The 2021 Ram Heavy Duty Gets a Gargantuan 1075 lb-ft of Torque, 37,100-lb Tow Rating
Addicted to comparing tow ratings and torque numbers on all of America's latest trucks? Ram's newest Heavy Duty model is pushing boundaries once again. For 2021, it gets more torque, and the highest tow rating in its class (though not by much).
Ram announced today a handful of updates given to its Heavy Duty 3500, most of which are under the skin. The 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel straight-six gets a variable-geometry turbocharger as well as a better-flowing fuel delivery system, allowing it to make 1075 lb-ft of torque—75 more than last year's model. Power numbers for the new engine haven't been disclosed, though we expect it to make around the same 400 horses.
The 2021 Heavy Duty's frame includes fully boxed rails, as well as a structural rear-axle crossmember, both there to handle the truck's increased towing capacity. Thanks to a new in-house fifth-wheel hitch design from Ram Engineering, the truck is able to pull a maximum of 37,100 pounds. With a conventional rear-mounted hitch, that number drops to 23,000 pounds. Maximum payload is 7680 pounds.
That maximum towing capacity makes the 3500 the most capable truck in its segment, beating out the 2020 Ford Super Duty's capacity by exactly 100 pounds, or a measly 0.27 percent. The internal war between the big three and their towing capacities is going on strong.
Other upgrades for 2021 include an available digital rear-view mirror that can display video in real time from a rear-facing camera, in case you want to get a better look at your haul. And if you'd rather not look at a screen to check your six, it can be turned off, reverting back to a normal rear-facing mirror.
Production for the 2021 Heavy Duty is set to begin later this month. Ram has yet to announce pricing, but like the incremental increase in towing capabilities, expect it to be slightly more expensive than the outgoing model's MSRP.
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