2013 Ram 2500 trailer

▫Power Steering Fluid Check ..............467
 FUEL SAVER TECHNOLOGY 5.7L ENGINE ONLY
– IF EQUIPPED ....................... .468
 PARKING BRAKE ..................... .468
 BRAKE SYSTEM ...................... .470
▫ Four-Wheel Anti-Lock Brake System ........471
▫ Hydraulic Brake Assist – 2500/3500 Models Only
– Except Power Wagon ..................472
 ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEM . . . .473
▫ Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) ............473
▫ Traction Control System (TCS) – If Equipped . .474
▫ Brake Assist System (BAS) – If Equipped . . . .474
▫ Hill Start Assist (HSA) – If Equipped ........475▫
Hill Descent Control (HDC) – If Equipped (Power
Wagon Only) ....................... .479
▫ Electronic Stability Control (ESC) – If
Equipped .......................... .480
▫ ESC Activation/Malfunction Indicator Light
And ESC OFF Indicator Light ............484
▫ Trailer Sway Control (TSC) – If Equipped . . . .485
 TIRE SAFETY INFORMATION .............487
▫ Tire Markings ....................... .487
▫ Tire Identification Number (TIN) ...........490
▫ Tire Terminology And Definitions ..........492
▫ Tire Loading And Tire Pressure ...........493
 TIRES — GENERAL INFORMATION ........498
▫ Tire Pressure ....................... .498
338 STARTING AND OPERATING

TRAILER TOWING .....................539
▫ Common Towing Definitions .............539
▫ Trailer Hitch Type and Maximum Trailer
Weight ............................ .544
▫ Trailer Towing Weights (Maximum Trailer
Weight Ratings) ..................... .545
▫ Trailer And Tongue Weight ..............549
▫ Towing Requirements ..................550
▫ Towing Tips ........................ .560
SNOWPLOW ........................ .561
▫ 1500 Models Only .....................561
▫ 2500/3500 Models Only .................562
 RECREATIONAL TOWING (BEHIND
MOTORHOME, ETC.) ...................566
▫ Towing This Vehicle Behind Another Vehicle . .566
▫ Recreational Towing – Two-Wheel Drive
Models ............................ .567
▫ Recreational Towing – Four-Wheel Drive
Models ............................ .568
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NEUTRAL
Use this range when the vehicle is standing for prolonged
periods with the engine running. The engine may be
started in this range. Apply the parking brake and shift
the transmission into PARK if you must leave the vehicle.
WARNING!
Do not coast in NEUTRAL and never turn off the
ignition to coast down a hill. These are unsafe
practices that limit your response to changing traffic
or road conditions. You might lose control of the
vehicle and have a collision.
CAUTION!
Towing the vehicle, coasting, or driving for any other
reason with the transmission in NEUTRAL can cause
(Continued)
CAUTION!(Continued)
severe transmission damage. Refer to “Recreational
Towing” in “Starting And Operating” and “Towing A
Disabled Vehicle” in “What To Do In Emergencies”
for further information.
DRIVE
This range should be used for most city and highway
driving. It provides the smoothest upshifts and down-
shifts, and the best fuel economy. The transmission
automatically upshifts through all forward gears. The
DRIVE position provides optimum driving characteris-
tics under all normal operating conditions.
When frequent transmission shifting occurs (such as
when operating the vehicle under heavy loading condi-
tions, in hilly terrain, traveling into strong head winds, or
while towing heavy trailers), use the Electronic Range
Select (ERS) switches (refer to Electronic Range Select
360 STARTING AND OPERATING

To exit ERS mode, simply press and hold the GEAR+
switch until “D” is once again displayed in the instru-
ment cluster.
WARNING!
Do not downshift for additional engine braking on a
slippery surface. The drive wheels could lose their
grip and the vehicle could skid, causing a collision or
personal injury.
When to Use TOW/HAUL Mode
When driving in hilly areas, towing a trailer, carrying a
heavy load, etc., and frequent transmission shifting oc-
curs, press the TOW/HAUL switch to activate TOW/
HAUL mode. This will improve performance and reduce
the potential for transmission overheating or failure due
to excessive shifting.
1 — ERS (-) Switch2 — ERS (+) Switch
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STARTING AND OPERATING 363

WARNING!
Do not coast in NEUTRAL and never turn off the
ignition to coast down a hill. These are unsafe
practices that limit your response to changing traffic
or road conditions. You might lose control of the
vehicle and have a collision.
CAUTION!
Towing the vehicle, coasting, or driving for any other
reason with the transmission in NEUTRAL can cause
severe transmission damage. Refer to “Recreational
Towing” in “Starting And Operating” and “Towing A
Disabled Vehicle” in “What To Do In Emergencies”
for further information.DRIVE
This range should be used for most city and highway
driving. It provides the smoothest upshifts and down-
shifts, and the best fuel economy. The transmission
automatically upshifts through underdrive first and sec-
ond gears, direct third gear and overdrive fourth and
fifth gears. The DRIVE position provides optimum driv-
ing characteristics under all normal operating conditions.
To access all six available gears, you must use the
Electronic Range Select (ERS) shift control, described
below.
When frequent transmission shifting occurs (such as
when operating the vehicle under heavy loading condi-
tions, in hilly terrain, traveling into strong head winds, or
while towing heavy trailers), use the Electronic Range
Select (ERS) shift control (refer to “Electronic Range
Select (ERS) Operation)” in this section) to select a lower
gear range. Under these conditions, using a lower gear
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STARTING AND OPERATING 369

range will improve performance and extend transmission
life by reducing excessive shifting and heat buildup.
If the transmission temperature exceeds normal operat-
ing limits, the powertrain controller will modify the
transmission shift schedule and expand the range of
torque converter clutch engagement. This is done to
prevent transmission damage due to overheating.
If the transmission becomes extremely hot or is in danger
of overheating, the “Transmission Temperature Warning
Light” may illuminate and the transmission may operate
differently until the transmission cools down.NOTE:
Use caution when operating a heavily loaded
vehicle at low speeds (such as towing a trailer up a steep
grade, or in stop-and-go traffic) during hot weather. In
these conditions, torque converter slip can impose a
significant additional heat load on the cooling system.
Downshifting the transmission to the lowest possible
gear (when climbing a grade), or shifting to NEUTRAL
(when stopped in heavy traffic) can help to reduce this
excess heat generation.
During cold temperatures, transmission operation may
be modified depending on engine and transmission
temperature as well as vehicle speed. This feature im-
proves warm up time of the engine and transmission to
achieve maximum efficiency. Engagement of both the
torque converter clutch and the top overdrive gear are
inhibited until the transmission fluid is warm (refer to the
“Note” under “Torque Converter Clutch” in this section).
During extremely cold temperatures (-16°F [-27°C] or
below), operation may briefly be limited to first and
370 STARTING AND OPERATING

Electronic Range Select (ERS) Operation -
Six-Speed Transmission
The Electronic Range Select (ERS) shift control allows the
driver to limit the highest available gear when the shift
lever is in the DRIVE position. For example, if you shift
the transmission into 3 (third gear), the transmission will
not shift above third gear, but will shift down into second
and first gears normally.
Use of ERS (or TOW/HAUL mode) also enables an
additional underdrive gear which is not normally used
during through-gear accelerations. This additional gear
can improve vehicle performance and cooling capability
when towing a trailer on certain grades. In ERS mode,
gears 1 though 3 are underdrive gears, and ERS 4 is direct
drive. ERS 5 and 6 (Overdrive gears) are the same as the
normal fourth and fifth gears.You can switch between DRIVE and ERS mode at any
vehicle speed. When the shift lever is in the DRIVE
position, the transmission will operate automatically,
shifting between all available gears. Tapping the ERS (-)
switch (column shift) or tapping the shift lever to the left
(-) (console shift) will activate ERS mode, display the
current gear in the instrument cluster, and maintain that
gear as the top available gear. For example, if you are in
DRIVE and are in third (direct) gear, when you tap the
shift lever/switch one time in the (-) direction, the
display will show 4 (ERS 4 is direct gear). Another tap
down (-) will shift the transmission down to ERS 3 (the
added underdrive gear). Once in ERS mode, tapping ERS
(-) or (+) will change the top available gear.
372 STARTING AND OPERATING

•the engine coolant (antifreeze) has reached an ad-
equate temperature,
• vehicle speed is sufficiently high, and
• the TOW/HAUL switch has not been activated.
When To Use TOW/HAUL Mode
When driving in hilly areas, towing a trailer, carrying a
heavy load, etc., and frequent transmission shifting oc-
curs, press the TOW/HAUL switch to activate TOW/
HAUL mode. This will improve performance and reduce
the potential for transmission overheating or failure due
to excessive shifting. When operating in TOW/HAUL
mode, transmission upshifts are delayed, and the trans-
mission will automatically downshift (for engine brak-
ing) when the throttle is closed and/or during steady
braking maneuvers.
The “TOW/HAUL Indicator Light” will illuminate in the
instrument cluster to indicate that TOW/HAUL mode has
been activated. Pressing the switch a second time restores
normal operation. Normal operation is always the default at
engine start-up. If TOW/HAUL mode is desired, the switch
must be pressed each time the engine is started.
TOW/HAUL Switch
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