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Old 08-19-2010, 09:17 AM   #15
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Also you should know that the ONLY difference between a 3/4 ton & a 1 ton in the Ram is a single helper spring on each side.
What year is your Ram? The 2nd generation Rams used Dana 70 rear axles on the 2500 and Dana 80 rear axles on the 3500. Also, if one is towing a HEAVY 5th wheel, the 4.10 rear axle really comes into its own and substantially increases the truck's GCWR rating.

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Old 08-19-2010, 09:48 AM   #16
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Sorry I should have made clear I was talking about the 3rd gen trucks. Mine is a 2005, and I am getting about 3 to 4 mpg less than my buddy with a 04 and a 3:73 rear end. Like I said the only time I have had the 4:10 be of any benefit was on a 10 % grade and you don't find many of those.
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Old 08-19-2010, 09:51 AM   #17
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What's the GVWR of the RV you're towing?

I have a 2011 Ram dually on order with the 4.10 axle and the 68RFE 6-speed automatic. With this transmission, 6th gear is quite a tall overdrive, so the 4.10 shouldn't have the mileage penalty that you have with the (presumed) 48RE automatic. Also, in the 2011, the 4.10 axle increases the truck's GCWR from 21,000 lbs with the 3.73s to 24,500 lbs.

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Old 08-19-2010, 09:58 AM   #18
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The words that the OP stated way back is that much/most of his driving would be solo. A SRW truck will work just fine - that is if the length and weight is kept in mind when purchasing the 5er. My tow vehicle is my daily driver which I'm interpreting from the OPs statements is going to be the same. A long bed dually is tough to maneuver in parking lots and even on tight city streets as they sweep Toyota Prius's away with the rear fenders. Even my short bed F350 FX4 takes planning and a hike from the far reaches of many parking lots. Of course if money is no object and parking lots are big, then the dually is the way to go.

The short bed/long bed "controversy" has gotten almost emotional. My Glendale Titanium is a 28/33TS which is heavy at over 10,000 for a 5er that measures an actual 34'2". I very nicely tow with a B&W Companion hitch and set behind the axles centerline by 2"+/- (yep it is, and it actually tows better with several thousand miles of experience then the 'recommended' location). I chose this 5er as it has an aero nose which clears the back of the cab by quite a bit - and will do so even with the hitch in the expected place. This is a significant consideration. While you will seldom, if ever, need that 90* turn, it is a consideration when you choose. Of course, a slider hitch will usually cure that problem as well.

Size wise for a truck, as said above, pick out the 5er you are going to purchase, then the truck. Or, if you don't know, a 'one ton' will pull most anything up to 35'/15,000# with a bit to spare.

Now, would I like (lust?) for an F450 or bigger dually........yep (but that's my testosterone speaking as well)
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Old 08-19-2010, 10:25 AM   #19
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The words that the OP stated way back is that much/most of his driving would be solo. A SRW truck will work just fine - that is if the length and weight is kept in mind when purchasing the 5er.
Unfortunately, with all too many SRW trucks I see, that's not the case. The problem isn't how much a SRW truck can TOW, but rather how much it can CARRY. It's not unusual for SRW and DRW trucks with the same powertrain to have the same GCWR, but the SRW truck will have a substantially lower GVWR than the equivalent DRW truck. Since a 5th wheel transfers ~20% (or more!) of its loaded weight to the truck as pin weight, a heavy 5th wheel can put a SRW truck over its GVWR long before it approaches its GCWR.

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Old 08-19-2010, 10:36 AM   #20
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Rusty, My older Fleetwood Prowler weighs in at about 10k loaded. I fear that I may be paying a penalty with it being older, as the front of the trailer is quite high, and it is like pushing a big brick down the road. That said, I still feel that I don't really need the 4:10 gears. When I needed tires I was thinking of going from 265s to 285s which would make my gearing very close to 3:73 but many say the bigger tires take away any benefit of rolling further per revolution. I am still not convinced that is the case, as this Cummins has a lot of power, but when push came to shove I stayed with the 265s.
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Old 08-19-2010, 10:39 AM   #21
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I'd agree....you really don't need the 4.10s for a 10K trailer.

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Old 08-19-2010, 11:09 AM   #22
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..... then of course seen all too many times there's the F150/1500 size truck with its nose in the air hauling a 30+ 5er.

We were shopping for a new trailer a few years ago and I was "assured" by the RV dealer that the 8500 pound 5er we liked could be towed by my then 4.6 powered F150 - nahhhh. I bought a 6000# pull behind which was within the limits of that truck instead. DO NOT listen to a dealer as to what you can haul with your truck. They are usually on commission and all they want is your money. Do your homework. Know what your truck will safely tow. We here have our likes and opinions, but find out what the manufacturer's limits are for your truck of choice and go from there. Oh yeah, TT and 5er weights - they are very often wishful thinking, are quite possibly unsprung weight and are 'taken' dry/empty. So add your clothes, toys, propane at 4.11 pounds/gallon, 5 wheels and tires plus the axles, rear jacks, water at 8.35 pounds per gallon, an a/c etc. and that's going to be closer to your actual real world trailer weight (and not ALL mfrs do it this way which really screws up the equation for comparison)

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Old 08-19-2010, 11:23 AM   #23
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I have the 3rd generation Dodge dually with the 6.7 and 6 speed auto. I ordered mine with a 3.73 rear. My second generation Dodge had a 4.10 and it was necessary towing heavy but I find that the 6.7 has so much more torque and has 6 forward gears instead of 4, that I do not need the 4.10 rear. I really like my 6.7 liter truck. It's really a far better tow vehicle with the built in exhaust brake and the 6 speed with 4 wheel disc brakes. Better in every way over the second generation Dodge. I ordered mine loaded with everything except fold down rear video monitors. I really like the leather and sunroof but I could do without the center console and buckets up front. I actually prefer the old 60-40 bench in my old truck. Be prepared for a huge hit in mileage solo. My dually gets no better then about 14 MPG where my second generation routinely got better then 20.Still, all that said, this truck is a much better tow vehicle and I too really did not want a dually but now that I have it, I actually prefer driving it it over a SRW. It's not really that much bigger and it more then makes up for it's hips with a stable platform when towing.
I am very happy with the 6.7 and 3.73 towing heavy with a 6 speed. I never hunt for a better gear now that I have 6 to choose from.
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Old 08-19-2010, 11:31 AM   #24
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I have the 3rd generation Dodge dually with the 6.7 and 6 speed auto. I ordered mine with a 3.73 rear. My second generation Dodge had a 4.10 and it was necessary towing heavy but I find that the 6.7 has so much more torque and has 6 forward gears instead of 4, that I do not need the 4.10 rear.
Paul,

We ordered the 4.10 axle in our 4th generation 2011 dually because we needed the 24,500 lbs GCWR it brings versus the 21,000 lbs GCWR of the 3.73. Also, remember that the 2nd generation trucks from 2001.5 through 2002 had 4 wheel disc brakes.

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Old 08-19-2010, 12:27 PM   #25
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Rusty, You will love your new truck and you will definately like the 6 speed auto. When do you take delivery? When I ordered mine, I didn't want another auto. Not after so many problems with my old 48 RE. 4 new trannies in 78,000 miles.(Did you have any trouble with the dreaded nut in your 6 speed manual?) Anyway, I tried to buy my truck at May madness 07. It was a no go in Pharump. I ended up going to Carson Dodge in Carson city and got it way under what they were selling them for in Pharump. Dave Smith was also a good price. We have a cabin in Tahoe, just an hour away from Carson city. I ordered it with a spray in bed liner, brake controller, bed monted 5er plug , new 5er hitch, Tranny temp, boost, and EGT gauges, etc. They were really easy to deal with, with just a 10,000 check and all handled over the phone. When I drove there to pick it up it was just gleaming and so BIG compared to my last truck. My wife is short and I had to help her into it So, I drove right over to the truck stop and had side bars mounted so she could get in on her own. So far... 0 troubles except the check engine light and a reflash. I couldn't be happier. I hope you too have the same fondness for yours. Keep us posted please and I hope your new truck buying experience was as great as mine was.

The only other addition to it so far is additional back up lights and an on board air compressor with a Thomas pump and Grover horns. I even have a gauge showing the on board air pressure and quick release air chuck for airing up tires or floataion devices under the drivers tube step. I also uped the B+ wire and ground in the 5er recepticles to a #10 wire and an ignition controlled relay for the new #10 B+.
-Paul R. Haller-
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Old 08-19-2010, 12:39 PM   #26
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Rusty, You will love your new truck and you will definately like the 6 speed auto. When do you take delivery?
They're saying August 31st production with delivery 10-14 days later - we'll see.....

Quote:
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When I ordered mine, I didn't want another auto. Not after so many problems with my old 48 RE. 4 new trannies in 78,000 miles.(Did you have any trouble with the dreaded nut in your 6 speed manual?)
No, the NV5600 6-speed didn't have a 5th gear nut problem. That was the NV4500 5-speed. No problems whatsoever with the NV5600.

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I hope you too have the same fondness for yours. Keep us posted please and I hope your new truck buying experience was as great as mine was.
I hope so, too....I'll let you know my impressions when I get it, put some miles on it and finally get to hitch it up and tow.

As far as the purchasing experience, I ordered it through a local dealer. I tried to get a quote from Dave Smith and must have gotten the one bad salesman in their whole organization - I talked to him on the phone, faxed him the details of the truck I wanted to order, and he never got back in touch with me.

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Old 08-19-2010, 06:01 PM   #27
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Sorry I should have made clear I was talking about the 3rd gen trucks. Mine is a 2005, and I am getting about 3 to 4 mpg less than my buddy with a 04 and a 3:73 rear end. Like I said the only time I have had the 4:10 be of any benefit was on a 10 % grade and you don't find many of those.
The difference could be the difference in driving habits. I had 2 01Duallys, 1 with the 3.5rear and the present one has the 4.10. I made the same trip to Ca. with the same TT and only got 1/2mpg difference. I didn't like the 3.5(for towing) because I was shifting on every hill if I wasn't doing 65+. I don't have that problem now.
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Old 09-01-2010, 10:05 PM   #28
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The towable RV industry has made a discovery. If they design the front cap of 5er differently they may be towed with a standard-bed( 6' 6") pickup. More and more mfgrs. are doing it every year.
Powderman brings up an important point. Using a Single Rear Wheel (SRW) truck, no matter if it is a 3/4 or 1T, you will run out of Rear Axle Weight Rating (RAWR) surprisingly quickly attempting to tow a large 5er. Reason_? The weight carrying capacity of the SRW tires. Load range E tires have the same capacity, no matter what vehicle they are on.
Look closely at the weight specs of a mega-cab, they are less than other cab configurations.
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