Ram Boosts 3500’s Tow Rating with Fifth-Wheel Option

Photo of 2018 Ram 3500 courtesy of FCA.

Ram has increased the towing capability of its 3500 Heavy Duty pickup for the 2018 model year by offering a fifth-wheel option that would boost the maximum trailer weight rating to 30,000 pounds, Fiat Chrysler has announced.

With the updated capability, the 2018 Ram 3500 would rival towing capabilities offered by Class 4 and 5 medium-duty trucks.

The increase has been enabled by a more powerful 6.7-liter Cummins turbo-diesel and a reconfigured design of the truck. Ram will offer the fifth-wheel as an upgrade through its Mopar Parts division (Part#: 82215769) or an upfit package. The part will retail for $1,395.

The boost adds more than 600 pounds of additional towing capability to a truck that offered 23,770 pounds of maximum trailer weight in 2017 with a traditional towing setup. The 2018 truck can tow 20,000 pounds with a traditional setup.

For 2018, Ram upgraded the truck's inline-six cylinder Cummins engine by increasing torque by 30 lb.-ft. to 930 lb.-ft. The higher torque was achieved through a variable geometry turbo and flow rate increases through the fuel delivery system, according to Ram.

"We understand the attributes most important to our customers within the heavy-duty segment; they demand hard-working, long-lasting capability," said Mike Manley, head of Jeep and Ram Brand.

The 2018 Ram 3500 will arrive at dealer lots this month.

Related: Ram Raises Capacities for 2017 Chassis Cab Trucks

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

Ram Boosts 3500’s Tow Rating with Fifth-Wheel Option

Photo of 2018 Ram 3500 courtesy of FCA.

Ram has increased the towing capability of its 3500 Heavy Duty pickup for the 2018 model year by offering a fifth-wheel option that would boost the maximum trailer weight rating to 30,000 pounds, Fiat Chrysler has announced.

With the updated capability, the 2018 Ram 3500 would rival towing capabilities offered by Class 4 and 5 medium-duty trucks.

The increase has been enabled by a more powerful 6.7-liter Cummins turbo-diesel and a reconfigured design of the truck. Ram will offer the fifth-wheel as an upgrade through its Mopar Parts division (Part#: 82215769) or an upfit package. The part will retail for $1,395.

The boost adds more than 600 pounds of additional towing capability to a truck that offered 23,770 pounds of maximum trailer weight in 2017 with a traditional towing setup. The 2018 truck can tow 20,000 pounds with a traditional setup.

For 2018, Ram upgraded the truck's inline-six cylinder Cummins engine by increasing torque by 30 lb.-ft. to 930 lb.-ft. The higher torque was achieved through a variable geometry turbo and flow rate increases through the fuel delivery system, according to Ram.

"We understand the attributes most important to our customers within the heavy-duty segment; they demand hard-working, long-lasting capability," said Mike Manley, head of Jeep and Ram Brand.

The 2018 Ram 3500 will arrive at dealer lots this month.

Related: Ram Raises Capacities for 2017 Chassis Cab Trucks

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

Imports Expected to Hit New Monthly, Annual Records

Boosted by continuing sales growth, August is expected to be the busiest month on record for imports at the nation's major retail container ports and 2017 is on track to set a new annual high, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released Friday by the trade group the National Retail Federation (NRF) and the consulting firm Hackett Associates.

“Retailers are selling more and that means they need to import more,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy said. “With sales showing year-over-year increases almost every month for a long time now, retail supply chains are working hard to keep up.”

Ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 1.69 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in June, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That is down 2% from May but up 7.5% from June 2016. July was estimated at 1.72 million TEUs, up 5.6% from the same time last year. One TEU is one 20-foot-long cargo container or its equivalent.

August is forecast at 1.75 million TEUs, up 2.1% from last year. That would be the highest monthly volume recorded since NRF began tracking imports in 2000, topping the 1.73 million TEUs seen in March 2015. The 1.7 million-plus numbers seen in May and July and now expected for August and October would represent four of the six busiest months in the report's history.

September is forecast at 1.67 million TEUs, up 4.7% from last year; October at 1.72 million TEUs, up 3%; November at 1.62 million TEUs, down 1.4%, and December at 1.59 million TEUs, up 1.5%.

Those numbers would bring 2017 to a total of 19.7 million TEUs, topping last year's previous record of 18.8 million TEUs by 4.9%. That compares with 2016's 3.1% increase over 2015. While July numbers are not yet final, the ...Read the rest of this story

Ram Truck beefs up 2018 model 3500 HD pickup

With the start of 2018 model year production, Ram Truck is boosting the capability of its 3500 HD pickup model; increasing available torque for its optional diesel engine package and adding an optional fifth wheel designed by Ram Engineering that can tow up to 30,000 lbs.

Working closely Cummins, Ram said the 3500 model for 2018 will feature higher boost limits through a variable geometry turbo and flow rate increases through the fuel delivery system for its optional Cummins 6.7-liter I-6 diesel engine.

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Research Shows Promise for New Source of Rubber for Tires

Guayule is a shrub that grows in the Southwest and produces a rubber that can be used in tires.

You could see tires in the future made from rubber from a domestic plant rather than the traditional rubber tree, as a five-year study led by Cooper Tire & Rubber showed good results for passenger tires.

Guayule, a shrub grown in the U.S. Southwest, contains a type of rubber that can be processed to use in tires. Cooper worked with a consortium of researchers with a five-year grant to study the feasibility of using guayule in tires rather than Hevea natural rubber, sourced primarily from Southeast Asia.

The team created more than 450 concept tires made entirely of guayule and put them through extensive evaluation, including rigorous wheel and road tests, and says the tires were found to have overall performance at least as good as tires made with Hevea and synthetic rubber. And they performed significantly better in rolling resistance, wet handling and wet braking, according to Cooper.

“Based on our findings, Cooper could use guayule rubber in tire production tomorrow if enough material was available to meet our production needs at a competitive price. To make this happen, the combined effort of government, agriculture and industry is needed to grow the plants and create large-scale manufacturing operations to product the rubber for use in the tire industry.”

In addition, consortium member Clemson University reported on a life cycle analysis on the environmental impact of producing tires from guayule and found 6% to 30% lower emissions.

In addition to Cooper and Clemson, the consortium included Cornell University, PanAridus (which supplied the raw material guayule rubber), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's research arm. The grant was from the USDA and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Related: Tire Makers Look for Alternatives to Natural Rubber

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Wabash says acquisition helps prepare for logistics transformation

The impending purchase of truck body maker Supreme Industries by trailer maker Wabash National Corp. for roughly $364 million – a deal analysts don't expect to be held up by anti-trust concerns – is being characterized as a response to supply chain changes being wrought by rising e-commerce activity.

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Trail King introduces new detachable gooseneck trailer

Trail King Industries, Inc. introduced its Commercial MG-HG detachable gooseneck trailer featuring interchangeable gooseneck styles.

The Commercial MG-HG trailer is engineered to offer corrosion resistance through moisture trapping areas that have been designed out of the structure of the trailer. According to the company, the trailer is primed and painted before air, hydraulic, and electrical lines and decking are installed for complete protection from the elements.

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