New member of the Big Truck Club!

[Buffettfan]

So I bit the bullet and bought a big truck to pull my Bullet.
After 6000+ miles of pulling our PR24RK with my '08 single cab shortbed 1500 Ram, I bought a '22 2500 4X4 crew cab with the 6'4" bed and 6.4 Hemi.
2 reasons I went with gas is first, the upfront cost, and 2nd, I'm a bit nauseated by the smell of diesel.

We haven't pulled the trailer with the new truck yet, but have a short, 45 mile trip planned next week.
Hopefully we'll get one more trip after that before winter.

My first question is, how the heck do I wax the roof of this thing??
There's more roof that I can't reach, even with a ladder, than I can!

Looking forward to some creative solutions.

TIA!

[Camping family]

Congrats on the truck. I wax mine by standing in the bed of the truck reaching all that I can. Then I use a ladder from the sides. Works while for me. Might even try a small steep stole in the bed of the truck.
Enjoy the trips the bigger truck will make them easier and safer.

[NH_Bulldog]

Regardless of brand, the 2500 will be a big difference in towing comfort. This is our first season with the 3/4 ton and the first thing we noticed was the better ride and more stable road feel. After our first 3,500 mile trip I realized that my neck and shoulders and hands all felt less stressed, no soreness, no headaches, just a great side benefit.

We have a twin panel moon roof so we have very little roof to actually worry about keeping clean. What little roof we do have can be reached from the running boards and bed of the truck.

Enjoy your new ride!

[Canonman]

Contrats on the new TV. Looks great, "Cowboy Lights" and all
Heck, I can't even reach the middle of the hood let alone the cab.
I've found a good 3 step ladder and long handled wash brush works well. Fairly inexpensive and easily available at Walmart or just about any other big box.

[hankpage]

Nice truck, but I'm not biased in any way. I wax mine from the bed as far as I can reach and then the front standing on the door sill with door open. After eighteen years of Florida sun I need a paint job.
Travel safely and enjoy your ride, Hank

[jxnbbl]

Great Truck! Time to update your profile.

Congratulations.

[sourdough]

Congrats on the new truck! She's a beaut and there's just something about that nice "RAM" in the middle of the grill eh? When you drive by all those guys in the other brands say "dang! I wish my truck looked that good!". OK, fellas not trying to start a brand conversation....just partial and admiring.

BTW what it the rear axle ratio, 3.73?

[Roper46]

Congrats on the Ram 2500 with the "Cowboy Lights". Wish my 3500 had them.

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Congrats on the new truck! She's a beaut and there's just something about that nice "RAM" in the middle of the grill eh? When you drive by all those guys in the other brands say "dang! I wish my truck looked that good!". OK, fellas not trying to start a brand conversation....just partial and admiring.

BTW what it the rear axle ratio, 3.73?

Yeah, I admire all those Rams at the gas station as I drive by with plenty of fuel left to go for many more miles.

Nice truck, you’ll enjoy the added stability and yes, you will feel less stressed/tired after a day of towing. As for waxing, I use one of these platforms. I got mine at Lowes for around $90. It’s a good height, I like the fact that it’s long enough that I can work a decent size are of the hood and roof. I’ve detailed a lot of trucks, haven’t had one yet that I can’t reach the center of the roof using this. I don’t detail anything that can’t fit into my garage, so nothing that’s lifted. I’ve done Ford, GM, and Ram using this platform.

[Buffettfan]

Thanks everyone!
I did some testing today, I think I can BARELY reach the center of the roof between standing in the bed and on the running boards. Barely.
Yep, it's got the 3:73 gears, unfortunately it's an open rear differential. I may have to fix that, we'll see how it goes.

[sourdough]

3.73s with that trailer will do great. I had a 3/4 with the 3.73s pulling a heavier trailer and it was fine. With that trailer a diesel would have been overkill and a waste of money. You will like the sturdier tow platform.

You will find that the towing experience just went to a whole 'nother level so enjoy it. The open diff won't make any difference unless you opt for off road, slippery places etc. Since it is 4x4 it will be far better than a 4x2 IF you need it. The limited slips come in handy "sometimes". I haven't had near as many "needs" for a limited slip since I quit taking myself (and DW) to places where I knew I would probably need them....but I buy them anyway just because.

Keep in mind that it's a 4x4 so to fix an open differential you have to fix 2 of them. I'd give it a whirl for a while and see what you think, I bet it will work just fine. Used to put various limited slips/lockers/auto lockers etc. in trucks I played with but those things are getting expensive if you do it yourself, I have no idea how much it would be if you had someone put them in, BUT, if you do have them change the ring and pinions to 4.10...I love mine.

[travelin texans]

Nice truck! If I were buying another truck today my 1st stop would be at the Ram dealer & I've been a GM guy forever.
Just FYI Harbor Freight has those 40" long folding platforms for $49.95.

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

Nice truck! If I were buying another truck today my 1st stop would be at the Ram dealer & I've been a GM guy forever.
Just FYI Harbor Freight has those 40" long folding platforms for $49.95.

Only difference between the two that I can see, the Lowes version is a couple inches longer and has a higher weight rating. When I purchased, the weight rating was important to me, I’m right at the HF rating. A smaller person won’t have that concern.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

Only difference between the two that I can see, the Lowes version is a couple inches longer and has a higher weight rating. When I purchased, the weight rating was important to me, I’m right at the HF rating. A smaller person won’t have that concern.

Not to hijack this new truck post, but my son has the HF platform, I don't know what it's rated for, but we've both been on it at it at the same time several times which is in excess of our 500lbs & still in use.

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

Not to hijack this new truck post, but my son has the HF platform, I don't know what it's rated for, but we've both been on it at it at the same time several times which is in excess of our 500lbs & still in use.

Not really hijacking, he did ask for input about how to reach the center of the cab. You guys are brave. I couldn’t take the chance of it giving out while I was working on a customer vehicle and end up causing damage not only to the vehicle, but to me. I know, in most cases, weight ratings are a bit bogus and have some leeway built in for liability purposes, the question when it comes to that is how much? BTW, the HF is rated for 225.

[the406life]

I don't wax my vehicles. I have them ceramic coated. Lasts for years, looks better, easier to keep clean because dirt doesn't stick to it.

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by the406life

I don't wax my vehicles. I have them ceramic coated. Lasts for years, looks better, easier to keep clean because dirt doesn't stick to it.

FYI, ceramic coating doesn’t last for years. Most of them that come with a warranty require annual inspections because they need to reapply especially in areas that are exposed to a lot of sun. There’s also huge variances in quality levels. I’ve detailed cars where the coating was basically gone after a little over a year. In terms of longevity, my belief is that wax last 4-6 months, paint sealants 6-12 months, ceramic coatings 12-24 months. The variance in times are due to quality of product and exposer levels.

[Buffettfan]

Thanks for all the great advice and comments on the new TV. I'm going to try waxing it today, if the sun's not too hot. Unfortunately. it's too tall for my garage. I knew that going in, my 2wd 1500 only cleared by a couple inches. I'm planning a 24X30X14 carport, but that probably won't happen til spring.
Thanks Again,All!

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by Buffettfan

Thanks for all the great advice and comments on the new TV. I'm going to try waxing it today, if the sun's not too hot. Unfortunately. it's too tall for my garage. I knew that going in, my 2wd 1500 only cleared by a couple inches. I'm planning a 24X30X14 carport, but that probably won't happen til spring.
Thanks Again,All!

If you have a standard 7’ tall garage door, it should fit for you to be able to get it out of the sun to wax it. What you will need to do is pull the release handle in the garage door opener and either have someone hold the garage door completely up or prop it up. That gains you an inch or so. If that’s still not enough, drop some air out of the tires. I’ve had to do that on a Ram once. I don’t know why manufacturers don’t build these things to fit into a standard garage.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

If you have a standard 7’ tall garage door, it should fit for you to be able to get it out of the sun to wax it. What you will need to do is pull the release handle in the garage door opener and either have someone hold the garage door completely up or prop it up. That gains you an inch or so. If that’s still not enough, drop some air out of the tires. I’ve had to do that on a Ram once. I don’t know why manufacturers don’t build these things to fit into a standard garage.

This strictly a guess but I'm guessing it's a testosterone booster. "Look, my truck is larger than yours so it's better" is just another marketing ploy that appeals to some folks that have more leftover Neanderthal DNA than others.