JLines
Member
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2021
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- 32
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- 30
Got my 2022 3500 LTD and have been very pleased with it ... but there are a couple things folks need to be aware of because the brochure can definitely be misleading ... particularly if you are planning to tow a 5th wheel trailer. Before I ordered, I looked over the literature, it was describing features that help while towing a trailer. One of those nice to have features is the "Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross-Path Detection scans blind spots behind the vehicle to help ensure safe maneuvering while automatically sensing and accounting for length of your trailer". Please note in the literature that it precedes that with "With dual wide-band radar sensors n the taillamp". Taillamps being the key word in that sentence. If you hook up your 5th wheel and try to turn on the Blind Spot detection ... it will prompt for trailer type. If you select 5th wheel, it will come back with message "Incompatible Trailer". Once you realize the sensors are in the tail-lights you can see when your 5th wheel is hooked up that the trailer pretty is close enough to the truck to block any radar sensor that would be in the taillight. The very next picture in the literature is of a 3500 dually pulling a triple axle 5th wheel. Nowhere in the literature does it indicate any of the trailer features are not compatible with a 5th wheel trailer. I believe when you select 5th wheel, it also totally turns off the blind spot detection.
The feature I really love and really helps make up for the blind spot system being turned off is the digital rear view mirror. Did I say I LOVE this feature? Anyway, with a reliable view of what is behind your trailer and the great coverage of properly adjusted side mirrors, I really have not had issue with the blind spot system being turned off ... and even when I'm not towing, it flips to a wide view of the camera on the back of the cab so it virtually eliminates any blind spots you might have due to the rear pillars or stuff being stacked in back seat. Just be aware that if you order this option and plan on using it with a fifth wheel or gooseneck trailer, even if you have ordered the proper options to get the connectors in the bed, the connector for the digital rear view camera will only be on the bumper so you will need to modify your new truck to add or move the connector to the bed. How to do this is well discussed in other threads in the Towing topic forum.
The next item comes up on other threads, but if you order the Trailer TPMS option ... it probably won't work for your 5th wheel. This option provides 4 TPMS valves that get mounted in the trailer rims and a receiver for the signal that is mounted in the rear bumper by the license plate. In my case, my front axle is 19' behind my bumper when the 5th wheel is properly hooked up and the second axle is three feet behind that. Every now and then it appears atmospheric conditions are right for the signal from the TPMS in each wheel to get to the receiver ... but mostly not ... and not reliable enough to detect problem while towing. I'm still optimistic. This is something that Dodge can easily resolve with the use of either a trailer mounted repeater or possibly making use of empty spots in the 12 pin connector to remote a receiver on the trailer.
The last item I sort of feel deceived by in the literature is where it describes the Auto-Level Rear Air Suspension. It talks about Bed-Lowering Mode make loading things into the truck or performing trailer hookups easier. Then it shows some pictures where that give the impression that it will change the height of the ball by about two inches when trying to connect which you would also assume would lower the tailgate by that amount as well. So I ordered the option. First off, as I'm looking through my owner's manual it shows a key fob with a button for "Air Suspension Remote Lowering (if Equipped)". I haven't talked to the dealer about it yet, but neither one of my key fobs have that button ... even though I ordered the option. So get the truck home and I'm going through trying things and I find place on the UConnect screen to lower the bed (truck does need to be running to use this feature). So I press the on screen button and I can hear the truck lowering and it's telling me it is lowering ... then gives me the message it is complete. I go out and look and don't really think it has changed much. So I get out the tape measure and measure to the bottom of the hitch. Then I raised it back up and measured again ... and determined there was 1/2" difference between the high and low position. Is it is something I am doing wrong, I'd sure like some feedback. Anyway, the other mode offered by this feature is "Alernate trailer height" which lowers the bed of the truck if needed to level the trailer ... and that difference seems to work pretty well. Visually, I can see that my 5th wheel appears to be more level distributing the weight better between the front and rear axles.
Overall though, so far I've been very happy with my new truck. These are simply the main things that simply didn't meet expectations given to me by the literature that I thought might interest others.
The feature I really love and really helps make up for the blind spot system being turned off is the digital rear view mirror. Did I say I LOVE this feature? Anyway, with a reliable view of what is behind your trailer and the great coverage of properly adjusted side mirrors, I really have not had issue with the blind spot system being turned off ... and even when I'm not towing, it flips to a wide view of the camera on the back of the cab so it virtually eliminates any blind spots you might have due to the rear pillars or stuff being stacked in back seat. Just be aware that if you order this option and plan on using it with a fifth wheel or gooseneck trailer, even if you have ordered the proper options to get the connectors in the bed, the connector for the digital rear view camera will only be on the bumper so you will need to modify your new truck to add or move the connector to the bed. How to do this is well discussed in other threads in the Towing topic forum.
The next item comes up on other threads, but if you order the Trailer TPMS option ... it probably won't work for your 5th wheel. This option provides 4 TPMS valves that get mounted in the trailer rims and a receiver for the signal that is mounted in the rear bumper by the license plate. In my case, my front axle is 19' behind my bumper when the 5th wheel is properly hooked up and the second axle is three feet behind that. Every now and then it appears atmospheric conditions are right for the signal from the TPMS in each wheel to get to the receiver ... but mostly not ... and not reliable enough to detect problem while towing. I'm still optimistic. This is something that Dodge can easily resolve with the use of either a trailer mounted repeater or possibly making use of empty spots in the 12 pin connector to remote a receiver on the trailer.
The last item I sort of feel deceived by in the literature is where it describes the Auto-Level Rear Air Suspension. It talks about Bed-Lowering Mode make loading things into the truck or performing trailer hookups easier. Then it shows some pictures where that give the impression that it will change the height of the ball by about two inches when trying to connect which you would also assume would lower the tailgate by that amount as well. So I ordered the option. First off, as I'm looking through my owner's manual it shows a key fob with a button for "Air Suspension Remote Lowering (if Equipped)". I haven't talked to the dealer about it yet, but neither one of my key fobs have that button ... even though I ordered the option. So get the truck home and I'm going through trying things and I find place on the UConnect screen to lower the bed (truck does need to be running to use this feature). So I press the on screen button and I can hear the truck lowering and it's telling me it is lowering ... then gives me the message it is complete. I go out and look and don't really think it has changed much. So I get out the tape measure and measure to the bottom of the hitch. Then I raised it back up and measured again ... and determined there was 1/2" difference between the high and low position. Is it is something I am doing wrong, I'd sure like some feedback. Anyway, the other mode offered by this feature is "Alernate trailer height" which lowers the bed of the truck if needed to level the trailer ... and that difference seems to work pretty well. Visually, I can see that my 5th wheel appears to be more level distributing the weight better between the front and rear axles.
Overall though, so far I've been very happy with my new truck. These are simply the main things that simply didn't meet expectations given to me by the literature that I thought might interest others.
