OK, all you truck wonks...

IndyCamp wrote:

4x4ord wrote:
3/4 tons have the disadvantages of the 1/2 ton in that they can't handle any weight and the price tag of the 1 ton so in my mind they should be discontinued.

I completely disagree.

First of all, 3500 trucks are fairly scarce on lots compared to 2500 trucks. That means you likely have to order what you want and that means you lose some of your leverage when negotiating price.

I got my 2014 RAM 2500 (sticker $43K) down to $36K and got another $2K on my trade, so I paid $34K for a new RAM 2500 with the 6.4L HEMI. This is an SLT, not the Tradesman.

This truck has 3K pound payload. How many 1500s have a 3K pound payload? None. It also has a beefier suspension and brakes than the 1500s. How do you figure it "has the disadvantages of the 1/2 ton?"

Here is my truck with 3K pounds of stone in the bed:




Please show me the 1/2 ton trucks that can haul 3K pounds in the bed.

The lighter duty 3/4 tons might be able to haul more than a 1/2 ton. It's the heavy duty 3/4 tons with the 400 plus hp, 860 lb ft of torque diesel engines and heavy duty transmissions; 4 wheel drives that people buy so they can haul a big 5th wheel that bothers me so much. Why do they build these HD F250's that have every component capable of towing something substantial; heavy duty frame; tires that are capable of 15,000 lbs; put the same brakes on them as the F350 SRW and then neglect putting two light little leaf springs on the rear so that the GVWR is only 1500 lb more than what the truck weighs. Then the dealers order these 250's in instead of the 350's and salesman tell people " oh yeah this diesel will haul that trailer around like its not even back there" .... well sure it will except that there is no overload springs on it so the payload is restricted to 1500 lbs. By the time the new owner installs his hitch and loads up his family he's only got 800 lbs left for pin weight. So here is this heavy duty truck that is designed to tow only it can't because it's been robbed of a couple little leaf springs. If your truck is capable of 3000 lbs that might be all you want to haul but if it had those two little additional springs under it, even it could easily handle considerably more. Would it bother you any if those two little leaf springs were bolted to your rear axle ...... no, the truck would ride identical and now you could put 4000 lbs in the box ....would that be so bad. You would give up nothing. What is the advantage of building a capable truck and then reducing its carrying capacity by robbing the overload springs off the rear axle? I can see a person say I don't want a long box dually because it won't fit in my garage or I need better traction in the snow or i don't like the looks or what ever else they might say but why would anyone say I would rather have a 3/4 ton than a 1 ton SRW when the two trucks are virtually identical, only one has had the sticker on the door changed so it can not haul nearly as much as the other.