2016 Ram 3500 Laramnie mega cab

KubotaToy · Dec 21, 2015

Have always owned Ford trucks. Looking to replace my old faithful 1997 F350 DRW XLT crew cab, she is using/losing more oil than fuel, and the transmission has seen better days. Thought about rebuilding but she needs a lot more than just motor work, I could put over $10k in the truck but still have a 20 year old truck. So, I thought I would would see who else makes a truck and found 2016 Ram 3500 to be appeasing to the eye but what about towing? Servicing? Reliability?

It will spend about a third of its life towing trailers but most will be less than 15k. I also have a 2006 F350 KR SRW but I need more tow capacity occasionally, hence keeping a DRW truck around is important (wife's horse trailer is one heavy trailer and if I cannot tow it, I am not of much use and no longer required in her book).

I have looked at 2016 F350 KR DRW and they are nice but does any brand have something over the other brands that makes it a gotta own?

Danny C · Dec 21, 2015

The Ram is the best looking inside and out IMO and has the best tow rating and the Cummins engine and Aisen (spelling) transmission are near bullet proof.

Fordman1981 · Dec 21, 2015

I've had them all my preference right now (because they've given us the best service) is ram. Here is a picture of the last one I ordered.

Fordman1981 · Dec 21, 2015

Fordman1981 · Dec 21, 2015

Double post.

bdog · Dec 21, 2015

Just make sure you get the one with the low rear end and the aisan. Dodge has hundreds of variations and options and you have to get a very specific one to get that 30k+ tow rating they brag about. I went to my local dealer who had dozens of trucks on the lot and not a single one had the aisan. There is a huge difference in tow capacity without it.

mikesee · Dec 21, 2015

I will second bdog, the sales folks will gloss over the fact that the 488 gears are required for max tow capacity and you will be hard pressed to find one of them on the lot. Mostly 4.44 or 4.10

Morning Wood · Dec 21, 2015

4.88 gears are not going to give you much room for good fuel economy. How heavy is your wife's trailer anyway? Is it actual weight or pin weight that heavy?

Code54 · Dec 21, 2015

I bought a Ram CTD and am very pleased with it. I was never a Dodge/Ram person but had two for work that were flawless and that made me buy one for personal use. On another note I was hit HARD in my work RAM and was amazed how well it faired. Totaled a Minivan taxi cab, knocked me up on two wheels (hit in the passenger side) and both me and the passenger were fine without a scratch. To top it off I changed a tire and was able to drive it back home 300 miles away. It did suffer extensive damage but I must admit I was impressed with it overall

bdog · Dec 22, 2015

Look here to see what I am talking about.

https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/towing_guide/pdf/2016_ram_3500_towing_charts.pdf

The highest tow rating on a dually without the aisan is 22,550. If you get a non aisan dually with 3.42 gears the tow rating is only 17,550. The dually with the aisan and 4.10's has a tow rating of 31,210. You can have two cummins trucks on the lot that look identical except for the rear end ratio and transmission and one is rated to tow 13,660 pounds more than the other. Make sure you know what you are getting.

I am not bashing dodge I have owned four of them and their 31,210 is king of the hill in towing for 1 ton trucks but they are pretty deceptive about this vs other manufacturers. Ford and GM have tow rating variations based on axle ratios and cab configuration but not near the swings that dodge does. When I went to the local dodge dealer looking at duallies a couple months ago the sales guy couldn't stop talking about their 30k tow rating but they didn't have a single truck on their lot that was anywhere close to it. I think the highest they had was the 22,550 variant.