One Small Advantage of Cab & Chassis

[HBarlow]

I had reason to hook up and move my 5er a few yards forward from grass and deep ruts onto my backyard pad yesterday. I was pleased to observe two things.



One, the rear end of the cab and chassis only squats 2" under the 3500# king pin weight of my fiver. My previous '06 3500 DRW squatted 4" - 5" and I had to have the rear springs rearched eventually due to permanent sag, even with Timbrens installed.



Two, the Aisin 6 speed allowed the truck to pull the heavy 5er out of deep ruts in soft ground and up over the edge of the concrete pad as easily as if I had started the load on level concrete.



The two observations above were the reasons I bought a cab and chassis instead of another dually.



IMHO the rear springs of Gen III duallies are simply too soft to carry their rated weight. If I drove over one of the common interstate highway dips when loaded mine would bottom out then rebound violently. Not a comfortable feeling.



The primary reason I decided to buy a new Ram, pickup or c&c, was I grew tired of the lousy old MOPAR 48RE grunting and groaning and producing driveline vibration when starting the load rolling when loaded to GCWR. Even with a full DTT upgrade it would heat the transmission fluid when backing up a slight driveway ramp to park the trailer. I studied klenger's spreadsheet and decided I liked the gearing of the Aisin a little better for my application.



I'm looking forward to my first real tow with the new truck.

 

[RVTRKN]

Glad it worked out for you, I remember when you were worried about it.



Steve...

 

[HBarlow]

Steve,



I think it is going to turn out to be a good choice. I'm hoping to have the opportunity for a road test soon, maybe as early as next week. I'll post my opinion afterwards.

 

[DonFitzwater]

3500#lbs king pin weight? Sounds like you should have bought a Nissan Titan or a Tundra. They are real trucks! LOL:-laf The new C&C's are darn nice trucks. I've been looking but can't give up my old 5. 9 and don't trust the emissions systems for use in Alaska... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . yet.

 

[KBalzuweit]

Hey its been a week!!!:-laf:-laf So how did it tow???

 

[HBarlow]

Karl,



I only pulled it around a five mile loop so not a very conclusive test.



I really like the Aisin's easy launch, controlled backing at low speed, appropriate shift points, firm shifts, and aggressive downshifting/exhaust braking when slowing in Tow/Haul mode.



I also think I'll like the fact that it runs in 5th OD when in T/H, 6th OD locked out. The Tow/Haul gearing seems a good choice for highway travel at 23,000# GCW.



I think I will be very satisfied with the truck. I'm looking forward to the 1,000 mile trip to May Madness. I plan to leave home late April and arrive early.



I hear the RV transport industry is booming and the companies are hiring.



I turned in my transporter plate, magnetic signs, and documentation last week. I'll miss the fun but don't want to continue living on the road.



If I lived close to IN as you do or the SoCal terminals I'd pull one or two a month for fun. It's too far to deadhead to IN or CA from my home just to do one or two.



Harvey

 

[dquaney]

Harvey,



What kind of RPMs are you running. My 4500 has 14000 miles on it now and is getting a little looser and seems to have more power. Can run in 6th gear most the time now with minimal downshifting. Went to Amarillo this past weekend and that panhandle wind kept me in 5th gear and too many RPMs to run 70. Still not completely satisfied. Also have you checked any mileage.

 

[HBarlow]

dquaney,



I haven't pulled my trailer on the highway yet or even put enough miles on the truck to know much about it but I can tell you this: In 6th gear it runs 70 mph @ 1900 rpm. In 5th gear it runs 63 @ 2100 rpm. I like to tow a 5th wheel RV trailer with massive frontal area at this speed and this rpm so Tow/Haul mode with 6th gear locked out is perfect for my needs.



You probably pull a tapered nose horse trailer so you can run faster.



Again, I don't have any experience with this truck but driving it from the dealer where I bought it in Gainesville, TX to my home and driving it around town for a month but the overhead is showing about 14 mpg. I have not done a hand calculated check so don't know if this is accurate.



It has been my experience with two previous Cummins engines that the more miles you put on them the better the fuel economy gets, the harder they pull, and the quicker they accelerate. I'm sure there is some point where that is no longer true but my first one, now owned by my son-in-law's construction company, still runs strong at 343,000 miles.



I will be pulling my 5er to NV to attend Joe Donnelly's May Madness in early May so will know a little more about my truck when I return home.

 

[Cattletrkr]

I was "this" close to driving home in an '08 3500 regular pickup today. Truck listed for a shade over $49K, sale price of $36,920. I don't want a QC and there were a few goodies I didn't want to spend the $$ for so I left it. Damn nice truck. If anyone is interested in the particulars PM me.

On the way home, I stopped at a different dealer and drove a 3500 C+C. I like the Aisin a lot more than the 68. It seems to hold the exh. brake better and slows down A LOT better. I dang near stopped halfway down a turn lane w/o touching the brake pedal... and I'm used to an exh brake in my current truck.

I called the first dealer back and he's locating a 3500 C+C for me. Gonna get an SLT Reg cab with Aisin trans.

Any reason to get an '08 rather than a hold over '07? There's a few of them out there, hopefully a little cheaper.

 

[RVTRKN]

Cattletrkr: The C&C's are not having the issues like the reg trucks are having with the DPF and as far as I know there is no difference between the two years. Do Keep in mind the C&C only has 305HP/610tq, I didn't notice it at first but with a full 55 gal tank you will feel the difference from your 04. 5 CTD.



Steve...