Diesel. I haven’t pulled anything yet that strictly required the diesel as the heaviest trailer I’ve pulled since I’ve owned it was about 5,000 lbs. But I bought it with the intention of getting a toy hauler after returning from this overseas stint next summer. I will likely put airbags on the back for towing at or over the payload/RAWR, but otherwise couldn’t be happier with it. Same exact truck as the single rear wheel 3500 except for the rear suspension, but it’s still a single rear wheel and not a dually, so I’m not planning on buying some 40 ft behemoth toy hauler. EDIT: transmission difference as well, though as I recall in 2016 both the 68rfe and the Aisin were options on the 3500, and only the 68rfe was available on the 2500. But if the 68rfe is good enough to be an option on a 3500 I’m confident it meets my sub-3500 towing capacity requirements.
The 68rfe was the biggest reservation I had about the Ram but it definitely shifts better than what I expected after hearing people bash it. Seeing what some hotshot drivers do to 68rfes I'm not too worried anymore. All the new trucks are fantastic but I am really happy with my choice so far
I think the 68 does fine with stock power, but if you turn it up, you can run into issues. I broke the input shaft on mine with a 90 hp tune. I looked into an aftermarket transmission, but none of them will warranty the input shaft, even if you go billet.
I recently moved into a '16 Ram 2500, taking advantage of the COVID-19 specials out there. Had 9,000 miles on it. I don't find the 68RFE to be nearly as bad as some make it out to be, much like the 48RE in my '04, you can manipulate the pedal and make it shift where you want to. The 6.7 has more torque than my 5.9, but the 5.9 has 4.10's in it, so honestly it doesn't 'feel' like much of a power difference as obviously the 5.9 has a far greater mechanical advantage to the 6.7's 3.42's. Actually I'm pretty certain the 5.9 would beat the 6.7 in a 0-60 test, but I don't beat on my trucks enough to actually test that. Sure wish the projectors in the Laramie's were HID or LED. I'll add those at a later date. The trailer brake memory on the '16 is cool as shit. Lots of neat do-dads like that. They've come a long way in the interior department in recent years.
The rear cab support brackets on my '95 Chevy K2500 plow truck finally rusted into oblivion. Currently grinding them off to replace with tube steel. What a PIA! I had to remove the truck bed and running boards to gain access, even then the old supports were seriously welded on. What should have been a one day job is taking way too long. The wife thinks I'm demented and should just go buy a new truck.....Maybe she's right?
My 2015 2500 has been nothing but reliable. 80K+ hard towing and plowing miles. The only thing I had to have service were a bad thermostat and front wheel bearing, both of which were covered under warranty. The ONLY reason I’d move out of it would be to move up to a megacab.
This is the oldest debate on truck forums, and I see both sides. If you think airbags don’t magically change the sticker in my doorjamb saying my GVWR is 10,000 lbs, you’re right. They don’t magically change the legal weight ratings of the truck. Nothing magic about airbags. But if you think airbags won’t help me tow at or in excess of those numbers in my doorjamb, then you’re wrong. The only difference between my 2500 and the non-dually 3500 is the rear coil-over suspension on my truck vs. the leaf springs on the 3500. So the frame is the same, brakes are the same, axles are the same, wheels are the same, tires are the same. So a 20,000 lb airbag kit on the back would remove the limiting factor from my truck’s towing capability being equal to that of the non-dually 3500. The context of my post that you’re ignoring is important. I already said I don’t plan on buying a behemoth trailer, but when your empty truck with the driver and full fuel and DEF tanks weighs 8300 lbs, and the sticker in your doorjamb says your GVWR is 1700 lbs LEGALLY, that doesn’t mean I’m only safe putting 1700 lbs in my truck, which would include the pin weight of a fifth wheel. I would feel confident that I could safely operate at the 11,000 GVWR of the non-dually 3500 with airbags. That’s all I’m saying. Airbags on my 2500 would not magically make my truck capable of pulling a 15,000 lb fifth wheel with a 4,000 lb pin weight. If you’re hung up on what’s legal is what matters, then I guess I’m not as concerned about that. Considering the amount of people on here raving about deleting the emissions equipment on their diesels I don’t think the legal argument is that compelling.
Currently haul a 19000 lb TH'er with an air bagged F350 dually. The GCWR is 30000 and last time I weighed it with 4 bikes and full tanks I was at 29500. It pulls the load fine, gets about 10 mpg in the PA mountains...maybe 12 or 13 in the Va flat lands. The issue is some highway patrols have started cracking down on RV'ers. I had a friend get stopped for speeding and got a ticket for being overloaded based on his truck's registered weight sticker. $2000 bucks plus the hassle. I upped my registered sticker to class 4B. Sucks as the yearly fee is close to $600 versus the $98 it was as a 2. Either way the man is out to get your money, there is no escape. SO, yeah airbags are a partial solution but you can't just up your registration if your truck isn't already designed for it.
I’ve heard and read similar stories of people getting pulled over for pulling trailers above their truck’s rated capacity. I have generally seen two common threads to those, though I’m sure there are exceptions. The first being that this most commonly happens in blue states, California has been especially notorious for that. The second being the overloading is most often really obvious, like a “mah truck can pull ‘er just fine” situation where someone is pulling a 12,000 trailer with a half-ton truck. It’s still a risk I’d be willing to take at small margins over my truck’s rated capacity. I would be unwise for safety reasons just like I would be unwise for legal reasons to try to pull a heavy fifth wheel with my truck, even with airbags. My GCWR is 26,000 lbs and some change, so my most obvious and legal way forward is to pull a conventional, non-fifth wheel trailer that doesn’t count against my payload rating, in which case axle ratings are the limiting factor. But there is much much more margin to play with on axle ratings than on payload ratings for a 3/4 ton truck due to the 10,000 max payload capacity hard stop that is set on that class of trucks. I would still put airbags on the back though.
