Ram Chassis Cab vs 3500 Pickup for next vehicle? Input needed! For flatbed truck camper.

Zuber

Active member
FYI, if you order a CC it will be provided as an 'Incomplete Vehicle'. You generally can't license it until it has a bed on the back. Because, it can be configured as anything from a tanker, bus or an ambulance.

A PU, is a complete vehicle and will probably have cheaper insurance.

A PU with a bed delete is a what? Complete? Dunno. I would not bother, you only save $100 which is not worth it. The tailgate alone is worth $400 plus. Bed is easy to sell for way north of $100.
 

Zuber

Active member
Perhaps it has changed then recently.

Traditionally, a gas engine HD truck has always had a higher payload than a diesel due to the weight difference in the motors. Which is why a lot of folks who have camper shells/slide in campers/flatbeds have chosen the gas engine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It does and it doesn't. For the Single rear wheel, the Diesel usually wins. For dual rear wheels, the gas usually wins, but not always. For the 3500 RAM, it's usually less than a 200# difference. For towing, it's no contest, Diesel wins, not even close.

 

reddrum

New member
Late to the party here. For Chevrolet you can get several large PDFs with all the information you could ever want. These are, in total, 600+ pages with diagrams, measurements, and how to change/repair. I am sure they are available for Dodge's as well. Here are some of the filenames that may help locate them for Dodge.
BEST PRACTICES GUIDELINE MANUAL
Body Builder Manual
Silverado Medium Duty 4500HD/5500HD/6500HD Configuration Diagrams
 

RAM5500 CAMPERTHING

OG Portal Member #183
Late to the party here. For Chevrolet you can get several large PDFs with all the information you could ever want. These are, in total, 600+ pages with diagrams, measurements, and how to change/repair. I am sure they are available for Dodge's as well. Here are some of the filenames that may help locate them for Dodge.
BEST PRACTICES GUIDELINE MANUAL
Body Builder Manual
Silverado Medium Duty 4500HD/5500HD/6500HD Configuration Diagrams

Same with the Ram, their "body builder" portion of the website is super informative, but not all that intuitive to use, and is laid out poorly, all the info is there, but finding it, itsnt always easy peasy
 

imjustdave

New member
One thing not mentioned on a CC truck typically the turning radius is WAY WAY better than a pickup bed sometimes by feet. I knew this already but I test drove a 22 5500 the other day and even though the WB was longer than my 06 it had a tighter radius that was noticeable in the parking lot.
 

imjustdave

New member
Back to the OP question.

you need to know what your future camper and current camper weighs, real life weight not imaginary numbers that some manufactures publish.

Consider things you will add, tools, firewood, extra fuel - water, toys, computers, batteries, solar ... you get the idea.
consider bolt on parts to the truck as well, mudflaps, bigger tires, spares? bed lines? hitches?bumper ... you get the idea.
trust me this adds up, my factory weight VS running weight is about 900 lbs. bedliner, 2 hitches, mud flaps, tools, ETC.

Now take a look at payload #'s of a truck you might like to own, keep in mind if you go CC you need to add in the bed weight to curb weight.

Now you know what you might need in terms of truck capabilities.

Myself I have an older 06 3500 DRW but I also have a 2017 AF 1140. It's heavy really heavy. I would like a bigger truck... seriously looking at a 5500 debating on 84 or 60 CA at the moment But I'm also wondering if I should get a smaller camper.... But I still should consider a newer truck soon anyways, so yeah. I think a 4500 would work but would be close to max once I hitch up a trailer.
 

RAM5500 CAMPERTHING

OG Portal Member #183
One thing not mentioned on a CC truck typically the turning radius is WAY WAY better than a pickup bed sometimes by feet. I knew this already but I test drove a 22 5500 the other day and even though the WB was longer than my 06 it had a tighter radius that was noticeable in the parking lot.

And it gets even better when converted to super singles as I show in my video above

It’s amazing the difference
 

19mystic96

Member
Also worth noting is where the camper will sit in relation to the rear axle and where you center of gravity is.

This guy contacted me regarding setting up his Tundra and a FWC. I adamantly told him it was a bad idea due to where it would sit on a double cab, and how the FWC weigh a fair amount more than their bogus claims.

He threw a childish Rant, told me I didn’t know anything and blocked me.

About a year later, here it is:

View attachment 748082

Folks keep regurgitating the “FWC are light” nonsense and the “you’ll be fine” nonsense and this is the result.

I’ll bet tacos you’re going to see more and more of this happening now that the frames are fatiguing because poorly educated people removed all the flex out of their frames.

Folks that say “do you really need that much GVWR” are likely the same folks that drive on the freeway with their masks on

just saw this thread a bit ago and coincidentally found this video on another forum.


What makes this whole thing worse is there a video of this idiot bending his frame. Somehow insurance was conned into paying for a replacement. He obviously was driving this truck off road hard/reckless enough to cause this damage, and was dumb enough to film it and post hit himself on YouTube.

 

RAM5500 CAMPERTHING

OG Portal Member #183
just saw this thread a bit ago and coincidentally found this video on another forum.


What makes this whole thing worse is there a video of this idiot bending his frame. Somehow insurance was conned into paying for a replacement. He obviously was driving this truck off road hard/reckless enough to cause this damage, and was dumb enough to film it and post hit himself on YouTube.


Yeah, that guy is a special kind of fella...
 

tacollie

Glamper
just saw this thread a bit ago and coincidentally found this video on another forum.


What makes this whole thing worse is there a video of this idiot bending his frame. Somehow insurance was conned into paying for a replacement. He obviously was driving this truck off road hard/reckless enough to cause this damage, and was dumb enough to film it and post hit himself on YouTube.

Sleep well at night knowing that guy got another Tundra and bolted all his doodads off his totaled truck on his new truck.
 

RAM5500 CAMPERTHING

OG Portal Member #183
Sleep well at night knowing that guy got another Tundra and bolted all his doodads off his totaled truck on his new truck.

Just watched that video and couldnt stop shaking my head.

This should be used at the Overland Expo Seminar things as a step by step of exactly what NOT to do, every single step of the way.

Scary is that his "Followers" that dont know any better will think this is OK
 
One thing not mentioned on a CC truck typically the turning radius is WAY WAY better than a pickup bed sometimes by feet. I knew this already but I test drove a 22 5500 the other day and even though the WB was longer than my 06 it had a tighter radius that was noticeable in the parking lot.

Are you comparing a CC and a pickup with the same wheelbase? Sorry for the noob question, but why would the CC have a tighter turning radius in this case?
 

rruff

Explorer
The front axle is considerably wider
I think that's only true of the more heavy duty models, like yours. The 1 ton CC is the same as the pickup.

iu
 

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