Ram · Heavy-duty 1-ton pickup
Ram 3500 towing capacity & payload by year
Maximum towing and payload for every Ram 3500 generation from 2003–2026, with the engines behind each rating — and what is really left once the truck is loaded.
2019–present · 5th gen (Ram 3500)
37,090 lb
maximum towing, properly equipped
What's left after passengers and cargo → Ram 3500 bed sizes & specs →
Manufacturer maximum for a best-case configuration. Cab, bed, drivetrain, axle ratio and options all move the real number, usually downward. Your truck's own limits are on the door-jamb sticker and in the owner's manual.
Ram 3500 towing & payload, generation by generation
| Years | Generation | Max towing | Max payload | Engines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–present | 5th gen (Ram 3500) | 37,090 lb | 7,680 lb | 6.4L HEMI V8 (410 hp) · 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel I6 (SO) (370 hp) · 6.7L Cummins High-Output Turbo Diesel I6 (420 hp) |
| 2010–2018 | 4th gen (Ram 3500) | 31,210 lb | 7,390 lb | 5.7L HEMI V8 (2010-2013) (345 hp) · 6.4L HEMI V8 (2014+) (410 hp) · 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel I6 (385 hp) |
| 2003–2009 | 3rd gen (Dodge Ram 3500) | 16,850 lb | 5,130 lb | 5.9L Cummins Turbo Diesel I6 (325 hp) · 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel I6 (2007.5+) (350 hp) · 5.7L HEMI V8 (2004+) (345 hp) |
Ratings from before the mid-2010s were set by each manufacturer's own method. The industry-wide SAE J2807 standard adopted since then is stricter, so a modern figure and an older one are not strictly comparable even on the same model.
Trucks that tow about the same
The closest models on record by maximum towing — the natural cross-shop if the rating is what you are buying on.
Ram 3500 towing — frequently asked
How much can a Ram 3500 tow?
The current Ram 3500 (2019–present) is rated up to 37,090 lb. That is the maximum for one specific configuration — usually the lighter cab and bed with the tow package and the right axle ratio. A loaded crew-cab four-by-four of the same year will be meaningfully below it, and the number on your door-jamb sticker is the one that counts.
What is the payload capacity of a Ram 3500?
Up to 7,680 lb across the generations on this page. Payload covers everything the truck carries rather than pulls: passengers, everything in the cab and the bed, a tonneau cover, and the tongue weight the trailer puts on the hitch. That last one is why trucks so often run out of payload while still well inside their towing rating — a 7,000 lb trailer at 12 per cent tongue weight puts 840 lb into the bed before you have loaded anything.
Has the Ram 3500's towing capacity changed over the years?
Yes — across 2003–2026 the maximum rating has risen, from 16,850 lb on the oldest generation on record to 37,090 lb on the current one. Comparing across generations is not quite like for like, though: the SAE J2807 tow-rating standard was adopted industry-wide in the mid-2010s, and it produced lower, more honest numbers than the in-house methods that came before it.
Does a tonneau cover reduce what my Ram 3500 can carry?
It comes out of payload, not towing capacity. A hard folding or retractable cover typically weighs 50 to 80 lb, and that sits in the same budget as passengers, cargo and tongue weight. On a crew cab already close to its payload limit, it is worth counting — on a truck with plenty of margin, it is noise.
What should I actually plan to tow with a Ram 3500?
Take the rating that applies to your exact truck from the door-jamb sticker, then plan to stay under roughly 80 per cent of it. That margin is what absorbs grades, headwinds, altitude and the fact that a trailer's real loaded weight is always higher than its dry weight. Then check payload separately, because that is usually the limit you hit first.
