Differences Ram 2/3500 and 4/5500

[Oshkosh-P]

Hello,

so out of the very rare HD trucks in Germany, the Dodge Ram or Ram nowadays is clearly the most common. What i wonder is: In which way do the 2500 and 3500 really differ, if you you are going to choose the SRW for offroading anyway?

Becaus as far as i know the only difference is the springs, while the frame and axles are exactly the same right? Sam question works for the Chassi Cabs, which unfortunatly come in DRW usually and would have to be changed in that regard.

Also: Does anybody know what Chrysler changed with the new HD frame back in 2019? Because when Ford swapped to a boxd frame they introduced an enourmusly big profile, but the Ram frame looks like its the same for 20 years now?

Kind regards,

Marcus

 

[2025 deleted member]

Hello,

so out of the very rare HD trucks in Germany, the Dodge Ram or Ram nowadays is clearly the most common. What i wonder is: In which way do the 2500 and 3500 really differ, if you you are going to choose the SRW for offroading anyway?

Becaus as far as i know the only difference is the springs, while the frame and axles are exactly the same right? Sam question works for the Chassi Cabs, which unfortunatly come in DRW usually and would have to be changed in that regard.

Also: Does anybody know what Chrysler changed with the new HD frame back in 2019? Because when Ford swapped to a boxd frame they introduced an enourmusly big profile, but the Ram frame looks like its the same for 20 years now?

Kind regards,

Marcus

Rear axle is different on Ford when you go to a 350 over a 250- not sure on Rams.

 

[tacollie]

RAM 2500 has coil springs in the rear. They aren't great for carrying a truck camper. 3500 has leaf springs and does better carrying a load.

Cab chassis is a c channel frame.

 

[GeorgeHayduke]

Bigger rear axles on 3500's with the high output engine and Aisin transmission. Not available on 2500's.

 

[LikeABoss]

As far as I’ve read, the only difference in 4500 vs 5500 is an extra leaf, 3k higher payload and availability of the 4.89 gears in the 5500.

 

[Oshkosh-P]

Thanks for the answers! Yes of course the Cap Chaiis is a C-channel, but that is always the same right? Because with the Ford F-450/550, the 550 gets a double layer on its frame. Otherwise they appear to be also identical.

Ok so the differences with the 2/3500 are bigger, but i guess this is only true 2019 and up right? Before they appear to be more similiar?

Those bigger rears on the 3500 are still SRW right? And only come with the Cummins of course?

 

[Trestle]

By my understanding (I own a '22 3500 cab/chassis) the front suspension of the 2500/3500 is the same, the 4500/5500 use an older setup. 2500 is coil in the rear, 3500 and up are leafs.

3500 is SRW or DRW, 4500 and above are only DRW but you can do a super/single setup with them albeit with a wider track. That wider track may/may not be in issue in Europe.

Traditional truck is fully boxed frame, cab chassis are C channel. The frame width on the cab/chassis is narrower, you will have more strength (the sections are taller and they use a different steel [55ksi vs. 35ksi if memory serves correctly]) but also more flex that you may have to account for depending upon what you're putting on top.

I went with a cab/chassis 3500 cummins for the following reasons: two tank option for 74 gallons fuel capacity, cummins standard motor with heavier duty Aisin transmission (not a configurable option with non-cab/chassis), dual 220 amp alternator option, included up fitter switches, longer rear frame with 60" cab to axle model yielding a 9' bed.

If you want to lift a cab chassis, the front is easy, but there are almost no turn-key options for the rear. Also rear wheel travel on the rear of the cab/chassis is less (based upon shock travel lengths) but the frame flex captures some of that back.

Ram updates the GVW on their 3500 and above to offset the additional weight of the diesel motor with the goal of providing the same or similar carrying capacity between the gas/diesel variants. It was a 500# difference between gas/diesel for the model I purchased which essentially made up for the heavier diesel motor.

Gearing options with 3500 SRW was 3.73. I think 4.10 was only an option if you went DRW. Things change each year, any my memory is probably off, but these are some observations based upon what I've discovered over the past two years on my project.

 

[Oshkosh-P]

Ok yeah that makes sense, but as far as i know Dodge only uses 50k steele in all their HD trucks regardless of open C channel or boxed frame sinde like Generation 3? I know Ford swapped their Chassi Cabs to 50k in 2017 as well. The wider track in itself is not that big of a problem, however i am not a huge fan of the ideo of having two different kinds of widths on one vehicle. 2-3cm is fine, but here it think we are talking more about 2-3 inches...

 

[nickw]

The 4/5500 used (at least for a time) a bigger rear axle - I didn't see that listed in comments above.

 

[Oshkosh-P]

You mean between the 2 or compared to the 2/3500? The later i was expecting to be different.

 

[Oshkosh-P]

So i guess the frame is always the same between 2500/3500 and 4500/5500, only the 3500 Cassi cab is unique right? Probably the most flexible then.

Anybody knows what changed with the boxed frame in 2029?

 

[UglyViking]

I can't recall the exact updates for the frame, but if I recall they discuss it in this video by TFL truck (link). I also don't know enough of the details on the 2500/3500 vs 4500/5500 past what has been discussed already.

A few things I'll call out between the 2500 and 3500. As was mentioned, the main difference is the coil vs leaf springs in the rear. Frame is the same outside mounting points. Breaks, tires, wheels, etc. all the same. If you're doing anything more than a minimally built out camper in the bed, it would be best to go with 3500. The 2500 coils are inboard of the frame rails, and so top heavy loads cause a lot more movement than the leafs. You can overcome this by adding airbags, but you're really building from a less than ideal platform. The 2500 can carry far more than given credit for. Most of the limits come down to US regulations that vary state to state, so it's got to be kept at 10k GVWR to stay in the class it's in.

The other thing I'll call out, I'm not sure how much across the board it's the case, but the difference in rear axle between the 2500 and 3500 seems to be somewhat wrong. The 19+ 2500 still uses the 12" axle housing, just with a 11.5" ring gear setup apparently. This seems to be true across the line for the Cummins trucks from 2019 till present, unsure about the Hemi trucks but it appears so. The Power Wagon was the only one with a true 11.5" rear axle from what a few in the community have seen, although they appear to have also changed to the 12" housing in 2023.

 

[Tex68w]

Different frame, different axles, wider axles, those are the main differences. The wider axles make for a better steering truck on the F450/550 and 4500/5500.

 

[deserteagle56]

Thing to remember about the 4500/5500 series is that they all come with 19.5" wheels/tires which are not off-highway friendly. Tire choice is very limited. Running lowered air pressure in the tires is not an option unless you spring for aftermarket (and very expensive) rims/tires.

 

[Oshkosh-P]

That is a good point! (Tires) On the upside: The wider front axle might make it easier to get a convertet DRW to SRW rear axle roughly the same width as the front right?

Then again: Even a 3500 would also be considered pretty wide over here to begin with, a 4/5500 would cross into Unimog territory in terms of width.

I was just wondering about the frame, because the ford's 240mm in height and the ram apparently only 190, bot similiar width and the Ford even thicker sheets, whil both beeing 50k. So this would come out as a huge strenght advantage with Ford since 2027, so i thought Dodge countered this in 2019.