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Why did you choose a 3500?

J

just James

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I'll go first.

Basically, it will do everything a 2500 will, and more, for a very small price difference.
And, I'm not very dainty, so a cushy ride was a long way down my list of priorities for a heavy duty truck.
 
I have had Six different Ram 2500 trucks from my initial SLT to Bighorn, Laramie and a Laramie Longhorn in the past five years for my Marine business. The 2500 is one of the best trucks ever and I love the coil spring rear suspension. For my newest truck, I wanted more and plan to keep it for a while, so I opted for the Mega Cab DRW 3500 Limited. I checked everything I could on the option list and looking forward to taking deliver in a week. I just hope the 4.10 gears are not going to kill the cruise speed on the freeway too much.


IMG_0357.jpeg
 
Just love saying I can tow 34,000lbs
The real reason was I had a 2500 with Cummins (for 3 months before I traded it in).
00AB870F-CCB5-4D8F-9E05-ABD96FE2C0C4.jpeg

It only had about a 2000lb payload which pretty much excluded me from towing any reasonable size 5th wheel or my plan to one day get a Host Mammoth camper.

I traded up to 3500 Tradesman CCLB 6.7HO with 4.10s. Should have done it in the first place. Expensive lesson :(
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You might think I wanted the HO with the 3500, but the HO comes with the Aisin trans. ;) Bandit, If you go off of the 2500 RAWR vrs the actual weight on the rear axle its more like 3K. The RAWR is at 6K and FAWR is at 5K for a total of 11K, but RAM sets the GVWR at 10K. :rolleyes: After weighing my 04.5 with a heavy pin weight from my 34' Arctic Fox 5ver, it was still within the 6K RAWR and FAWR. SRW 3500 with the auto leveling system rides better than without.
 
RVTRKN said:
You might think I wanted the HO with the 3500, but the HO comes with the Aisin trans. ;) Bandit, If you go off of the 2500 RAWR vrs the actual weight on the rear axle its more like 3K. The RAWR is at 6K and FAWR is at 5K for a total of 11K, but RAM sets the GVWR at 10K. :rolleyes: After weighing my 04.5 with a heavy pin weight from my 34' Arctic Fox 5ver, it was still within the 6K RAWR and FAWR. SRW 3500 with the auto leveling system rides better than without.
Click to expand...
Agreed you got a bit of wiggle room with the actual RAWR :) Just no way that 2500 was going to cut it with the Host camper on there. That thing is a beast, it’s like 5k of payload lightly loaded

The ride was definitely cushier on the 2500 with the coil springs all around. I have since added the air lift 7k air bags on the 3500 which have helped a bit.
 
I regretted buying a 2500 when I got my 04.5 HO when I started pushing the payload well past it's ratings. Adding airlift springs helped, but the truck was always running at the ragged edge.

I wasn't going to make that mistake twice. The ride comfort on the 20 Limited with air is leaps ahead of the 04.5 leaf sprung 2500 so there was no ride compromise for me.
 
At the time of getting mine, I had a choice of two long box's. A white tradesman 2500 and the 3500 bighorn I eventually chose. The clincher for getting the 3500 was the tradesman had the vinyl floor and was just an all round 'work' truck.
Living with the truck and it's TERRIBLE RIDE? Isn't an issue that most people seem to complain about. Following the great advice gained on this site...."air down the tires" I run the min suggested by firestone 40front 35rear and it rides great.
Big plus if I need to, just air up to max and I can throw 4000lb in the back:)


2019 3500 6.4l CCLB
 
Still waiting on my 3500 to be delivered, but I wanted a truck that could do whatever I move up to within the next 10 years. Admittedly, a 1500 *could* do what I currently tow (20ft 10k bumper pull with either a Jeep or track car on it).

The eventual plan is a custom tall and wide enclosed gooseneck and build a living quarters up front. I wanted to be able to build out the front of the trailer however I wanted and not worry about how it was affecting pin weight.

The HO/Aisin was a cherry on top, but I am not going to be pulling 25k any time soon so I don't necessarily need the raw pulling power.
 
Liability and payload capacity. Ended up burning myself and could've went with a 2500 but hindsight Is 20/20 and it's nice having that much extra. Moving my girlfriend this weekend and everything in her house doesn't even come close to tongue weight or payload capacity with a washer drier and stand alone freezer in the box lol.

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Wack99 said:
Following the great advice gained on this site...."air down the tires" I run the min suggested by firestone 40front 35rear and it rides great.
Big plus if I need to, just air up to max and I can throw 4000lb in the back:)


2019 3500 6.4l CCLB
Click to expand...
I'd like to caution members that lowering the air pressure may ruin the tires, it happened to me with my 94 2500HD 360 gasser. I lost a set of the OE Goodyear tires from under inflation trying to smooth out the ride. I now run the front tires at 75 psi and the rear at 65 psi. A member of another site that drove and rode in my 3500 complained a lot of the ride, while trying to convince me to lower the pressure to recommended weight to pressure ratio. My comment back to him was "if you pay for my tires, I'll lower the pressure". I'm not claiming that will destroy the tires, I'm claiming that I lost a set to under inflation and won't make the same mistake.
 
Was initially looking to order 2500 as it would be all I need for my current 5th wheel. But got a great deal on my 3500 Laramie and it Has most of the things I would have wanted plus in the future we can get a bigger camper lol.
 
Why did I choose a 3500 ...Cause I can! I haul a heavy TC
 
Top 5 reasons in order:

1. Aisin
2. Aisin
3. Aisin
4. Aisin
5. HO

Once you have a 68RFE take a dump on you (once under and once out of warranty - totally stock motor never pulled more than 10K), you'll have new priorities.
 
I had a 2013 RAM 2500 Tradesman CC SB diesel that had 125k on it. My 2013 still had leaf springs and 500 pounds more rating than most 2500 diesels after 2014. When I weighed truck and current trailer, I was at 90% rated capacity for that truck. It always towed fine, and if we were not considering a newer, heavier camper, I would have stayed with it.

When I was shopping for 3500, the SRW only added 1400 ish for capacity. The DRW about doubled it. We are looking for a newer camper that suits our needs. We have cash ready to buy. With the current market, we are waiting. What has happened to us several times in the past is that we suddenly find something that is what we want at a great price for some reason, and we buy it. We did not want to be truck limited should a 18k+ camper be found for us. So my 2020 RAM 3500 Tradesman CC LB DRW HO Aisin (nicely equipped w/upgrades) has all the capacity I would need for any camper we'd consider. Any camper over 20k, and most over 18k, are too long for where we go.

So my 3500 positions me to take advantage of any options that open up for us.

One thing I did not plan on is being asked to move trailers on the weekend. A couple campers, but mostly equipment trailers. Pays well for a side job.
 
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I chose mine after test driving both the 2500 and 3500 and noticed that there wasn't a horrible difference in ride quality between the two. Ultimately, I'd like to upgrade my TT to a 5th wheel, and didn't want to limit the size/weight of the trailer too much. As mine is driven daily, I could never justify a DRW (parallel parking in downtown Denver would be a nightmare!), so SRW 3500 was the ticket for me.

Minimizing my liability was the one thing in the back of my head after hearing too many folks with smaller 5th wheels that exceed their payload in a 3/4t.

All in all, I'm happy with the decision.
 
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