Empty weight of Ram 3500 Quad Cab DRW 4x4?

jcmseven · May 4, 2009

I have an article from Truck Trends magazine that says 8110 for that particular truck, full of fuel.

John M

LarryRB · May 4, 2009

as lone said, weigh the truck. when I went for the DOT inspection and weighed in,, 78 and small change is what it is.... I also have the DPF system and this adds considerable weight also.... My trailer is heavy too at 3000. A lot for a 18 footer.,

Z-Michigan · May 5, 2009

Weigh the truck please, inquiring minds want to know! We have a 2006 Ram 2500 quad cab diesel and I have always thought empty weight was 7000lbs for us - basing that in part on the GVWR (doorjam sticker) and the advertised payload capacity.

Diamondpilot · May 5, 2009

Z-Michigan said:
Weigh the truck please, inquiring minds want to know! We have a 2006 Ram 2500 quad cab diesel and I have always thought empty weight was 7000lbs for us - basing that in part on the GVWR (doorjam sticker) and the advertised payload capacity.

I think you are plus or minus 250# on your guess of 7,000#. Most SRW 3/4 ton diesels will weigh about that with the exception of the Fords which are about 7,500#. The Fords seem to run about 500# more than other brands.

I like to weigh all my trucks with just me in it and 3/4 tank of fuel plus all the gear that lives in the truck like hitch bars, tow straps, ect. 3/4 tank seems to work good for me since I am usually between full and 1/4 tank, never going below that. If I have extra stuff along like the family I just do the math.

Chris

Harold_J · May 5, 2009

Diamondpilot said:
That is not the weight, that is the max GVWR. That is the max your truck can weigh with cargo. Your truck probally weighs about 7,000# so that would leave you 1,800# for the stuff in the trucks cab like you and your family, and then the load in the bed or on the hitch. As you can see having 1,800# is slightly more than 3/4 ton (1,500#) so you are good to go.Chris

Is 1800# a typical load capacity for a 2500 series truck? It seems kind of low to me. I would think 1800# would be more like the capacity of a half ton 1500 series. 2500's and 3500's with single rear wheels should be rated to haul in the 3000-4000# range.

Diamondpilot · May 5, 2009

Well by paper, a 3/4 ton should haul a minimum of 1,500# and a 1 ton should haul 2,000# Many will haul more. For example our 2004 F-250 has a max GVWR of 10,000# and weighs 7,500# with me and 3/4 tank of fuel leaving 2,500# for payload. Our 2006 F-350 SRW has a max GVWR of 11,500# and weighs 7,600# with me and 3/4 tank of fuel leaving 3,900#, quite a bit more for nearly identical trucks with the exception of the running gear like springs and tires. If it were a dually it would have a max GVWR of 13,000# and would weigh about 8,000# with me and 3/4 tank of fuel leaving about 5,000# for payload.

As for the GM's with a Dmax, my 2005 3500 SRW 4x4 had a 9,900# max GVWR and weighed right at 7,000# with me and 3/4 tank of fuel so it had 2,900# payload. The 2500 series weigh the same as the 3500 SRW but only have a 8,800# max GVWR so it only leaves 1,800#. That is why steer everyone away from 3/4 ton trucks and toward a 1 ton SRW. The 1/2 tons are getting close to the 3/4 tons in payload but still have the lighter running gear. With a SRW 1 ton you get a lot more capacity with out the headaches of a dually, unless you really need a dually. GM has since upped the GVWR's on the 2008 models and later.

Chris

thatguy · May 5, 2009

Z-Michigan said:
Weigh the truck please, inquiring minds want to know! We have a 2006 Ram 2500 quad cab diesel and I have always thought empty weight was 7000lbs for us - basing that in part on the GVWR (doorjam sticker) and the advertised payload capacity.

My 2002, 2500 Ram, Cummins, Quad cab, 4x4, short bed weighs right at 6950ish. it was weighed at public scales..

Brian

Highbeam · May 5, 2009

The one ton, 3/4, and 1/2 ton designations are not linked to actual payload capacity. Once upon a time they might have been but that time is long gone. You need to look at the stickers now and do the math.

My last truck was a half ton chevy with an empty weight of 5800 lbs and GVWR of 6200# for a cargo capacity of a measly 400#. Lame.

My current truck is a 2000 SRW diesel F350 weighs 7500# with a 9900# GVWR for a cargo capacity of 2400#. This is much better.

Always go to the scales. Also, be sure that you weigh the truck before buying if you have a specific cargo capacity requirement like a slide in camper. Those buggers can weigh over 4000#.

Oh and finally, the curb weight listed by manufacturers of trucks, RVs, motorcylcles, etc. are almost always misleading in order to satisfy an emission requirement, performance requirement, safety requirement, or to advertize a mythical cargo capacity or tow rating. This is especially bad on motorcycles where the curb weight includes no fuel, no engine oil, no fork oil, or antifreeze. The lighter weight truck is more desirable.

Diamondpilot · May 5, 2009

Highbeam said:
The one ton, 3/4, and 1/2 ton designations are not linked to actual payload capacity. Once upon a time they might have been but that time is long gone. You need to look at the stickers now and do the math.

My last truck was a half ton chevy with an empty weight of 5800 lbs and GVWR of 6200# for a cargo capacity of a measly 400#. Lame.

My current truck is a 2000 SRW diesel F350 weighs 7500# with a 9900# GVWR for a cargo capacity of 2400#. This is much better.

Always go to the scales. Also, be sure that you weigh the truck before buying if you have a specific cargo capacity requirement like a slide in camper. Those buggers can weigh over 4000#.

Oh and finally, the curb weight listed by manufacturers of trucks, RVs, motorcylcles, etc. are almost always misleading in order to satisfy an emission requirement, performance requirement, safety requirement, or to advertize a mythical cargo capacity or tow rating. This is especially bad on motorcycles where the curb weight includes no fuel, no engine oil, no fork oil, or antifreeze. The lighter weight truck is more desirable.

I googled it one time and you are right, a 1/2 ton could carry 1,000# at one time, a 3/4 ton 1,500#, and so on.

As for misleading weights I once drove over to Pittsburgh to get a brand new boat. I had a trailer made for it up in Michigan by a company called Eagle and picked it up a weak earlier. The trailer was weighed at the factory and was about 2,800#. The boat was listed at 9,500# and the marina had prepped the boat and only added 5 gallons of fuel and 5 gallons of water to get things checked out. Anyway I drove 3 miles to the scales and had it weighed and it was 14,600#. I about dropped. The boat actually weighed 11,800# basically empty, or 2,300# over advertised weight or about 25%. The boat was loaded to the gills with options but man did they ever fudge the numbers. By the way this boat did in the factory hitch on my 6 month old F-250. Cracked it in 2 places and wallowed out the pin hole by 3/16".

Chris

Harold_J · May 6, 2009

Highbeam said:
The one ton, 3/4, and 1/2 ton designations are not linked to actual payload capacity. Once upon a time they might have been but that time is long gone. You need to look at the stickers now and do the math.

My last truck was a half ton chevy with an empty weight of 5800 lbs and GVWR of 6200# for a cargo capacity of a measly 400#. Lame...

Also in the once upon a time vein, in the distant past pickups had far fewer options available to add to the weight. No power seats, dual tanks, diesel engines, etc. And it wasn't until the mid-late 70's that club cabs, super cabs etc. became popular on half tons. Even 4X4 wasn't as popular back then as it is today. These things add a lot of weight and detract from payload. I'll take a guess that the half ton Chevy you had was a 4x4 long bed extended cab, heavy for the tires and suspension of a half ton truck.