bucky wrote:
I'm reading that that sales person said the right thing,it all depends on the truck.
I'm a pre def diesel guy with a 05 Ram dually due to my 5er weights. When Ram beefed up the frame in 2010 a 3500 single wheel would handle my needs. If I find the right one I'll move up. A DPF doesn't bother me but no way I'm doing DEF. Cummins started DEF in 13 IIRC. Also you get a real crew cab starting in 2010, although the quad cab is sufficient room wise.
My 05 dually has a rear axle rating of 9350 lbs when a 3500 single wheel in the same configuration is 6010 IIRC. Starting in 2010 the SRW goes up to about 6500 lbs and that gets me to a single wheel. I sure would like to lose those hips, the fuel penalty of 6 wheels, and the price of tires at 50% more per set.
You're a fair bit off in your knowledge and assessments of the newer model Rams you're talking about.
First, the early 4th Gens, 2010 - 2013/14 are the SAME chassis as 3rd gens. Nothing to gain chassis wise in that upgrade. 2013, the 3500s significantly updated chassis design (although that has no real world advantage on rear axle capacity as they're the same axle, but other improvements are worthwhile).
Second, you'd be foolish to purchase a 07.5 - 12 model year Cummins Ram with the early Tier IV emissions, well not foolish, but not as good of a decision. Yes it works, but it's less efficient and more problem prone than later model systems with DEF/SCR addition. To be fair though, from 09-10 on, the "old" emissions is fairly bulletproof, albeit less efficient, far more fuel used for regens than newer system. Not to mention, lifespan/miles plays a large part in emissions reliability.
Considering all the era of trucks you're talking about are close to or over 10 years old anyway, your best bet is to start at 2015 as the oldest model in consideration (apples to apples anyway, wouldn't pass up a great deal on older, but deals are somewhere between few and none anyways and values don't generally drop appreciably within a couple model years of each other with diesels these days).
With a 2015 or newer you get the advantage of 3rd year of production of the newer system (although I found 2014s, a fleet of them being torture tested from an emissions standpoint, to be pretty reliable compared to the competition) and several other minor upgrades or changes in programming, engine cooling that are a bit better than the 2013-2014 drivetrains.
