2020 Ram 2500 key

STARTING AND OPERATING255
SAFE OFF-ROAD DRIVING — POWER
WAGON ONLY
Off-Road Driving Tips And Vehicle
Characteristics
Your vehicle has excellent on and off-road capa-
bilities. These off-road capabilities will allow you
to explore those wilderness trails where few
travel, providing a source of exciting and satis -
fying recreation. Before you venture out, you
should contact your local governmental agency
to determine the designated Off-Road Vehicle
(ORV) trails or recreation areas. You should
always tread lightly and only use established
roads, trails or ORV recreational areas.
The National Forest Service, Bureau of Land
Management, or local Department of Natural
Resources are a wealth of information and
usually have maps with marked trails.
Skid Plates And Underbody Protection
Steel skid plates protect the major driveline
components of the truck including the fuel tank,
transfer case and steering damper. In addition,
this vehicle is equipped with boxed cross
members and fore/aft rails. This additional
protection allows the vehicle to be utilized in severe off-road situations that would be consid
-
ered impassable by a normal truck.
Ramp Travel Index (RTI)
The RTI is the distance, in inches, that you can
drive your vehicle with one wheel on a
20-degree ramp without lifting any other wheel
off the ground. This distance up the ramp
divided by the wheelbase of the vehicle and
multiplied by 1,000 is the RTI. This vehicle has
an RTI of 429 (connected sway bar) or an RTI of
538 (disconnected sway bar), which means you
can articulate one front wheel 22 inches
(56 cm) or 27.5 inches (70cm) in the air while
the other three wheels remain in contact with
the ground.
Water Fording Characteristics
Water fording characteristic is the vehicle's
ability to cross a body of still water, where the
powertrain and drivetrain are safe from water
ingestion. This vehicle has high water fording
characteristics with the ability to cross a pool of
water, without stopping, 24 inches (60 cm) deep
at a maximum speed of 10 mph (16 km/h) and a
pool of water 30 inches (76 cm) deep at a maximum speed of 5 mph (8 km/h), both with an
entrance ramp angle of 1.3 degrees.
Simultaneous Brake And Throttle Operation
Many off-road driving conditions require the
simultaneous use of the brake and throttle (two
footed driving). When climbing rocks, logs, or
other stepped objects, using light brake pres
-
sure with light throttle will keep the vehicle from
jerking or lurching. This technique is also used
when you need to stop and restart a vehicle on
a steep incline.
The Basics Of Off-Road Driving
You will encounter many types of terrain driving
off-road. You should be familiar with the terrain
and area before proceeding. There are many
types of surface conditions: hard packed dirt,
gravel, rocks, grass, sand, mud, snow and ice.
Every surface has a different effect on your
vehicle's steering, handling and traction.
Controlling your vehicle is one of the keys to
successful off-road driving, so always keep a
CAUTION!
The door sill height is 25 inches (63.5 cm).
Water may intrude into the interior of the
vehicle at greater depths.
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256STARTING AND OPERATING
firm grip on the steering wheel and maintain a
good driving posture. Avoid sudden accelera -
tions, turns or braking. In most cases there are
no road signs, posted speed limits or signal
lights. Therefore you will need to use your own
good judgment on what is safe and what isn't.
When on a trail you should always be looking
ahead for surface obstacles and changes in
terrain. The key is to plan your future driving
route while remembering what you are currently
driving over.
When To Use Low Range
When driving off-road, shift into 4WD LOW for
additional traction or to improve handling and
control on slippery or difficult terrain. Due to the lower gearing, low range will allow the engine to
operate in a higher power range. This will allow
you to idle over obstacles and down hills, with
improved control and less effort. Also, use 4WD
LOW in rain, ice, snow, mud, and sand to get
heavy loads rolling, improve traction, or when
-
ever 4WD HIGH traction will not do the job.
Driving In Snow, Mud And Sand
There is a drastic reduction in traction when
driving in snow, mud or sand. The vehicle will be
less responsive to steering, acceleration and
braking inputs. Therefore you should accelerate
slowly, leave greater stopping distances and
avoid abrupt vehicle maneuvers. You want to
keep a slow constant steady pace. The key is to
maintain the vehicle's momentum.
Snow – In heavy snow or for additional
control and traction at slower speeds, shift
the transmission to a low gear and shift the
transfer case to 4WD LOW if necessary. Do
not shift to a lower gear than necessary to
maintain headway. Over-revving the engine
can spin the wheels and traction will be lost.
If you start to slow to a stop, try turning your
steering wheel no more than a quarter turn
quickly back and forth, while still applying throttle. This will allow the tires to get a fresh
"bite" and help maintain your momentum.
Mud
– Deep mud creates a great deal of
suction around the tires and is very difficult to
get through. You should use 4WD LOW with a
gear low enough to maintain your momentum
without shifting. If you start to slow to a stop,
try turning your steering wheel no more than
a quarter turn quickly back and forth for addi -
tional traction. Mud holes pose an increased
threat of vehicle damage and getting stuck.
They are normally full of debris from previous
vehicles getting stuck. As a good practice
before entering any mud hole, get out and
determine how deep it is, if there are any
hidden obstacles and if the vehicle can be
safely recovered if stuck.
Sand – Soft sand is very difficult to travel
through with full tire pressure. When crossing
soft sandy spots in a trail, maintain your
vehicle's momentum and do not stop. The
WARNING!
Always wear your seat belt and firmly tie down
cargo. Unsecured cargo can become
projectiles in an off-road situation.
CAUTION!
Never park your vehicle over dry grass or
other combustible materials. The heat from
your vehicle exhaust system could cause a
fire.
CAUTION!
On icy or slippery roads, do not downshift at
high engine RPMs or vehicle speeds because
engine braking may cause skidding and loss
of control.

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STARTING AND OPERATING257
key to driving in soft sand is using the appro -
priate tire pressure, accelerating slowly,
avoiding abrupt maneuvers and maintaining
the vehicle's momentum. If you are going to
be driving on large soft sandy areas or dunes,
reduce your tire pressure to a minimum of
15 psi (103 kPa) to allow for a greater tire
surface area. Reduced tire pressure will dras -
tically improve your traction and handling,
while driving on the soft sand, but you must
return the tires to normal air pressure before
driving on pavement or other hard surfaces.
Be sure you have a way to air the tires back
up prior to reducing the pressure.
Crossing Obstacles (Rocks And Other High
Points)
While driving off road, you will encounter many
types of terrain. These varying types of terrain
bring different types of obstacles. Before
proceeding review the path ahead to determine the correct approach and your ability to safely
recover the vehicle if something goes wrong.
Keeping a firm grip on the steering wheel, bring
the vehicle to a complete stop and then inch the
vehicle forward until it makes contact with the
object. Apply the throttle lightly while holding a
light brake pressure and ease the vehicle up
and over the object.
Using A Spotter
There are many times where it is hard to see the
obstacle or determine the correct path. Deter
-
mining the correct path can be extremely diffi -
cult when you are confronting many obstacles.
In these cases have someone guide you over,
through, or around the obstacle. Have the
person stand a safe distance in front of you
where they can see the obstacle, watch your
tires and undercarriage, and guide you through.
Crossing Large Rocks
When approaching large rocks, choose a path
which ensures you drive over the largest with your tires. This will lift your undercarriage over
the obstacle. The tread of the tire is tougher and
thicker than the side wall and is designed to
take the abuse. Always look ahead and make
every effort to cross the large rocks with your
tires.
Crossing A Ravine, Gully, Ditch, Washout Or
Rut
When crossing a ravine, gully, ditch, washout or
a large rut, the angled approach is the key to
maintaining your vehicle's mobility. Approach
these obstacles at a 45-degree angle and let
each tire go through the obstacle inde
-
pendently. You need to use caution when
crossing large obstacles with steep sides. Do
not attempt to cross any large obstacle with
steep sides at an angle great enough to put the
vehicle at risk of a rollover. If you get caught in
a rut, dig a small trench to the right or left at a
45-degree angle ahead of the front tires. Use
CAUTION!
Reduced tire pressures may cause tire
unseating and total loss of air pressure. To
reduce the risk of tire unseating, while at a
reduced tire pressure, reduce your speed and
avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers.
WARNING!
Crossing obstacles can cause abrupt steering
system loading which could cause you to
loose control of your vehicle.
CAUTION!
Never attempt to straddle a rock that is
large enough to strike your axles or under -
carriage.
Never attempt to drive over a rock which is
large enough to contact the door sills.5

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260STARTING AND OPERATING
Driving Through Water
Extreme care should be taken crossing any type
of water. Water crossings should be avoided if
possible and only be attempted when neces -
sary, in a safe responsible manner. You should
only drive through areas which are designated
and approved. You should tread lightly and
avoid damage to the environment. You should
know your vehicle's abilities and be able to
recover it if something goes wrong. You should
never stop or shut a vehicle off when crossing
deep water unless you ingested water into the
engine air intake. If the engine stalls do not
attempt to restart it. Determine if it has ingested
water first. The key to any crossing is low and
slow. You want to use FIRST gear in 4WD LOW
and proceed very slowly with a constant slow
speed (3-5 mph [5–8 km/h] maximum) and
light throttle. Keep the vehicle moving; do not
try to accelerate through the crossing. After
crossing any water higher than the bottom of
the axle differentials, you should inspect all of
the vehicle fluids for signs of water ingestion.
Before You Cross Any Type Of Water – As you
approach any type of water you need to
determine if you can cross it safely and
responsibly. If necessary, get out and walk
through the water or probe it with a stick. You
need to be sure of its depth, approach angle,
current and bottom condition. Be careful of
murky or muddy waters, check for hidden
obstacles. Make sure you will not be
intruding on any wildlife and you can recover
the vehicle if necessary. The key to a safe
crossing is the water depth, current and
bottom conditions. On soft bottoms the
vehicle will sink in, effectively increasing the
water level on the vehicle. Be sure to
consider this when determining the depth
and the ability to safely cross.
Crossing Puddles, Pools, Flooded Areas Or
Other Standing Water – Puddles, pools,
flooded or other standing water areas
normally contain murky or muddy waters.
These water types normally contain hidden
obstacles and make it difficult to determine
an accurate water depth, approach angle,
and bottom condition. Murky or muddy water
holes are where you want to hook up tow
straps prior to entering. This makes for a
faster, cleaner and easier vehicle recovery. If
you are able to determine you can safely
cross, than proceed using the low and slow
method.
Crossing Ditches, Streams, Shallow Rivers Or
Other Flowing Water – Flowing water can be
extremely dangerous. Never attempt to cross
a fast running stream or river even in shallow
water. Fast moving water can easily push
your vehicle downstream sweeping it out of
control. Even in very shallow water, a high
current can still wash the dirt out from
CAUTION!
Water ingestion into the axles, transmission,
transfer case, engine or vehicle interior can
occur if you drive too fast or through too deep
of water. Water can cause permanent
damage to engine, driveline or other vehicle
components and your brakes will be less
effective once wet and/or muddy.
CAUTION!
Muddy waters can reduce the cooling system
effectiveness by depositing debris onto the
radiator.

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(Continued)
(Continued)
General Information
Practice using your winch before you get stuck.
Some key points to remember when using your
winch are:
Always take your time to assess the situation
and plan your pull carefully.
Always take your time when using a winch.
Use the right equipment for the situation.
Always wear leather gloves and do not allow
the synthetic rope to slip through your hands
when handling the rope.
Only the operator should handle the synthetic
rope and remote control.
Think safety at all times.
Vehicle Recovery Using The Winch
Always keep hands and clothing clear of the
synthetic rope, hook and fairlead opening
during operation and when spooling.
Never wrap synthetic rope back onto itself.
Always use a choker chain, wire choker
rope or tree trunk protector on the anchor.
Never attach a recovery strap to the winch
hook to increase the length of a pull.
Never attempt to tow a vehicle with the
recovery strap attached directly to the
winch hook.
Never use bungee or kinetic straps that
develop tremendous and potentially
dangerous amounts of force when
stretched.
Always disconnect the remote control when
not in use.
Never winch when there are less than 10
wraps of synthetic rope around the winch
drum.
WARNING!
(Continued)
Always pass remote control through a
window to avoid pinching lead in door,
when using remote inside a vehicle.
Never leave the remote control plugged
into the winch while free spooling, rigging or
sitting idle.
WARNING! (Continued)
CAUTION!
Always know your winch: Take the time to
fully read and understand the included
Installation and Operations Guide, and
Basic Guide to Winching Techniques, in
order to understand your winch and the
winching operation.
Always inspect winch installation and
synthetic rope condition before operating
the winch. Frayed, kinked or damaged rope
must be replaced immediately. Loose or
damaged winch installation must be
corrected immediately.
Always be sure any element which can
interfere with safe winching operations is
removed prior to initiating winching.
Always keep remote control lead clear of
the drum, synthetic rope and rigging.
Inspect for cracks, pinches, frayed rope, or
loose connections. Replace if damaged.
Be careful not to pull the winch rope collar
through the rollers. Watch and listen to
winch for proper snugness.
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306STARTING AND OPERATING
Modes Of Operation
Standard Backup Camera view can be manually
activated by selecting “Backup Camera”
through the Controls menu within the Uconnect
screen.
Refer to “Parkview Rear Back Up Camera” in
this section for more information on activation
conditions.
Top View
The Top view will show in the Uconnect System
with Rear view and Front view in a split view
display. There are integrated ParkSense arcs in
the image at the front and rear of the vehicle.
The arcs will change color from yellow to red
corresponding the distance zones to the
oncoming object.
The fifth button of the ParkSense Camera View
screen will be changed based on the features
present in the vehicle. If not equipped with a
Cargo Camera or Trailer Reverse Guidance, the
Backup Camera soft button will be displayed. If
equipped with a Cargo Camera but no Trailer
Reverse Guidance, the Cargo Camera soft
button will be displayed, and if equipped with
both a Cargo Camera and Trailer Reverse Guid -
ance, the Cargo/Trailer Reverse Guidance soft
button will be displayed.
ParkSense Camera View

NOTE:
Front tires will display on the image when the
tires are turned.
Due to wide angle cameras in mirrors, the
image will appear distorted.
Top view will show which doors are open.
Open front doors will cancel the outside
image.
Rear View This is the Default view of the system
in REVERSE and is always paired with
the Top view of the vehicle with
optional active guidelines for the
projected path when enabled. Rear Cross Path View
Pressing the Rear Cross Path soft key
will give the driver a wider angle view
of the rear camera system. The Top
view will be disabled when this is
selected.
Front View The Front view will show you what is
immediately in front of the vehicle
and is always paired with the Top view
of the vehicle.
Front Cross Path View Pressing the Front Cross Path soft
key will give the driver a wider angle
view of the front camera system. The
Top view will be disabled when this is
selected.
Rear View Camera Pressing the Backup Camera soft key
will provide a full screen rear view with
Zoom View.
NOTE:
If the Backup Camera view was selected
through the Surround View screen, exiting out of
the Rear View Camera screen will return to the
Surround View screen. If the Backup Camera

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STARTING AND OPERATING307
was manually activated through the Controls
menu of the Uconnect display, exiting out of the
display screen will return to the Controls menu.
Cargo Camera
Pressing the Cargo Camera soft key
will provide a full screen view of the
cargo area.
NOTE:
If the Cargo Camera view was selected through
the Surround View screen, exiting out of the
Cargo Camera screen will return to the
Surround View screen. If the Cargo Camera was
manually activated through the Controls menu
of the Uconnect display, exiting out of the
display screen will return to the Controls menu.
Trailer Reverse Guidance Pressing the Trailer Reverse Guid -
ance soft key will provide a full screen
view of the cargo area and trailer. Pressing the Left & Right Tow Mirror
Split Screen View button within the
Trailer Reverse Guidance screen will
display a split screen to allow the
driver to see both sides of the trailer at the
same time. This view allows the driver to pan
left/right to better frame the trailer in the image.
NOTE:
Trailer Reverse Guidance can only be selected
through the Surround View screen; exiting out of
the Trailer Reverse Guidance screen will return
to the Surround View screen.
Zoom View
When the Rear View Camera image is
being displayed, and the vehicle
speed is below 8 mph (13 km/h)
while in any gear selector position,
Zoom View is available. By pressing the “magni -
fying glass” icon in the upper left of the display
screen, the image will zoom in to four times the
standard view. Pressing the icon a second time
will return the view to the standard Backup
Camera display. When Zoom View is selected while the vehicle is
in REVERSE, then shifted to DRIVE, the camera
delay view will display the standard Backup
Camera view. If the vehicle is then returned to
REVERSE gear from DRIVE, the Zoom View
selection will automatically resume.
Shifting to NEUTRAL from any gear will maintain
the selected view (Zoom or Standard) as long as
the vehicle is below 8 mph (13 km/h).
Zoom View is available until the gear selector is
placed in DRIVE or REVERSE and speeds are at
or above 8 mph (13 km/h).
NOTE:
If the vehicle is in DRIVE, NEUTRAL, or
REVERSE, and speed is greater than or equal
to 8 mph (13 km/h), Zoom View is unavail
-
able and the icon will appear gray.
While in Zoom View, the guidelines will not be
visible.
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332STARTING AND OPERATING
(Continued)
3. Firmly apply the parking brake. Place auto-
matic transmission in PARK.
4. Properly secure the rear wheels to the dolly, following the dolly manufacturer's instruc -
tions.
5. Turn the ignition OFF and remove the key fob.
6. Install a suitable clamping device, designed for towing, to secure the front wheels in the
straight position.Recreational Towing — Four-Wheel Drive
Models
NOTE:
Both the manual shift and electronic shift
transfer cases must be shifted into NEUTRAL
(N) for recreational towing. Automatic transmis -
sions must be shifted into PARK for recreational
towing. Refer to the following for the proper
transfer case NEUTRAL (N) shifting procedure
for your vehicle.
CAUTION!
Towing with the rear wheels on the ground
will cause severe transmission damage.
Damage from improper towing is not
covered under the New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Do not disconnect the driveshaft because
fluid may leak from the transmission,
causing damage to internal parts.
CAUTION!
DO NOT dolly tow any 4WD vehicle. Towing
with only one set of wheels on the ground
(front or rear) will cause severe transmis -
sion and/or transfer case damage. Tow
with all four wheels either ON the ground, or
OFF the ground (using a vehicle trailer).
Tow only in the forward direction. Towing
this vehicle backwards can cause severe
damage to the transfer case.
Before recreational towing, the transfer
case must be in NEUTRAL. To be certain the
transfer case is fully in NEUTRAL, perform
the procedure outlined under “Shifting Into
NEUTRAL”. Internal transmission damage
will result, if the transfer case is not in
NEUTRAL during towing.
The transmission must be placed in PARK
for recreational towing.
Towing this vehicle in violation of the above
requirements can cause severe transmis -
sion and/or transfer case damage.
Damage from improper towing is not
covered under the New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Do not disconnect the rear driveshaft
because fluid will leak from the transfer
case, causing damage to internal parts.
Do not use a bumper-mounted clamp-on
tow bar on your vehicle. The bumper face
bar will be damaged.
CAUTION! (Continued)

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