Considering a Ram 2500 Hemi

[Desertwolf]

I don’t think the 3500 costs much more but it would certainly give you a better ceiling for hauling seeing as it has regular leaf springs and not inboard coil springs like the 2500.

“Beat you to death” is subjective IMO. Personally I like a truck to feel like a truck and don’t mind a bit of a harsh ride. Others feel differently and that’s fine. Though a 3500 of today rides leaps and bounds better than one of 20 years ago.

I concur, my Pro-4X rides a little rough due to it being an off road suspension and I don't mind, it's a truck!

 

[mdsonofthesouth]

That is too much trailer for comfortable or safe 1/2 ton towing, especially with the offroad suspension. I had an MDS ram 1500 that i towed a similar TT with an with the heavier duty suspension upgrades it worked, but so many times it was white knuckle. but never once was the MDS an issue. In my humble opinion the Hemi 3/4 ton is a great daily driver and does a good job working as well. 10/10 Highly recomend.

 

[Desertwolf]

Thanks @mdsonofthesouth, I appreciate it.

Is there one package or the other a better value than the others. Has anyone been having issues with the 12" infotainment system? How is Ram's paint? I like the blue and didn't know if that was a problem color.

 

[mdsonofthesouth]

Thanks @mdsonofthesouth, I appreciate it.

Is there one package or the other a better value than the others. Has anyone been having issues with the 12" infotainment system? How is Ram's paint? I like the blue and didn't know if that was a problem color.

In the decade of owning Rams and then jeeps before that never had any real issues with paint. One of the reasons I went with my 2019 is it checked all the boxes and one of them was a uconnect 8.4 screen and physical knobs for the hvac.

 

[wrvond]

Thanks @mdsonofthesouth, I appreciate it.

Is there one package or the other a better value than the others. Has anyone been having issues with the 12" infotainment system? How is Ram's paint? I like the blue and didn't know if that was a problem color.

I have had no issue whatsoever with my 12" infotainment system. No issue with the paint, either. I will say though that the aluminum the tailgate and hood are made with is barely thicker than what you wrap leftovers in. I backed into a bush and it dented the snot out of my tailgate.
Back in 2017 when I bought my F350 "military grade aluminum" was the buzz Ford was bandying about which I thought was hilarious (at the time), however I really do miss that aluminum body; especially when I see an earlier Ram with rusted out wheel wells.

 

[AH64ID]

I have had no issue whatsoever with my 12" infotainment system. No issue with the paint, either. I will say though that the aluminum the tailgate and hood are made with is barely thicker than what you wrap leftovers in. I backed into a bush and it dented the snot out of my tailgate.
Back in 2017 when I bought my F350 "military grade aluminum" was the buzz Ford was bandying about which I thought was hilarious (at the time), however I really do miss that aluminum body; especially when I see an earlier Ram with rusted out wheel wells.

When did Ram switch to an aluminum tailgate on the HD’s? I know the LD’s have one, but hadn’t heard the HD’s do.

 

[wrvond]

When did Ram switch to an aluminum tailgate on the HD’s? I know the LD’s have one, but hadn’t heard the HD’s do.

Google says 2019 model year.

Note that the "Ram Classic" models (which continued to produce the 4th-generation body style after 2019) still used steel, but all new-generation 2019+ Ram Heavy Duty trucks adopted the aluminum unit.

I'd also like to note that even though the bush dented my tailgate it did not scratch the paint. One of these days I'll have the paintless dent repair done.

 

[AH64ID]

Google says 2019 model year.

Note that the "Ram Classic" models (which continued to produce the 4th-generation body style after 2019) still used steel, but all new-generation 2019+ Ram Heavy Duty trucks adopted the aluminum unit.

I'd also like to note that even though the bush dented my tailgate it did not scratch the paint. One of these days I'll have the paintless dent repair done.

Ram “classic” and “all-new” are light duty truck terms, not heavy duty. There was not a point where the 4th gen and 4.5 gen were made at the same time, it was a hard switch on the HD.

All I can find on Google is that the aluminum tailgate is a LD only thing.

 

[wrvond]

Ram “classic” and “all-new” are light duty truck terms, not heavy duty. There was not a point where the 4th gen and 4.5 gen were made at the same time, it was a hard switch on the HD.

All I can find on Google is that the aluminum tailgate is a LD only thing.

Well, let me tell you. Rather than mess with Google I marched myself downstairs, grabbed a magnet off the refrigerator and in my house shoes and short sleeved shirt braved the 5°F elements to prove a magnet won't stick to my very lightweight tailgate.
It stuck.
I moved it to another spot.
It stuck again.


I'm pretty sure that at some point I read marketing material that claimed the Ram HD (at least in 2023) had an aluminum hood and tailgate. But since that is clearly not correct there's no point in trying to track that down.

 

[Units]

Well, let me tell you. Rather than mess with Google I marched myself downstairs, grabbed a magnet off the refrigerator and in my house shoes and short sleeved shirt braved the 5°F elements to prove a magnet won't stick to my very lightweight tailgate.
It stuck.
I moved it to another spot.
It stuck again.


I'm pretty sure that at some point I read marketing material that claimed the Ram HD (at least in 2023) had an aluminum hood and tailgate. But since that is clearly not correct there's no point in trying to track that down.

I pondered doing that as I was curious about the tailgate as well. It’s not 5 degrees here and only 32 out, it’s plenty cold enough for me to not want to willingly go outside. Glad you took one for the team.

 

[AH64ID]

Well, let me tell you. Rather than mess with Google I marched myself downstairs, grabbed a magnet off the refrigerator and in my house shoes and short sleeved shirt braved the 5°F elements to prove a magnet won't stick to my very lightweight tailgate.
It stuck.
I moved it to another spot.
It stuck again.


I'm pretty sure that at some point I read marketing material that claimed the Ram HD (at least in 2023) had an aluminum hood and tailgate. But since that is clearly not correct there's no point in trying to track that down.

haha... way better than google.

The tailgate isn't all that light but rather has a torsion bar that reduces the felt weight. If you ever take it off you'll realize it's just as heavy as they used to be.

 

[Belzelbub]

Well, let me tell you. Rather than mess with Google I marched myself downstairs, grabbed a magnet off the refrigerator and in my house shoes and short sleeved shirt braved the 5°F elements to prove a magnet won't stick to my very lightweight tailgate.
It stuck.

I thought about doing that as well. Only 56 here at the moment, but I didn't have a magnet with me.

The tailgate isn't all that light but rather has a torsion bar that reduces the felt weight. If you ever take it off you'll realize it's just as heavy as they used to be.

I don't doubt that at all. All the trucks I've owned in the past 15 years or so have had some version of a shock assist. I just assumed that they all came that way. A few years ago, I was loading something in my friend's RAM 1500 (pre-AL). I went to open the tailgate, and he started to warn me, but couldn't get it out in time. That tailgate slammed with such force that had I had a good grip on the handle, I probably would have dislocated something. On me, not the truck.

 

[PGHChris81]

I LOVE my 2019 Hemi Ram! No complaints.