Andy S.

Howdy,

I just joined DTR. It looks to be a great site so far. Anyways, I have an '04 1500 Hemi, 2wd, QC. I love it, it's a great truck, comfy, lots of power, quality, got it for a steal, but it is, in essence, impractical for me at this stage of life. I do run a mobile car detailing business out of it though.

My dad's bud has an '03 3500 QC SRW 2wd with a 6-speed, and it towers over my Hemi in most respects, especially gas mileage and sheer power. The experience of driving it is unreal. There is no doubt in your mind that you're driving a truck. Nothing can top slammin' gears, spooling turbos, and the signature diesel smell, sound, and grunt.

Now, beside this factor, there is probably a more serious reason I'd like to upgrade to a CTD in the not-so-distant future. I have aspirations to be a developer/general contractor, what have you. Given that I'm in high school, college and "real" life not too far away, I am contemplating working toward getting a heavy-duty Ram. I know my 1500 won't be able to handle daily towing duties like hauling skid steers and other heavy equipment. It's probably a good idea to have 4 wheel drive too, I'm assuming.

I figure, with Cummins reliability and Dodge strength, something like a 3500 is a good investment for me to start thinking about. Please offer your opinion on my idea, suggest what features in a truck I need, etc.

Thanks!

TurboTed

Andy- for that kind of work, I'm pretty sure you'll like a long box. For hauling machines on a gooseneck or other, you may not want it, but you might need a dually. 4X4 is great, as you'll be working in muddy places, etc. As far as quad cab, mega cab, or regular, I guess it depends upon wheather you'll have workers with you, materials etc. in the back seat. Options are going to be up to you.

Lrdchaos

Welcome to the site, you have made a good choice in looking at a ram. The one thing you need to realize about this site is there is a wealth of knowledge. Any thing you need to know about the cummins you will be able to learn here. So just sit back and do some reading it will help you decide what type of truck you need to buy, to fit you needs..

Andy S.

Thanks guys. I'm already discovering the huge amount of info in the threads here, it's such a great resource. I could spend hours upon hours soaking up all the info. I'm pretty sure the truck will be a QC, as a reg. cab wouldn't allow for much personal use, and the MC is just too monstrous. I was thinking a dually too, it seems like a good idea to have just in case the need to tow something big presents itself. Looks like I have a lot of stuff to read up on!

Thanks again!

TexasCTD

If you are towing heavy and need extra stability or have a heavy pin weight on the rear of the truck............Go Dually.


Otherwise.......the SRW trucks will actually PULL just as much weight. The limiting factor is the rear tires.

COALFIRED

hey man just do it, i baught my ctd bout 3 days after i turned 18, and have had to bust my a$$ for it since but its worth every dime