Im thinkin of adding a little extra beef to my 2500. I want to pull a fifth wheel trailer and want the extra capacity the 3500 rear would offer, without the price tag of replacing the truck. Does anyone know if the rear axle from a srw 3500 will be a direct swap. are the spring perches in the same place, drive shaft length etc. i know shaft length will be determined by drivetrain, cab. is it the same between the 2 trucks if the cabs and drivetrain are the same. i think if possible this would be a quick and easy way to pick-up a 4.10, plus larger r&p, tube diameter and load capacity. and are the 25-3500 springs interchangeable. 2k for a axle/spring swap looks better than trading my truck plus 5-8k.

 

Chevy silverado 2500hd diesel would be your best bet.

 

and how does this even remotely answer my question......
i dont mean to be a dick, but how does buy a chevy product fit in...

 

The rear in both the 2500 and 3500 is a 10.5 aam unless you get the diesel then it's the 11.5 aam the main differance in the two is the 3500 has an overload spring above the main spring pack in the rear. the fronts are identical. My 11.5 is rated for 6,800 lbs I would check your door sticker to see what your 10.5 is rated for before you spend the money. I added firestone airbags to mine and registered it for 12,000 lbs

 

I am almost positive the 2500 & 3500 share the same axle, just different springs and sticker on the door. I remember reading several posts about this on a diesel forum and everyone said it was just a matter of swapping the springs.......everything else is the same.


J

 

What Bass Hunter said...

 

the diesel rear is larger. i wanted to see if it was a direct swap, its just quicker and easier than a gear swap. gear swaps are driveway work, but id rather just swap it out and sell my original. plus with the swap the weight/registration issue doesnt exist, officially its still a 2500.
dodge offers a gooseneck kit, with a 7k hitch weight and a 30k tow rating for the 25-3500's. im looking to pull about 15-17k with a 2700lb hitch weight, so its under the limts of the kit but it seems kinda high for the trucks. this is why i was considering the axle/spring swap.

 

I would try towing the trailer before you do all that work. 2,700 lbs. hitch weight is not a problem in my truck at all. the only thing I added was the firestone ride-rite air bags to make it handle better. I regularly drive dot scales with a 2,000 lbs tounge weight tag trailer and have no problems. With the fifth wheel you should be fine.

 

WTF???? That is the worst of the 3 US truck makers. The Cummins is a much better engine than the Izuzu built DuraMax.

 

the only thing the gm has is the Allison tranny. unfortunatley they signed a very long and exclusive contract with gm. cuz a factory cummins/allison combo would be the awesome.