What you need to tow with a 2026 Ram 3500

The 2026 Ram 3500 is rated from 14,560 to 36,610 lb depending on engine, axle ratio, cab, bed and drivetrain — a 151% spread. Find your configuration below, then size the hitch to the trailer you are towing, not to the truck's maximum.

A single towing number for this truck would be a lie. 36,610 lb applies to one exact configuration when properly equipped. Same badge, different engine, axle ratio, cab, bed or drivetrain, and the real figure can be thousands of pounds lower. That is why every row below carries its configuration.

2026 Ram 3500 towing by configuration

Engine	Axle	Cab	Bed	Drive	GCWR (lb)	Max trailer (lb)	Requires
6.7L CUMMINS I6 HIGH-OUTPUT TURBO DIESEL/ ZF POWERLINE 8-SPEED AUTOMATIC (DRW)	3.42	Regular Cab	8'Bed	4WD	45,000	36,610	A 5th-wheel or gooseneck hitch is required for trailers over 23,000 lb.
6.7L CUMMINS I6 HIGH-OUTPUT TURBO DIESEL/ ZF POWERLINE 8-SPEED AUTOMATIC (DRW)	3.42	Crew Cab	8'Bed	2WD	43,040	34,490	A 5th-wheel or gooseneck hitch is required for trailers over 23,000 lb.
6.7L CUMMINS I6 HIGH-OUTPUT TURBO DIESEL/ ZF POWERLINE 8-SPEED AUTOMATIC (DRW)	3.42	Crew Cab	8'Bed	4WD	42,800	33,890	A 5th-wheel or gooseneck hitch is required for trailers over 23,000 lb.
6.7L CUMMINS I6 HIGH-OUTPUT TURBO DIESEL/ ZF POWERLINE 8-SPEED AUTOMATIC (DRW)	3.42	Mega Cab	6'4" Bed	4WD	41,950	32,890	A 5th-wheel or gooseneck hitch is required for trailers over 23,000 lb.
6.7L CUMMINS I6 HIGH-OUTPUT TURBO DIESEL/ ZF POWERLINE 8-SPEED AUTOMATIC (SRW)	3.42	Regular Cab	8'Bed	4WD	34,000	26,080	A 5th-wheel or gooseneck hitch is required for trailers over 23,000 lb.
6.7L CUMMINS I6 HIGH-OUTPUT TURBO DIESEL/ ZF POWERLINE 8-SPEED AUTOMATIC (SRW)	3.42	Crew Cab	8'Bed	2WD	33,530	25,490	A 5th-wheel or gooseneck hitch is required for trailers over 23,000 lb.
6.7L CUMMINS I6 HIGH-OUTPUT TURBO DIESEL/ ZF POWERLINE 8-SPEED AUTOMATIC (SRW)	3.42	Crew Cab	8'Bed	4WD	33,610	25,180	A 5th-wheel or gooseneck hitch is required for trailers over 23,000 lb.
6.7L CUMMINS I6 HIGH-OUTPUT TURBO DIESEL/ ZF POWERLINE 8-SPEED AUTOMATIC (SRW)	3.42	Mega Cab	6'4" Bed	4WD	32,720	24,080	A 5th-wheel or gooseneck hitch is required for trailers over 23,000 lb.
6.7L CUMMINS I6 HIGH-OUTPUT TURBO DIESEL/ ZF POWERLINE 8-SPEED AUTOMATIC (SRW)	3.42	Crew Cab	6'4" Bed	2WD	31,850	23,950	A 5th-wheel or gooseneck hitch is required for trailers over 23,000 lb.
6.7L CUMMINS I6 HIGH-OUTPUT TURBO DIESEL/ ZF POWERLINE 8-SPEED AUTOMATIC (SRW)	3.42	Crew Cab	6'4" Bed	4WD	31,820	23,550	A 5th-wheel or gooseneck hitch is required for trailers over 23,000 lb.
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (DRW)	4.10	Regular Cab	8'Bed	2WD	25,000	18,150	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (DRW)	4.10	Regular Cab	8'Bed	4WD	25,000	17,760	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (SRW)	4.10	Regular Cab	8'Bed	2WD	24,250	17,730	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (DRW)	4.10	Crew Cab	8'Bed	2WD	25,000	17,550	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (SRW)	4.10	Crew Cab	6'4" Bed	2WD	24,250	17,340	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (SRW)	4.10	Regular Cab	8'Bed	4WD	24,250	17,330	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (DRW)	4.10	Crew Cab	8'Bed	4WD	25,000	17,200	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (SRW)	4.10	Crew Cab	8'Bed	2WD	24,240	17,170	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (SRW)	4.10	Crew Cab	6'4" Bed	4WD	24,250	17,010	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (SRW)	4.10	Crew Cab	8'Bed	4WD	24,240	16,800	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (DRW)	3.73	Regular Cab	8'Bed	2WD	22,600	15,750	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (SRW)	3.73	Regular Cab	8'Bed	2WD	22,050	15,490	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (DRW)	3.73	Regular Cab	8'Bed	4WD	22,600	15,360	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (DRW)	3.73	Crew Cab	8'Bed	2WD	22,600	15,150	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (SRW)	3.73	Regular Cab	8'Bed	4WD	22,050	15,100	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (SRW)	3.73	Crew Cab	6'4" Bed	2WD	22,050	15,100	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (SRW)	3.73	Crew Cab	8'Bed	2WD	22,000	14,930	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (DRW)	3.73	Crew Cab	8'Bed	4WD	22,600	14,800	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (SRW)	3.73	Crew Cab	6'4" Bed	4WD	22,050	14,770	—
6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (SRW)	3.73	Crew Cab	8'Bed	4WD	22,000	14,560	—

Axle ratio is the spec that gets left out. It changes the rating materially, and no commercial vehicle-data API carries it — which is one reason third-party towing databases have been measured overstating ratings by thousands of pounds. It is on your build sheet, or decodable from the RPO label in the glovebox.

GCWR is the maximum combined weight of the loaded truck and the loaded trailer. Max trailer weight assumes the vehicle is properly equipped and otherwise unloaded — every passenger and every pound of cargo comes off it.

Source: 2026 Ram 3500 manufacturer trailering chart · last verified 2026-08-29

The kit for this truck

Towing hardware is sized to the trailer. Pick the weight you are actually pulling:

These kits size conventional receiver hardware, which is why the list stops at 16,000 lb — that is where the published receiver classes stop. The 36,610 lb figure in the chart above needs a gooseneck or fifth-wheel hitch, and that hardware is a different category this site does not resolve yet: it mounts in the bed rather than behind the bumper, and is sized against your truck's bed rating rather than a receiver class.

Tow 7,000 lb with a 3500 Tow 8,000 lb with a 3500 Tow 9,000 lb with a 3500 Tow 10,000 lb with a 3500 Tow 11,000 lb with a 3500 Tow 12,000 lb with a 3500 Tow 14,000 lb with a 3500 Tow 16,000 lb with a 3500

At this truck's ceiling (36,610 lb) you are past conventional receiver hardware entirely — the highest published receiver class tops out at 20,000 lb. A rating this high is a gooseneck or fifth-wheel rating, which mounts in the bed over the rear axle, and it applies only to a truck equipped for it. See the 16,000 lb kit for this vehicle →

Before you trust any of these numbers

Your payload governs. Addition of trailer hitch weight cannot cause vehicle weights to exceed Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (RGAWR) or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). These ratings can be found on the certification label located on the driver door or doorframe.
Tongue weight is not free. 10–15% of the trailer sits on your rear axle and comes out of payload, not out of tow rating.
Engines in this chart: 6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (SRW) · 6.4L HEMI V8/ 8HP75-LCV (DRW) · 6.7L CUMMINS I6 HIGH-OUTPUT TURBO DIESEL/ ZF POWERLINE 8-SPEED AUTOMATIC (SRW) · 6.7L CUMMINS I6 HIGH-OUTPUT TURBO DIESEL/ ZF POWERLINE 8-SPEED AUTOMATIC (DRW). If yours is not listed, this chart does not cover your configuration.

Common questions

How much can a 2026 Ram 3500 tow?

Between 14,560 and 36,610 lb depending on the exact configuration — that is a 151% spread, so a single headline number is misleading. The 36,610 lb figure requires one specific combination of engine, axle ratio, cab, bed and drivetrain. Look up your own configuration in the table on this page.

What hitch do I need for a 2026 Ram 3500?

Size the hitch to the trailer, not the truck. For a trailer up to 10,000 lb you need Class 4 hardware with a 2 in receiver, plus a weight-distributing hitch with sway control. The truck's rating is a ceiling you must stay under, not the thing you buy for.

Why is there no payload number on this page?

Because payload is specific to your individual vehicle, not to the model. It is printed on the certification label in your driver's door jamb. Published sources disagree with manufacturers in both directions on payload, so stating one per model would be wrong for most trucks. Your tongue weight counts against payload, which is why it matters.