Looking at new tower

[paphog]

I am looking at buying a new Ram 3500 to tow my 3400RL 2010 I have now a 3500 2007 4X2 but am looking at a 2018 RAM 4x4 any problem with truck being higher as far as hitch goes I don't want to go down road with front of 5th up would like to be level. Thanks for help enjoy reading all comments.

[DQDick]

You need to measure one. Going from a 2011 to a 2017 actually made things better, but the 2011's were already tall. The 2017 also has Riderite and that allows some adjustments also.

[fatcatzzz]

Pulled our '07 3400RL with our 2014 4x4 3500 just fine.

[BuilderBob]

I win't from a 2009 3500 to a 2018 3500 both 4x4's the new truck has the puck sys love it. My fifth wheel is only 1" higher than before in the front. I went with the curt Q25.

[Montana Man]

You will know when you hitch up and load it. It will likely be ok. If anything a 1 inch axle spacers on the trailer will make it just right.

[civilengineer42]

It will be just fine.......Might be slightly out of level......4x4 does sit a bit higher......

[Theunz]

Just take a tape measure to the dealer with you. First measure from the ground to the floor of the bed and second from the floor of the bed to the top of the rails. Compare them to your current truck. The first measurement will tell you how much higher the front of the trailer will ride and the second one will tell you the difference between top of rail to bottom of trailer clearance.

[Jamesb]

The truck will be slightly higher. I had to adjust my pin by one hole to tow level. Hopefully your hitch has height adjustments. Mine did not. And I installed riderites to control the ride and headlights.

[sduchien]

I pull a 2007 2955 with my 2016 Ram 3500 4X4 and it sits just about level.

[jstadler]

I am a fan of Fords for a number of reason.

1. The cost of repair is 1/2 of a Cummins engines. Injectors are over 2X as much to replace.
2. If you go Ford you will have a tried and proven engine that has been tested millions of miles with few factory recalls.
3. Fords do not rust out like a Doge, take a moment and look at 3 year old Ford's and a Doge and you will see the tire wells rust on the Doge first, oil pans rust andtransmition pans rust of Doges.
4. For matches or exceeds the Doge performance and is more economical to drive.

You may wonder what I have, it's a 6.7 Ford Single axle and I pull 15K fifth wheel with no issues. And a nice thing Ford makes the box work with many hitches with drop in 4 cam systems. No installation costs!

John

[Virginia Young]

Originally Posted by jstadler

I am a fan of Fords for a number of reason.

1. The cost of repair is 1/2 of a Cummins engines. Injectors are over 2X as much to replace.
2. If you go Ford you will have a tried and proven engine that has been tested millions of miles with few factory recalls.
3. Fords do not rust out like a Doge, take a moment and look at 3 year old Ford's and a Doge and you will see the tire wells rust on the Doge first, oil pans rust andtransmition pans rust of Doges.
4. For matches or exceeds the Doge performance and is more economical to drive.

You may wonder what I have, it's a 6.7 Ford Single axle and I pull 15K fifth wheel with no issues. And a nice thing Ford makes the box work with many hitches with drop in 4 cam systems. No installation costs!

John

Sounds like you are talking about the OLD Dodge truck.

We have had 5 Dodge/Ram trucks from 2001 to 2014 and never had anything rust. Had one Ford and swore I would never have another. Injector problems that should have been under warranty, but Ford wouldn’t replace because it “didn’t throw a code.”

Our last two were a 3/4 ton 4x4 and a 1 ton DRW 4x4. Both were 2014 models. Both trucks rode and drove great. Never a problem. Pulled a Montana 3900 FB and a Big Sky. Never wanted for power. 20-21 mpg on highway and 12-13 mpg towing fiver.

As for the tried and true engine. I don’t think the Cummins can be beat. Just like Ford and Chevy, there have been growing pains, but we never experienced any.

[mtlakejim]

Originally Posted by jstadler

I am a fan of Fords for a number of reason.

1. The cost of repair is 1/2 of a Cummins engines. Injectors are over 2X as much to replace.
2. If you go Ford you will have a tried and proven engine that has been tested millions of miles with few factory recalls.
3. Fords do not rust out like a Doge, take a moment and look at 3 year old Ford's and a Doge and you will see the tire wells rust on the Doge first, oil pans rust andtransmition pans rust of Doges.
4. For matches or exceeds the Doge performance and is more economical to drive.

You may wonder what I have, it's a 6.7 Ford Single axle and I pull 15K fifth wheel with no issues. And a nice thing Ford makes the box work with many hitches with drop in 4 cam systems. No installation costs!

John

FYI
Ram also has 4 point “puck” system. AND you can get a Curt hitch factory installed so it is included in purchase/loan.

I am a Ford fan as well but went with Ram when I switched to diesel. I don’t know how anyone could be a critic of the bulletproof and tested for decades Cummins diesel. You can suggest Ford has just a good or even superior engine but I don’t trust that to be true.

Having said that IF Ford was using the Cummins I would have bought one. I do think Ford truck bodies and frames are in general better quality. As a point in fact, we will be trading the wife’s Ford Fusion for a Ford F-150 gas pickup.

But either way I don’t think you go wrong getting any of the top three. Especially if your like me and trade in every 2-3 years.

To the OP, you should be fine. There isn’t that much more height loaded and lots of other folks out there with new Rams pulling 5er. Be sure to look into the factory installed Curt hitch. It’s a great hitch and you can pay for it on truck note rather than out of pocket! Ran just seems to cater more to the 5er crowd at least where I live.

[Montana Man]

Originally Posted by jstadler

I am a fan of Fords for a number of reason.

1. The cost of repair is 1/2 of a Cummins engines. Injectors are over 2X as much to replace.
2. If you go Ford you will have a tried and proven engine that has been tested millions of miles with few factory recalls.
3. Fords do not rust out like a Doge, take a moment and look at 3 year old Ford's and a Doge and you will see the tire wells rust on the Doge first, oil pans rust andtransmition pans rust of Doges.
4. For matches or exceeds the Doge performance and is more economical to drive.

You may wonder what I have, it's a 6.7 Ford Single axle and I pull 15K fifth wheel with no issues. And a nice thing Ford makes the box work with many hitches with drop in 4 cam systems. No installation costs!

John

Ford hasn't had a dependable engine since they quit using the 7.3. If you need injector service on the new ones the cab must be removed and that ain't cheap. RAM is the least expensive to maintain as there are fewer parts, ease of access, and excellent longevity. They all have the puck hitch system.

I am not brand loyal and I buy the best available at the time. I've had all three. The RAM is pure drivetrain but lacks on fit and finish. The ultimate TV would be a RAM powertrain in a Chevy or Ford body.

[dfb]

All my fords leaked.. jd, bet if the h20 pump on that ford went out you couldn’t fix it without taking the cab off.. can do a Cummins on the side of the road..

[jgeorger]

Pay close attention to the payload capacity of the truck, remembring the pin weight on the fiver is dry, and will be more depending on how and where you load. Passengers, and tools in the bed can get ou up to GVWR quickly.
The cummins and 4wd detract from payload too.

[Greg and Sherry]

We’ve got a 2015 Dodge 3500 Cummins 4x4 pilling a 3620RL. It’s our first Dodge and we are extremely happy. Our last new Ford truck was a piece of rubbish and you couldn’t pay me to have another Ford. I know many who love them & that’s great. I think it boils down to what YOU prefer. I don’t think the height of the truck will be a problem.

[BuilderBob]

Don't want to turn this in who has better truck but you can't run fast enough to ever get me a FORD! to meany engine & trans problems!

[Texan]

paphog just wanted to know about height of rv towing with new Ram 4x4.He already has an older Ram so he knows what he wants and seems to have his mind made up. All three brands are very good . You can get a lemon in anything. I personally think he's making an excellent choice and I like all brands. Good luck paphog.

[Fish]

I have a 2018 Ram 3500 dually 4x4 6.7 cummins/aisin with air level. My 2019 384BR Montana High Country sits perfectly level going down the road.

The dealer furnished and set up my curt 20K puck hitch when I bought the trailer.

I have plenty of bed rail clearance. To get in my current spot where I'm living in the trailer while working at the refinery I had to pull forward down into a ditch. I was worried about getting into the bed rails but it didn't even get close.


I also have over 5400 pounds of payload per the door sticker, 3000 pounds more than my 2015 chevy Duramax crew cab. No payload problems with the Ram duallies.

[pyoung47]

Check out Dennis Dillon Ram -- I haven't dealt with them personally, but several on the Dodge boards have. If nothing else, it will give you a good price to negotiate with your local dealer. Remember that any dealer will service your truck. Can't believe that some folks are still trying to sell one particular brand. I drive a Ford now, but would be happy to return to the Cummins that I drove for eleven trouble free years. Give me a decent price on the Chevy, and I'm a customer there.