Will Ram 2500 be enough?

[Ladyhawk777]

Hi, everybody. Don't have a 5er yet, but will soon. My question is this: I will more than likely be buying ( new or used) an Arctic Fox 27-5. I keep hearing of people pulling that basic size with 3/4 tons. I will be fulltiming it in my rv, so will be moving it around probably once a month or so. Is a 3/4 ton truck enough, I know the Arctic Fox'es are heavy, but the ride sounds better on a 3/4 ton rather than a 1 ton. Would prefer to buy 3/4 ton, but will buy 1 ton if I absolutely have to. Appreciate any and all ideas. Thank you in advance.

[BarneyS]

2oldman wrote:

JIMNLIN wrote:
. At this point it would help if he would come back and pass along his thoughts or help with other options.

That would be a she, and she appears to have lost interest.

I agree - and since there have been 6 pages of suggestions, and many off topic posts with quite a bit of moderation needed, I think it is time to close this thread and move on to something else.
Barney

[2oldman]

JIMNLIN wrote:
. At this point it would help if he would come back and pass along his thoughts or help with other options.

That would be a she, and she appears to have lost interest.

[Askibum02]

For me, I bought a 2500 because a majority of my driving, 30K miles+ a year will be un loaded. I know I will exceed my GVWR with a 5er, but I also know I can get a decent size one that won't exceed my GAWR. It's all what you are comfortable with. If I was pulling a lot or full time, I would have gotten a 3500 DRW hands down.

[JIMNLIN]

Greene728 wrote:
Wow. Can you say "derailed"?

Some folks minds aren't going to change, and some folks know it but refuse to accept it.

Carry on!

LOL. X2
...the OP has been given some good recommendations. At this point it would help if he would come back and pass along his thoughts or help with other options.

JMO but he would be better served if he had placed his question or future questions about which tow vehicle in our tow vehicle forum.

[Greene728]

Wow. Can you say "derailed"?

Some folks minds aren't going to change, and some folks know it but refuse to accept it.

Carry on!

[Dtank]

Don't skimp on the extra cost (minimal) for a 1T.

IMO -
More important is whether you want a SRW or dually, long or short bed.

No long beds or dually for me, but *if* you might go heavier in the future......:@

.

[Me_Again]

FishOnOne wrote:
One topic no one is discussing is stability. Compare the two in how the springs are located. The coil spring setup has the springs mounted away from the wheels and the leaf springs are mounted closer to the wheels which will always produce better stability. Also leaf springs I believe are more stable compared to coils. Having said that all Rams with coils have a stabilizer bar to supplement the stability that the coil setup can't alone provide.

This relates to the guy that tried to carry a Lance Camper with a 2500. Last I heard RAM might have bought the truck back. The first drawings of the 3500 rear air that RAM put out showed the air bags way inboard and I questioned that a lot on forums. The production air system ended up with then out closer to the wheels.

The problem with using after market air bags to make up for weaker springs is that if you loss one with a taller load, you create a real handling situation.

Again this a new buy situation with an opertunity to do it right the first time. Chris

[goducks10]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
^^^^^He knows RAM's

What he really meant to say was that Fords leaf springs are better than Rams coils.

[RustyJC]

Coach-man wrote:


2500 & 3500 the same, but 3/4 and 1 ton are not???

Read the post you quoted. That's NOT what I said. In response to your quote, I said the 2500 and 3500 are the same PHYSICAL SIZE - they use the same body and bed. The underpinnings are what's different.

Rusty

[Cummins12V98]

^^^^^He knows RAM's

[FishOnOne]

One topic no one is discussing is stability. Compare the two in how the springs are located. The coil spring setup has the springs mounted away from the wheels and the leaf springs are mounted closer to the wheels which will always produce better stability. Also leaf springs I believe are more stable compared to coils. Having said that all Rams with coils have a stabilizer bar to supplement the stability that the coil setup can't alone provide.

[Coach-man]

RustyJC wrote:

Coach-man wrote:

donn0128 wrote:
3500, you will never regret havine enough capacity.

Yes, until you pull into a parking garage, while your out exploring on your travels!

2500 and 3500 SRW are the same size.

Coach-man wrote:
Also, keep in mind many 3/4 ton vehicles are the exact same vehicle as their 1 ton SRW counterparts! Difference, in some states the 1 ton gets extra taxes and/or license requirements! Do the research, check your anticipated pin weights, check the ratings of the tires, and wheels. If RAM, is a "Heavy Duty" with the same engine, transmission and rear end as the 2500? Make an intelligent informed decision!

The 3/4 and 1 ton Rams are NOT the "exact same vehicle" as I've detailed in this thread (to the chagrin of some).

Rusty

2500 & 3500 the same, but 3/4 and 1 ton are not??? I and others have pointed out that the difference is the 2500 is rated under 10,000 lbs, because there are states that charge more if over 10,000 lbs! There are no laws against saying the truck has less capacity than it really has! It is a marketing ploy, the components are the same, wheels and tires are the determining factor in a lot of cases!

[rhagfo]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

rhagfo wrote:
Get the 3500 SRW with air ride.

Agree but also add the Aisin trans.

I keep following this thread, and the more I read the more I shake my head. I will see if I can answer some of the questions raised.

#1. The reason the Class 2 trucks exist is to meet tax and licensing laws in some states that consider any truck over 10,000# GVWR a commercial vehicle, with much higher registration and insurance rates because of that.

#2. You can order and purchase a F350 (one Ton) SRW with a VIN sticker GVWR of 10,000# please tell me the difference between it and one with a 12,000# GVWR.

When this is stated no basic difference between a 2500 and a 3500 the reference is to a SRW 3500.

#3. While RAM is working to separate the 2500 from the 3500, the trucks still share at least 98 percent of the same parts.

One question not answered by Ladyhawk777 in the first post is if they are looking at a new or used TV.
If new I would be buying a 3500 SRW, just for the VIN sticker GVWR. If used find the best 2500 or 3500 you can for the money. If a 2500, make sure you have the tires to carry the load. If careful you might slide in under 10,000#.

Just for the record, I tow a 5er with exactly the same dry weight of the AF 27-5L, 9,820#, mine only has a GVWR of 12,360#. I do exceed my TV GVWR, but not the front or rear GAWR from the VIN still have close to 500# to spare on the rear.

If you can tow level with stock rear suspension does it really matter?? I continue to read post on the forum about those with 3500 SRW towing lighter than me, and NEEDING bags to "Level" their TV.

So do love to post this picture of a 2001 2500 Ram as level as they come.

[wilber1]

Me Again wrote:

wilber1 wrote:
I'm still waiting for an answer to my question. If the real capacities of the trucks are within 150 lbs of each other, why don't SRW 3500's also have a coil rear suspension?

Call RAM and get it from the horse mouth! They are the ones that decided the 2500 and 3500 were no longer going to be different only by the rear leaf springs.

Correct answer. We don't know.