BigDave . . . how many miles on your truck that you need to replace the ball joints already?

 

2 things I've seen posted in this thread that are wrong. 1. Cab lights are not standard on a 3500 SRW, but ARE standard on a 3500 DRW. 2. Commercial insurance is not required if the GVWR is over 10k.

 

I had to put commercial on my dually.

 

Maybe not in Dakota. But in MA and a lot of states it is. So it maybe wrong in South Dakota but their are 49 other states in the union.

 

59k and I bought the truck about 6 months ago and put the plow on it. So the plow has nothing to do with it. They have some up and down play in them. They are not blown but the U joint in the left side hub is. So If I am going to pull them off may as wel do the ball joints. But I am just going to buy the parts from week to week so I don't have to spend 600 all at once then deal with labor

 

In my state there is a difference in taxes and tags. In Virginia we can run standard tags with a 2500 as long as we aren't using the truck commercially. Truck tags are then required. This being said, we are allowed a bit of a break for personal property taxes on vehicles below 8000 GVWR. In my state with a 3500 you get NO tax break. For me it was a no brainer. Also, I believe you can get the Laramie package on the 2500 but not on the 3500.

 

Kind of a pain in the butt...iddinit? Minus the personal property tax break...dad has been talkin about this ever since I can remember

Derek

 

I have regular passenger tags on my 3500.

Th dealer tried to get me to register with TV plates, and I told him to pound sand. IIRC, the VDOT regs state that any vehicle under 7500 lbs. curb weight can have regulare passenger tags. I got the shipping weight for my truck - it was 7100 pounds, so it was good to go.

 

I paid $500 more for my truck over the same truck in a 2500 when I ordered mine. I had a 01.5 2500 4X4 before I bought this truck and it would sit a little low in the rear with our 5th wheel hooked up to it. We have the same 5th wheel and the 3500 SRW sits perfectly level when the trailer is hooked up. It was well worth it to me to get the 3500 SRW over another 2500.

 

I had a 99 2500 and when it came time for a new truck I decided the 3500 SRW was the way to go. We are looking at fifth wheels and when you look at pin weight and loading up the truck it can put you over the GVWR. The 3500 was only about $700 more and allows me to get whichever fifth wheel we want without going over the GVWR. It is a Laramie and the cab lights were extra. It sure does ride a lot better than the old one and is quiet. (Sometimes I miss the sound of a second gen 24 valve but the wife doesn't )

 

The dealer wasn't the ones who got us to put on the TV plates...the insurance company is. When you put any upgrades (i.e. heavy duty grill protectors, a winch, fifth-wheel, gooseneck attachments) you have to inform your insurance company about them or else if you were to get in an accident pulling say a fifth wheel full of cattle your insurance company might possibly back out on you when it comes to be claim time. I don't know about any of ya'll, but after a heavy duty grill guard (NECESSITY dad and I think because IF you are pulling a heavy load and a deer were to run out in front of you, you just hit that suck and do minimal damage to the truck, rather than slam on the brakes and get EVERYBODY/THING involved killed), a winch (NECESSITY because these trucks are heavy and sometimes mud can be just too deep like near the loading shoots and creeks and getting stuck can just slow your day down more than you could imagine), a fifth wheel and gooseneck install (for anybody towing heavy) can REALLY add up the weight. My dad's 2500 weighed in at about 7800lbs or something to that effect after he added on his "necessities"...hence the TV plates.

Derek

 

The truck has one curb weight rating, and that's the stock one. Any add-ons will simply go to closing the gap to the GVWR, not change the curb weight in VDOT's database. They're not going to weigh each truck and decide if you need TV plates or not. Could you imagine if that were the case? A big stereo plus shell on your ride would put you over.

If the truck is over 7500# curb weight, or is being used for commercial purposes, you get TV plates.

The insurance company point you made is very similar to the thing people like to say about towing over GVCWR: if the insurance company finds out, you're screwed. But I don't think there has ever been a documented case of that.

If your dad is truly upset about paying the full PPT on his truck, then he can switch to passenger car tags. It's that simple, and will save quite a bit of money.

I have a 5er hitch on mine, passenger tags, and I pay the same PPT as everyone else. Insurance has covered previous claims just fine.

 

I did not notice anybody mention that the biggest difference , if dually the huge ride diff. with load / weight , the brakes are up graded also , for the heaver load .
A neg. is unloaded is slippery road conditions , the duals slide easyer , in the mountains thats a little nervy ,
Why can'nt we have are cake and eat it too .

 

So the srw 3500 and 2500 have different front end parts? Which ones? This the 1st I have ever heard of this. Are we all talking about 3rd gens?
Joe

 

I just went to the MOOG website and it lists the same part number for Both 2500 and 3500 upper and lower ball joints?
http://www.federal-mogul.com/en/Afte...s/Catalogs.htm
Upper Ball Joint
ADJ CAMBER BALL JOINT K7448 03-05
Lower Ball Joint K7467 04-06