I would be doing this so I could safely increase my towing capacity. I hadn't really thought much about legal reasons, although I wouldn't tow anything illegally. I'm 38 years old and I've never in my life seen a camper on the side of the road being weighed by DOT. I guess that is why the thought of the door tag tow capacity didn't cross my mind. I'm not really worried about that at as a receipt from the shop that changed the gears and a printed copy of Dodge's tow capacity ratings would more than likely be enough to make a police officer not want to waste his time persuing a fine.

I'd take my chances with a receipt and chart before I retagged my truck a 3500. Like you said, the door tag would still say 8800# and if they checked that and realized what you'd done, I doubt you'd even make the campground.

 

I agree about switching to 4.56 gears if you are going through the trouble. My 2005 2500, with the V8, has 4.56 gears and the truck is very responsive. I have no comparison, with 4.10, 3.73 or anything else but I have read where a lot of people have switched from these gears to 4.56 and they are quite happy. Good luck!

 

Where do the 4:56 gears put the RPMS when you are on the highway?

 

I've towed a lot of campers around, and spent time o plenty at campgrounds talking with other owners... It's not a common thing to see to be sure.. Usually, it happens when they are doing something else too.. like speeding, or cutting traffic..

I was tossing a decoy for my dogs at a rest stop in South Carolina when a DOT officer approached me.. He too had lab's and was basically coming over just to pass the time.. We had a long talk about all things RV- he was an avid camper too.. At the time I didn't have tow mirrors and was relying on the stock mirrors, which worked fine I felt.. He said I could be cited for improper equipment and the fine was $250 for that alone- not that it was a threat, but more or less just a heads up.. He also said it isn't common for someone to get tagged for that, but that you 'would' if involved in an accident where they could determine rear visibility played a factor (duh)..

The point is, what 'they' can nail you for, and what they bother with are two very different things.. The weight waiver for RV's exists in most states I've been told, though it varies how much over that rates.. The trick is finding out if your fifth wheel meets the conditions of the waiver.. Toy Haulers and Horse Trailers don't.. With Johnny Law running lean on funding, it stands to reason the enforcement will increase (and statistically HAS already in many places)..

anyway: 4.56:1 gears rock.. I feel that I can move what the hell ever I want to move with these gears, even w/ 35" tires on the truck..

The RPM's on the highway are higher, but the truck doesn't work near as hard- where you will be dumping a lot of fuel in it to maintain the speed w/ stock gears (whatever they are) the lower gears move much more easily on the engine.. The tranny will run cooler w/ less slipping, and the clutches in the tranny will last longer.. You'll stay in a higher gear a LOT longer on grades, and the truck won't search for gears near as much on varying terrain, which means lower temperatures on the tranny and less load on the truck..

I can dang near pull my two skiis and equipment (it's only about 2200lbs) over the NC mountains without dropping below 4th gear at all- and the truck runs cooler and the tranny temperature hardly budges. If your game is pulling, 4.56:1 is the ticket plain and simple.

 

Good info there. Thanks!

 

The tow rating is more than gears. If you want to fifth-wheel, your best bet is a 2500.

 

There is structurally no difference in a 2500 with different ratio ring/pinions.

You will be tacking about 200 more rpms with 4.56s than 4.10s at 70 mph, will make no measurable difference in fuel economy but will make the truck more responsive, especially on launch pulling a heavy load.

Plus, your transmission essentially has 2 overdrive gears, so you won't be taching very high on the interstate, even with the 4.56s.

 

I can't believe they bothered to make a 2500 with granny gears. Who buys those trucks to cruise? Configured that way it has barely more capacity than my 1500.

These posts really make me want 4.56's. Too bad it'd cost a fortune to get it done, even though I do have a hookup at a Mopar-specific tranny shop.

 

It is a 2500.....

 

Seems like finding a shop that can do it will be the challenge.... Living in the sticks has its disadvantages....