Differences between 3500 and 5500??

[Cattletrkr]

Brakes
Springs
Tires
Rear end

Anything else important?

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Do you mean the 3500 chassis cab or the regular 3500?

If your talking about the regular 3500 then the frame is completely different and the automatic transmission is different. If your talking about the 3500 chassis cab then the frame is the same (other than lengths). Outside of that you have different differentials, tires, wheels, brakes, and springs. The engines, transmission, and t-case's are the same - everything else in the driveline and suspension is different.

 

[Cattletrkr]

Do you mean the 3500 chassis cab or the regular 3500?

C+C

If your talking about the 3500 chassis cab then the frame is the same (other than lengths). Outside of that you have different differentials, tires, wheels, brakes, and springs. The engines, transmission, and t-case's are the same - everything else in the driveline and suspension is different.

I'm wondering what the real benefit is to the bigger trucks. My current truck has enough brake power and I have 19. 5's and boatloads of extra springs. Since the engine and transmission are the same as the 3500CC then the only thing that is really any heavier duty than what I have now is the rear end.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

One would be the wheelbases that are available in them that isn't available in the 3500 C&C. Another would be the legality issue. The front end is also beefier.

 

[Cattletrkr]

I only bring this up because I'm getting nervous about my NV5600. I honestly don't think it will make it long enough for me to get my hands on a 5500. Short term I'd be better off to just buy a rebuilt unit and go, but long term there's too many other things that can go boom anytime.

 

[NIsaacs]

As a pure tow vehicle, the 3500 is about maxed out with the clutch/transmission combo. Going with the 5500 will not help much since the clutch/transmission combo is the same. The big benefit to the 5500 is if it is used as a stand alone vehicle, as in "GVW".





"NICK"

 

[jelag]

Cattletrkr

I've got a 5500 on order and its built... sitting in Mexico as of last week waiting on shipment to the US... I've ordered my first new truck in 10 years with an auto instead of the stick..... We're selling an F550 with almost 500K on the clock... .

 

[MRosinski]

Gears, 4. 88's compared to 4. 10's.

 

[Cattletrkr]

I talked to a Sterling dealer yesterday and he found me some prices, not quotes but close enough for now. $40,200 for the base model and about $2500 or so more for one that would equate to an SLT.

He called me back this morning and said he was able to find that they CAN build a 5500 with a 4. 44 ratio instead of the 4. 88.

I've found a couple 5. 9L SLT Reg Cabs that are running in the $31-$32K range. Awful tempting to get one of those and stay away from all the emissions stuff. That and I can swap the airbags, springs and some other stuff right over.

 

[Cattletrkr]

Sterling dealer sent me a full write up plus a brochure. It's kinda nice dealing with someone who knows what he's doing vs. the Dodge dealers that I had to tell how to find the info.

 

[jelag]

Cattletrkr

You've got to be dealing with a dealer who is not a "business link" dealer... . I've had advance information for months... . long before the sterling dealer knew a thing.....

Those dealers who sell a lot of trucks, including the sprinter seem to have all the information.

 

[Cattletrkr]

The one dodge dealer that I did get a price from was a business link dealer and does sell a lot of trucks. I still had to point the guy in the right direction.

 

[CUMMINZ]

One thing you are going to get with a 5500 is that it will beat you to death compaired to a 3500. Now you put 6k on it and and 30k+ behind you and you will have a dream truck.

 

[Cattletrkr]

One thing you are going to get with a 5500 is that it will beat you to death compaired to a 3500. Now you put 6k on it and and 30k+ behind you and you will have a dream truck.

:-laf That's what I do now.

 

[Cattletrkr]

I've been looking at the 4500's since I started this thread. Turns out the 4. 88's are the only ratio for the 5500's. That's too slow for me.

The last couple days I've been doing a lot of pricing. For the price difference, I don't think it pays. I got roughly 150K miles out of my current truck with less than $1000 in repairs. To make up for the price difference to go to a bigger (4500) truck, I would have to get about 200K miles, more or less trouble free. I don't see that happening.

Now I'm leaning heavily towards a Reg Cab 3500 pickup... with a box, no C+C. $500 worth of springs and airbags goes a long ways.

 

[HBarlow]

I have found that the rear springs of Gen III Ram dually pickups are too soft to carry their rated load. The rear springs of my previous '06 dually sagged badly, even using Timbrens. I had the springs rearched and an extra leaf added before I decided to replace it.



Everyone on the TDR who hauls heavy with a dually pickup installs air bags, Timbrens, or some other form of assistance for the rear springs.



With my brief experience with my new 3500 C&C I have found that the rear springs are designed differently and are much stiffer. The C&C only squats two inches under the kingpin weight of my 5er whereas the '06 dually pickup squatted 4" or 5" under the same load.



If I were to own another dually pickup I would measure the length of the rear springs of the pickup to determine if they are the same length as the 3500 C&C springs. If they are, a set of rear springs from the C&C would probably provide a solution.



Just a thought.

 

[Ragain]

Cattletrkr... ... I will be picking up my 5500 on 4-23-08 (Wed) this week. First time for me to be hauling with an automatic. Honestly, I'm kinda scared but I think they finally have this automatic transmission stuff dialed in. When I test drove the truck I was amazed at how smooth the transition is while shifting with the close ratio Aisin. The nice part is the launch from standstill and backing while under a 30,000# load. SMOOTH AS SILK! Anyway, FYI... I didn't think the 4. 88 rears were too deep. Seems engine RPM's were 2,250 (+ or -) at 70 mph which is okay for me since I'm not really an "outlaw super-hero trucker"... . Haha!!!!

 

[DGamelin]

The 4500 and 5500 have a little less HP then a 3500 pickup. You can get dull fuel tanks on them. The 4500 can get 4. 10. The 4500 is a little stiffer then a 3500 but not as stiff as a 5500. I am not sure but I thing I read the jack brake is stronger on the cab & chasse. I want a 4500 bad but thats not going to happen. A customer of my just got a 4500 QC and he is getting about 1. 5 mpg better then my 04. 5. I think a cab & chasse with the narrower rear end would get a little better mpg then my dully pickup because of the wider flares wind drag. I also like a cab & chasse because I can see my trailer tires.



04. 5 qc 4x4 dully 373 6speed 47k

93 xc 2wd 354 auto 250k

 

[Cattletrkr]

You can get dull fuel tanks on them.

No. The 22 gallon tank replaces the 52, not in addition to.

The 4500 can get 4. 10.

Possibly. I can't find the "standard" ratio, but the only options listed are 4. 44 and 4. 88. I think the base ratio is 4. 30.

I think a cab & chasse with the narrower rear end would get a little better mpg then my dully pickup because of the wider flares wind drag.

Fender flares are much more aerodynamic than any kind of flatbed. What kind of bed does your customer have that's narrower than a dually box?

 

[HBarlow]

If you decide on a 3500 pickup I'd suggest measuring the rear spring sets on 3500 pickups and compare them to the measurements, spring eyes to spring eyes, on a 3500 cab and chassis to see if they are interchangeable. The spring sets on cab and chassis models have more leaves and hold up the same load without sagging and rebounding like the pickups do.



Saitta-Trudeau Dodge here in Pahrump where lots of us are attending May Madness has a 3500, 4500, and 5500 parked side to side on their lot. This afternoon after a free meal provided by the dealership a fellow TDR member and I were studying, measuring, and comparing the three models. The rails of a 3500 frame appear identical to the 4500 and 5500 but measured out a about 3/16" thickness while the frame rails of the two heavier trucks are 1/4" thick.