2017 Ram 3500 Chassis Cab towing

vehicle begins to move. To disengage PTO operation and
return to “standard vehicle operation” simply toggle the
on/off switch to the OFF position.
NOTE:For application specific information with respect
to PTO and pump requirements and additional vehicle
information (wiring schematics, preset idle values, engine
speed limits, and vehicle hardware and software require-
ments) please refer to the Body Builders Guide by access-
ing rambodybuilder.com and choosing the appropriate
links.
FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE OPERATION — IF EQUIPPED
Four-wheel drive trucks are equipped with either a manu-
ally shifted transfer case or an electronically shifted trans-
fer case. Refer to the operating instructions for your
transfer case, located in this section for further information.
Manually Shifted Transfer Case — If Equipped
The transfer case provides four mode positions:
• Two-Wheel Drive High Range (2H)
• Four-Wheel Drive Lock High Range (4H)
• Neutral (N)
• Four-Wheel Drive Low Range (4L) For additional information on the appropriate use of each
transfer case mode position, see the information below:
2H
Two-Wheel Drive High Range — This range is for normal
street and highway driving on dry, hard surfaced roads.
4H
Four-Wheel Drive Lock High Range — This range locks the
front and rear driveshafts together forcing the front and
rear wheels to rotate at the same speed. Additional traction
for loose, slippery road surfaces only.
NEUTRAL (N)
Neutral — This range disengages both the front and rear
driveshafts from the powertrain. To be used for flat towing
behind another vehicle. Refer to “Recreational Towing” in
“Starting And Operating” for further information.
4L
Four-Wheel Drive Low Range — This range locks the front
and rear driveshafts together forcing the front and rear
wheels to rotate at the same speed. Additional traction and
maximum pulling power for loose, slippery road surfaces
only. Do not exceed 25 mph (40 km/h).
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WARNING!
You or others could be injured or killed if you leave the
vehicle unattended with the transfer case in the NEU-
TRAL position without first fully engaging the park-
ing brake. The transfer case NEUTRAL position disen-
gages both the front and rear drive shafts from the
powertrain and will allow the vehicle to roll, even if
the transmission is in PARK. The parking brake
should always be applied when the driver is not in the
vehicle.
Two-Wheel Drive High Range (2H)
Rear-Wheel Drive High Range — This range is for normal
street and highway driving on dry hard surfaced roads.
Four-Wheel Drive High Range (4H)
Four-Wheel Drive High Range — This range locks the front
and rear driveshafts together forcing the front and rear
wheels to rotate at the same speed. Additional traction for
loose, slippery road surfaces only.
Neutral (N)
Neutral — This range disengages the front and rear
driveshafts from the powertrain. To be used for flat towing
behind another vehicle. Refer to “Recreational Towing” in
“Starting And Operating” for further information.
Four-Wheel Drive Low Range (4L)
Four-Wheel Drive Low Range — This range locks the front
and rear driveshafts together forcing the front and rear
wheels to rotate at the same speed. Additional traction and
maximum pulling power for loose, slippery road surfaces
only. Do not exceed 25 mph (40 km/h).
CAUTION!
Do not use 4L (Low) range when operating the vehicle
on dry pavement. Driveline hardware damage can
result.
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Electronically Shifted Transfer Case (Four-Position
Switch) — If Equipped
The electronic shift transfer case is operated by the 4WD
Control Switch (Transfer Case Switch), which is located on
the instrument panel.
This electronically shifted transfer case provides four mode
positions:
•Two-Wheel Drive High Range (2WD)
• Four-Wheel Drive Lock High Range (4WD LOCK)
• Four-Wheel Drive Low Range (4WD LOW)
• Neutral (NEUTRAL) For additional information on the appropriate use of each
transfer case mode position, see the information below:
2WD
Rear Wheel Drive High Range — This range is for normal
street and highway driving on dry, hard surfaced roads.
4WD LOCK
Four-Wheel Drive Lock High Range — This range maxi-
mizes torque to the front driveshaft, forcing the front and
rear wheels to rotate at the same speed. This range pro-
vides additional traction for loose, slippery road surfaces
only.
4WD LOW
Four-Wheel Drive Low Range — This range provides low
speed four-wheel drive. It maximizes torque to the front
driveshaft, forcing the front and rear wheels to rotate at the
same speed. This range provides additional traction and
maximum pulling power for loose, slippery road surfaces
only. Do not exceed 25 mph (40 km/h).
NEUTRAL (N)
Neutral — This range disengages both the front and rear
driveshafts from the powertrain. To be used for flat towing
Four-Position/Part Time Transfer Case
346 STARTING AND OPERATING

behind another vehicle. Refer to “Recreational Towing” in
“Starting And Operating” for further information.
This electronically shifted transfer case is designed to be
driven in the two-wheel drive position (2WD) for normal
street and highway conditions on dry, hard surfaced roads.
When additional traction is required, the transfer case 4WD
LOCK and 4WD LOW positions can be used to maximize
torque to the front driveshaft, forcing the front and rear
wheels to rotate at the same speed. This is accomplished by
rotating the 4WD Control Switch to the desired position.
Refer to “Shifting Procedure” in this section for specific
shifting instructions.
The 4WD LOCK and 4WD LOW positions are designed for
loose, slippery road surfaces only. Driving in the 4WD
LOCK and 4WD LOW positions on dry hard surfaced
roads may cause increased tire wear and damage to the
driveline components.
NOTE:The transfer case NEUTRAL button is located on
the lower left hand corner of the 4WD Control Switch. The
transfer case NEUTRAL position is to be used for recre-
ational towing only. Refer to “Recreational Towing” in
“Starting And Operating” for further information. Transfer Case Position Indicator Lights
The Transfer Case Position Indicator Lights (4WD and
4LOW) are located in the instrument cluster and indicate
the current and desired transfer case selection. When you
select a different transfer case position, the indicator lights
will do the following:
If All Of The Following Shift Conditions Are Met:
1. The current position indicator light will turn OFF.
2. The selected position indicator light will flash until the
transfer case completes the shift.
3. When the shift is complete, the indicator light for the selected position will stop flashing and remain ON.
If One Or More Of The Following Shift Conditions Are
Not Met:
1. The indicator light for the current position will remain ON.
2. The newly selected position indicator light will continue to flash.
3. The transfer case will notshift.
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STARTING AND OPERATING 347

WARNING!(Continued)
while pulling a trailer. HSA is not a substitute for
active driving involvement. It is always the driver ’s
responsibility to be attentive to distance to other ve-
hicles, people, and objects, and most importantly brake
operation to ensure safe operation of the vehicle under
all road conditions. Your complete attention is always
required while driving to maintain safe control of your
vehicle. Failure to follow these warnings can result in
a collision or serious personal injury.
Towing With HSA
HSA will also provide assistance to mitigate roll back while
towing a trailer.
WARNING!
•If you use a trailer brake controller with your trailer,
the trailer brakes may be activated and deactivated
with the brake switch. If so, there may not be enough
brake pressure to hold both the vehicle and the
trailer on a hill when the brake pedal is released. In
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
order to avoid rolling down an incline while resum-
ing acceleration, manually activate the trailer brake
or apply more vehicle brake pressure prior to releas-
ing the brake pedal.
• HSA is not a parking brake. Always apply the
parking brake fully when leaving your vehicle. Also,
be certain to leave the transmission in PARK.
• Failure to follow these warnings may cause the
vehicle to roll down the incline and could collide
with another vehicle, object or person, and cause
serious or fatal injury. Always remember to use the
parking brake while parking on a hill and that the
driver is responsible for braking the vehicle.
Disabling And Enabling HSA
This feature can be turned on or turned off. To change the
current setting, proceed as follows:
• For vehicles equipped with the instrument cluster dis-
play, refer to “Instrument Cluster Display” in “Under-
standing Your Instrument Panel” for further informa-
tion.
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evasive driving maneuvers; it cannot prevent wheel lift
due to other factors, such as road conditions, leaving the
roadway, or striking objects or other vehicles.
NOTE:ERM is disabled anytime the ESC is in “Full Off”
mode (if equipped). Refer to “Electronic Stability Control
(ESC)” in this section for a complete explanation of the
available ESC modes.
WARNING!
Many factors, such as vehicle loading, road conditions
and driving conditions, influence the chance that
wheel lift or rollover may occur. ERM cannot prevent
all wheel lift or roll overs, especially those that involve
leaving the roadway or striking objects or other ve-
hicles. The capabilities of an ERM-equipped vehicle
must never be exploited in a reckless or dangerous
manner which could jeopardize the user’s safety or the
safety of others.
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) — If Equipped
TSC uses sensors in the vehicle to recognize an excessively
swaying trailer and will take the appropriate actions to
attempt to stop the sway. TSC will become active automati-
cally once an excessively swaying trailer is recognized.
NOTE: TSC cannot stop all trailers from swaying. Always
use caution when towing a trailer and follow the trailer
tongue weight recommendations. Refer to “Trailer Tow-
ing” in this section for further information.
When TSC is functioning, the “ESC Activation/
Malfunction Indicator Light” will flash, the engine power
may be reduced and you may feel the brakes being applied
to individual wheels to attempt to stop the trailer from
swaying. TSC is disabled when the ESC system is in the
“Partial Off” or “Full Off” modes.
WARNING!
If TSC activates while driving, slow the vehicle down,
stop at the nearest safe location, and adjust the trailer
load to eliminate trailer sway.
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Loading
The vehicle maximum load on the tire must not exceed the
load carrying capacity of the tire on your vehicle. You will
not exceed the tire’s load carrying capacity if you adhere to
the loading conditions, tire size, and cold tire inflation
pressures specified on the Tire and Loading Information
placard in “Vehicle Loading” in “Starting And Operating”,
or the Tire Information Supplement, located in your Own-
er ’s Information kit.
NOTE:Under a maximum loaded vehicle condition, gross
axle weight ratings (GAWRs) for the front and rear axles
must not be exceeded. Refer to “Vehicle Loading” in
“Starting And Operating”, or the Tire Information
Supplement located in your Owner ’s Information kit, for
further information on GAWRs, vehicle loading, and trailer
towing.
To determine the maximum loading conditions of your
vehicle, locate the statement “The combined weight of
occupants and cargo should never exceed XXX kg or
XXX lbs” on the Tire and Loading Information placard. The combined weight of occupants, cargo/luggage and trailer
tongue weight (if applicable) should never exceed the
weight referenced here.
Steps For Determining Correct Load Limit—
(1) Locate the statement “The combined weight of
occupants and cargo should never exceed XXX kg or
XXX lbs.” on your vehicle’s placard.
(2) Determine the combined weight of the driver and
passengers that will be riding in your vehicle.
(3) Subtract the combined weight of the driver and
passengers from XXX kg or XXX lbs.
(4) The resulting figure equals the available amount of
cargo and luggage load capacity. For example, if “XXX”
amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will be five 150 lb
passengers in your vehicle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs. (1400-750
(5x150) = 650 lbs.)
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(5) Determine the combined weight of luggage and
cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That weight may not
safely exceed the available cargo and luggage load
capacity calculated in Step 4.
(6) If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from
your trailer will be transferred to your vehicle. Consult
this manual to determine how this reduces the available
cargo and luggage load capacity of your vehicle.
Metric Example For Load Limit
For example, if “XXX” amount equals 635 kg, and there
will be five 68 kg passengers in your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage load capacity is 295 kg (635-
340 (5x68) = 295 kg) as shown in step 4.NOTE:
•
If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your
trailer will be transferred to your vehicle. The following
table shows examples on how to calculate total load,
cargo/luggage, and towing capacities of your vehicle
with varying seating configurations and number and
size of occupants. This table is for illustration purposes
only and may not be accurate for the seating and load
carry capacity of your vehicle.
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