New Truck's First Outing

[RustyJC]

Here's the new truck (see signature) out on its first towing assignment over the Memorial Day weekend. It handled our 19K 5th wheel without breaking a sweat. Even my wife (who drove for part of the trip) gave it her seal of approval.



Rusty

[RustyJC]

BarneyS wrote:
This is my 2nd Ram truck. The first was a 1999 5.9L gas engine that served me well for quite a few years. Sold it to get the Ford that I just traded in.

I really like the looks and ride of the Ram and I know that the Cummins will certainly do any job I require of it. It is not the high output engine however and has the 68RFE transmission. Other than that, it has all the bells and whistles you can get including the 5th wheel hitch puck system and goosneck ball mounts and the rear air suspension. I will not use they hitch stuff probably but it was on there already. Have not towed with the new truck yet and am really looking forward to it. 🙂
Barney

I had the 350/650 Cummins and 68RFE in the early 2011 3500 DRW pictured below that I traded in on this truck. They handled our Mobile Suites just fine. Nothing at all wrong with that combo.



Rusty

[BarneyS]

This is my 2nd Ram truck. The first was a 1999 5.9L gas engine that served me well for quite a few years. Sold it to get the Ford that I just traded in.

I really like the looks and ride of the Ram and I know that the Cummins will certainly do any job I require of it. It is not the high output engine however and has the 68RFE transmission. Other than that, it has all the bells and whistles you can get including the 5th wheel hitch puck system and goosneck ball mounts and the rear air suspension. I will not use they hitch stuff probably but it was on there already. Have not towed with the new truck yet and am really looking forward to it. 🙂
Barney

[RustyJC]

BarneyS wrote:
Hey Rusty, looks like we think alike, except for the expanded waistline. :W Here is what I just drove home yesterday. Finally let loose of my old trusty F250 7.3PSD.
Barney

Hey, Barney, welcome to the Ram army! I showed your truck's picture to my truck and it said, "It looks like mini-me." I hope it's as good to you as my Rams have been for the last 20 years. Enjoy!

Rusty

[Cummins12V98]

BarneyS wrote:
Hey Rusty, looks like we think alike, except for the expanded waistline. :W Here is what I just drove home yesterday. Finally let loose of my old trusty F250 7.3PSD.
Barney

DANG Barney, welcome to the dark side!!! Now you can join the RAM Mafia. :B

[Cummins12V98]

Don't worry you will be the first to know of my imminent demise.

Well maybe he just changed his coolant and wanted to stop it off. Or he is a guy that has a tuner and deletes.

[FishOnOne]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
We are in Western Illinois heading towards Denver on 80, the towing is pretty sedate. Can't wait to get into the Rockies in the next couple days and really give the big "C" a real workout.

Go easy there big boy... Don't want to pop a head gasket.

A few months ago a guy in a relatively new ram DRW pulled up on the other side of the diesel pump. He starts filling up with diesel and then I hear the hood pop. So then he gets my attention and guess what he's doing... filling the reservoir with coolant. I just grinned and shook my head as I removed my receipt. As I left I think my ears were burning. :B

BTW... This was right off of I-10 in good ol Texas.

[BarneyS]

Hey Rusty, looks like we think alike, except for the expanded waistline. :W Here is what I just drove home yesterday. Finally let loose of my old trusty F250 7.3PSD.
Barney

[Cummins12V98]

We are in Western Illinois heading towards Denver on 80, the towing is pretty sedate. Can't wait to get into the Rockies in the next couple days and really give the big "C" a real workout.

[RustyJC]

Vette Racer wrote:
Saw the other day where you got a new one Rusty, looks good and glad to hear it pulls your weights like that, mine should do even better since we'll be a little lighter. Can't wait to get on the road for a long trip, I've only taken a 60 mile test pull so far but the truck rode and ran great.

Hey, Tom. Glad to hear that the new truck is working out for you, even if it was just a test pull. If you want to really be impressed, hitch that thing up, turn on the exhaust brake and tow/haul, set the cruise control and watch that puppy work!

I wasn't planning on buying a truck, but I was in the middle of a discussion in the RV 5th Wheel Facebook group about the unavailability of these "maximum towing configuration" Rams on dealer lots. To prove that such was the case, I ran a Google search for "2016 Ram 3500 DRW Aisin 4.10 for sale" and, after filtering my way through a lot of C&Cs, here this truck was sitting on a dealer's lot in Daphne, AL. Well, one thing followed another, and the numbers (due to a Priceline appraisal error that overvalued my 2011 by a BUNCH but was honored by the dealer) worked out to be a deal that I couldn't refuse, so I made a flying trip from the Houston area to Daphne to get the truck. The only thing it's missing that I would have liked to have is the rear air suspension assist and it's a 4x4, but so be it. I've only put about 1000 miles on it so far, but it's a towing beast!

Rusty

[ACZL]

See follow up thread under tow vehicles RE: 35,000...

Best of luck OP w/ your truck. Hope it provides you w/ many happy memories.

[RustyJC]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

avvidclif1 wrote:

ACZL wrote:
Nice truck!! But what gets me is all the mfr's are rating their trucks close to 40,000 and no CDL is required. Then again, neither is one needed to drive a 45' diesel pusher. To me, it seems rather scary to think that some one who doesn't haul much weight often and chug down the road grossing 35-40k and not know what to expect.

And usually they are retired folks that never drove anything bigger than a desk. Scary.

Actually what's scary is watching the weekend warriors along I-10 in the Palm Springs, CA area towing these big toy haulers with their 250/2500's AZZ dragging and bouncing with their big balloon tires. Seen several laying on their sides.

Or the bottom of the line TTs with their flimsy suspensions and China bomb tires with no WD hitch or sway control coming past us at 80-85 MPH on I-10 in the hammer lane nose-to-tail with other traffic headed back into the Houston area on a Sunday afternoon. I've passed more than a few of them wadded up in the median as well.

Rusty

[Vette_Racer]

Saw the other day where you got a new one Rusty, looks good and glad to hear it pulls your weights like that, mine should do even better since we'll be a little lighter. Can't wait to get on the road for a long trip, I've only taken a 60 mile test pull so far but the truck rode and ran great.

[Cummins12V98]

avvidclif1 wrote:

ACZL wrote:
Nice truck!! But what gets me is all the mfr's are rating their trucks close to 40,000 and no CDL is required. Then again, neither is one needed to drive a 45' diesel pusher. To me, it seems rather scary to think that some one who doesn't haul much weight often and chug down the road grossing 35-40k and not know what to expect.

And usually they are retired folks that never drove anything bigger than a desk. Scary.

Actually what's scary is watching the weekend warriors along I-10 in the Palm Springs, CA area towing these big toy haulers with their 250/2500's AZZ dragging and bouncing with their big balloon tires. Seen several laying on their sides.

[RustyJC]

avvidclif1 wrote:

ACZL wrote:
Nice truck!! But what gets me is all the mfr's are rating their trucks close to 40,000 and no CDL is required. Then again, neither is one needed to drive a 45' diesel pusher. To me, it seems rather scary to think that some one who doesn't haul much weight often and chug down the road grossing 35-40k and not know what to expect.

And usually they are retired folks that never drove anything bigger than a desk. Scary.

Well, as of 12/31/15 I'm one of those retired folks. I started towing RVs in 1991 and 5th wheels in 1996. No accidents or tickets in 25 years of towing. Not all of us are incompetent.

As far as my truck's ratings (part of the original topic of this thread), IMHO it's a measure of competence to use a tow vehicle that's operating far below its capabilities rather than one that's maxed out or even overloaded. This truck is WELL inside its operating envelope towing our 19,000 lb GVWR 5th wheel. I don't think moving from a 26,000 lb GCWR to a 39,100 lb GCWR truck towing the same 5th wheel makes me any less competent, does it?

Rusty

[avvidclif1]

ACZL wrote:
Nice truck!! But what gets me is all the mfr's are rating their trucks close to 40,000 and no CDL is required. Then again, neither is one needed to drive a 45' diesel pusher. To me, it seems rather scary to think that some one who doesn't haul much weight often and chug down the road grossing 35-40k and not know what to expect.

And usually they are retired folks that never drove anything bigger than a desk. Scary.