In my case, I went back and forth between a 3500 Dodge & Ford F350 as well as the pickup or cab & chassis options. Eventually I landed on getting a Dodge 4500 cab & chassis which has the 4.88 axle, larger rotors & pads, exhaust brake, hydraulic over electric brakes, solid Aisin transmission, larger GVWR payload with 19.5 tires, flatbed, and still have the same 30,000 GCWR. For me the reduction in HP was not an issue as the most important consideration was braking and pulling capacity. When you are pulling consistently over 20,000 lbs in hilly terrain stopping for me those heavy loads is more important than saving a few miles per gallon. So far as been very impressed with the 4500 RAM and this is coming from someone who had been driving a larger F650 for many years.