Toting a yard-and-a-half of bark mulch to a jobsite in the bed is a typical task for a landscaper’s pickup and just the type of job to test the payload capacity and handling of Ram’s 2014 EcoDiesel 1500 Crew Cab 4×4.
When Lane Forrest Products’ loader operator dropped the first bucket full, the suspension sagged a few inches as 800 pounds of Hemlock mulch spilled into the bed.
The Ram’s rear suspension dropped a little more as another 400 pounds of mulch topped off what would be covering for a flowerbed remodeling project.
Putting the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel’s load capacity question to bed at Lane Forrest Products.
The Big Horn Crew Cab I was testing didn’t have the optional four-corner air-suspension system.
Still it handled the 1,200-pound load-its max load carrying capacity with the 3.0L EcoDiesel V-6 and 3.55 axles-as expected, the rear squatting to put the truck at a level attitude.
Driving with the max load shows how well Ram engineers did tuning the coil rear suspension; the truck feels similar to what you’d expect in a loaded pickup with leaf-springs.
Acceleration wasn’t an issue either as the EcoDiesel V-6’s 420 ft-lbs of torque and the 8-speed automatic pulled the weight like a V-8.
Senior Editor Bruce Smith hard at work during Ram 1500 road test. (Photo By Larry Walton/Editorial Services West.)
Braking was equally strong as the four-wheel discs do a great job handling the stopping tasks.
And when I got to the house to unload, it was nice having the optional ($595) ParkView rear camera and ParkSense sensors as safety aids as I backed up.
The most demanding aspect of this part of my road test was shoveling out a yard-and-a-half of moist mulch.
Putting the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel’s load capacity question to bed at Lane Forrest Products.
Senior Editor Bruce Smith hard at work during Ram 1500 road test. (Photo By Larry Walton/Editorial Services West.)
