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Old 06-03-2018, 04:24 PM   #41
dfb
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Originally Posted by mtlakejim View Post
Tow/haul should not affect the "ride". It is a transmission shifting change to the computer. You will notice the truck tends to shift later and run at elevated RPMs but that should not make much if any difference to your "ride".

If your on more or less level interstate you won't need the tow/haul all that much but if your running in the mountains I would for sure have it switched on. But even with it on how you operate your foot on the gas pedal matters more than anything. Getting a little extra speed built up before you hit a steep climb and such can make a big difference in your fuel economy and speed maintained. We see a LOT of drivers that don't know how to drive in the mountains here in North Arkansas (Ozarks).

Hands down however the most valuable feature on our truck is the engine brake!!! Going down a hill that feature is literally a life saver!!!
On the ram the tow/haul keeps the truck out of 6th gear and the exhaust brake seems to work better..
 
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Old 06-03-2018, 04:35 PM   #42
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I disagree that the question is pointless. Maybe brand loyalty and comaprisons are subjective, but within a brand, things like axle ratio is as important as what gear you pull in. With that said, a Ram can be ordered with 342 gears, and the tow rating far exceeds what you are pulling. Given a driving style, yours, a shorter ratio like 4:10 will power you up a mountain better, but use more fuel. You may consider what you will be doing more: Climbing a mountain, or driving around a town.
I have a 3500 Ram SRW with 3:42 and highway mpg unloaded is excellent.
This truck will pull over 16K, but the limitation is payload...pin weight of a loaded fiver, and a bed of tools put me close to the limit. I considered a dually and definitely recommend ordering it from a dealer exactly the way you want.
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Old 06-03-2018, 04:46 PM   #43
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I disagree that the question is pointless. Maybe brand loyalty and comaprisons are subjective, but within a brand, things like axle ratio is as important as what gear you pull in. With that said, a Ram can be ordered with 342 gears, and the tow rating far exceeds what you are pulling. Given a driving style, yours, a shorter ratio like 4:10 will power you up a mountain better, but use more fuel. You may consider what you will be doing more: Climbing a mountain, or driving around a town.
I have a 3500 Ram SRW with 3:42 and highway mpg unloaded is excellent.
This truck will pull over 16K, but the limitation is payload...pin weight of a loaded fiver, and a bed of tools put me close to the limit. I considered a dually and definitely recommend ordering it from a dealer exactly the way you want.
The 2015 3500 4x4 megacab had a 12300 gvwr.. we were over weight br 200 lbs.
Just weighed or setup now... front axle 5560......drive axle 7060 max is 9750....trailer 10280... total. 22900.... so we at 12620 out other 12330 we were over on this weight byabout 300 lbs.. now we are under by 380 lbs.. feels good knowing we are no within limits.. we travel across the country so we wanted the 4:10....
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Old 06-03-2018, 05:20 PM   #44
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Wicked1,
I just got a 2018 RAM 3500 Laramie Longhorn Dually. I have a 3.73 rear end, aisin tran, autolevel, the truck only has 1200 miles on it so far. Around town I get 15 - 16 Mpg, Hwy 19 - 20, towing my rig I get 12 - 12.5. My Dealer says the numbers should increase as I get more miles on it. My trailer is a 2016 3720 RL loaded around 15,500 lbs. I use to pull with a 2013 2500 diesel single wheel, but after going to the Fall Rally last year, I was educated about weight differences and realized my 2500 was to undersized for the pin weight. Now I have about 1000 lbs cushion on the pin weight. The 3.73 rear end is middle of the road as for pulling power and it pulls my rig effortlessly. I increased my hitch weight to 25,000 lbs Curt hitch (A25) which is so easy to connect - un-connect. I use to have a Reese and will never go back. My truck is a Mega Cab short box.
If you want good fuel mileage, go with the 3.46 rear end but it will take you a little longer to get to speed and you will not be able to pull as much weight.
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Old 06-03-2018, 06:07 PM   #45
Dennis and Susan Daley
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Thank you

Mtlakejim,
That was a great help thanks
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Old 06-03-2018, 10:47 PM   #46
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I agree with James. The engine brake is amazing, and you almost don't need the brakes. Plus the auto leveling air bags are nice when you drop over 3,000 pounds onto your rear end when towing the 5ver. I automatically turn on the Tow Haul and Engine brake whenever I am towing the 5ver.
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Old 06-04-2018, 06:33 AM   #47
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Your weights and mine are similar, and a dually is the cure. However all the rear axles in a dually will pull that weight, but 4:10 will power up a steep slope easier. Most of the country is flat, and with 4:10, your fuel and engine rpms will will both run at a higher rate for those long days on roads like rt 10.
Totally agree with the engine brake advice. Going up is never scary, goin down can be.
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Old 06-04-2018, 06:36 AM   #48
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Tow haul seems to keep the tranny temp down lower. On flats, I have shut it off, locked into 6th gear, and seen tranny temp go up a few degrees. Mpg seems to be unaffected.
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Old 06-04-2018, 09:08 AM   #49
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Tow haul seems to keep the tranny temp down lower. On flats, I have shut it off, locked into 6th gear, and seen tranny temp go up a few degrees. Mpg seems to be unaffected.
Tow/Haul does keep the tranny temps lower, the trans shifts are more positive with less slip and converter lock-up is quicker.
As well as the shift point strategy being different (up + down)


And I totally agree the exhaust brake is a wonderful feature in these trucks..
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Old 06-04-2018, 09:36 AM   #50
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jgeorger, We live up in Lake Tahoe and our house is close to 7,000 feet, and every time we bring the 5ver up to get ready for a trip, we have to go over an 11% grade on Brockway summit to get to our house, and then in our neighborhood to get up to our house it is about a 15% grade. Plus being on the mountainous west side of America, we have done many mountain passes, and the most notable to date was the Teton Pass that was a 10% grade for 5 miles straight. The best i could do with all of the RAM's power and 4.10 gears was 45 mph . That was plenty as the speed limit I think is around 50 mph because of the turns, but still, I could not hold the speed limit with the pedal to the floor. So I am very happy with the 4.10 gears. Plus the wimpy tank they give you is only 32 gallons. I dropped the OEM tank out and slipped in a 55 gallon Titan tank in the same spot and it has a kevlar shield under it to protect against road hazards, since it is about 2" lower than the oem tank. So diesel fill ups with the 5ver attached is something we never do.
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Old 06-04-2018, 09:38 AM   #51
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Tow Haul mode will also affect how the engine brake is applied on some trucks.
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Old 06-04-2018, 05:59 PM   #52
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My Point of View


This is your daily driver so I would strongly consider the following:

Noise
The Dodge diesel is the noisiest of the 3, Ford next then the Chevy.


Smoothest ride
The Dodge is the stiffest of the 3, Ford next then the Chevy.


Best Engine and Trans right now
Chevy


Everyone is going to have their bias point of view (because of what they bought) but go drive all three and decide. Remember you have to drive this everyday.
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Old 06-04-2018, 10:24 PM   #53
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I beg to differ with you. The new RAMs are almost silent, and with the Blue Def, smell like bounce coming out of the dryer when you smell the exhaust. If RAM is the noisiest, then Ford and Chevy must be in whisper mode? :-) Noise now days compared to 10-15 years ago is not even a concern. A one ton dually better feel stiff when driving it, if you are going to dump 3,000+ pounds on the hitch and want a safe reliable driving experience. A Dually is not supposed to drive around like a Lincoln Navigator limousine ride?
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Old 06-05-2018, 08:11 AM   #54
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My Point of View


This is your daily driver so I would strongly consider the following:

Noise
The Dodge diesel is the noisiest of the 3, Ford next then the Chevy.


Smoothest ride
The Dodge is the stiffest of the 3, Ford next then the Chevy.


Best Engine and Trans right now
Chevy


Everyone is going to have their bias point of view (because of what they bought) but go drive all three and decide. Remember you have to drive this everyday.
We dont even hear the engine, nor road or wind noise in our RAM..
STIFFEST. we bought the truck to pull a big load
Best engine and trans in the gm? Really?...
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Old 06-05-2018, 08:15 AM   #55
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We dont use our RAM DUALLY as an everday driver..
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Old 06-05-2018, 02:50 PM   #56
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I have been waiting forever to say this Our F-350 Diesel "pulls it fine" "don't even know its back there"
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Old 06-05-2018, 03:12 PM   #57
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We dont even hear the engine, nor road or wind noise in our RAM..
STIFFEST. we bought the truck to pull a big load
Best engine and trans in the gm? Really?...
I have the F350 from 2016 will be interested to see what GM does for the 2020 model year they are working on now. I like the GM 3500 but I do not like the position of the def tank under the passenger seat and the fact the def fill cap is located in the back of the engine, if they fix that which they say they will, then I might be going GM next truck, if not sticking with my 2016 until I am either done camping or it dies.
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Old 06-05-2018, 05:15 PM   #58
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I truly hope Ford gets back in the hunt, as I have always had Ford trucks. When it came time to buy the 5th wheel, our first, and to buy a truck that had the most power and could tow over 31,000 pounds, plus you see anywhere from 50-75% of at RV parks pulling 5th wheels, I decided to go with my first RAM. So far I am totally loving it, but like that the big three have always had a good competition for getting people to buy their trucks for different reasons. As long as you buy one of the big three American made trucks, I'm with you all the way!
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Old 06-05-2018, 08:00 PM   #59
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We do not have the which truck is best problem. We live in Ford country the chances are if you have 25 friends 15 of them are Ford Employees or retired ford employees.These folks have many pin numbers for the Ford discount plans that they can give to friends. We buy our Fords on the "Friends and family" program. These are really nice discounts so we drive Fords and........ "it pulls it fine"
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Old 06-05-2018, 09:38 PM   #60
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I'm with several others on here. As long as you buy one of the big 3, I don't think you can go wrong.


I drove Ford most of my life simply because it was what the company supplied in most cases (my next company truck will be a Chevy however). The next personal truck I buy will likely be a 1/2 ton Ford simply because I like the interior a little better on them but we are not locked in stone on that choice.


We bought the Ram 1 ton dually for heavy towing and I have been very pleased with it so far. It is very quiet inside for a diesel and the ride is actually quite good (I can't tell much difference between it and my company 3/4 SRW).


While there are certainly some things that have gotten cheaper on trucks (like really thin sheet metal and plastic everything) overall they do seem to be more reliable than ever and a LOT more comfortable! I am NOT a fan of all the environmental BS that has been forced upon the industry and the cost up front or the increased complexity that results but that is the world we live in......Overall at least it seems that new model trucks are much more driver friendly and reliable than their older counterparts regardless of brand
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