My situation: I bought a house that runs off a cysterine. Its basically a large in ground tank that all the water for the house comes from (shower, washer, taps etc). I will be using a 300 gallon water tank to fill it up. It comes down to hauling 3000lbs of water in my truck driving down the highway at 60miles an hour for 15 mins to my house.. 2-3 times a week

I currently own a 2010 dodge 1500 with the hemi and tow package and quad cab. I am debating trading it in for a 3/4 ton diesel.

If I keep my 1/2 ton I need to get it able to hold all that water. So I would have to:

-put two 1000lbs air bags in the truck. This would let the suspension take the weight from what I gather. Correct me if I am wrong.
-I would also want to do some mods to make the truck better suited to haul the weight and get better milage. These mods would be: add a programmer, cat back exhuast, cold ait intake


If I buy the diesel, I loose lots of money.. Approx 8,000$. But for the better fuel economy and have somethin better suited for hauling that much weight it might save me $$ down the road.

What would you do?

 

Have you considered a utility trailer for hauling the water?
You'd be able to keep the half ton but would have the option of going to the diesel if it was too much of a PITA.

 

Thought about it,but a trailer to hold 3000- 3500 lbs would be too expensive to not just get the diesel. A trailer to hold this weight would also weigh at least 2000lbs so add that to the 3000lbs of water and I will be hauling at least 5000lbs around with a half ton two or three times a week.

 

So I was just looking at websites that sell air bags... A buddy of mine said they add 1000lbs each bag so 2000lbs total. The site that sells the airlift bags says 1000lbs capacity. Does this mean 1000 each or 1000 combined?

 

Man, there are a host of other issues involved with hauling around 3,000lbs in a half ton truck.

I'm no expert on it but a friend of mine started a tanker operation with his 1999 Ram 2500 Diesel and 2 years later of hauling that weight around his suspension and axle components were garbage.

If you're like me, you hate to rent or pay for services that you can do yourself but if there is a service co. that can fill your needs or even better the possibility of drilling a good well for that $8,000......well, you get the idea.

 

If you buy a Dodge diesel you will get less fuel economy. The 6.7 gets 11-14 stock. Keep the 1500 and buy a trailer and water tank for about $1200 and be done with it. If you buy a diesel your operation cost will be way more than your current truck. Now if you buy a Duramax you will get better fuel economy 14-22.

 

Not to knock you, but where do you live that you can't get water (elevation I guess or California), anyway IMHO I would get a trailer with a poly tank attached, keep good service on the drivetrain of the half ton, or B try to find a used commercial w/poly tank (something with built drivetrain for the weight but used), like they said it would kill the 1/2 ton and over time ruin the diesel suspension, only MO. The trailer/poly tank built for the wt. and proper tongue wt would be my bet or find a well source or move. Good luck!

 

Towing 5000lbs with a Ram 1500 is not an issue...putting 3000lbs in the bed is. (Heck, putting 3000lbs in a Ram 2500 will still be somewhat of an issue).

 

do you have room for a big above ground water tank? If so, buy a 3000-5000 plastic tank and pay a water hauler to fill it up. I've seen 3000 gallon tanks go for around $800. Since you have a cistern, you can gravity flow from the big tank to the little one.

 

Where do I live? Northern Alberta in Canada. A LOT of places run of below ground tank. Drilling a well is 10-15 thousand and its not even a gaurentee they hit water, but you gotta pay. Plus all our ground water if loaded with iron, which needs expensive systems to remove. If you don't remove it, it wrekcs your clothes, un drinkable, and cloggs pipes and pumps. Its the way we live up here.

I can pay someone 120$ to fill my tank for me once a month. Over the course of 5 years that is 7200$ in water.. no thanks. And EVERY service in my area goes up each year. WIthin the past 3 years the sewage hauling company went from charging 90$ to get your septic pumped to 220$.

I'm looking at trailers right now. Seems like a good option right now. I just hope hauling 4500lbs 2-3 times a week won't kill my trans and motor.

Thanks for the advice, any other advice is appriciated...