I'll tell ya what would be super-cool!
I think the 1500 would be a great platform for a 4bta cummins out of a sprinter or some other platform. That would solve some of the weight problem and improve mileage too. Still wondering why this option is not offered in the 1500 by dodge, as it obviously passes emissions in the sprinter. As for the weight being too much for a 5. 9 ctd in a 1500, if it's only 500 lbs more, shouldnt the truck handle that? Even a 1500 is made to haul, and most half tons can haul nearly 1 ton in the bed under safe payload rarint as it is. I had a 1998 f150 4. 6 gasser auto 2wd and it had a 1900 lb payload rating, so with only 500 extra lbs on the front axle I would think tire wear would be the most dominant issue if the ttruck is used for street and light offroading. So the front end settles down a bit, so it will while carrying a payload! That's what trucks are for, and I'm sure that if you distribute a 1 ton payload across two axles evenly that's a thousand per axle, so running half that ought to be fine. Maybe heavy duty shocks and a stiffer set of springs up front... , but anyway, why the 4 cyl cummins out of the sprinter hasn't been offered in the 1500 is really stupid, considering ford and chevy dont offer smaller versions of the powerstroker and duramax. THey could really clean up at the dealerships and the things would likely get 25mpg!