hello-looking to now buy dodge-need to pull 13500lb toy hauler twice a month for 360 total miles each trip-also my everyday car-
1996-2500 slt 12 valve, 139787 miles 4x4 auto-$12995

2001 2500 slt laramie 24 valve with big exhaust and K&N low restriction air filter-4x4-99337 miles $20995

2005 slt 4x4 13000 miles stock $30000

all are short bed and look in good condition
anyone hear any good or bad about 2001 excursion diesels 95000 miles at $22000(i know sacrelige from this site)
thanks dave

 

Just my opinion, but that seems like a heavy trailer for a Ram 2500. You might want to consider a 1-ton truck.

There is a world of difference between the 1996 and the 2005 trucks, but the 12-valve Cummins is a great engine. If the 1996 does everything you need it to do then that seems to be the best value of the three. If ride quality and overall comfort are important I'd get the 2005. Personally I'd stay away from the 2001 only because of the miles/price value and the potential for injection pump problems due to lift pump failure.

As for the Excursion, it has the 7.3L PowerStroke which wasn't a terrible engine. But again (like the 2001 Ram) that is a lot of money for that many miles. Whatever you do stay away from the 6.0L PowerStroke trucks.

 

That trailer is pretty heavy. I would probably go with the 05 due to handling and available power when stock. If the 05 is a single cab and not a quad $30K seems pretty steep. Check autotader online and see what they are going for.

 

skoolteech -- is that 13500 lbs a dry weight or the trailers GVWR number. If thats the dry weight better find a 3500. The pin weight on a fiver that size can overload a 4x4 2500 trucks rear suspension fast.
The '05 truck will have the quieter motor if noise is a issue.
The Excursion will have the 7.3 motor which is a good over the problematic new 6.0 motor..........JIM

 

thanks gentlemen-that is very helpful-the 13500lbs is the GVWR so do you all think the 2500 short bed quad cab can handle the load or should i consider a 3500 or a duelly?-others have said that a short bed is harder to tow than a long bed-do you all agree?-also are there any years of Dodge i should stay away from if any(ie. lift pump failure)?-thanks dave

 

Personally, if it were me I'd be looking for a 3500 dually to pull that kind of weight. A single rear wheel 3500 could probably handle it, but I'd prefer the stability of DRW pulling that much weight in the crosswinds.

A long bed would probably be easier for towing a 5th wheel. Be careful with the 4wd trucks as the back end sits pretty high and might pose a clearance problem with some 5th wheel trailers. Some 4wd guys have taken spacer blocks out of their rear suspensions to lower the rear a bit. With a 2wd that shouldn't be an issue.

Almost all of the Rams from '98.5 to 2004 have experienced lift pump problems. Starting in 2005 Dodge put the lift pump inside the fuel tank. The jury is still out on whether this solves the problem. With the previous years you can get an aftermarket system like FASS or Airdog to remedy the lift pump problems. For the '98.5 to 2002 trucks the VP44 injection pump is very sensitive to lift pump failures and could be damaged as the result of one. Starting in 2003 the CP3 injection pump is used, and so far it seems better than the VP44 in that regard, but once again the jury is still out for the long term.

Starting in 2004.5 the Rams have higher HP/torque but also have catalytic converters and a 3rd injection event for emissions. Fuel mileage seems a slightly better with the 2003-2004 trucks compared to 2004.5 & newer, although it takes a while to break in the engine and get the best results.

 

I am going to throw some gas on this subject. The 2500 with a manual transmission has the same rear end (Dana 80) as the 3500, other than an extra set of springs they are the same. So if that is true then if you looking for a tow only vehicle, I believe that a 2500 4 x2 with some air bags on the rear spring sets will allow you to move the trailer. Duallys are nice but they can be pita in tight places and I have always been told they will float (hydroplane) a bit quicker than a sweptside. In short if you have a deal on a 2500, don't rule it out completely. If my thought process is wrong please someone point it our to me.

 

sochuck,

Everything you said in your post is true. The 2500 is very similar to the 3500 with the exception of the overload springs, which can be countered by using airbags.

The main reason I suggested the 3500 and perhaps going DRW is to put him closer to being legal with the capacity of his truck. Even though the 2500 can be equiped to handle bigger loads, the DMV may not look favorably on exceeding the legal capacity on paper.

As a former dually owner I agree that they can be a pain to park, and that drive-ups are a problem. That's what makes skoolteechr's decision so difficult. I'm thinking that a 3500 SRW might be the right fit for him, but he should also test drive a dually before he buys just to be sure.