In the ongoing battle for the hearts and minds of truckbuyers, the Big Three use everything at their disposal to get the market stoked for what’s to come. One recent example is the announcement from Ram Trucks, in which CEO Reid Bigland stated that the entire 2015 lineup–including half-tons, three-quarter-tons, and one-tons–will shift to the J2807 Towing Standards as established by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
By The Numbers
Per the new SAE J2807 standard, the tow ratings for the 2015 lineup are as follows:
- Ram 1500 V-6 with 3.6-liter gasoline Pentastar – 7,600 pounds
- Ram 1500 V-6 with 3.0-liter EcoDiesel – 9,200 pounds
- Ram 1500 V-8 with 5.7-liter gasoline HEMI – 10,650 pounds
- Ram 2500 V-8 with 6.4-liter gasoline HEMI – 16,300 pounds
- Ram 2500 with 6.7-liter Cummins diesel – 17,970 pounds
- Ram 3500 V-8 with 6.4-liter gasoline HEMI – 16,420 pounds
- Ram 3500 with 6.7-liter Cummins diesel – 30,000 pounds
The J2807 standards were established in 2008 and revised in 2010, after decades of subjective and unreliable numbers thrown around by Ford, GM, and Chrysler had left people with nothing but educated guesses. Based on four fields, including acceleration, climbing, launching, and weight, the standard (“Performance Requirements for Determining Tow-Vehicle Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) and Trailer Weight Rating (TWR)”) aims to bring unbiased authenticity to the field of tow rating. Most recently, the standard was expanded to include vehicles that fall within the 14,000-pound Gross Vehicle Weight Ratio (GVWR) category.
“Ram Truck has been preparing for integration of the SAE towing standard over the past few years and adding heavier ¾- and 1-ton trucks to the criteria gives it more teeth,” said Mike Cairns, Director – Ram Truck Engineering, Chrysler Group LLC. “For too long, an uneven playing field existed and towing capacities went unchecked. We’re happy to be the only pickup truck manufacturer to align with the SAE J2807 towing standard across our pickup truck lineup.”