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First time Diesel/HD/Ram owner

UglyViking

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Hey all,

Proud owner of a new 2019 Ram 2500 4x4 with the 6.7. I've wanted a diesel truck forever but the high initial cost, even used, kept me away for so long. The wife and I just had our first kid and with that comes some time off so we decided we will be buying a travel trailer and taking off for about a month. My previous truck was a GMC 1500 with low payload/towing numbers and it didn't help that I lifted and put 35s on it. I'm still 10 years old inside so I plan to do similar but the solid front axle and diesel should more than compensate for it.

So far I'm loving the truck. Always loved the way a cummins sounded but it took a while for the look to grow on me. The 4th and 5th gen HDs are probably my favorite looking truck out there as it stands. Excited to learn more about diesel ownership, towing, doing some "overland" trips out west and in the northeast and all that.

One downside that took me by surprise is just how low the payload on these 2500s is. Having looked at all the current HD trucks and compared numbers I somehow missed the fact that the Ram 2500 was roughly 1k less payload than the rest. I didn't drive a Ram 3500 as there just aren't many in new england but driving the GM/Ford with their leaf spring rear axle I honestly didn't notice much of a difference in ride quality. It's prob still more payload than I need but if I decide to add a bumper, winch, cap, rack, etc. I'm prob gonna blow past it. Considering the number of loaded up "overland" style ram 2500s out there I don't see that as a huge issue but def one I'm thinking about.

Anyway, excited to join you all here.
 
Welcome to the forum and congrats on a great new truck. You’ll enjoy it. There’s a lot of debate on payload and what it really means, a lot of it is interpretive and varied but don’t let that take away form your ownership experience. Enjoy that sweet new ride.
 
Welcome to the forum and congrats on a great new truck. You’ll enjoy it. There’s a lot of debate on payload and what it really means, a lot of it is interpretive and varied but don’t let that take away form your ownership experience. Enjoy that sweet new ride.
Thanks man. Yeah I was looking at the GAWR and noticed that it's about 2k higher than the GVWR. I'm thinking they may have had to lower the payload to keep it under the 10k mark? Either way, no loss for me yet.
 
Enjoy your new truck and just don't exceed the rear GAWR.

Does it have factory air? You can always add air lift springs (for leveling) but you'll still need a WD/Sway hitch pulling a TT. Bags alone will just lift more weight off the steer axle.

Welcome to HDRams!
 
Enjoy your new truck and just don't exceed the rear GAWR.

Does it have factory air? You can always add air lift springs (for leveling) but you'll still need a WD/Sway hitch pulling a TT. Bags alone will just lift more weight off the steer axle.

Welcome to HDRams!
Thanks man! No factory air, wanted to avoid that as I think it may be overkill for how often I tow, and the fact that my max tow is prob gonna be 10k. I bought more than I need for sure. My main thing is wanting to be able to load it up and hunt/camp out of it on some trips, and if I've got a cap, bumper with winch, extended fuel tank, bed drawers, cooler, food, gear, etc. It would prob blow past the stated limit with me and a buddy. That said, looks like the GAWR should give me roughly another 1k and takes some of the front mounted items (bumper, winch, lights) off so I think I'm in great shape.
 
As soon as you toss a diesel in the truck, the payload drops. My old F-250 diesel (2010) also had only about 2k payload. My new Ram 3500 Cummins is sitting around 3.9k. That's more like it! :)
 
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