Meet the new 2013 RAM HD Trucks...

[Ram4Sam]

One thing that Ram has seized, at least in my neck of the woods, is the tow truck market. It seems the tow companies have had enough of Ford's better idea. I have seen quite a few them recently.



Sam

 

[rscurtis]

I've seen more of them here too, and the local dealer is going to start handling the commercial trucks in the spring. Right now, you have a choice between the Ford, the Ram, and the Terrastar, which I've never seen on the road. Wouldn't be a difficult choice for me.

 

[HBarlow]

I think it was about two years ago when I was in south Louisiana playing tourist. I saw Ram C&C oilfield hotshotter trucks crawling over that area like someone had kicked an ant pile. LA is home to a lot of oilfield work as well as providing support to the offshore drilling rigs.

 

[Wingate]

oh yeah... Here in North East Texas, the ratio of Cummins powered Dodges to everything else is probably somewhere north of 75%-85% Cummins... with Chevy and Ford fighting for the scraps. .

 

[Bill Stockard]

oh yeah... Here in North East Texas, the ratio of Cummins powered Dodges to everything else is probably somewhere north of 75%-85% Cummins... with Chevy and Ford fighting for the scraps. .

Just a bit north of you and still in northeast Texas, it's true around here too. I see them every day around here... CTD, dually with a gooseneck knob in the bed, straight piped, a couple of old paper range cube bags in the bed along with a few crumpled empty beer cans, some old hay piled at the front of the truck bed, and a "bull slapper" hanging on the gun rack. A cow dog riding on the top of the tool box is optional. :-laf :-laf :-laf

Bill

Edit: I forgot the tobacco pouches and Skoal cans on the dash and a spit cup in the drink holder...

 

[HBarlow]

I hadn't really thought about it but I think the ratios have shifted out here in west Texas also. There are a lot of street queen Furds with inhouse part-time diesel engines but among working trucks the Dodges own the market.

 

[Bob4x4]

Well where I live only 1 out of 20 pick ups actually do work. I just dont notice sob's(some other brand)

 

[rwitt]

Agree about the Tow Trucks. All I see now in the Sacramento Valley up into the Sierras of the newer ones are almost all Dodges. And I mean a lot of them. Haven't seen but a couple of new Fords Tow trucks. We went on a trip up the Commiefornia coast back in September, from the Bay area to Fort Bragg then east into the Sierras and coudn't believe all the 4500 and 5500's being used. Even the construction companies are starting to switch over. Hertz equipment is using them as mechanics trucks, the Utility I work for is now ordering them.
Rich

 

[SOLER]

Lots of speculation on what will actually happen. I'll wait and see, and then develop my opinion and make my choice... to buy or not to buy a 2013. In fact, I won't buy a 2013... so it's "to buy or not to buy a 2014?" Right now, I'm so fed up with my 2010, that I'm trading it tomorrow on a 2005. I'm really going to miss the creature-comforts of my 2010 Laramie, how smooth it is, not a single rattle inside, or outside that I can hear. It's a real good-looking truck, too, and I get lots of compliments on it. I just CAN'T live with 13mpg (at best) empty anymore. It seems to regen WAY too often. I did a 200-mile (round trip) drive two weeks ago. I kept it at or below 70mph the whole time. I went to Lubbock and back. Had the same wind both ways, so a tail wind down, and the same wind (headwind this time) on the way back. On the way down, I got 15. 5 on the lie-o-meter, 13. 0 hand-calc. Got worse on the way back. My '04 Dually got at least 17-18. Looking forward to the '05.

BTW, I went to Lubbock to look at 1500's. I was going to trade mine in on a 1/2 ton. Then I saw some '12 Duallies, and looked at them. The dealer said it would get a little better mileage than mine. I didn't believe him. After what several of you '12 owners have said, I'm glad I didn't do it.

First thing to go is the cat if it's still there, and am going to have fun modding it. I miss doing that. Haven't done anything to my '10. Worried about warranty and the feds. So, I'll wait a year or two and see how the 13s and 14s actually do.

Oh, and my brother works for a co. that gives him a truck to drive. It's a 10 or 11 F250. He is loaded with 1,000-1,500 lbs all the time. He adds the DEF about every oil change (5,000 miles), and gets 16-18 mpg. He doesn't dog it, so he keeps it below 70. But still. I can't get 15 even if I keep it at 60 mph!

SOLER

 

[zb39]

Soler, maybe you should just keep it and enjoy it. Don't sweat the mpg. I see people all the time spend 20k or more just to get 5 more mpg. Just spend that money on fuel. Life is to short to worry about little stuff. Good luck with whatever you do.

 

[SOLER]

I'm actually going to spend less, and get better mpg. I miss my '04. My '10 has a lot of neat stuff, but I was very content with the '04... there were a couple of reasons for the new truck, one of them being that my wife can't drive a manual. Well, we got the new truck so she could drive it when needed. She's driven it ONCE! I'm getting enough $$$ for my '10, and the '05 is over $10k less. So, I'm glad I found a clean '05, and then I'll wait a couple of years and see how the new trucks are doing.

Besides just the mileage and saving money, I like being able to drive 500-600 miles on a tank. To me, that's important. To some, it isn't... so be it.

SOLER

 

[BILLUA]

Lots of speculation on what will actually happen. I'll wait and see, and then develop my opinion and make my choice... to buy or not to buy a 2013. In fact, I won't buy a 2013... so it's "to buy or not to buy a 2014?" Right now, I'm so fed up with my 2010, that I'm trading it tomorrow on a 2005. I'm really going to miss the creature-comforts of my 2010 Laramie, how smooth it is, not a single rattle inside, or outside that I can hear. It's a real good-looking truck, too, and I get lots of compliments on it. I just CAN'T live with 13mpg (at best) empty anymore. It seems to regen WAY too often. I did a 200-mile (round trip) drive two weeks ago. I kept it at or below 70mph the whole time. I went to Lubbock and back. Had the same wind both ways, so a tail wind down, and the same wind (headwind this time) on the way back. On the way down, I got 15. 5 on the lie-o-meter, 13. 0 hand-calc. Got worse on the way back. My '04 Dually got at least 17-18. Looking forward to the '05.

BTW, I went to Lubbock to look at 1500's. I was going to trade mine in on a 1/2 ton. Then I saw some '12 Duallies, and looked at them. The dealer said it would get a little better mileage than mine. I didn't believe him. After what several of you '12 owners have said, I'm glad I didn't do it.

First thing to go is the cat if it's still there, and am going to have fun modding it. I miss doing that. Haven't done anything to my '10. Worried about warranty and the feds. So, I'll wait a year or two and see how the 13s and 14s actually do.

Oh, and my brother works for a co. that gives him a truck to drive. It's a 10 or 11 F250. He is loaded with 1,000-1,500 lbs all the time. He adds the DEF about every oil change (5,000 miles), and gets 16-18 mpg. He doesn't dog it, so he keeps it below 70. But still. I can't get 15 even if I keep it at 60 mph!

SOLER

Are you trading for a 05 dually? If so, your mileage will be nothing to write home about... I just spent the last 8 years running one... And, there is no gain from removing the cat on the 05.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

WELL, my '02 still does everything I want or need it to - and the '13's still haven't caught up with mine in power or torque, and probably none of these, or later trucks will match my MPG, towing OR empty...



BUT, they sure LOOK purty!

 

[MelvinPierce]

You said you had an 04. They get better mileage than the 05's I believe. More c**p was added to the 05. So, you may not get as good of mileage as you expect.

 

[jgillott]

... I just spent the last 8 years running one... And, there is no gain from removing the cat on the 05.

I'll second that. I've got hundreds of thousands of miles on our 5. 9's with the CATs in place and they are a non issue. If you end up with the '05, just buy, drive and enjoy.

 

[MerkelG]

Have a o6 4x4 auto

 

[MerkelG]

Sorry ! Have a 06 auto 4x4 with 28500 miles. Running 60 mph empty overhead reads 21-3. I am afraid to hand siffer.

 

[SOLER]

Drove the 2005 from Mesa-ABQ-Clovis, NM. It has 34" tires on it. This is a story for another thread on another day, but it has a lift and large tires. Not ideal for me, since I tow a fifth wheel.

Anyways, in the '10 I got 13. 5 mpg keeping it at or below 70mph. In the '05, the first leg I got 13. 9. That's hand-calculated, and taking the tire size into account using three different methods. I drove 75 the whole way.

The second leg, I kept it between 65-70. I drove it around town for about 100 miles before I filled it up and got average 17 mpg. once I lower it to stock height and get stock tires, I expect it to go up. I'm happy.

I really liked everything about the '10 except all the gov'ment crap on it and the mileage. In the video, the guy said that mileage is going to compare to some of the older trucks? Which ones? I'd be happy with 18 mpg in a dually. It's possible. If Ram would stop trying to "out-power" Ford and Chiv, and start going for fuel efficiency, they could really have something there. The new trucks are sweet as far as looks, quality and ammenities. But I want 600 lbs of torque and 20mpg. I don't need 800 lbs. I don't need all the extra creature comforts. Just give me something that will pull my 15k fifth wheel up the grades of the rockies, getting 13 mpg loaded, and 20 mpg empty, make it reliable, and I'll buy a new one.

SOLER

 

[NIsaacs]

Just give me something that will pull my 15k fifth wheel up the grades of the rockies, getting 13 mpg loaded, and 20 mpg empty, make it reliable, and I'll buy a new one.



SOLER

With summer fuel, 20 mpg empty is possible, but towing 15k and 13 mpg is not.



Nick

 

[RustyJC]

Towing our 16K GVWR 5th wheel (13'2" tall, 102" wide), my 2002 HO/6-speed dually would get about 10. 5-11 MPG tops. My 2011 gets 10-10. 5 MPG over the same route and at the same speeds and is much more comfortable and relaxed. No complaints here. 13 MPG towing? Yeah, maybe if I drove it off a cliff!!



Rusty