thinking about buying a Tradesman 2500

[wdbates]

Morning
My current truck is an 13 f150 crew 4x4 3.5 eco.
I sold my motor home we now have a toy hauler (GVWR 8800lbs) My F150 get lots of tail wagging the dog in the wind and there is always wind in SO CA on the 10 and 15. So were thinking when I replace the Ford we go Diesel.
Found a Tradesman 4x4 configured with crome package back up camera and back up sensors. sticker 52 my cost 45 and the Wife likes it. Most of my driving is to my rental houses hauling tool boxes and trash 90% of the time. Lots of stop and go traffic and then is always my trip threw the Cajon pass up to home in Apple Valley.
MPGs should I expect?
Is Ride going to beat me to death just hauling a few hundred pounds?
Is the AC decent (fords isn't)
Resale or trade value decent? as I put 30k miles a year on a truck
sorry about long post...thanks in advance

 

[dfb]

the ride on the new Rams is excellent. Quiet and very stable. If you want super stable a dually is outstanding.. You may however, may want to think of a 2015 used for maybe the same price ..Like SLT, or Laramie... a step WAY UP....I have a 15 342 gears and got on freeway only 19.5.. 2500 mile average is 14.9.....

 

[RVTRKN]

It's a good choice, EXCEPT, now your gonna want a bigger toy hauler. Look at my sig, it's a 2X4 reg. cab, but it's a nice truck and ride good. The one thing I don't like is the 3:42 diff were now forced to live with.

 

[MLee]

Check out the drive train for gear ratio, as RVTRKN got the 3.42. My son got the 3.73 in his 14 2500. Claims 18-19 by the li-o-meter. now they are just a few percentage off not that bad. Good ride and quite. For the extra's you have this is not a bad price. It's your money.

 

[RVTRKN]

Was told and looked up Ram site, any SRW CTD, only have 3:42 as a diff. And no options are allowed to change it. Now maybe 2014 had options but not currently in newer models. Hopefully I'm wrong, but that's what I was told and confirmed on the Ram Builder site.

 

[Newsa]

I have hauled between 5000 lbs (travel trailer) and 16,000 lbs (livestock gooseneck).

The 2500 was stable and comfy at all speeds. Didn't even know the trailer was back there. Occassionally, you could feel the cattle jumping & bumping though.

 

[gsbrockman]

I have hauled between 5000 lbs (travel trailer) and 26,000 lbs (livestock gooseneck).

The 2500 was stable and comfy at all speeds. Didn't even know the trailer was back there. Occassionally, you could feel the cattle jumping & bumping though.

Realllllllly ??? So.......just to make sure I'm right.....you were grossing out at ~ 34,000 lbs with a 2500???

 

[Newsa]

16,000(trailer + cargo) + 8000 (truck + 2 people) = 24000.

Yeah, i was a bit over loaded. But so have been many others.

 

[gsbrockman]

16,000(trailer + cargo) + 8000 (truck + 2 people) = 24000.

Yeah, i was a bit over loaded. But so have been many others.

You originally said "I have hauled between 5000 lbs (travel trailer) and 26,000 lbs (livestock gooseneck)." This leads me to believe your travel trailer weighs in at 5000 lbs and your livestock gooseneck trailer, loaded with animals, weighs 26,000 lbs.

 

[Newsa]

Ooops. Typo. I corrected it. 7500 lb trailer with
7000 lbs of steers. My bad

 

[Newsa]

Didn't weigh it. I was told approximate weight of steers. Probably closer to 22,500 gross

 

[RVTRKN]

It could be 40K as long as the axle weight ratings aren't exceeded, yes that's a challenge. But if your pin and weight doesn't exceed over the drive axle ratings & steer axle & trailer axles ratings that are within the ratings and its registered and your licensed for it. It's completely legal, if you want to argue the brakes can't handle the load or the load is over Dodges GCWR. Brakes on the axles including trailer axles are rated for the weight and are adequate for that weight, and Dodges GCWR is not recognized by the authorities, however your warranty can be voided.

 

[Newsa]

The trailer didn't have working brakes. So i won't be hauling that death trap ever again. But the exhaust brake did an amazing job. And i love the stability of having the hitch in the middle of the bed. Ten 700 lb steers crammed into a 24 foot trailer. I was expecting more instability with a load shifting in the trailer. Not so!

 

[RVTRKN]

I towed a Weekend Warrior 5ver Toy Hauler from Las Vegas to Salt Lake @ 24K GCW with out brakes. A short developed in the brake wiring causing full application of the brakes any time I slightly touched my brakes. The brake signal was getting full 12VDC from the brake lights. It was the 5ver side of the trailer plug. So I cut the wires to each of three axles. My C&C handled it like a champ, and a lot of the ability was partly due to the exhaust brake, but also making sure my distances were in a safe margin and keeping it 10 mph under the speed limit in the city. It can be done, but there is a pucker factor.

 

[MLee]

Check out the drive train for gear ratio, as RVTRKN got the 3.42. My son got the 3.73 in his 14 2500. Claims 18-19 by the li-o-meter. now they are just a few percentage off not that bad. Good ride and quite. For the extra's you have this is not a bad price. It's your money.

Should have added that the truck was a dealer lot choice, not ordered. He needed a truck pronto for a up coming auto show.

 

[Newsa]

Check out the drive train for gear ratio, as RVTRKN got the 3.42. My son got the 3.73 in his 14 2500.

^^^^^^ Unicorn!

 

[Newsa]

Riding a Unicorn as his trusty steed.