4th gen vs. 2nd gen
 

Hello;

I'm not sure if I'm posting in the right spot, so please forgive me if this is not the right forum.

I've owned the 2nd gen in my signature for a long time. As my 2-kids are growing, I find the old "Quad Cab" is not going to comfortably hold my whole family after the kids get a little bigger.

I do not know much about the 4th gen trucks. Where can I learn about them?

Do they all use DEF? Do they all have the exhaust-filter?

Can you guys give me some advice on what to look for and what to not look for?

BTW, I do not need heavier than a 2500 truck, or possible a single-axle 3500 truck (if they still make those). I do want 4x4. I have not decided yet on automatic vs. manual transmission.

Thanks in advance for any and all replies.

-Matt

I might be wrong on the years but close some minimal research should be able to confirm easily enough. In 2010 the chassis cabs 3500, 4500 and 5500 started using def but the regular pickups did not start until 2012 I think. There were a few issues the first couple years with the def system but I can say my 17 with 48k miles on it has not hiccuped once at least yet regarding def or anything else for that matter.
My 17 is light years ahead of of my 01 in many respects. The crew cab vs the quad cab is night and day difference in regards to rear room. And if still not enough you can go with a megacab that has even more. As far as learning about them I would look around on here. Just pull up the 4th gen forum and start reading. Another great site is the Turbo Diesel Register. Do the same thing over there. They also have a buyers guide over there worth reading.

They do make a SRW 3500. Might be worth your while to test drive both the SRW 3500 and 2500. They use different suspensions on the Ram. The 2500 uses rear coil springs vs the leafs in the 3500. You may or may not notice a ride difference. I started out looking at 2500's but with the payload capacity and my fifth wheel I was sort of on the edge for a 2500 so I opted for a srw 3500. It literally only cost me a few hundred dollars more so for me it was a no brainer but that was me and my situation.

The auto vs manual trans - the manual is the least rated ie least amount of horsepower and torque, then the 68rfe then the big boy with the aisin trans is the highest rated. So far my 68rfe has been fine with no issues. The manual folks have no issues with their choice either. I think all three are fine transmissions and you wont really go wrong with either of them when used appropriately.

Some like the auto level some don't. I did not see a need for it myself so did not get it. Nor did I see a need for the more expensive Aisin auto trans for my needs. I like the rear camera but did not get the cargo camera. If I pulled a goose neck trailer more often I might have thought harder about getting it but I have no problem hooking up the fifth wheel without it and when I do infrequently tow a goose neck I just get out and look when hooking up. I like the bigger 8.4 screen in the center stack as well as the larger screen in the gauge area both of those are upgrades from a tradesman trim and perhaps even higher trim levels. Mine is the Bighorn trim level with a couple more options certainly not top trim level but I use my truck as a truck and my daily driver and it goes off road whenever needed and carries my dirty rear end around so saw no point for leather since it would have been covered with seat covers anyway.

Go drive a couple, look at the various trim levels in person, dig around here and over on TDR as well the RAM Truck website. You should be able to learn enough.

DEF is used in the 2013 and newer pickups. It's nothing to be afraid of, actually turned out to be a good thing vs. the 2012s and older 6.7s*. DEF trucks get better MPGs and really sip the stuff unless you're towing.

The 4th gen Crew and Mega cabs are significantly larger and more comfortable than the old quad cabs in the 2nd and 3rd gens. Lots of room for your growing family to stretch their legs.

*unless your 6.7 is deleted, then it's good to go.

Thanks to both of you for the reply.

Can I ask another question about how DEF works? If your truck has DEF setup, does it also have the exhaust filter? (particulate filter) Can you get a truck with DEF only (no particulate filter)?

As far as cab-choices on these trucks, there are 2 options for 4-doors trucks; correct? Crew cab and Mega cab?

I see on the 1500 they have another option for a full 4-door pickup cab, I think they also call it quad cab. We had a 1500 (2016 model) as a rental a few months back that was this cab configuration. I actually rode in the back and this cab would be plenty roomy for my needs as this is not the family primary vehicle (wife has a mini-van)

I don;t think this cab is an option on the heavier trucks though....

That rental truck just barely fit in my garage. I'll have to do some research and measurements to see if the crew-cab models will fit in my garage. I'm not buying a new truck and leaving it outside!

Thanks again for the information!

mattn:

You cannot get a new Dodge CTD CR 6.7 without the DEF/Emissions System.
All three manafacturers (Dodge, Ford, Chevy) have these systems. Basically, the DPF removes all the particulates (soot), stores them until it is full and then the computers tell the system to "burn off" that soot by injecting fuel into that DPF where it goes into what they call "regeneration." This regen time depends on how full the DPF is but generally takes about 10-15 minutes.

Hope that helps.

---------
John_P

John covered your def question and you are correct the 2500/3500 does not come in the quad cab. I have not looked at the specs so do not know what the difference is in cab size between a quad, crew and mega. I needed/wanted a long bed and the mega cab does not come in a long bed variant so I did not even look at them. However a quick look on the RAM site shows the following
1500 quad 2500 crew 2500 mega
rear head room 39.1 39.9 40.3
rear hip room 62.9 63.2 63.2
rear leg room 34.7 40.3 43.3

so the quad as I suspected would be the smallest of the three options and the mega being the largest but no quad available in the 2500/3500 series

as far as total overall length to fit in the garage
1500 quad with a 6.4 bed is 229
2500 crew with a 6.4 bed is 237
2500 mega with a 6.4 bed is 248
2500 crew with a 8 bed is 259

ramtrucks.com has all the specs for each vehicle/variant which is where the above information came from just pick your vehicle then on the top click the specs tab

If it was me and you could get by with or don't care about payload then I would look for a deleted 2012 3500 SRW CC 4X4 with 68RFE. The 2012 doesn't use DEF and has an improved integrated brake controller over the 2011. The G56 is too low geared in 6th and too high in reverse. If you want payload and a SRW then 2014 and up 3500. If you want to tow don't get a 2500 with rear coils. Why not a 2013??? there are too many reasons not to.

Thanks for all the replies.

I should have measured my garage first. I only have enough space for a truck that's shorter than 235", and that's only leaving about an inch to spare!

Looks like the 3rd gen quad-cabs are a bit shorter than the 4th gen trucks (2500 and heavier). I'll have to keep my eye out for an 05-07 with the 5.9 in it. :)

Hope you find a good one. Most have been run hard into the ground- that's what they were designed for. Great trucks, but if you live in the rust belt watch out for the 2005s. Also note the back seats in the 2003-2009 Quad Cabs are smallish. My friends and teenage kids always complained about being stuck back there on longer trips. Better to leave your truck outside if you need the extra leg room of the crew/mega cab, it's worth it. Buy a truck for its utility, not if it fits in the garage (in my opinion).