SFA trucks are the way to go if plowing working ect IMO .
I vote 2500 .
Just to get your tech knowledge down, all 2nd gen rams had/have SFA.
The difference between the 2500's and a 1500 is the axles, suspension, and sometimes the transmission.
If you are looking at a 5.9 360 gas burner, the transmission in the 2500/3500 is the same as it is in the 1500 for the automatics, which is a 46RE.
The only time you get a better transmission in the autos is when you step up to the v10 or the 5.9 359 (or 361 depending on how you calculate) and those got a 47RE. Much stronger across the board than the 46REs, but they had the same issue that causes them to die that the 46RE has. That was a little check ball in the cooling line that likes to get gummed up and will stick close. When that happens, transmission fluid that is caught in the transmission itself will super heat and things start going to hell from there.
I say you need to look at a 2500, but note that the Diesels from that era are starting to get somewhat cheap.