Ram 6.4L Hemi vs good ol' 8.1L

BurbMan wrote:
Had the flu this week so spent a lot of time sitting around watching TV and Googling stuff....I got to thinking that my next truck will probably be a well-equipped Ram 2500, crew cab, 6'4" bed, with the 6.4L Hemi.

The real question is the drivetrain....I thought briefly about the manual transmission, but the traffic around here has gotten so bad I'm afraid I don't have the patience to shift anymore. After losing 2 automatics while towing, it seems to make sense though....

I don't tow far enough or heavy enough to need a diesel, TT loaded is not quite 9k lbs. I'm thinking the 6.4 with the 4.10 rear would make a nice combo.

So obviously the Big Question is, how will it tow compared to the 8.1/4.10 combo I have now? How is the 68RFE transmission, is it durable?

I'm also not seeing ram boxes or an IBC option, are these not available on the power wagon?

The other big question is how recent model years stack up....ideally I'd like to get 14-16 truck that somebody else had paid the depreciation on.

Would appreciate any pointers from guys who know the Ram truck line...

BM,

I'm towing 6k with my 17/6.4/3.73 combo and I'm very happy with it. Plenty of power in the mountains and the chassis is solid. I'd look to get as new/low mileage truck as you can. Look new, if you buy at the right time of year you can get great incentives that you could probably get brand-new for the money you'll spend on a 2yr old truck. They hold their value so well.

I don't mind the transmission. It's world's better than the 6 speed my 2015 Silverado had. I don't miss that Chevy at all with this ram and I have a tradesman. Good luck. All 3 of the big 3 build great trucks. It's all personal preference. I like Ford and Ram the best, but that's just me.