Ionicbrick
Senior Member
- Joined
- May 29, 2015
- Posts
- 187
- Reaction score
- 62
- Ram Year
- 2015
- Engine
- Hemi 6.4
Hey guys,
I’ve been hanging out on these forums quite a bit. My extended warranty comes up on my truck next year, and I need to decide what to do with it so I can keep an eye out for deals or do research. Sorry if this is long, here goes.
I currently have a 2015 2500 mega 6.4 w/ 3.73. I tow three trailers: two for work and one for fun.
For work I have one that it around 5k that I tow almost daily, the second is a dump trailer that averages 8k, but can be as much as 10k. I tow the dumper about 2X per month.
For fun we pull about 8k up in the CO mountains once per month, and take a couple longer trips with it throughout the year as well.
Now, the truck pulls for work just fine except when the dumper gets heavy...the drop between first and second gear is a lot as you know.
However, towing up the hill here is a different story. Just about every trip up the truck heats up to the point of crying about it and sometimes going into the limpy tow mode locking us into 30mph. It’s never stranded us, but this can’t be good for the truck. We’re looking at adding another ATV to the mix in a year or so too, and the extra strain is sure to make us stop. A few years ago I had the dealer look at the cooling system and they determined that my cooling fan was bad and they replaced it. I’m tempted to have them look at that again, as I don’t hear the fan screaming when it gets warm either.
With my warranty going away I’d be out any repairs from my pocket, and I already feel like I push this truck to its limit. BUT I own this truck in full.
The way I see it I have three options:
1) Re-gear my current truck, and have the dealer make sure my fan is good. Would this solve my issues and have it last longer for me? I was planning on keeping it for at least 10-12 years. I can’t afford for this thing to be in the shop in the future, as I need it for my business.
2) Get a new 2500 mega 6.4 with the newer 8 speed. Again, does this solve my problem?
3) Upgrade to a 3500 mega Cummins. I’m sure this would fit the bill, though not sure if I should grab on with the 6 speed or wait for the 10. I’d need the 3500 with this config to be sure my payload is high enough. The downside to this is I know very little about the diesels or diesels in general. I know they have more filters to change more often, get better mileage, require DEF, and aren’t fans of the cold. That’s about it.
(I do all my own maintenance, so I’d have a bit to learn...but if I can change my own tranny and gears fluid I’m sure I’d manage.)
So has anyone pulled with both the newer ones hard? If I do another new truck I’d want it to last me at least 10 years again, and I don’t want to put money into this one if I’m already at its limit.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I’ve been hanging out on these forums quite a bit. My extended warranty comes up on my truck next year, and I need to decide what to do with it so I can keep an eye out for deals or do research. Sorry if this is long, here goes.
I currently have a 2015 2500 mega 6.4 w/ 3.73. I tow three trailers: two for work and one for fun.
For work I have one that it around 5k that I tow almost daily, the second is a dump trailer that averages 8k, but can be as much as 10k. I tow the dumper about 2X per month.
For fun we pull about 8k up in the CO mountains once per month, and take a couple longer trips with it throughout the year as well.
Now, the truck pulls for work just fine except when the dumper gets heavy...the drop between first and second gear is a lot as you know.
However, towing up the hill here is a different story. Just about every trip up the truck heats up to the point of crying about it and sometimes going into the limpy tow mode locking us into 30mph. It’s never stranded us, but this can’t be good for the truck. We’re looking at adding another ATV to the mix in a year or so too, and the extra strain is sure to make us stop. A few years ago I had the dealer look at the cooling system and they determined that my cooling fan was bad and they replaced it. I’m tempted to have them look at that again, as I don’t hear the fan screaming when it gets warm either.
With my warranty going away I’d be out any repairs from my pocket, and I already feel like I push this truck to its limit. BUT I own this truck in full.
The way I see it I have three options:
1) Re-gear my current truck, and have the dealer make sure my fan is good. Would this solve my issues and have it last longer for me? I was planning on keeping it for at least 10-12 years. I can’t afford for this thing to be in the shop in the future, as I need it for my business.
2) Get a new 2500 mega 6.4 with the newer 8 speed. Again, does this solve my problem?
3) Upgrade to a 3500 mega Cummins. I’m sure this would fit the bill, though not sure if I should grab on with the 6 speed or wait for the 10. I’d need the 3500 with this config to be sure my payload is high enough. The downside to this is I know very little about the diesels or diesels in general. I know they have more filters to change more often, get better mileage, require DEF, and aren’t fans of the cold. That’s about it.
(I do all my own maintenance, so I’d have a bit to learn...but if I can change my own tranny and gears fluid I’m sure I’d manage.)
So has anyone pulled with both the newer ones hard? If I do another new truck I’d want it to last me at least 10 years again, and I don’t want to put money into this one if I’m already at its limit.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk