Mexstan

Does anybody know the differences between the heavy duty and light duty 4X4's? Have noticed that in my area there are a few '03 2500 4x4's but none of them appear to be heavy duty. They do not say heavy duty on the back and they only have 5 wheel studs. Mine looks exactly the same but has 8 wheel studs and says heavy duty on the back. The local dealer has nothing like mine on the lot. Or is it only the diesels that are heavy duty? Mine is the only one down here that I have seen that has the heavy duty sign on the back. What makes a heavy duty 2500?

phox_mulder

Are you sure they're not 1500's?<br><br>I thought all 2500's and 3500's had 8 lugs?<br><br>Maybe now that the Hemi is cropping up in 2500's and 3500's they are making them with 5 lugs?<br><br><br>phox

Dodgezilla

If it's a 2500 or 3500 it is a HD and it will have 8 wheel studs. It may just not have the nameplate. All the 03 2500s and 3500s have them.
I'm not sure if the 1500 has 5 or 6 studs.
Maybe people are buying the emblems and putting them on their 1500s to make others think they are cool like those of us who have real trucks.....

Mexstan

The ones I saw had 2500 on the door which is why I am confused. Maybe Dodge makes a special model 2500 for Mexico?

phox_mulder

[quote author=Mexstan link=board=20;threadid=15004;start=0#140756 date=1053558416]<br>The ones I saw had 2500 on the door which is why I am confused. Maybe Dodge makes a special model 2500 for Mexico?<br>[/quote]<br><br>Very well could be.<br><br>Don't they sell 4500's and 5500's down there, as well as the suburban sized RamCharger?<br><br>Or, just a simple case of rebadging to make yourself seem cooler.<br><br>phox

Dodgezilla

I doubt it, Mexstan. If you're gonna haul the kind of weight these HD's are rated for, you need the big axles and they don't come with 5 lugs. <br>I guess you will need to take a closer look next time and let us know what you find..<br>Maybe it's some kind of conspiracy..???

Mexstan

Yes, have seen the 4500's but so far no 5500's. The 4500's all had flat beds. Also seen quite a few Suburban sized RamCharger's, but can't remember if they had two or four doors.

MCummings

Dodge rlabels 1500 Rams as 2500's if they were made in Mexico.<br><br>Mexican 4500 Rams are just like American 3500 Rams except they have 4-barrel carbs, BIG Cams and most are straight piped, or &quot;glasspacked&quot; and can be equipped with tandem dual axles. I have not yet seen a Diesel Powered 3500 from Mexico. But those V-10's sound AWESOME.<br><br>Ram 5500's are HUGE. To compare, they are about the size of a school bus. They have similar sized rims, and the Chassis appears the same. The Front fascia does look a little silly with hug panels taking up the space between the headlights and bumper. They do resemble a Dodge Ram very close though. No mistaking them.<br><br>Merrick Cummings Jr

stlgoalie

I work at SLPN and the 1500's that we send to Mexico are badged as 2500s. I am not sure on how they badge the heavy duties, or if we even send them to Mexico

Mexstan

I suspect the HD version does not come to Mexico because when I went to the local dealer here they told me that the diesel and the manual was not available in Mexico. Strange! I do know my truck generates a lot of interest in certain areas down here when I stop.<br>stlgoalie, when you say the 1500's are badged as 2500's for Mexico that almost sounds fraudulant. Last year I asked the local dealer if they could supply me with a Ram 1500 and the told me that it was not available in Mexico. Made in Mexico but not available in Mexico?????

Badunit

Nothing fraudulent about it, at least not from a legal standpoint. The 1500/2500/3500 designations are an informal standard for badging of trucks, not a legal description of payload capacity. It does confuse things, though.

Mexstan

Now I am more confused than ever!!! The way DC write their advertising propoganda it would appear that the 1500/2500/3500 ARE payload capacities. So if those are just numbers, what does indicate payload? Just the door sticker?

Badunit

It is just an informal standard that kind of lines up with payload. But each configuration (engine, QC, auto/manual, etc.) has its own payload and none of them are exactly 1500/2500/3500. For instance, my '01 2500 with the 5.9 gas engine had a payload of just over 3000 lbs while my '03 2500 with the HO Cummins has a payload of 1990 lbs and an '03 3500 dually with the HO cummins has a payload of over 4400 lbs (at least in the configuration I chose using the towing guide on the Dodge site).

Remember also that they used to be &quot;1/2 ton&quot;, &quot;3/4 ton&quot;, and &quot;1 ton&quot; before they went to the 1500/2500/3500 and 150/250/350 badging.

pwabbott

Those with a SO Cummins in 2500 have a greater payload capacity than the HO Cummins in 2500 due to extra 300# wt. of 6 speed tranny and clutch.<br><br>Payload of SO Cummins 2500 quad 2wd 5spd is 2730#<br>Payload of HO Cummins 2500 quad 2wd 6spd is 2470#<br>Towing ratings depend on whether 3.73 or 4.10 rear axle<br>Data from Dodge Specifications Document. 8)