Ordering new Ram

I've seen where some with dual alternators will use one for the truck batteries and one for the camper batteries. If you use 4 or 6 ga wire to the camper it should charge the camper batteries well. Even if you don't do that I see no downside with my dual alternators.

Personally I would opt for the 3.72 rear end. Forget the dual alternators. Isnt thst an option for upfitters like police and ambulance service? Isnt there an option for a single bigger alternator? Unless your using lots of light and power I just dont see a need for all that power. Asian? Again, not sure it is worth the premium over the 68RFE. The 68 has a good reputation for durability as long as people dont add too much power it will give years of great service.

I would buy the air suspension. Auto level and has 2 rear ride height settings. Wish I mine had it. Also wish I had the 3:73's for a little better mpg, but my 4:10's sure can tow. Also love my aisin

Dual alternators has no downside other than a slight cost increase. You won't see much benefit from it if you don't upgrade the wiring to charge the camper batteries. I would at least run a #2 from the main battery, thru an isolator, to the camper connection. You'll need to then change to a #8 or so if you want to use the normal 7 pin plug. An even better solution is to make your 12v + and - connection using a large Anderson style plug or the kind used by tractor-trailers for lift gates. This will allow you to keep the #2 wire all the way to your camper batteries. This would allow you to run the refrigerator on 12v while traveling to save on propane.
Otherwise, how do you use the truck? Personally I install lots of amateur radio transmitters, stereo amplifiers, inverter, air compressor, etc. into my work trucks. This makes the dual alternators very appealing.

I don't do anything unusual with the truck. Tow the 5th wheel, haul the Bigfoot, 2 boats....21 ft. bay boat and an aluminum mud boat, utility trailer, etc. I would like to maximize charging of the RV batteries. I'm not sure if it's worth it to me to dive into altering the truck wiring and the RV wiring though.

Upfitter switches - big no as they are for the ambulances and such. Are a real pain to program. You do want the Aux switches though which will give you five switches at the bottom of the dash. they can be set to be controlled by ignition or always on and remember the last state. I have these for powering the camper circuit.

Dual alternator - no because you can't have the outputs set to different destinations. If you could, this would be fantastic for connecting one to the camper with heavy wire and it would solve all of the charging issues. I would go with the upgraded 200A alt for the extra capacity. It will have about 160A output at idle.

Air bags - wouldn't go with factory bags but would add aftermarket if needed. Reason is the after market can be plumbed separately which will help with reduced sway and allow separate pressures and that helps with one side being heavier.

Rear axle depends on if you will use tow/haul mode and the speed you drive. If you plan on using tow/haul, stay with 3.73 or 3.42 (my choice). If you plan on not using tow haul mode with the camper on board, go with 4.10.

I just have to ask what in the world are you doing that you carry so much stuff to over load your Ram with only carrying a Bigfoot 9.6? I'm 1,600 pounds under with my Lance 815 which is only about 600 pounds lighter.

I have a 2017 Ram/Cummins/Aisin/4:10/4x4/air suspension.

If I were to do it over I would have ordered with the std. suspension. The air suspension works fine but Helwig does not (Nor Dodge) make a rear sway bar for these trucks which I miss. The air lines for the airbags are attached to the axle where the sway bar would mount. At some point I will re-work this or delete the factory air and have a larger spring pack installed. I think the air ride is probably better suited to a 5th wheel instead of a heavy truck camper.

With the camper we average 10.5 mph in varied and often hilly terrain.

Not sure on the 2018 trucks but in 2017 you needed a dually with 4:10 to get the highest torque version of the engine if that's important.

h45wt wrote:
I've seen where some with dual alternators will use one for the truck batteries and one for the camper batteries.

Dual alternator trucks I've seen, which I have, aren't wired to have the alternators on separate electrical systems.

TxGearhead wrote:
Dual alternators rated at 440amps..worth it? I read as much as I can about the truck alternator charging the TC batteries and it doesn't sound promising.

My truck has dual alternators.
I ran a totally separate charge line from the truck to the camper using 4 AWG wire.

There are no load enhancement after market parts for the air load leveling rear suspension. No sway bars, nothing. It works great just don’t expect to overload your truck then add parts to make it tote the load.