4:10 or 3:73 ?
Possible upgrading to Ram dually. I'm pulling 12,500# gvw with SRW and 3.42 rear end. Usually lock 6th gear out. Plan is to move up to new 15,000# gvw 5th. Not sure if I want to get 4.10 or 3:73. Wh...
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So, to recap our experience. Two years ago we sold our yacht of 19th years and without leaving the bank where we closed the sale, we wired money to John Elway's dealership in Greeley, Co for the 2015 3500 Laramie we bought sight unseen.
We were leaving for Arizona right after Christmas and did not have time to order a 2016. I had been watching trucks across the country from NW Washington. Wanted a Laramie, with buckets, no sun roof, etc etc. They had three matching builds in three different colors. They all had $64,595 window stickers and the Deep Cherry Red on was on the internet for $53,545. We did not even argue the price, we just wired the money and jumped on a flight Sunday Morning to Denver, got a motel at the airport and had a nice dinner in a sports bar in the area.
In the morning the Laurie the internet gal picked us up and drove us the hour North to the dealership where we completed the paper work, bought the four 5th wheel bed pucks and in bed wiring, and 8 year 120K extended warranty at a fairly decent price, within a 100 dollars or so of the best I have seen.
We left at 12:25 and took hiway 287 to Laramie, Wy driving easy and varying the speed from time to time. Stopped and had a late lunch in Laramie and forgot to take a picture of our new Laramie in Laramie!!
We got on I-80 and built cruse speed up to 80 MPH taking turns on at the wheel, reading the owners manual to figure things out and high five'ng each other like a couple young kids. Afternoon day one and 407 miles. This truck just likes to cruise fast and is steady as a rock at speed.
Day two we drove 660 miles first part still at 80(Eastern Utah) and then 65, 70, 75, never exceeding the posted limits.
Morning of day three we drove 265 miles and arrived home at 12:25 exactly 48 hours after leaving the dealership, with motel receipts for two nights.
It was a great adventure and we learned a great deal about the truck right out of the box and fell completely in love with it.
Being in our seventies it is an experience that we will remember fondly in our remain years on this planet. OBTW we had enough air miles to fly out to Denver first class!
So we then knew the new RAM with 385HP and 865 lb ft with 3.42 gears was a freeway cruiser turning at quiet low RPMs. We towed our 12,400 5er to Arizona and back that first winter. Coming home in the spring we were shopping for a new trailer as the Cardinal 29 WBLX was 11 years old.
Last winter we made the round trip to Arizona with a new fully loaded 16K 39'4' new Big Horn 5th wheel trailer and a combined weight of 24500 pounds. That is when we really learned that the low first and second gear in the Aisin tranny works just fine with 3.42 gears and heavy loads. And that towing in 5th gear at 60 MPH is a sweet spot for the setup. We can easily tow at higher speeds, however that takes more fuel and we are retired and not in that much of a hurry.
That's our story, we lived it, enjoyed it and hope to be able to continue it for many more years. We are off to the Balloon Fiesta in NM in less than three weeks and then onto Az for the winter.
This is our third RAM/Cummins and each has been much better than the one before it. I would note that the TSB applied while in Az last winter cured a 4-5th gear shifting hunt on small hills. It now drops to 4th when needed and holds it unit it crests the hill.
Two years and 33K miles to date. We had a round trip last Christmas with a box trailer from AZ to WA to get household stuff for a park model with Az room that we built last winter.
Chris
We were leaving for Arizona right after Christmas and did not have time to order a 2016. I had been watching trucks across the country from NW Washington. Wanted a Laramie, with buckets, no sun roof, etc etc. They had three matching builds in three different colors. They all had $64,595 window stickers and the Deep Cherry Red on was on the internet for $53,545. We did not even argue the price, we just wired the money and jumped on a flight Sunday Morning to Denver, got a motel at the airport and had a nice dinner in a sports bar in the area.
In the morning the Laurie the internet gal picked us up and drove us the hour North to the dealership where we completed the paper work, bought the four 5th wheel bed pucks and in bed wiring, and 8 year 120K extended warranty at a fairly decent price, within a 100 dollars or so of the best I have seen.
We left at 12:25 and took hiway 287 to Laramie, Wy driving easy and varying the speed from time to time. Stopped and had a late lunch in Laramie and forgot to take a picture of our new Laramie in Laramie!!
We got on I-80 and built cruse speed up to 80 MPH taking turns on at the wheel, reading the owners manual to figure things out and high five'ng each other like a couple young kids. Afternoon day one and 407 miles. This truck just likes to cruise fast and is steady as a rock at speed.
Day two we drove 660 miles first part still at 80(Eastern Utah) and then 65, 70, 75, never exceeding the posted limits.
Morning of day three we drove 265 miles and arrived home at 12:25 exactly 48 hours after leaving the dealership, with motel receipts for two nights.
It was a great adventure and we learned a great deal about the truck right out of the box and fell completely in love with it.
Being in our seventies it is an experience that we will remember fondly in our remain years on this planet. OBTW we had enough air miles to fly out to Denver first class!
So we then knew the new RAM with 385HP and 865 lb ft with 3.42 gears was a freeway cruiser turning at quiet low RPMs. We towed our 12,400 5er to Arizona and back that first winter. Coming home in the spring we were shopping for a new trailer as the Cardinal 29 WBLX was 11 years old.
Last winter we made the round trip to Arizona with a new fully loaded 16K 39'4' new Big Horn 5th wheel trailer and a combined weight of 24500 pounds. That is when we really learned that the low first and second gear in the Aisin tranny works just fine with 3.42 gears and heavy loads. And that towing in 5th gear at 60 MPH is a sweet spot for the setup. We can easily tow at higher speeds, however that takes more fuel and we are retired and not in that much of a hurry.
That's our story, we lived it, enjoyed it and hope to be able to continue it for many more years. We are off to the Balloon Fiesta in NM in less than three weeks and then onto Az for the winter.
This is our third RAM/Cummins and each has been much better than the one before it. I would note that the TSB applied while in Az last winter cured a 4-5th gear shifting hunt on small hills. It now drops to 4th when needed and holds it unit it crests the hill.
Two years and 33K miles to date. We had a round trip last Christmas with a box trailer from AZ to WA to get household stuff for a park model with Az room that we built last winter.
Chris
