Old guy needs buying advice

[Fullofquestions]

Need lots of advice from you young studs. 68 years old, wife has fake hips so must have air suspension. Our dream is to do national parks with travel trailer (6,000 pounds fully loaded up). Looking at ordering:

1500 (I know folks will say 2500, but this also has to be my daily driver).
3.92
air suspension
all safety stuff we can get

choice between:
a) backcountry with 5.7hemi (etorgue or not?)
b) laramie with ecodiesel. I owned a diesel (in Minnesota) in 1990's; winters at -20 it froze up---heard that's much better now?
possibly with southwest version (are 20" wheels too big for my purpose?)

Cant afford higher trim levels, and don't really need it.
Thanks!

 

[bcbouy]

i needed a plush ride for the rural B.C interior where i'm calling home,rugged enough to withstand canadian winters and enough to tow a 7000 lb travel trailer or my 22 ft. boat.my solution was a level 2 power wagon.level 1 would have been way cheaper but i personally wanted all the bling.the 75a was sold out and i didn't want to wait on a level 3,so level 2 with everything but ramboxes.i'm absolutely loving my lockable diffs right now.the snow is starting to fly and my local streets and sloped driveway are ice sheets.my wife HATED the ride in our old 2500.(i had 1 ton tuff truck front levelling springs and superspring helper springs in the rear) you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't at least testdrive one,especially if it's snowing.

 

[Irishthreeper]

With that weight you do not need a 2500 anyway, the 1500 Hemi with 3.92’s will pull 6K lbs with ease. I don’t know enough about the Ecodsl to have an opinion. Make sure your axle weight and payload are good and you’ll be fine. (Keep in mind the Laramie will eat up a portion of your payload due to weight.) Good luck and have fun!

 

[Randy Grant]

Need lots of advice from you young studs. 68 years old, wife has fake hips so must have air suspension. Our dream is to do national parks with travel trailer (6,000 pounds fully loaded up). Looking at ordering:

1500 (I know folks will say 2500, but this also has to be my daily driver).
3.92
air suspension
all safety stuff we can get

choice between:
a) backcountry with 5.7hemi (etorgue or not?)
b) laramie with ecodiesel. I owned a diesel (in Minnesota) in 1990's; winters at -20 it froze up---heard that's much better now?
possibly with southwest version (are 20" wheels too big for my purpose?)

Cant afford higher trim levels, and don't really need it.
Thanks!

I pull a heavier RV with mine no problem with my Limited 5.7ET and 3.92's no problem. Mine is a fiver, but if your looking at a TT tow behind, setup s the most important , and still get 10 mpg + avg. in the PNW, CA, AZ, NM. On thE other forum there are a couple guys pulling with the ED.
Own an RV park and see many 1500's coming through pulling similar with no problems.

 

[BNeal]

The safety stuff may be a challenge if not going with the higher-end trim levels - at least as long as the chip shortage thing persists.

 

[Bill A]

My TV is a 21 Ram Limited Longhorn with Air Suspension and all the electronic goodies. I have the Eco Diesel and 392 Gears. I pull an over 7000# trailer with no problem (truck is rated to pull 9721# with the options I ordered). I usually set the cruise at 65 and it holds going up and down hills. (no exhaust brake but the transmission retarder does it's job well). This combination gets me what I consider to be excellent fuel economy. I have averaged anywhere from low 13's to ~ 16mpg while towing. Not towing I get around 30 on trips and low 20's in town. I use a Centerline TS hitch. If you go with a Centerline, get the 800-12000# bars or with a bent bar style hitch go with the 1,000# bars. Dealers try to sell you the 600-800# bars but a lot of trailer manufacturers tend to under state their tongue weights. (they state a tongue weight without batteries, options, propane, fluids, etc). In my case the stated tongue weight was 600# but actually measured 950#. Don't let them BS you.

 

[TestPilot57]

My '20 1500 with Hemi and 3.92s is rated to tow over 10,000; depending on configuration it can be almost 12,000. A 2500 is overkill for 6,000.

To me, in VT, I would never consider a diesel unless I did nothing but long haul tow at near maximum capacity. Just too many problems with diesel in the winter. You certainly don't need it for capacity, but the fuel mileage may make the extra dollars worth it if you plan to drive a lot of miles.

 

[Jim M]

Regarding your wife's fake hips, being able to lower the cab for entry is a plus, but we found that the power steps drop down significantly and make entry a lot easier. My wife is short and has RA so that is really a plus for us. I think it's her favorite feature on the truck.

 

[Bill A]

Need lots of advice from you young studs. 68 years old, wife has fake hips so must have air suspension. Our dream is to do national parks with travel trailer (6,000 pounds fully loaded up). Looking at ordering:

1500 (I know folks will say 2500, but this also has to be my daily driver).
3.92
air suspension
all safety stuff we can get

choice between:
a) backcountry with 5.7hemi (etorgue or not?)
b) laramie with ecodiesel. I owned a diesel (in Minnesota) in 1990's; winters at -20 it froze up---heard that's much better now?
possibly with southwest version (are 20" wheels too big for my purpose?)

Cant afford higher trim levels, and don't really need it.
Thanks!

Don't let Testpilot dissuade you too easily from a diesel. Granted the upfront cost is more than a comparable gas engine but they do tend to last a long time, have great resale value and get better fuel economy in all driving modes. As to winter problems, they have been greatly mitigated with winter fuel blends. I live in So Oregon where we don't get as cold as where you're at but we do get plenty of below 30 degree days over the winter. I have the 3.0 liter diesel and my Son-in-Law who lives where I do has a Cummins and neither of us has experienced any difficulties. As to air suspension, another benefit is it tends to fine tune your ride height when towing, even with a WDH. In fact, when I move my trailer in town I don't even bother with the equalizer bars or sway control. The air suspension levels everything out but the truck will remain light in the front end. Another feature which I love are the automatic running boards. They make entering and exiting the truck a breeze. (wife and I are in our 70's).

 

[TestPilot57]

...below 30 degree days...

Not sure how to respond to this... We have multiple days every winter that at 50 degrees colder than that. Yes, we have winter blend, yes we add Diesel 911 and Howes. But until you go out one morning when it's been -20-30°F you have no knowledge of working with diesel in the cold.

Like I said, unless you are towing heavy and/or running lots of miles, I would not buy diesel in COLD climates.