2019 Ram 3500 build thread

[Capital E]

Did you crank your headlights down to correct for the lift?

Definitely. I thought you meant headlight issues from side to side not up and down.

 

[IPA]

FYI-if installing a lift on a new Ram yourself be sure to center the steering wheel before driving at all. The ESC light that came on required a re-calibration at the dealer to a tune of $125. I guess if the stability control senses the steering wheel off center it throws a code that can only be fixed by re-calibrating the system. I am loving the Thuren springs and King shocks. It made a huge difference in ride quality. I did get the AEV rims and ended up with 35x12.50x17 Toyo MT's. I really didn't want that aggressive of a tire but there aren't many options in a 35 or 37" tire that fit the load rating required by this truck. I also got a Bradford flatbed installed. I ordered a Carli minipack for the rear and then I am done for a while. The plan after that is to get out and use it...

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Your truck looks great. I recently got the exact same truck (even the same color) and have been mulling over exactly what I want to do but planning on going in a direction very similar to this.

I’ve been eyeing the Carli systems in the hopes of not only fitting bigger tires, but also improving the ride and handling both on pavement and off. They are so pricey though.

How do you like the ride and handling of your truck now vs when it was stock? Do you feel like the weight of that steel flatbed improves the ride when unloaded?

What does a flatbed like that cost roughly?

 

[draaronr]

What are you putting on the flatbed ?

 

[Capital E]

Your truck looks great. I recently got the exact same truck (even the same color) and have been mulling over exactly what I want to do but planning on going in a direction very similar to this.

I’ve been eyeing the Carli systems in the hopes of not only fitting bigger tires, but also improving the ride and handling both on pavement and off. They are so pricey though.

How do you like the ride and handling of your truck now vs when it was stock? Do you feel like the weight of that steel flatbed improves the ride when unloaded?

What does a flatbed like that cost roughly?

The stock suspension was horrible. I couldn't wait to scrap it. Thuren has a bunch of options and you can do just the front for around $700. With a track bar and rear shocks I was at about $1,400. It works perfect for what I do. I'm not trying to keep up with Raptors in the desert. I'm 90% on road pulling a camper trailer. I really just wanted something that would still handle well on the road and not beat us to death on rocky/washboard stuff getting the last few miles to camp. You don't need to go with a full Carli pintop system to see improvements. As far as bang for the buck, the $1,400 I spent on suspension is probably the best value of everything I've done.

I definitely think the flatbed helped with the ride. I weighed the truck before and after the install and the steel flatbed was about 700 pound more than the stock bed. I was kind of surprised it was that big of a difference. The stock bed was the thinnest metal I've ever seen. This isn't my daily driver so I rarely roll around empty. I typically only drive the truck when I need it to do truck stuff. I was actually a little disappointed that the bed ate up so much payload (even empty). The Bradford bed that I bought with the toolboxes was about $4,000 give or take. That's fully installed. I priced out a Highway Products aluminum bed and was looking at about $12,000 to get it set up how I wanted it. I just couldn't bring myself to spend that much more but if money were no object I think they make the best looking flatbed out there.

 

[Capital E]

What are you putting on the flatbed ?

Usually just toys. I really don't like the toyhauler campers on the market so was trying to find a way to avoid buying a toyhauler and still be able to haul dirt bikes/4 wheeler and all the other junk to camp and have a bumper pull camper trailer. I'm also in a constant state of remodeling the house. It's so nice to stack cabinets or a pallet of flooring on the big flat surface. Being able to pull up to a tile warehouse and have them load a pallet of tile from the side with a forklift is pretty sweet.

 

[IPA]

Decided to switch it up. Went to 18" Method wheels and a 37x12.50 Falken Wildpeak AT3W. I wanted a little less aggressive tire than the Toyo's. Haven't driven far enough for a review yet. I do have slight rub on the front mud flaps at full lock. Will have to mess with it some more to see how bad it is.
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This might be a dumb question, but is the flatbed as long as the stock bed? If not, I'm sure it's not much shorter because the frame rails obviously extend very nearly to the end of the bed, but to me the flatbed makes the truck LOOK shorter overall.

 

[Capital E]

This might be a dumb question, but is the flatbed as long as the stock bed? If not, I'm sure it's not much shorter because the frame rails obviously extend very nearly to the end of the bed, but to me the flatbed makes the truck LOOK shorter overall.

Yep, it's 8.5 feet, same length as the stock bed. It definitely looks shorter though. I've had multiple comment on it.

 

[UglyViking]

It's interesting to read about the differences with payload even on the 3500. I can't see the full spec of the tires but it looks like your GVWR is 700lbs lower than your axels support. My guess is it may be the tires as a limiting factor but I find that hard to believe. I know with my 2500 the axels support 6k each, the wheels are over 3k each, and the tires the same, yet the trucks MVWR is 10k. My understanding is that it's mainly to keep the 2500 in a lower bracket for registration, insurance and such. I find it hard to believe it's the rear springs alone but I've not been able to get a weight rating on them.

 

[Capital E]

It's interesting to read about the differences with payload even on the 3500. I can't see the full spec of the tires but it looks like your GVWR is 700lbs lower than your axels support. My guess is it may be the tires as a limiting factor but I find that hard to believe. I know with my 2500 the axels support 6k each, the wheels are over 3k each, and the tires the same, yet the trucks MVWR is 10k. My understanding is that it's mainly to keep the 2500 in a lower bracket for registration, insurance and such. I find it hard to believe it's the rear springs alone but I've not been able to get a weight rating on them.

I'd be interested to learn more about how they come up with those numbers. It does seem kind of arbitrary. I suspect that it's more about liability than engineering. Tires are rated at 3,970 a piece to that's not the limiting factor.

 

[UglyViking]

I'd be interested to learn more about how they come up with those numbers. It does seem kind of arbitrary. I suspect that it's more about liability than engineering. Tires are rated at 3,970 a piece to that's not the limiting factor.

For sure the tires, wheels, frame, brakes, etc. are identical between the 2500 and 3500. The only difference is the rear springs being leaf vs coil. I think you're right that liability and registration probably make up the full reason for the major difference.

 

[jonathon]

Motor carrier regulations are another factor. A 10k GVWR 2500 without a trailer is not a commercial vehicle, but a 12.3k 3500 is and would need to have logs.