Dodge 2500 or 3500 for a Travel Trailer

It doesn't matter what brand truck you buy. Please do yourself a favor and buy enough truck to get the job done with a little extra safety margin in case you need it. It's not going to be fun towing with an under powered or to lite of a tow vehicle.

There's only 1 thing I didn't see mentioned on the 2500 vs 3500 debate for RAMs. Basically, the 3500 also only has a tire pressure "Info" system (except in 2013 where it has nothing like my truck). It will track tire pressures, but it won't force you to stay at a certain pressure. So you can actually run a lighter pressure on your rear tires (like 45 or 50psi) when you have no load. While the 2500 falls at or below the 10,000 GVWR rating in which the government requires a tire pressure "Monitoring" system. Which requires the user to maintain a minimum tire press on the rear axle (I think it's 70 or 75 psi).

canoe on top wrote:
How many of you that had a 25' TT later got something bigger? I have an '06 Ram, 5.9 that I bought new. I had a 24' TT at the time. I now have a 30' that weighs 10,000 lbs.Had I know now what I knew then, I would have gotten the SRW 3500. Same ride, same size, more load capacity. With a cap on the back and other stuff and a 1200lb tongue weight, I'm about maxed out on GVW for my truck. I don't worry about it and it is a sweet handling combination. That said, there's no reason I can see to not get the SRW 3500.

The only difference between the 06 Ram 2500 and 3500 is an additional leaf spring on the 3500. The axle ratios are identical, 6000 lbs. If you have the 2500, just add the leaf spring or get air bags installed. Weigh the rear axle of your truck loaded for camping and subtract that # from 6000 (and make sure your tires have a load rating in excess of 3000 lbs each). That's your real limiting payload #.

Install an on board air compressor on a HD truck. Just lower the tire pressure of a 250/350 when running empty , you can also add a set of Bilstein or Rancho 9000 adjustable shocks . There is a nice ride difference over the stock shocks when running empty .

I have a 2500HD with an extra leaf in the rear spring pack.
I also tow the same 27 ft TT with a new 1500 max tow GM .
I use a WDH on the 1500 and tow it direct to the ball on the 2500HD.
For me, beefy trucks feel more secure towing in the wind. The 2500HD feels more secure even direct to the ball and you can still use a friction sway bar if you feel the need.

After doing this for so long, i would buy a 3500 SRW diesel if i were planning trips west of the Mississippi. That would offer resale and trailering options down the road.

I owned a Toyota Tundra before my Ram 2500, it was fully loaded 4x4 crew cab but had a whopping 1300lb Payload Capacity lol. I can tell you the difference in towing the same trailer is night and day(28ft 5400lb). The 2500(although only 5.7) handles so much better than my Tundra did, can hardly feel it back there. I don't know at what point you decide to go from a 1/2 ton to 3/4 or 1 ton, but when you do, you'll never go back

How many of you that had a 25' TT later got something bigger? I have an '06 Ram, 5.9 that I bought new. I had a 24' TT at the time. I now have a 30' that weighs 10,000 lbs.Had I know now what I knew then, I would have gotten the SRW 3500. Same ride, same size, more load capacity. With a cap on the back and other stuff and a 1200lb tongue weight, I'm about maxed out on GVW for my truck. I don't worry about it and it is a sweet handling combination. That said, there's no reason I can see to not get the SRW 3500.

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I have a 2017 2500 5.7 hemi with 3.73 ratio. Currently towing a 28 ft Freedom Express weighing about 5400lbs. Its not too big to go around town and tows the TT like a champ.

How about axle ratios? Are the 2500 and the 3500 the same? That would be a consideration if one got better fuel mileage than the other. Absolutely no problems with pulling power with any ratio, with your light trailer. So I'd look at the one with the mileage friendly ratios.

2003-2007 Dodge Rams with the 5.9L Cummins have been creeping up in value. I know this because I bought one 3 1/2 years ago and have been tracking values ever since. Reason? It's the last of the Ram Cummins before full blown emissions.

We tow a 28.5' TT that weighs about 7500 lbs loaded. Some say all I need is a half ton gas truck, but to each his own -- having towed an RV with a diesel now, I would never go back to a half ton nor a gas truck for towing. We live and travel out West also, and as some have mentioned, there are some serious grades out here.