Would love some advice on a couple of things before dropping considerable $ on new truck and camper. Had a 16 RAM 3500 diesel dually with upper/lower stable loads and Lance 1172. Worked fine, but will probably need bags with new Northstar since adding a rear super hitch and motorcycle this time. Would you go with the factory air assist suspension on a new 18 RAM 3500 drw or go with full leaf suspension, add stableloads and aftermarket bags? And, I had 3.73 gearing on my 16 that worked fine and averaged around 12-13 mpg with the lance. Another member on here with a 12 STC and 14 RAM has the 4.10 and is getting 13mpg average. I will be loaded with camper full time, so will there be any mpg benefit to the 3.73? If not, I'd rather have the acceleration of the 4.10's. Will be driving cross country twice a year and averaging about 30K miles per year. Lastly, I've been back and forth on the 18 Ram 3500 or a 18 F450 for the tighter turning radius of 450, the 4.30 gearing is the only thing keeping me away, as I don't want to get less than 10mpg with all my mileage. Anyone with the 450 who can comment on mpg loaded full time with approx 5K lbs?

You’ll dump what was still an almost brand new truck/camper setup and buy another new setup for well over $100k but a couple MPG is the deciding factor? I mean, we all decide for ourselves what we want to do but the math there doesn’t add up. I’d go with the one you like better. That wide front axle on the F450 and the turn radius would seem to make it pretty attractive for a big camper, and I’m even a Cummins fan saying that.

Since we are the only ones on this forum with a 2014 Ram and the STC, I think, you must be talking about our rig.Just wanted to give you an updated MPG number. This past summer we did the AK/Canada trip from VA, ~13500 miles. We were FULLY loaded with 4 people for 64 days, usually carrying 5-10 gal extra diesel, so no light weight trip.My hand calculated MPG overall was 11.75. Now this included lots of 75mph into a strong headwind(thanks ND where we were getting around 9mpg) and well over 1000 miles of 5-30mph gravel roads and frost heave accel/decel. The best we saw was a stretch at 12.42 MPG.Also around ~866 MPG of DEF. So, more reasonable driving conditions and lighter weights might get you a much better MPG.I have all STC and stuff weights, and mileage numbers in spreadsheets if interested.

Get the factory air on the RAM. I have it, I haul heavy and I love it.

I heard lot of good about RAM factory air and would I hear that over a year ago, I might not be driving F350 today. Talking about gearing, I order 3.55 for my dually and never complain about lack of acceleration. The truck has program that limits the torque on lower gears to avoid frame twisting. Have been pulling 16% grades with camper and 22% grades empty on 4th gear @ 40 mph. I think you need 4.10 differential for 30,000 lb setups as today's engine with almost 1000 of torque can pull a lot on high gears. Fuel consumption is always badly misrepresented on forum. I usually keep CC at 60 mph with my camper and on good day go >13, on bad day it drops to 11,5.But occasionally I hit 45 mph highway and mpg goes to 18. So posting mpg without giving average speed is always fishy.Too often I see somebody posting "I drive up to 70 mph" and then he post picture of cluster showing average about 35 mph.New truck computer gives pretty good calculations BTW. I use fuelly and the pump calculation is within 0.2 mpg from computer calculation.14,000 miles average shows 12.2 on fuelly. Truck driven over 90% with good load.

I just bought a 2018 ram 3500 DRW gas 6.4 4.10's crew cab and ended up with a payload of 7K and a TC rating of 6K and a GVWR 0f 14K. I believe if you look at the rating of that 450 being a heavier truck to start with you may get more actual payload with the 3500 , the 450 it a towing machine but the payloads are about the same as a 3500.you did not say if your going diesel again but I went with the 6.4 hemi and it seems to have more than enough power. Apparently I missed the cold start squealing noise the 6.4 makes in my year long attempt to research the truck but that's another story for another time . I have yet to carry the TC waiting to get tie downs installed , I sat the camper in the truck and it just about leveled it out @ 5400 lbs so I am going with stable loads and a sway bar and maybe firmer or adjustable shocks. You will have lees payload with the diesel and even lees with a 4x4 which could be a concern if your loaded up for a full time adventure. I ordered the regular suspension because I had read a few posts that the air assist worked well but with a heavy load and all the weight on the bags the ride was not as firm or stable as some would have liked and the fact that there are no after market products sold for the air assist system however most that have it really like it , it is a $1500 option so for that you could just about rig out your truck however you wanted to.Mike Mike

Ordering new Ram and Northstar 12 STC | Good Sam Community

Poodlemaster
Explorer
Oct 26, 2017
zb39 wrote:
Poodlemaster wrote:
zb39 wrote:
Get the factory air on the RAM. I have it, I haul heavy and I love it.

This is exactly the one option on the RAM I've been struggling with. Perfect for trade in not having to remove aftermarket bags and stableloads when trading in next year, but no one seems to know how well it will handle a truck camper without the ability to add stableloads and sway bar. My 16 did great with the upper and lower stableloads only with a 5,000lb camper on, but this time I will have a super hitch and motorcycle hanging off the rear, so I'm expecting the meed for bags this time.

I also have a super hitch and tow a trailer. My mammoth is not lite. I have quite a few miles hauling my heavy camper with this truck. It is the best truck I have ever had. You will love it.
Trailer is 8.5 x 20.

Thanks, buddy. This is exactly the feedback I've been looking for. And, I know that mammoth isn't lite. This is the camper I said we would get if we can't make the northstar work.
zb39
Explorer
Oct 26, 2017
Poodlemaster wrote:
zb39 wrote:
Get the factory air on the RAM. I have it, I haul heavy and I love it.

This is exactly the one option on the RAM I've been struggling with. Perfect for trade in not having to remove aftermarket bags and stableloads when trading in next year, but no one seems to know how well it will handle a truck camper without the ability to add stableloads and sway bar. My 16 did great with the upper and lower stableloads only with a 5,000lb camper on, but this time I will have a super hitch and motorcycle hanging off the rear, so I'm expecting the meed for bags this time.

I also have a super hitch and tow a trailer. My mammoth is not lite. I have quite a few miles hauling my heavy camper with this truck. It is the best truck I have ever had. You will love it.
Trailer is 8.5 x 20.
Kayteg1
Explorer II
Oct 26, 2017
This is what I was using F450 for
Vinsil
Explorer
Oct 26, 2017
The F450 is on paper, a 14k truck. In the real world, it puts the one tons to shame when you look at it from a pure component and total package it is a hauler as well as tow beast.

But for what your doing it is overkill and with so few out there, unless you special order you'd be hard pressed to find a "deal".

The F350 goes head to head with the Ram, mileage would be the same/similar. Buy what you like, I'd skip the rear air setup myself but maybe it can handle more than what I read, what...3500 lbs?
Poodlemaster
Explorer
Oct 26, 2017
zb39 wrote:
Get the factory air on the RAM. I have it, I haul heavy and I love it.

This is exactly the one option on the RAM I've been struggling with. Perfect for trade in not having to remove aftermarket bags and stableloads when trading in next year, but no one seems to know how well it will handle a truck camper without the ability to add stableloads and sway bar. My 16 did great with the upper and lower stableloads only with a 5,000lb camper on, but this time I will have a super hitch and motorcycle hanging off the rear, so I'm expecting the meed for bags this time.
Poodlemaster
Explorer
Oct 26, 2017
burningman wrote:
You’ll dump what was still an almost brand new truck/camper setup and buy another new setup for well over $100k but a couple MPG is the deciding factor?
I mean, we all decide for ourselves what we want to do but the math there doesn’t add up.
I’d go with the one you like better. That wide front axle on the F450 and the turn radius would seem to make it pretty attractive for a big camper, and I’m even a Cummins fan saying that.

I write off a truck annually for big tax deduction, and I shop around a lot for best deal so not really terribly expensive to have a new truck every year. 30K miles a year with some reporting as low as 6.5mpg loaded in an f450 compared to what I know I can get in the Ram is a huge chunk, which is why I'm asking.
Poodlemaster
Explorer
Oct 26, 2017
thedavidzoo wrote:
Since we are the only ones on this forum with a 2014 Ram and the STC, I think, you must be talking about our rig.

Just wanted to give you an updated MPG number. This past summer we did the AK/Canada trip from VA, ~13500 miles. We were FULLY loaded with 4 people for 64 days, usually carrying 5-10 gal extra diesel, so no light weight trip.
My hand calculated MPG overall was 11.75. Now this included lots of 75mph into a strong headwind(thanks ND where we were getting around 9mpg) and well over 1000 miles of 5-30mph gravel roads and frost heave accel/decel. The best we saw was a stretch at 12.42 MPG.
Also around ~866 MPG of DEF. So, more reasonable driving conditions and lighter weights might get you a much better MPG.
I have all STC and stuff weights, and mileage numbers in spreadsheets if interested.

Yes, you are the one's with the post I read and reread for the last several months. Thanks a lot for the info. Definitely would be interested in the spreadsheet.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Oct 25, 2017
burningman wrote:
You’ll dump what was still an almost brand new truck/camper setup and buy another new setup for well over $100k but a couple MPG is the deciding factor?
I mean, we all decide for ourselves what we want to do but the math there doesn’t add up.
I’d go with the one you like better. That wide front axle on the F450 and the turn radius would seem to make it pretty attractive for a big camper, and I’m even a Cummins fan saying that.

We think alike.....
Able to spend $ like its free but care about 1-2mpg?
Buy the red one.....
05btdvw
Explorer
Oct 25, 2017
burningman wrote:
Diesel and 4x4 put the extra weight on the front. Doesn’t affect camper loading in the real world, only in the theoretical brochure world. And ALL those numbers are pulled out of thin air, to set the truck into the classification they want it in.

You can have air ride on an F450 if you want, Kelderman makes an awesome air suspension setup for it.

True but the extra weight of 4x4 and a diesel does add up towards your 14k GVWR. Yes, all the weight of the camper does basically go on the back axle but if I'm under that rating AND the 14k GVWR then it's doing pretty good.

Full Kelderman air would be nice!
work2much
Explorer
Oct 25, 2017
We have the set-up in my sig. We've been getting 11.5-12 mpg with the camper over mixed terrain. The air suspension works great but hellwig doesn't make a sway bar for the air ride suspension. A member here did have one installed and sent me pics. It looks like the mechanic sort of removed/pryed the air lines off the axle to make room. So it looks like it is possible but not sure I want to go that way unless I fabricate new brackets and re-run the air lines. I would love to try my camper on a non air suspension truck with sway bar and spring blocks to see how much if any difference in sway.

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