4500/450 Chassis Cab

mellow wrote:
I can assure you 100% you won't get very far on 19.5's on our sand, might not even make it 100 feet past the gate without airing down.

If you air 19.5s anywhere, you won’t make it very far. :D.

I can assure you 100% you won't get very far on 19.5's on our sand, might not even make it 100 feet past the gate without airing down.

I had 16 tons motorhome driven on sand a lot, while in Baja. All locals would drive their RWD sedans over soft sand and never bother about airing them down.
So to some degree it is matter of choice and checking how pack the sand is, to some- matter of skills.

I had 19.5" wheels on my F250 and and also have them on my 5500. You can travel hard packed sand, but soft sand or overly deep snow will have you dig deeper rather than float on top. I have no trouble with sand, ice, mud and snow as long as I can grab something solid before the differentials start to drag.

That is the reason why I went with an f350 vs an f450 for my 1191, so I can have tires on my DRW that I can air down for the soft sand we have here. Would love to have gotten the 450 for the upgraded parts but converting the tires was going to be a hassle.

@dennych1 what TC are you hauling?

To clarify my truck has 17 inch wheels.That’s why I went with a 3500

Some of the heavier chassis cabs have 19.5s. Those can’t be aired down due to the type of bead the wheels have. I’d say ones that have 19.5s are overall bad choices for beach driving.

I have a 2018 3500 ram cabin chassis with a flatbed. I went a flat bed to gain storage space. I drive on the beach all the time just air the front and the outside rear tires down to around 30 psi. I haul a 2011 Lance 1131. Hope this helps

I guess I should also add that Kayteg is correct. It came as a cab/chasis, with no bed, but I had a custom Warner bed added so it looks like a pickup. One other thing, this particular truck has a 9 foot bed, not 8, so I have to use a spacer for the camper bump stops to reach the back of the cab wall. I think many cab/chasis models offer different lengths, so make sure to check.

I have the 4500 Sterling (Ram) 4500. The main difference between this and my last 3500 truck is the weight capacity. They're both duallies but the 3500 was literally AT capacity handling the fully loaded AF1150. The 4500, even without air bags barely notices the camper. BUT, and here's the biggie- you go to 19.5 tires when you get the the 4500 size and those are NOT able to air down for beach use. If anybody has any experience showing otherwise, I'd be grateful because I'd love to take my rig down to Corpus Christi, but haven't for fear of getting stuck immediately.