RAM 3500 DRW W/6.4 Hemi

[Troutguy]

I just found a 2016 RAM 3500 DRW w/ 6.4 HEMI gas engine 3:73 gears with 10K miles and 4wd locally by private owner for a smokin' price. I may want to put a AF 992 on it and tow my enclosed 7x14' trailer with quad. This truck is one year old and has never been in salt. Opinions?

Please confine your comments to this combo and NOT turn this into a AF vs. Lance or Ford/RAM vs. GM or gas vs. diesel contest. These threads can get out of hand in very short order. I also plan on carrying my short box AF 811 temporarily for the remainder of this year, until finances allow a 992 or equivalent, I already realize the pitfalls/shortcomings of doing this but it would be temporary.

I hope Bedlam chimes in on this as I value his thoughts as well as what others have to contribute.
Thanks,
TG

[Kayteg1]

Don't blame customers that they fall for what is sold to them.
US "higher sources" are pushing for high consumption of fuels and customers don't have many choices. How many of those 60 mpg vehicles are imported to USA?
Same with "door stickers". Not too many owners can figure out why their vehicle is 13,000 lb rated, when the suspension can carry 19,000.
The explanations are repeated on net over and over again, but "higher sources" have to win.

[mkasner]

I love when someone counters what kind of mileage I got with the truck when I had it. 7mpg at 5000ft elevation here in SLC. If there was ever a headwind don't ever expect to get 7mpg as you'll be in the 2500 to 3500 rpm range. Our Lance 861 weighed in at just over 4K pounds wet. I'd kill for 8mpg however if your not worried about the 250 max mileage range then go for the gas, it is surely capable however not an enjoyable experience. We traded the 6.4 in for the Cummins for this exact reason

[Kayteg1]

I always get good kicks from the thread "will my dually be able to carry 5000lb?"
Suppose it is West Coast thing, but I see Duallies (yes, mostly Dodge 3500, but also F450/550) pulling those car haulers with 4-5 cars on it.
How much you think such trailer puts on the truck axle?
Next time I will have to take a picture of such animal and paste it in each of such treads.

[Bedlam]

I think that combination will work for the OP. If he starts to travel the Rockies more often, I do think the 4.10's would be better suited for the gasser. I doubt he would lose any mileage doing this gear swap unless he drives fast while unloaded.

The payload thing between a gasser and diesel is bunk. The weight changes up front, but the rear axle weight remains about the same - I don't know anyone with a cabover heavy enough to worry about front axle weight.

Carrying the AF811SB on a long bed is no issue. If the OP already has a SuperTruss for his GM, it should be the same length needed to carry an AF992 on a long bed. The OP will need to buy new tiedowns and receiver, but the FastGuns can be used on the new truck.

[SidecarFlip]

Bottom line is...No matter what you have under the hood. a little common sense in your right foot goes a long way toward MPG.

Myself, I drive 62-65 maximum, don't care if the limit is 70 (or 80 here in Michigan now) In a hurry, go around me. I'm old and on vacation. I like 62 better actually, I get my best mileage at 62 with the camper and trailer in tow. 18-18.5 with my diesel. Like Burningman, it ain't stock.

[SidecarFlip]

burningman wrote:
The Hemi seems weak by todays' monster diesel standards but we all used to have big block gas trucks years ago with much less power and we thought they were great. Heck they had more power than the early pickup diesels did.
25 years ago, 200-something HP was the strongest pickup option you had.
I went all over with my big block duallies with an 11.5 camper and 10,000 pound trailer behind. It wasn't fast uphill but it got there.

At about 5 to 7 MPG.

The Hemi will carry your camper and tow a heavy trailer, you'll take a beating on resale though. If/when gas goes back up to $4/gallon that truck will be nearly unsaleable.If/when gas goes back up to $4/gallon that truck will be nearly unsaleable.

...and it will. Won't always be cheap like it is now...

[kohldad]

After 20k miles with camper in sig, I've average 12.4 mpg hand calc running 65mph on interstate which is probably only about 25% of the camper mileage. I do not use tow/haul mode unless in the hilly mountains except for one trip pulling the boat. In that trip, I average 11.8 mpg on the one tank which included my wife learning to back the trailer down the ramp which took about 20 minutes (to be fair, was a longgggg ramp). Based on diesel comparison of fuel mileage I obtained with my 5.9 manual, fuel cost over 42k miles has been less than an extra $500. Based on backroad driving in 5th, mileage is about the same at 55mph as on the highway at 65mph in 6th. The truck actually prefers to run about 70mph and will easily creep up there if not watched because of the higher rpms.

The MPS cutoff does help a little bit when empty, but with the 3.73s, any gear over 5th or any load makes it useless.

When I custom ordered the truck, my biggest debate were the gears. My figuring on selecting the 3.73 rear end was I would be in 5th gear most of the time which would make the 3.73 correct choice. The 4.10s in 5th gear I felt would make the RPMs over 2k at highway speed. As it turns out, with 3.73s, at 65, I'm about 1600 which works well for the motor.

The biggest thing and about the only thing I don't like about the 6.4 is the lack of an exhaust brake which I had on my 5.9. There are plenty of brakes and I've never once felt like they were inadequate and haven't gotten noticeably hot even on long back road decent. The tow/haul mode does a pretty good job of downshifting and the engine module also adjust valve timing in 1st and 2nd to provide additional engine braking.

2nd most thing is the large gear difference between 1st and 2nd. This means before you downshift to 1st, you need to slow down more than you would think you need to or you get a hard shift. This doesn't happen when normally slowing down.

For those claiming 7-8 mpg, that is the mileage I've heard with the 5.7 Hemi, not the 6.4 Hemi which didn't debut until 2014. The 6.4 Hemi reports are extremely consistent in the 10+mpg even when pulling heavy trailers.

Bottom line, I'm extremely happy with my choice and would buy the same configuration again. Only difference is we would probably switch to a dually to open up camper options since we are getting closer to retirement. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to pm.

[burningman]

The Hemi seems weak by todays' monster diesel standards but we all used to have big block gas trucks years ago with much less power and we thought they were great. Heck they had more power than the early pickup diesels did.
25 years ago, 200-something HP was the strongest pickup option you had.
I went all over with my big block duallies with an 11.5 camper and 10,000 pound trailer behind. It wasn't fast uphill but it got there.

At about 5 to 7 MPG.

The Hemi will carry your camper and tow a heavy trailer, you'll take a beating on resale though. If/when gas goes back up to $4/gallon that truck will be nearly unsaleable.

[Rubiranch]

Ring and pinion X2. I think with the newer auto trans its a waste of money.

I have a 6.0L gas Chevy 2500, it works just fine.

There is someone here in the camper forum that says he's averaging around 15 mpg with his camper with a 5.9 Hemi.

I believe the NEW Hemi does better than its predecessors did when it comes to power and mileage.

I averaged 8.6 mpg with mine on my last road trip that included miles and miles if hills.

I'm thinking you should quite pleased with that truck.

[SidecarFlip]

JW2 wrote:
If it is truly a "smokin' deal", one option might be to replace the current 3.73 axle ratio with 4.10, or maybe even a higher number ratio, to help with gas mileage.

A re-ratio isn't all that complex actually. Any good mechanical shop can do it. It's a ring and pinion swap. Might consider a Gear Vendors overdrive add on as well.

[JW2]

If it is truly a "smokin' deal", one option might be to replace the current 3.73 axle ratio with 4.10, or maybe even a higher number ratio, to help with gas mileage.

[towpro]

SidecarFlip wrote:
I love 'Buzzwords'...lol

Multi-displacement system. IOw GM had that in Caddy's a decade ago (and I think it's still available. the old 4-6-8 cylinder cut off. Displacement stays the same, cylinder don't fire. Nothing new technology there, just new buzzwords.

True, concept was the same, but in 1981 Cadillac removed tension on the rocker arms to shut off the cylinders. now they do it electronically at the injector (with a whole lot more computer power as well)

[work2much]

Our 3500 Cummins with AF Camper has been averaging 11.3 mpg without trailer in fairly hilly terrain through Oregon, Washington and Canada. Depending on cost fuel for gas vs. diesel and considering how much more the diesel option costs upfront it could make the gasser a lot more economical for the foreseeable future even with 7-8 mpg.

The Hemi should have plenty of power to move a TC and lightweight trailer.

[JimK-NY]

I realize the OP wants to avoid a discussion of gas versus diesel. But there is a related issue that cannot be ignored. Fuel consumption in the 7 or 8 mpg range is going to me fueling roughly every 200 miles. That would not work for me. I spend a lot of my camping time out in the middle of nowhere in the western US. Gas stations can be few and far between. At the minimum I would look at the cost and feasibility of adding an additional fuel tank.

[jmtandem]

I just found a 2016 RAM 3500 DRW w/ 6.4 HEMI gas engine 3:73 gears with 10K miles and 4wd locally by private owner for a smokin' price. I may want to put a AF 992 on it and tow my enclosed 7x14' trailer with quad. This truck is one year old and has never been in salt. Opinions?

Please confine your comments to this combo and NOT turn this into a AF vs. Lance or Ford/RAM vs. GM or gas vs. diesel contest. These threads can get out of hand in very short order. I also plan on carrying my short box AF 811 temporarily for the remainder of this year, until finances allow a 992 or equivalent, I already realize the pitfalls/shortcomings of doing this but it would be temporary.

I hope Bedlam chimes in on this as I value his thoughts as well as what others have to contribute.
Thanks,
TG

Truck Camper Magazine purchased a new 6.4 Ram dually for their camper. Basically they love the truck, not the fuel mileage. You might check out their assessment of the truck at Truck Camper Magazine. I suspect if you got 10 mpg with the camper you would be happy.