Ive been trying to find a dealer that cares but it seems once they got your money they're not so nice. Quick history of the service, brought truck in 1st time for bed lowering mode problem and was told it works and lowers truck 1". because of covid didnt check at dealer lot and checked a few days later when hooking up my RV and it didn't move. Received notice of emissions recall a few weeks later and brought truck in asked them to check it again while there being re-flashed. Two times and this is considered excessive and wasting their time? Third time was today. Like I have nothing better to do then break their balls and make up imaginary problems. I will not buy another Ram truck. This isn't my first one but it is my last one. Ram cares is as useless as the Bed lowering Mode. My experience has been that sales and service dept. know very little about these trucks. It's all about the money and once they have yours you're on your own.
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Bed Lowering Function
- Thread starter Ram-a-lam
- Start date
I had an opportunity to check mine again today.
On the first occasion, it did lower about 1" when I used it to hook up the boat.
I pulled the boat out of the driveway and dropped it on the street. After I finished my other business - checking my 5th wheel hitch head height, I used it to get the boat and it only moved about 1/2" when I hooked up and the same 1/2" when I unhooked.
Seems pretty inconsistent. It's not like I don't have some weight in the bed to compress the bags. My hitch is 160 lb, there's a 60 lb toolbox full of probably 120 lbs of stuff and a 140 genset in the bed right now. Full tank of fuel, 3/4 DEF.
On the first occasion, it did lower about 1" when I used it to hook up the boat.
I pulled the boat out of the driveway and dropped it on the street. After I finished my other business - checking my 5th wheel hitch head height, I used it to get the boat and it only moved about 1/2" when I hooked up and the same 1/2" when I unhooked.
Seems pretty inconsistent. It's not like I don't have some weight in the bed to compress the bags. My hitch is 160 lb, there's a 60 lb toolbox full of probably 120 lbs of stuff and a 140 genset in the bed right now. Full tank of fuel, 3/4 DEF.
What I would like to know from Ram is an actual measurement for my truck in it's configuration. No dealer I've dealt with can answer that. My truck is a 3500 dually, crew cab, 8' bed ,max tow package ,HO Cummins. This truck is fully optioned so it's as heavy as it can be. My payload is around 4800 lbs. and it doesn't move at all. If a truck is configured lets say with the short bed, short cab and not fully optioned truck is lighter and payload increases so I wonder if they lower at all. I can't get past the fact that Bed Lowering Mode doesn't lower the bed. I guess if a truck lowers a 1/16" that Ram would tell you its working but mine doesn't even do that. This isn't a necessary feature but not what was explained to me when buying the truck. I was told it assists in hooking up trailer and disconnecting and to help when loading the bed. Going this Tuesday to dealer I purchased truck from . If not resolved which I don't feel it will be I'll throw in the towel and move on. Not worth the aggravation.
There's a video on you tube in RAM's channel. Pretty sure it's a dually. Find that then use it with the dealer.
chesafreak
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Im confused. I always thought the 3500 was advertised as an assist to the mechanical spring and it was never intended to be fully adjustable like the 2500. Obviously when they added the bed lowering feature (wasnt available in previous years) it was meant for the 2500 and due to economics well all HDs got the same tech.. Thestuart even showed that in the manual. Bottom line is you can make a mechanical spring lower unless its loaded down.. That does suck if the dealership sold you on that feature, one reason why I have never trusted any sales people and spend to much time researching any product i buy.
I understand you're thinking but Ram could've easily put a disclaimer in the manual stating doesn't work on 3500 models, renamed it something else but they didn't but they do on other things. If you search for Ram sponsored advertisements they'll state ALL HD models have this feature. I believe but Im gonna go check, that if you engage Alternate trailer height with no load on truck it will lower down then immediately return to normal ride when it detects no load so one would think you should at least equal that 1" to 1.5" drop in bed lowering mode also. I'd really just like a clarification from Ram on whats the official deal. I like you research also but in my neck of the woods not many 3500 duallys sitting on lots to test drive especially with air ride. 2500 SRW they got tons. Any way interesting topic but all the info I can find is pretty vague.
ahhhr
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I could swear i saw videos (probably from Ram) that showed a guy reversing up to a trailer, lowered the bed from the drivers seat, reversed a bit further till the ball was under the trailer coupler then raised the bed to complete the job.
That was the feature i bought but my truck cant do that. I only get 1/2 inch
I dont think i made that up - i thought it was pretty cool.
Also - i dont care about the mechanics of springs or marketing, they sold me "Bed Lowering" and 1/2" doesn't count. (thats what she said)
That was the feature i bought but my truck cant do that. I only get 1/2 inch
I dont think i made that up - i thought it was pretty cool.
Also - i dont care about the mechanics of springs or marketing, they sold me "Bed Lowering" and 1/2" doesn't count. (thats what she said)
Brought to dealer today and had mechanic come out so he could see what I'm talking about. Nice fellow but wasn't aware any Ram truck had bed lowering mode. Showed him video from Ram of bed lowering and the amount of travel. He agrees it doesn't seem right that mine doesn't lower at all. We'll see if they can find some definitive info on how its suppose to work or if in fact something is broke. I'll post my findings.
ahhhr
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I was checking out some loads at the scales yesterday.Good info.But if your truck only lowers 3/4" and its working correctly it is useless imho. 3/4" might make a difference in some aspects of lifebut not when pertaining to the truck bed lowering mode. Seems like a useless gimick from Ram. I have a travel trailer and fully loaded weighs 8800 lbs. so its about 900lbs on the tongue and the alt. trailer height will display stating not enough of a payload to engage or something like that. If I put the wife in the bed it might lower the bed more then the bed lowering mode does and she only weighs about a 110 lbs. I have a 3500 dually limited with HO diesel ,max tow package etc. and I am finding most of the bells and whistles I had to have are useless and or not needed. Next truck will be much simpler. Less stuff to be disappointed with.
With 675 pounds on the pin, Alt Trailer Height does not work
1034 lbs works. Maybe 1000 is the magic number.
I think you right with your estimation. I have 900 lbs. when towing on the tongue and it doesn't engage. But Bed Lowering Mode is a completely different function then ATH and I'm interested in the Bed Lowering function which is advertised to aid WHILE hooking up to a trailer. ATH function is to engage AFTER you are hooked up to trailer providing it detects ample load to improve the geometry between tongue and hitch if needed. My truck spent 1 week at dealer and nothing was done or learned about the system by dealer. Dealer still waiting for Ram engineering for a clarification. If you haven't seen the RAM commercial. https://www.ramtrucks.com/towing-guide/how-to/feature-panel/panel5/modal.html
diezeldave
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I do not understand why bed lowering mode does not work on my 3500. When I select ATH, it does move down a bit until it decides there isn't enough payload and goes back up. That tells me it isn't a matter of not enough weight being present to compress the leafs but rather some kind of software bug.
I agree and have made same argument with Dealer. If truck will lower in ATH and then default to Normal Ride Height when no load detected one would think it should lower at least the same amount as ATH when in Bed Lowering Mode and stay there until you disengage from BLM. Owners Manual states ALL HD models have this function which we all know that means 2500/3500 trucks and is to be used in aiding trailer hook up and help in loading of cargo and to wash out bed so water drains to rear of bed. Where is the disclaimer stating only works on 2500's not 3500's. I can't find it and I have looked. Best I can find is 2500's lower/raise the bed 2.5" in BLM but no measurement on the 3500's. After truck sat for 1 week in dealership collecting dust I told them I'm coming to get my truck. Dealership seems to be genuinely trying to ascertain info from Ram engineering but the wheels are turning real slow. Ram(doesn't)Care is useless.
chesafreak
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This video specifically says on your 2500. It never mentions anything about a 3500. Im sorry guys but yall are all going back and forth on this but there is no way to get around the mechanical leaf spring... If it is not compressed with a load the air bag is not doing anything. There was a disclaimer on the first page of this thread from the manual states that without a load the 3500 will not go into ATH so why would you think that the bed would lower at all without a load?
diezeldave
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If I select ATH, the bed does lower even with no load. It goes back up a few seconds later of course. I just want bed lowering mode to vent the pressure from the air bags and let the bed go down as low as the spring will allow. Doesn't seem to much to ask.
ATH and Bed Lowering are two separate functions.
If there's pressure in the bags, and there always is, Bed Lowering releases/transfers that pressure back into the storage tank. Bed Lowering IS a thing. It's just not going to have as much range on the leaf spring trucks (3500) as it does on the coil sprung trucks (2500) but should work to some degree regardless. It's not unreasonable to expect this and RAM advertises it for ALL air suspension trucks.
The Gooseneck hookup video, while you can see they're using the same 2500, doesn't say anything about it being a 2500 only feature. The Feature IS available on the 3500 air ride trucks and it DOES work to varying degrees. If my 3500 works, then so should every other 3500 with air suspension. That said, I do have a few hundred extra pounds in the bed during the summer - hitch, genset, and a toolbox full of gear year round.
chesafreak
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Your making the point that your varying degree is you have weight in the bed to put a load on the leaf springs so you will get some drop compared to the next guy with no extra load... I would imagine after some time the leafs will settle as well and you will start to get some more movement when selecting ATH or Bed Lowering.
And where I agree that may be misleading marketing on their part by not saying this is a 2500 model however no one here has shared anything that states Bed Lowering is something that was a feature for a 3500 air assist model. If someone shares that then I will eat crow and bow on out of here. If that's the case and saw literature on the 3500 that it was a thing I would be angry as well thinking I was getting something that wasn't there.
I also agree that spring sag may over time increase the range of the Bed lowering.
The mere fact that Bed Lowering is a button in the truck is proof enough that it exists as a feature. The fact that MY truck lowers when activated is also proof that it's a feature on the 3500 air suspension models.
It's also detailed in the owner's manual. There are clearly disclaimers regarding ATH and the 3500. There are no such disclaimers on the 3500 regarding Bed Lowering. It simply states, "This setting is used to lower the rear suspension to the lowest possible height and disable the air suspension system."
How much more proof is needed before you take that bow?
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