Megacab VS Crewcab Ram 2500

[ripperj]

I really prefer the coil springs and won't be putting in a slide in camper, I am going with the Habitat. But you are right if I was going those routes it would be better with leaf springs.

I have had my Ram 2500 since ‘12 and love it. It’s really a great truck . That said I bought it and a Northstar 850 Popup camper. It would have been a great match. I never even picked up the Northstar due to a domestic disagreement, and later ended up with my Alaskan project. I totally overbuilt the Alaskan(intentionally) and it and all my stuff maxes out the Ram. It rides great and is legal and safe, but I would love to throw a flat bed and sideboxes(and associated stuff) on the 2500, which would put me over unless I was methodical with what went where, and I would love to have the freedom to stuff it to the gills without much thought(the extra 1500# payload of a 3500)

The point of the reply is this. I am beginning to think ( and have ignored other people saying the same previously) that the 250/2500 class is useless to 95% of people. (You may be in the 5% if you need a HD truck with coils)
With a 2500 you lose the ride and gas mileage of a 1500 ( I got over 20 mpg with my ‘10 1500 crew 4x4 crew on the highway)
You also lose the big payload (and associated harsh empty ride) of a 3500.
If you truly plan to stick with the habitat, then you are making a great choice, just understand that changing your mind later to a truck camper is expensive if you need another truck and the camper too.
My 10 cents

Edit. My ‘10 was a 4.7 V8 not the hemi

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[VisionxOrb]

Ive had a Megacab since march 2006. Best truck Ive ever owned, its gone from a friend hauling machine to the man family van. right now my wife is using it to carry little over 1000pcs of clothes ( shes a LuLaRoe retailer ) INSIDE THE CAB!! ( her yukon is on the fritz ).

I often look at new trucks and go " yeah thats nice maybe I should get on of those " until I need to use my truck again and say to my self " what the hell am I thinking, how could I ever not have a megacab ". Next truck will be another mega for sure. can fit 3 car seats with ease, doberman on the foor and space for snack while traveling.

about as perfect as a truck can get.

 

[ohanacrusader]

I am sold on the Mega Cab, it really does seem like the right fit for my family. I also just found some information that finalized this answer, I was under the impression that the Mega Cab is the same length as the crew cab with an 8' bed, but after looking at the specs the Mega cab has a shorter wheel base by 9 inches and the over all length is shorter by just under a foot in the Mega cab. So now the final question will be what kind of deal can I get since I have to haggle and communicate all via email to place the order. Thanks guys for the help and once I have the truck I will start a build thread.

 

[Bojak]

Mega cab all the way. If you can afford it, then might as well. As far as expo-ing goes, if you will throw a 50k 2500 ram in a place then you will do it with 12 more inches of 50k. I can't imagine you ever saying " if I was just 12 " inches shorter I could have done it!"

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[CTDJeeperman]

Don't hesitate getting the Mega. I love mine. We have a 1 year old and IMO it is the perfect family mobile for someone with an adventure mindset and a family with lots of stuff & big/heavy toys. Even my wife says no matter what, we have to have a mega for any possible replacement truck down the road. I have taken my 11 Mega on 37s in some pretty suprisingly tight places. If you want a deal in the western US, Dave Smith in ID seems to offer pretty good deals, I got quotes from them @ 12K off sticker. They have a giant selection too

 

[Betarocker]

You can always give it a real size pickup box later.

 

[ohanacrusader]

That is a little larger than I need and when I say a little I mean by 2 feet to big.

 

[TeamDoty]

Ideally I'd prefer a mega cab with a long bed conversion. The extra interior space would be wonderful but I would want the standard long bed for all the compatibilities with accessories like slide in campers, camper shells, tonneau covers, racks, liners, tool boxes, etc. - the mega cab truck bed is a bit of an oddity in length and while there are lots of accessories available the overall range of choices might be better with a standard short or long bed. I haul dirt bikes, heavy loads, etc. in the bed of my truck so the full size bed was a must have. I have converted a ladder rack into an over-bed rack for extra gear etc. when overlanding. The tonneau cover keeps everything under cover protected and the tonneau cover can support dry bag gear on it (under the over bed rack). Allows me a lot of versatility/convertibility with my truck... just wish I had more room inside the cab

 

[VisionxOrb]

Ideally I'd prefer a mega cab with a long bed conversion. The extra interior space would be wonderful but I would want the standard long bed for all the compatibilities with accessories like slide in campers, camper shells, tonneau covers, racks, liners, tool boxes, etc. - the mega cab truck bed is a bit of an oddity in length and while there are lots of accessories available the overall range of choices might be better with a standard short or long bed. I haul dirt bikes, heavy loads, etc. in the bed of my truck so the full size bed was a must have. I have converted a ladder rack into an over-bed rack for extra gear etc. when overlanding. The tonneau cover keeps everything under cover protected and the tonneau cover can support dry bag gear on it (under the over bed rack). Allows me a lot of versatility/convertibility with my truck... just wish I had more room inside the cab

The mega is a standard short bed box.... same 6'4" as the crewcab shortbed.

 

[HAMACHI]

What transmission are you going with? You won't regret the Mega Cab great choice.

 

[ohanacrusader]

I am going with automatic, for a couple of reasons not at all technical but wife cant drive manual and I have knee issues.

 

[TexasSixSeven]

I can load my truck down pretty easily with 2500 lbs of people and gear. Payload capacity is 3400 lbs, and I’ve already stretched it slightly over. That’s a single wheel F-350, so not a 3/4 ton.

Looking at overlanding the 3500 may be overkill, but capacity always helps. Plus the 3500 comes with the MUCH better Aisan transmission that’s not available in the 2500.

 

[ohanacrusader]

Good advise but already locked in on a 2500 with dealer and ordering.

 

[Halligan]

Good advise but already locked in on a 2500 with dealer and ordering.

Your not locked into anything until you sign papers and take delivery. If you want to upgrade to a 3500 you could do that and your dealer will be able to sell your current order as regular stock when it comes in. Trust me, I've done it myself.

 

[KSL22]

You can get heavier duty coils for the rear of the 2500 if that becomes an issue. Drive train and such will be the same between the 2500/3500 other the rear suspension. Get 4.10 gears from the factory if it is not too late. I have only had one or two times I wished I was in a crew cab SB vs my megacab SB. One was due to catching the aluminum driveshaft on a rock in a corner and the other was the top switch back coming out of Laurel Lakes. If I had 37s rather than 35s neither would have been a issue...