Need help finding the right truck

Greene728 wrote:

IdaD wrote:

Artum Snowbird wrote:
You won't be sorry getting a 1 ton SRW for a rig that size. Lots of 3/4 ton rigs can do the job too, but you will appreciate the difference in how secure you feel at the wheel.

Since he's buying used I'd say get whatever he can get a better deal on. Most 3/4 tons, and certainly the newer ones, are the same as SRW 1 tons aside from slightly softer rear springs. Throw some airbags or timbrens on it and you've got the same truck aside from the rating tag. There shouldn't be any difference in the way they feel since they have all the same components.

My truck is a SRW 3500. When looking these are the things I noticed between my truck and comparable 2500.
My 3500 has 7k rear axle. 2500 was 6500 I believe.
3500 had leaf pack in rear vs. coils on the 2500.
3500 with cummins has payload of 3970lbs. Highest 2500 cummins I saw was roughly 2400lbs.
Sorry, but I don't agree for the reasons above that "throw some air bags or timbrens on it and you have the same truck" is an accurate statement. If it were then why the 2 different designating of 2500/3500? And yes, I understand registering tax requirements in some states based on truck classification. Adding some mods does not change what the truck is rated for. It simply bandaids inadequacy most of the time.

The tax and registration stuff can matter a lot to individuals in some cases, but not all. It's probably a bigger deal on a vehicle used commercially. Go above 10k lbs gross on those and you run into all the DOT stuff - logbook, medical card, annual inspection, etc. The payload rating difference is simply a function of high curb weight and the hard 10k lb cap.

Putting timbrens or airbags on a 2500 doesn't bandaid an inadequacy, it simply erases the only difference between it and a SRW 3500. How is it different from ordering lighter rear springs with supplemental airbags on a 3500 straight from the factory? Or is that also just a bandaid Ram is using to address an inadequacy?