towing capacity available in the crew cab with the 6-foot-4-inch bed and 153.5-inch wheelbase. This capacity is available in 2WD with the 3.92 axle ratio and in four trim levels: Tradesman, Big Horn/Lone Star, Laramie and Laramie Limited/Longhorn. Prices range from around $40,000 for the Tradesman to about $59,000 for the Laramie Longhorn/Limited.

Four-Wheel Drive

The maximum rating for a four-wheel-drive Ram 1500 is 11,430 pounds with a Quad Cab and 6-foot-4-inch bed in the Tradesman, Big Horn/Lone Star and Laramie trims using the 3.92 axle ratio and 5.7-liter Hemi without eTorque. The Tradesman in this configuration starts around $40,000 and goes up to the Laramie starting near $50,000.

The next highest 4WD Ram 1500 is the Rebel with Quad Cab, 6-foot-4 bed and non-eTorque V-8 at 11,360 pounds using the 3.92 axle ratio, starting around $51,000.

The third-highest towing capacity configurations with 4WD are with the eTorque V-8 at 13,330 pounds in the Quad Cab, 6-foot-4 bed configuration and 3.92 axle ratio of the Tradesman, Big Horn/Lone Star and Laramie, ranging from $40,000 to $50,000.

What’s the Ram Rebel’s Towing Capacity?

The Ram 1500 Rebel reaches its max tow rating of 11,500 pounds with the non-eTorque Hemi and Trailer-Tow Group in crew-cab configuration with 2WD and the 5-foot-7-inch bed. That rating decreases to 11,400 pounds when the eTorque V-8 is selected with all else remaining the same. For the Quad Cab model with the 6-foot-4 bed and 4WD, the most it’s rated to tow is 11,360 pounds with the non-eTorque Hemi, 4WD and Trailer-Tow Group. All of these top Rebel towing trims start at around $50,000.

What’s the Ram TRX’s Towing Capacity?

With a 702-hp, supercharged 6.2-liter V-8, the Ram 1500 TRX is the most powerful engine ever offered in a pickup truck from the factory. Given its incredible off-road performance, the TRX has a respectable towing capacity of 8,100 pounds. This starts around $72,000.

More From PickupTrucks.com and Cars.com:

• 2019 Ram 1500: 5 Things We Love (and 5 We Don’t)
• 2021 Ram 1500 TRX Review: Thoroughly Entertaining
• 2019 Ram 1500 With Air Suspension: What You Need to Know Before Towing
• What’s New for Ram for 2021?

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