2500 or 3500?

bmanning wrote:


Thanks for the correction! I was off by a year, looks like it was the 2013MY in which the 1-ton and 3/4-ton ran different frames.

What makes you feel the 3500 SRW is much more capable than the 2500? Not saying you're incorrect, just curious as to what led you to that conclusion.

Well, I'm not the original poster that noted the 3500's being heavier duty than the 2500's, but I'll give answering a shot. The 2014 2500's have a completely different suspension setup compared to the 3500's. 2500's are now using a progressive steel coil-over setup (very bulky) that is designed to be more compliant with about the same amount of travel. There is also an option to replace the steel coils with airbags instead. So the 2500 is tuned to give a more pliant ride like the 1/2 tons with all the capacity a 3/4 is supposed to have.

The 1-ton RAMs still keep a leaf-sprung hotchkiss setup, only difference is there is now an option to get factory supplemental airbags. What they do in this case is reduce the spring pack down to a single spring and use the airbag to add any additional load leveling that's needed.

So in RAM's case, a 2500 is truly just a 2500. I believe Ford and GM may have almost all the same exact underpinnings between the 2500 and 3500 with only differences in spring packs. I really can't answer that in their case.