New Ram 3500

[Badbart56]

Life is short Danny! Buy the diesel, you won't regret it! It's only money!

[Gegrad]

Originally Posted by Big1

Hey Gegrad, I will be interesting to know what is your payload and towing capacity with the new 6.4L?

No idea on my towing capacity, but my yellow sticker payload is 3009.

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by rush2112

Here you go. 1st hook up. Since have lowered ball mount to bring tongue down, and added airbags. My payload from sticker is 4288.

Attachment 24690

Originally Posted by Snoking

You needed air bags on a 3500 RAM? Not using equalizer bars? Can not tell from picture.

Well he does have a quad in the bed, but looks like a WD hitch, what gives, to smooth out the ride?

[Gegrad]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Just an update Matt. Still in the process of trying to get this done but the dealership has been working on the build sheet for the truck all day and sent me what they had worked up. It has the exact truck I want and.....the employee pricing at the bottom and....it will be a 2020!!

That's awesome to hear Danny! Please tell me you are ordering Tree Green? (My #1 color preference).

Even better that it will be a 2020 and they gave you the pricing on a 2020!

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Gegrad

That's awesome to hear Danny! Please tell me you are ordering Tree Green? (My #1 color preference).

Even better that it will be a 2020 and they gave you the pricing on a 2020!

Minor price changes but didn't result in an overall price increase of 200 bucks maybe. Tree Green? Sorry. DW would go for that in a heartbeat but I'm looking at granite, maybe a blue. I wanted the cream but just bought a new SUV the day before we left in blizzard pearl then put it in the garage; she put the stop on another "white" vehicle.

[Gegrad]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Minor price changes but didn't result in an overall price increase of 200 bucks maybe. Tree Green? Sorry. DW would go for that in a heartbeat but I'm looking at granite, maybe a blue. I wanted the cream but just bought a new SUV the day before we left in blizzard pearl then put it in the garage; she put the stop on another "white" vehicle.

Yeah, I don't blame her one bit for not wanting white; Based on their pricing, I was open to any color except white or black, so I ended up with the Granite Crystal Metallic. Our Pacifica we picked up in August is also the Granite, so we will have two of the same color for the foreseeable future.

[Snoking]

When we bought our 2015 I wanted Granite Crystal Metallic, except just about everyone in the NW had that color, so we bought a Deep Cherry Red Crystal Pearl Coat over Silver one. We got to Arizona with it only to find out it is one of the most popular colors here.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Snoking

When we bought our 2015 I wanted Granite Crystal Metallic, except just about everyone in the NW had that color, so we bought a Deep Cherry Red Crystal Pearl Coat over Silver one. We got to Arizona with it only to find out it is one of the most popular colors here.

Yep, we've been rethinking the granite color. They couldn't place the order yesterday because their system kept populating the sport pkg. into the options and I don't want that. We will resume Thursday.

DW always has a heck of a time finding our vehicle in a parking lot. She has had much better luck with the red truck; guess cause she's so used to finding me with a red cap. Since the order hasn't been placed we have a couple of days to rethink what we want.....and what she can see "over there". Maybe we'll go with red again but I'm ready for a change...maybe blue?

Another note for anyone contemplating a move to the 2020 Ram; according to Bakflip the bed dimensions have changed. I intended to move my Bakflip G2 over to the new truck since the bed says it is still 6'4". Called bakflip to confirm and they said no, they have a new model that fits the 2020. They were the same thru 2019 but in 2020 the dimensions changed. Great. Another 900+ I hadn't anticipated.

[flybouy]

Danny I think the auto industry learned the "obsolescence game" from the cell phone companies. Every new model phone requires all new accessories.

[Northofu1]

Originally Posted by Snoking

When we bought our 2015 I wanted Granite Crystal Metallic, except just about everyone in the NW had that color, so we bought a Deep Cherry Red Crystal Pearl Coat over Silver one. We got to Arizona with it only to find out it is one of the most popular colors here.

A pearl paint job in the NW is about as popular as sunscreen.

[tmihalic]

Get the diesel. The power is worth the extra $$$. I have a 2013 Ram 3500 with the Cummins and a 3.21 rear end. It pulls my 38' fifth wheel that weighs 12K like it isn't even there. And in South Carolina we do have some good hills (nothing like Colorado) but they are no problem with the diesel. Sometimes money isn't everything. And the valuer holds much better than the gas version. Every one wants a diesel when looking for a used truck. And my 3500 fits in my garage with no problem, and this is in a older house, so yours should fit.

If you are planning to get a 5th wheel down the road, a dually is the only way to go. Much more stabile on the turns.

Happy new Year and enjoy whatever you buy.

[Snoking]

Originally Posted by tmihalic

Get the diesel. The power is worth the extra $$$. I have a 2013 Ram 3500 with the Cummins and a 3.21 rear end. It pulls my 38' fifth wheel that weighs 12K like it isn't even there. And in South Carolina we do have some good hills (nothing like Colorado) but they are no problem with the diesel. Sometimes money isn't everything. And the valuer holds much better than the gas version. Every one wants a diesel when looking for a used truck. And my 3500 fits in my garage with no problem, and this is in a older house, so yours should fit.

If you are planning to get a 5th wheel down the road, a dually is the only way to go. Much more stabile on the turns.

Happy new Year and enjoy whatever you buy.

3:42 Gears - Maybe!

[Dirtherder]

I have a 2017 RAM 3500 4x4 DRW long bed. I spent the extra money for the Aisin trans, which I highly recommend. I have a little over 40000 miles and have never had any trouble. The Aisin is rated much better than the standard Dodge transmission. As to the short bed, it depends on what you are towing. I pull a 40 ft 5r so turning is a concern. So far I love my RAM.

[blubuckaroo]

Your right. You're starting to see diesel pickups with gear ratios that are unacceptable for towing.
Let's face it, there are some out there who just want a big noisy truck, but will never carry a load. We see a lot of 3500s only pulling a couple jet skis around.

I've always opted for the lower geared differentials. It makes towing easier.
However, it does affect your mileage and comfort when driving the truck without a trailer. I think 3.73 gears on a 2500-3500 is a good compromise.

The biggest problem is for those who think they need tires that have a larger diameter than the factory used. This can kill both your performance and tranny if your gear ratio isn't low enough.

[INTERCEPTOR]

Originally Posted by rhagfo

Danny, are you trading in the 2014 6.4 on the new truck? Look at the difference in trade in between the 6.4 and a 6.7 diesel. Yep you do have the first time buy in of $10,000 or so, but the difference in trade in value you retain about 80% of it.
Likely not going to change your mind, but you aren’t just throwing $10k away. Then there is the towing experience, while a gas engine is getting to the top of its comfort zone at 12,000# to 14,000# a diesel is at low end of its comfort zone. I am sure Javi covered this with you.

So I just went through this same thing. Bought a 2019 Cougar 368BHS with a gvwr of 14000#. Just ordered a new 3500 with the non HO Cummins. Your thread sounds identicle to mine when I started looking. I was 100% convinced I was going gas up to the very end. The gas did in fact hit ALMOST all the numbers. But being that my profession deals with usdot rules and regs, I know what to look for. The one number I couldn't reach with the Hemi was the GCWR. From a towing standpoint that number doesn't mean a lot. From an insurance standpoint it means a lot! A lot of companies will not cover a crash if you're over your weight ratings, including the gross combined. Just a word of caution. After spending upwards of $100k on a truck/ trailer combo, it'd be devistating to get in a crash and find out you're on your own.

[alpo]

Originally Posted by tmihalic

Get the diesel. The power is worth the extra $$$. I have a 2013 Ram 3500 with the Cummins and a 3.21 rear end. It pulls my 38' fifth wheel that weighs 12K like it isn't even there. And in South Carolina we do have some good hills (nothing like Colorado) but they are no problem with the diesel. Sometimes money isn't everything. And the valuer holds much better than the gas version. Every one wants a diesel when looking for a used truck. And my 3500 fits in my garage with no problem, and this is in a older house, so yours should fit.

If you are planning to get a 5th wheel down the road, a dually is the only way to go. Much more stabile on the turns.

Happy new Year and enjoy whatever you buy.

If available payload is important he might be better off with the 6.4 Hemi. The Cummins Diesel weighs in the area of 1000lbs more than the Hemi, all of which is subtracted from available payload. I have a 2014 2500 Cummins and was mildly upset when shopping for a 5th Wheel, only the lightest of them were within my specs. So much so that I eventually upgraded to a Larger Travel Trailer instead.

[INTERCEPTOR]

If you have a crew cab short bed, GVWR is 11500. Mega cab or CC long bed is 12300. Longer wheel base gives better load rating.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by INTERCEPTOR

So I just went through this same thing. Bought a 2019 Cougar 368BHS with a gvwr of 14000#. Just ordered a new 3500 with the non HO Cummins. Your thread sounds identicle to mine when I started looking. I was 100% convinced I was going gas up to the very end. The gas did in fact hit ALMOST all the numbers. But being that my profession deals with usdot rules and regs, I know what to look for. The one number I couldn't reach with the Hemi was the GCWR. From a towing standpoint that number doesn't mean a lot. From an insurance standpoint it means a lot! A lot of companies will not cover a crash if you're over your weight ratings, including the gross combined. Just a word of caution. After spending upwards of $100k on a truck/ trailer combo, it'd be devistating to get in a crash and find out you're on your own.

I won't be exceeding the gcvwr. I'm looking at all the numbers. We just don't want that large of a trailer and figure we might come in at 13k or so at the most. GCVWR of the vehicle is over 24k if I recall which should leave us under. Payload should be in the 4100+ lb. range which is where I want it with a 2600lb. pin. After driving the 8 speed 3.73 I am confident the 4.10 will be up for it.

I have said repeatedly that I thought if you went over 10-12k you needed a diesel. I think with the 8 speed and 4.10 performance will be fine. And for that 90% of the time I'm not towing it will be more than adequate...and I'll still have that 10k (9100-11000+ actual) in my pocket. We've pulled this trailer back and forth across the country and the 6.4 does an admirable job. Diesel performance? Not at all but it does take whatever I've thrown at it in stride. We carry about 12-1300lbs. of stuff in the trailer along with about 500 in the truck. I don't see any of that changing unless we put another trailer behind the RV to put "stuff" in. This one scales about 92-9300 and the trailer we are looking at has a dry weight of 10,500 give or take making it come in around 11800 loaded. Once both vehicles are loaded I will scale them and have that in hand traveling so there won't be any questions about weights. Thanks for the heads up - it definitely could be an issue.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Gegrad

That's awesome to hear Danny! Please tell me you are ordering Tree Green? (My #1 color preference).

Even better that it will be a 2020 and they gave you the pricing on a 2020!

Another update although disappointing. Had the build sheet done, numbers tentatively approved and they wanted to verify the employee pricing. Looks like a no go. The plan doesn't have "total" protection or something like that per the lady at FCA I talked to. Whatever you buy has to be in your hands by 1/2/20, not ordered. The dealer said they thought with the order placed as "sold" it would suffice but apparently not. They are waiting for word back from their Chrysler rep to confirm. Maybe it IS time to fly to Idaho

[Badbart56]

Originally Posted by blubuckaroo

Your right. You're starting to see diesel pickups with gear ratios that are unacceptable for towing.
Let's face it, there are some out there who just want a big noisy truck, but will never carry a load. We see a lot of 3500s only pulling a couple jet skis around.

I've always opted for the lower geared differentials. It makes towing easier.
However, it does affect your mileage and comfort when driving the truck without a trailer. I think 3.73 gears on a 2500-3500 is a good compromise.

The biggest problem is for those who think they need tires that have a larger diameter than the factory used. This can kill both your performance and tranny if your gear ratio isn't low enough.

The gear ratios may seem unacceptable to you, but with the torque numbers the diesels put out today they're quite capable. And as for the "big, noisy truck", that pretty much went away in 2008 with the diesels.

My 97 F350 had 4:10 gears and needed them when I was towing heavy. But it only had 420 ft/lbs of torque compared to 800 and higher in the Fords from
model year 2011 and newer. Not sure what the ratio would have to do with comfort though.

As for larger tires, unless it's an off road four wheel drive, I see no benefit. But I've not seen a transmission suffer due to that alone. These new transmissions are up to the task they were designed for.

Even the newer class 8 trucks are using higher gearing and have improved fuel mileage 35% over the past five years, while still maintaining the ability to move 80K pound loads across the nation. My Freightliner uses 3:25 gears. Diesel technology has improved immensely in the last 10 years.

Not Your Daddy's Diesel Truck!