Is ram air suspension needed?

rhagfo wrote:

Golden_HVAC wrote:
I would not recommend the 2500 with any fifth wheel, except the very lightest ones. You would only have the cargo capacity for a travel trailer with a 2500 truck.

Get the 3500 truck, if you think the pin weight will be less than 2,600 pounds dry, or 3,200 ready to roll down the road. Yes the pin weight goes way up when you fill it with camping gear and 60 - 80 gallons of water.

If you want a really nice fifth wheel, such as Grand Teton, then a dually is almost a requirement, and sure makes it more stable.

Air ride makes it nice when not towing, to soften the suspension. With all that extra weight back there, traditional springs will soften out a bit while towing, but sightseeing without the trailer can be a bit rough, until you let out some air!

Have fun with the new truck!

Fred.

So can the 2500 carry/pull a 41' 5er, well depends a bit on the weight and the Pin, but if you are buying NEW, WHY???

To get a 3500 SRW, is about $1,000 more than a 2500, you will drop that much doctoring up a 2500 to make it tow maybe OK.

If I was thinking that big, I would be looking at a 3500 DRW, just for the added capacity.

Here is my scale weight at the DRV factory. I can attest to how well the factory rear air ride works on the 3500's. Truck has 9,580# on the 4 rear tires. Pin is 24.55 percent.

I would never buy a 2wd truck, especially a diesel. All the weight is up front and you can get stuck on slightly sloped wet grass. Where I live you'll spend a lot more on 2wd when you factor in resale, too. Plus a 2wd truck is useless in snow/ice, although I know that's not an issue in Florida.

As a update after reading everones posts and reasons will reconsider the 2500 and look at the 3500 when we go to the ram truck dealer who by the has a very large selection of trucks although we will special order ours and we will go with 2wd vs 4wd.

I have to agree, I pull a 36ft HitchHiker 349RSB with a 16,200 GVW, It actually weighs 16,500 loaded with a pin weight of around 3200 and is actually 38ft long. I have pulled it with both a 3500 DRW Chevy and now a 3500 DRW Ram. I have to say there is no way I would think about pulling this trailer without a DRW truck. Putting it behind a 2500 would be insane, hope you reconsider what you are thinking.

batavia02 wrote:
After a long time looking and researching we are probably going to order a a 2016 ram 2500 cc.lb.next week,question is ,is the ram air suspension option needed? we will be getting a 41'foot 5th wheel down the road.

.


No you do not, if you need to level up a bit I would add aftermarket air, at a much cheaper price.

I have asked before if anyone can say there is any REAL advantage to paying for a expensive OEM air system, over aftermarket . IMO a aftermarket air system that you can control is much better, but if you want an aftermarket automatic air system same as the OEM , they are available, again much cheaper then OEM.

mtofell1 wrote:

boshog wrote:

mtofell1 wrote:

larry barnhart wrote:
Any good reason for not wanting a 3500? It would be a great change of plans but you have your reason for buying how you see fit of course. I also feel a 6 wheel truck would be safer for you.

chevman

And, for the OP, yes a 41' 5th wheel is waaaaaay to much for a 2500. It's only waaay too much for a SRW 3500 :) Really, you are in DRW territory with that 5th.

Bull! I don't know how some of you come to these false conclusions. Look at the RAM HD towing and payload specifications (downloadable from the RAM web site), 3,000 pound pin weight is in SRW territory albeit at the upper edge. Some of us just do not want a truck with those wide child-bearing-hips, just to darn hard to park, for example, in sight-seeing areas.

You can get a SRW RAM 3500, 4x4, CC 6'4" box with 4,500 pounds of payload, more than enough for a 3,000 pound pin weight. The OP clearly stated they want to avoid a dually, so did I, and I don't have any issues pulling my 41 foot Montana with my SRW 3500.

I'm not telling anyone to buy anything. I'm just stating what is needed to tow what he wants. I have no interest in driving a DRW truck either but will plan my 5th wheel purchase around it. I guess where we're not understanding each other is I don't think you're going to find a loaded 41' 5th wheel with truly a 3000# pin weight.

So you are going to dispute my 38' Montana partly loaded ( basement was fully loaded ) no clothes in the forward closet, and no food in the fridge. Hit the scales at 2420, now do you think our clothes ,and a full fridge will top 580 lbs, if so then I'm over 3000. I have never weighed it when completely loaded, but doubt I top 3000. Your assumption on pin weight are just that assumptions .

boshog wrote:

mtofell1 wrote:

larry barnhart wrote:
Any good reason for not wanting a 3500? It would be a great change of plans but you have your reason for buying how you see fit of course. I also feel a 6 wheel truck would be safer for you.

chevman

And, for the OP, yes a 41' 5th wheel is waaaaaay to much for a 2500. It's only waaay too much for a SRW 3500 :) Really, you are in DRW territory with that 5th.

Bull! I don't know how some of you come to these false conclusions. Look at the RAM HD towing and payload specifications (downloadable from the RAM web site), 3,000 pound pin weight is in SRW territory albeit at the upper edge. Some of us just do not want a truck with those wide child-bearing-hips, just to darn hard to park, for example, in sight-seeing areas.

You can get a SRW RAM 3500, 4x4, CC 6'4" box with 4,500 pounds of payload, more than enough for a 3,000 pound pin weight. The OP clearly stated they want to avoid a dually, so did I, and I don't have any issues pulling my 41 foot Montana with my SRW 3500.

I'm not telling anyone to buy anything. I'm just stating what is needed to tow what he wants. I have no interest in driving a DRW truck either but will plan my 5th wheel purchase around it. I guess where we're not understanding each other is I don't think you're going to find a loaded 41' 5th wheel with truly a 3000# pin weight.

That 3500 SRW rear axle weight is 1000 lbs more than '05 F250 diesel extend cab short bed and front is 640 lbs more. That must be one heck of a heavy option combination? I took the weights off the link I provided, but those are for a stripped Tradesman. Your front axle weight is about 200 lbs lighter than my 5500, but I've got 4900 lbs on the rear when empty.

mtofell1 wrote:

larry barnhart wrote:
Any good reason for not wanting a 3500? It would be a great change of plans but you have your reason for buying how you see fit of course. I also feel a 6 wheel truck would be safer for you.

chevman

I'm casually shopping and the coils in the 2500 sure seem to ride nicer than the leaf springs in the 3500. I can only comment on one side of the comparison as a current owner of a 2500 Ram gasser. The lightened payload of the 2500 diesel sure is a bummer. It seems you can't have the best of both worlds :)

And, for the OP, yes a 41' 5th wheel is waaaaaay to much for a 2500. It's only waaay too much for a SRW 3500 :) Really, you are in DRW territory with that 5th.

:h :h :h
Just because it is 41' doesn't mean it weighs 16,000#.
No, it is not the best plan, but if the 5er is lighter, might work.

I do agree NOT my cup of tea.

Bedlam wrote:
The highest rated Ram 3500 SRW's have a GVWR of 12,300 lbs. If you get a Cummins with the 68RFE in Tradesman trim and no other options, you can have a crew cab 4x4 long bed with a 4480 lb payload. If you choose the short bed, the GVWR drops to 11,700 lbs and payload is 4070 lbs. RAWR is 7000 lbs with most scaling out 3000 lbs on the rear axle, so actual pin weight will have to be less than stated payload.

http://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/bbg/pdf/2016/docs/ram/rammlup3500.pdf

Here is our truck ready to tow last fall before we left for Arizona. Rear axle was 3760 pounds. Real world number; hitch, two sets of golf clubs, Honda eu1000i, tools, and other stuff in front box including 6 gals on diesel.