2019–2026 Ram 1500 Upgrades, Ranked: 4 Mods in Buying Order, With the RamBox and Classic Traps

There is no trailer hitch guide for the DT Ram 1500 on this site, and the stored facts explain why most owners won't miss one. Our vehicle data lists a Class IV hitch with a 2 in receiver for this generation. We could not confirm from a Ram page that every trim and model year leaves the factory with the receiver fitted, so look under the rear bumper, or read the window sticker, before you assume. If the receiver is there, an aftermarket hitch adds nothing.

The tow rating is a separate question, and the headline needs care. Our data lists a maximum of 12,750 lb, and Wikipedia's DT page says a properly equipped Ram 1500 can tow up to 12,750 lb with a payload of up to 2,300 lb. Ram's own 2026 capability page is lower: up to 11,610 lb with the 3.0L Hurricane, 11,320 lb with the 5.7L HEMI, 10,000 lb with the high-output Hurricane and 8,130 lb with the 3.6L V6, each when properly equipped, with a maximum payload of 2,360 lb. So the ceiling depends on model year and engine, and neither source says which cab, bed and axle reach it. Your figures are on the door-jamb labels and in the owner's manual. A receiver never raises a rating; the lowest-rated part of the chain sets the limit.

One Ram detail helps trailer owners. Stellantis says the multifunction tailgate is trailer-friendly and opens without removing the trailer or hitch. Beyond that, the towing money is better spent on a ball mount with the right rise or drop and whatever brake control your trailer requires. Tongue weight counts against payload along with passengers, a hard cover, a bed rack and a tent.

RamBox is the biggest fit trap on this truck. It puts lockable storage bins into both bed sides, over the wheel wells. The bed is the same length with or without it, so a tape measure won't tell you which part to order. Look at the bed sides: lidded bins mean RamBox, and they mean a different cover and a much shorter rack list.

Covers. BAK, Retrax and TruXedo each sell a separate RamBox part, and those parts are listed as working with or without the multifunction tailgate. Our guide quotes RealTruck at about $490 for the TruXedo Lo Pro 584901, about $1,100 for the BAKFlip MX4 448227RB and about $1,950 for the RetraxPRO MX 80244. UnderCover lists a RamBox Flex, FX31011, but its title covers 2019–2022 only and says it won't work with the black track system, so confirm it for a newer truck. The Gator EFX and Tyger T3 in our guide have no RamBox version.

Racks. The bin lids open upward, into the space where a rack puts its feet, uprights or side panels. Putco's Venture TEC listing excludes RamBox in its title. The GoRack listing says nothing either way. Clamp racks such as YZONA's depend on a clean, flat bed rail. Owners on 5thGenRams name custom builders such as Nutzo and the Dethloff contour rack, and warn that side-mounted gear can block the lids. Get the seller's fitment answer in writing.

What doesn't change. Floor liners and running boards are cab parts. RamBox has no effect on them.

Three facts about your truck answer most of the remaining fit questions.

Body. Wikipedia's DT page says the fourth-generation truck stayed in production through the 2024 model year and was sold alongside the new one as the lower-priced Classic. A 2019–2024 registration that reads Ram 1500 can be either. Our vehicle data flags the Classic's bed rails as different, and our guides found different floors and rocker mounting points as well. Good listings say 'new body' or 'not Classic'. Listings that name the Classic, 2009–2018 or five-lug wheels are for the old truck.

Cab. Wikipedia describes the Quad Cab as an extended cab with front-hinged rear doors and the standard-length bed, and the Crew Cab with either the short or the standard bed. There is no regular cab. Cab decides floor liners and running boards.

Bed. Measure inside at the rail from the bulkhead to the closed tailgate. Bed length decides the cover and the rack, and a Crew Cab can have either box.

Trim names cause more worry than they deserve on the Ram. These are the options and variants where our guides found a real difference. Check the tailgate first, because it is easy to miss on a used truck: Stellantis describes the multifunction version as a 60/40 split with two side-hinged doors that swing open.

The bed rack is last on the buying list and first on the deciding list, because the rack you want can rule out the tonneau cover you were about to buy. The pairings our guides could document:

• T-slot cover plus GoRack: RealTruck says the GoRack can mount to any bed cover with a T-slot style rail system. Retrax sells the PRO as an XR (T-80243) with T-slot rails, which keeps the bed locked under a tent.

• Roll-up cover plus Venture TEC: RealTruck's page says Putco's rack is compatible with roll-up covers that mount inside the bed rails.

• Open-bed racks: YZONA says its adjustable rack is not compatible with tonneau or bed covers, and OTHOWE's 22.5 in rack is listed for trucks without one.

• Rails first: Putco sells TEC Rails for the 2019+ 5 ft 7 in bed that add dual T-slots and mount in the stake pockets without drilling. Confirm RamBox fit on the listing.

Hard folding covers are the open question. BAK's MX4 and Gator's EFX leave the stake pockets free, but our guides found no maker statement that a stake-pocket rack clears those covers on a Ram, so ask both sellers. RamBox changes both halves of the pair: the cover has to be a RamBox part, and the rack needs a written yes.

Then fit things in this order: floor liners, the cover (on a TRX the bed bar comes off first), a tailgate gap seal at the rear corners, then the rack over it. Running boards can go on whenever they arrive. When the rack is up, check that the cab-mounted third brake light is still visible, that the tailgate or both multifunction doors open fully, and that any RamBox lids still lift.