does anyone know how i can find out what my rear end gear ratio is? I have an 05 dodge ram 1500 4x4 4.7 liter v-8 and i'm trying to find out exact towing capability.
I currently have a Puma 26rlss that the dry weight is 6170 lbs. I am looking at a Flagstaff 831krss which has a dry weight of 5971. (it is their ultra lite model)
The flagstaff is 5 foot longer then what i have now so sway may be an issue but not one of my major concerns. i've pulled my current one up over Hwy 441 thru the smoky mountains and it was quite a pull for the 4.7 liter but on normal hills it seems to be fine doing just under the speed limit.
What i'm finding is my truck is rated at 7100 lbs but i also read somewhere that it depends on the rear end.
The truck is definitly set up for towing. Trans. cooler, oil cooler,7 pin plug factory installed. So I would beleive that it would have a rear end designed for better towing also, but i just dont know.
Any suggestions or comments would be great.

Take your vin# of the truck into a Dodge Dealership and they will pull up on the computer everything about your truck engine size - rear end and all from just the vin#.
It is all a code in the Vin.

You may also be able to enter your VIN on the owners section of www.Chrysler.com

There should be a tag on the axle itself that tells what axle and what ratio it is. Sometimes it takes some decoding and other times it's fairly obvious if your familiar with common ratio's. Not sure how mechanically inclined you may be but I can tell you how to open it up and look at it if you want to see what you've got. A good time to do this is when you change the gear oil in it, if you do that sort of thing on your own. I personnally do EVERYTHING myself, but I know many poeple don't. I rebuilt the rear axle in my Durango last year myself due to a bad pinion bearing. Just a typical weekend project around my house.