To be brand loyal is closing your eyes to the best fitting vehicle. 10 years ago, Dodge had front end and transmission issues with the worst fit and finish truck. While being owned by Daimler they made huge improvements each year. In 2008 the chassis cabs were introduced as Dodge and Sterling brands. Even though Sterling no longer exists, they put a lot of input into these trucks and had the experience to get them on the right track. The cabs, engines and transmissions are shared with the pickups but the rest were all new. For example, the pickups use a 3-link front end while the chassis cabs use 5-link. Instead of the hot tunes they put on the pickup engines trying to leap frog the competition, chassis cabs have tuning that allow them to run hard for longer durations without damage - This is why you don't see 385 hp / 865 ft-lb ratings in this class.
Ford is the same way but has been doing it much longer. I would have stayed with Ford, but they were too expensive for me to buy the truck I wanted and also they are using a problematic fuel pump (along with GM) that causes nasty damage when it fails. Read up on Bosch CP4 failures in Scorpion and Duramax engines. My 6.0 PSD treated me well and I was called an anomaly or statistical outlier due to my good experience (been called worse). I wasn't sure if my next truck would treat me as well.
I was seriously looking at the 6.4 Hemi and 6.8 Modular gasoline engines since the current models have more power than my 6.0 diesel. Fuel economy affecting my driving range bothered me plus I was now getting a more capable truck that would have been derated by choosing gasoline.
Some of you may be wondering why I don't have one of those 30,000 lb tow monsters you see on the commercials - To get those ratings you have to get 4.88 gears with diesel. This will make the engine scream any time you want drive the highways. Choosing Ford 4.30 or Ram 4.44 gearing is a compromise I can live with. 65 mph is at 2000 rpm and 55 mph is on top of the torque curve of the Cummins. The Scorpion V8 makes power at higher RPM's than the Cummins I6 but would still would be an earful rolling down the freeway with 4.88's.
The Ram is not offered with dual fuel tanks unless you get the longer wheel base, does not have an extended cab (I'm surprised Ram has not fitted their Mega Cab to the chassis cabs), could not be ordered with the heavier Dana 130 instead of the 110, and had lighter capacities than the Ford when ordered in the short wheelbase and 4.44 gears. The Ford has a smaller main fuel tank but can have a secondary in all frame lengths, only offers single and dual alternators that have smaller capacity than Ram, has many more options and packages that interact with your choices (not the best if you get distracted easy and deselect something you wanted), and has a higher bottom line price with the options I wanted.
Between the 1/8" thick 9' Palfinger Badger flatbed, 30k lb Curt Double Lock Gooseneck and 20K lb SuperHitch Magnum Receiver, I have plenty of RV choices once finances are built back up. The 5500 chassis cab, Cummins engine and Aisin transmission were not cheap, but I could have easily spent the same amount on a DRW 3500 pickup.
If any of you want the dealer pricing formula for a new Ram, send me a message. Watch what the dealers charge for the base price of the vehicle - Although the price varies based on build date, some had bloated this number or were charged more from the manufacturer than others. Both Ford and Ram have $1000 upfit rebates and an additional $500 rebate on the 2015 models. If you can find a 2014 model you like, there can easily be an additional $4000 in rebates.
Host Mammoth 11.5 on Ram 5500 HD
