Differences - 2500 and 3500 drivetrain?

[MojaveJoe]

Hi Guys,
Still trying to find a replacement truck for my signature truck that got totaled by my insurance co.

Wondering if I would be happy with a 2500 rather than a 3500?
I believe the drive train is identical if I go 6.7 w/ a 68RFE.
But is there something different about the single wheel real axle, leaf springs, etc when it comes to towing a fifth wheel or TT?
Thinking I could put some air ride in back to make up any lack of leaf spring, But is there sway control that I will be missing?
What about the 11.5" rear diff that is on a 3500? Is it the same for a 2500?

Trying to save some money while looking for a replacement truck, but not lose any of the towing control I had with my former truck.

Any and all advice and experiences welcome.

 

[mpaulson]

If sticking with the 68 RFE I believe the only differences are the axle tube wall thicknesses, thicker in the 3500 of course, and an extra leaf spring (s) and overloads in the rear and slightly heavier coils in the front. Rest is all the same. The Aisin transmission version gets the 11.8" ring gear and more HP, that's all. What's your pin weight on the trailer? This is where you may have your limit.

 

[mpaulson]

If sticking with the 68 RFE I believe the only differences are the axle tube wall thicknesses, thicker in the 3500 of course, and an extra leaf spring(s) and overloads in the rear and slightly heavier coils in the front. Rest is all the same. The Aisin transmission version gets the 11.8" ring gear and more HP, that's all. What's your pin weight on the trailer? This is where you may have your limit.

 

[mpaulson]

Sorry, double post and can't seem to delete one!!!

 

[jwskrintney]

Two cents to think about. While the drive trains rated capacities may not vary much the additional weight and width of the dually does make a very noticeable difference when towing. I used to travel highway 59 from south of Houston Texas to Texarkana hauling bottled water on a gooseneck trailer that was full legal highway width. That highway is mostly asphalt and has lots of 18 wheeler traffic. I started out with a 1995 2500 Dodge Ram and the trailer would get caught in the 18 wheeler ruts and drag my truck all over the road. It was a constant battle to keep the truck and trailer stable. In 1997 I upgraded to a 3500 dually and the difference was unbelievable. The rear of the truck and the trailer traveled in the same track and the "tail no longer wagged the dog". For me personally, I would never consider going back to a 2500 after towing with dually 3500's.

 

[MojaveJoe]

My pin wt was around 2000# ,Im guessing, as it usually had my 3500 axle making contact with the rubber stop. That's why I had Timbrens on it.

Duallies, while practical towing on pavement, are impractical when driving (not towing) off road on narrow dirt roads. Something I tend to do a lot being a prospector.

Just out of curiosity, on the new dually are the rear wheel footprints still misaligned with the front single wheel track? I heard that was problematic when driving in the snow.

 

[jwskrintney]

Not sure about the alignment. I have never heard of that issue before and living in South Texas while I do utilize the 4 wheel drive in gumbo mud it has never seen snow. Without putting it on a rack to verify I can say that it only makes two uniform tracks per side when driving in a straight path through water so it would seem that the inner rear and front tires do line up. Granted that is not a very scientific measurement.

 

[Jeff Knight]

The rear of the 2500 has coil springs where the 3500 has leafs. You can get air bags from the factory.

 

[mpaulson]

I never have any trouble driving in the snow with duals. You just need to add a little weight in the box. In my case I put a 1600# plate in the box bolted to the frame and run studded winter tires. I believe the front track is centred or close to centred on the duals. You haven't said where you live so I don't know how much "real" winter you are subject to. We get five months of it and up to an accumulated amount of 2-3' of snow, so for me it's worth the tire and weight investment. If your just getting slushy wet snow once in a while then the duals would be a little more squirmy with a few inches of slush on the road compared to as SRW truck. If your off-roading is in muddy conditions most of the time, yes, a dually would be a bit more of a pain becoming two big mud blobs sliding around, but it your in desert dry trails that wouldn't be an issue. The only thing about off-roading with a dually is you have to get out and check to make sure there are no rocks wedged between the rear tires when you get to the road to avoid a bomb going off and through your fenders or the guys windshield behind your.
It's too bad you didn't weigh your rear axle while loaded up to confirm for sure what you total load is. Me personally, I would be using a Dually for a fifth wheel of that size, but that's personal preference. Too much capacity and stability is never a problem.

 

[Cummins12V98]

"The Aisin transmission version gets the 11.8" ring gear" I could be wrong but the 11.8" is only with the 4:10's????

 

[gsbrockman]

The 11.8" / 300mm rear axle is available only on Aisin equipped DRW trucks. 3.73's and 4.10's can both be optioned.....unsure of the 3.42's in any year above 2014.

 

[photowrite]

My pin wt was around 2000# ,Im guessing, as it usually had my 3500 axle making contact with the rubber stop. That's why I had Timbrens on it.

Duallies, while practical towing on pavement, are impractical when driving (not towing) off road on narrow dirt roads. Something I tend to do a lot being a prospector.

Just out of curiosity, on the new dually are the rear wheel footprints still misaligned with the front single wheel track? I heard that was problematic when driving in the snow.

I'm with you, no dually for me, off-highway 4WD use is limited in comparison to a SRW truck.

I don't tow a 5th wheel, just a travel trailer or haul a slide-in camper. My '14 2500 does amazingly well with 2000 pounds of camper in the bed and nothing but the OE coil springs. If I would have ordered a new truck I would probably have got a 3500, but I bought off the Dave Smith lot, got a killer deal on a Tradesman, and have been very happy. I'm sure a 3500 would be great too.

 

[Mingoglia]

I'm with you, no dually for me, off-highway 4WD use is limited in comparison to a SRW truck.

I don't tow a 5th wheel, just a travel trailer or haul a slide-in camper. My '14 2500 does amazingly well with 2000 pounds of camper in the bed and nothing but the OE coil springs. If I would have ordered a new truck I would probably have got a 3500, but I bought off the Dave Smith lot, got a killer deal on a Tradesman, and have been very happy. I'm sure a 3500 would be great too.

My Jeep club has an annual run we've been doing for over 15 years now every August. I took my second gen dually with street pressure up this entire Jeep run, even running the obstacles. A friend of mine brought his 2 week old brand new '14 (though his was single wheel) Cummins Ram as well. Had a couple Ford's as well. Dually's can wheel. Here's the thread, though it's boring and the pics were in a different picture thread that I'm too lazy to go through:
http://www.virtualjeepclub.com/showthread.php?84229-1st-annual-CK-tow-rig-run

 

[MojaveJoe]

All good stuff to know. Thanks guys for your input. It's helping me narrow down the options I need in my replacement truck.
Keep 'em comin'

 

[photowrite]

My Jeep club has an annual run we've been doing for over 15 years now every August. I took my second gen dually with street pressure up this entire Jeep run, even running the obstacles. A friend of mine brought his 2 week old brand new '14 (though his was single wheel) Cummins Ram as well. Had a couple Ford's as well. Dually's can wheel. Here's the thread, though it's boring and the pics were in a different picture thread that I'm too lazy to go through:
http://www.virtualjeepclub.com/showthread.php?84229-1st-annual-CK-tow-rig-run

Yep, I know a dually 'can' be used off-highway, but at some point they just physically won't fit because of the width...

I already push those same limits with a SRW truck, sometimes barely squeezeing through, so no dually for me. For mostly heavy pulling/hauling, a dually is hard to beat. Heck, I cut my teeth decades ago driving dually 1-ton tow trucks in my late teens. Nothing wrong with the them if that's what somebody wants or needs.

 

[Newsa]

If sticking with the 68 RFE I believe the only differences are the axle tube wall thicknesses, thicker in the 3500 of course, and an extra leaf spring (s) and overloads in the rear and slightly heavier coils in the front. Rest is all the same. The Aisin transmission version gets the 11.8" ring gear and more HP, that's all. What's your pin weight on the trailer? This is where you may have your limit.

When i bought my 2013, i read a review of these trucks that says not only are the springs heavier in front, but they redesigned/beefed up the steering as well on the 3500 to better handle braking with 30k loads. Everything else here seems accurate.