2014 RAM 1500 Bighorn
Well, the hunt for a pulling machine is all done, but the signing. We picked out a 2014 RAM 1500 Bighorn model today. It has a bit higher miles than I originally wanted, but that also means a bit smaller payment than I expected. That bit smaller payment also includes an extended warranty on the engine & transmission, but from the reviews I have read online, I shouldn't need it.
It is white, 4WD, has the 5.7L engine and is already set-up to tow, minus a trailer break install. It also has BFG AT/KO tires and probably around 50-75% tread. The glass all looks good and I found only a couple small rock chips in the front bumper and 1 small ding on the tailgate. It definitely looks like the previous owner took good care of it. I suspect he put a lot of highway miles on it for travel.
You can razz me all you want for buying a RAM truck, but I'm thinking & hoping it serves us well. Time to hunt for a camper now!
Oh, I will post a few pictures tomorrow morning or Sunday.
Jon
It is white, 4WD, has the 5.7L engine and is already set-up to tow, minus a trailer break install. It also has BFG AT/KO tires and probably around 50-75% tread. The glass all looks good and I found only a couple small rock chips in the front bumper and 1 small ding on the tailgate. It definitely looks like the previous owner took good care of it. I suspect he put a lot of highway miles on it for travel.
You can razz me all you want for buying a RAM truck, but I'm thinking & hoping it serves us well. Time to hunt for a camper now!
Oh, I will post a few pictures tomorrow morning or Sunday.
Jon
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Sounds real good to me. I love my used, high mileage Ram 1500,has served me well thus far. Congrats Jon. 0 -
I almost bought an identical one last fall, then got my '97 Dodge fixed, so I changed my mind.
It had 10x the power of my 97, I think they are a good deal, a lotta truck for the price, kinda like the S&W Model 59 of the truck world, in my opinion.
ENJOY, ignore the haters.0 -
montanajoe wrote:Sounds real good to me. I love my used, high mileage Ram 1500,has served me well thus far. Congrats Jon.
I know we talked about yours, back when I bought a truck from the father-in-law(can't remember if I updated, but that one ended up having a ton of stuff wrong with it), but what year and miles does yours have Joe?
This one has 121,000 on it. I figure if I put 10,000 miles on it a year, I'd be good. We have the wife's little Jeep SUV to use for all of our weekend travel, so gas and miles shouldn't be a big issue.
Jon0 -
You should be fine. My 2000 Dodge Cummins powered 2500 has 519,000 on the clock now. Expect to replace ball joints every 75K or so and just keep on truckin'.Sig220_Ruger77 wrote:Well, the hunt for a pulling machine is all done, but the signing. We picked out a 2014 RAM 1500 Bighorn model today. It has a bit higher miles than I originally wanted, but that also means a bit smaller payment than I expected. That bit smaller payment also includes an extended warranty on the engine & transmission, but from the reviews I have read online, I shouldn't need it.
It is white, 4WD, has the 5.7L engine and is already set-up to tow, minus a trailer break install. It also has BFG AT/KO tires and probably around 50-75% tread. The glass all looks good and I found only a couple small rock chips in the front bumper and 1 small ding on the tailgate. It definitely looks like the previous owner took good care of it. I suspect he put a lot of highway miles on it for travel.
You can razz me all you want for buying a RAM truck, but I'm thinking & hoping it serves us well. Time to hunt for a camper now!
Oh, I will post a few pictures tomorrow morning or Sunday.
Jon0 -
Sounds like a great choice.
I had a 2004 Ram 1500 4x4 club cab w/5.7 Hemi and it performed wonderfully pulling a 30' camper. BTW, also used a Equal-i-Zer WD hitch to eliminate any sway from passing semi's/wind. Average MPG pulling the camper was between 10 - 12 mpg. Great truck.
Upgraded now to a 2014 Ram 2500 4x4 crew cab w/6.4 Hemi and lovin' it too. More horsepower & about the same MPG0 -
I have owned 4 Dodge Trucks before they became Ram. 79 Dodge 3/4 Engine fire ( wiring harness fried ) 81 Dodge 3/4.. headlight harness fried while out of state. Drove home in the daylight. 93 Dodge Cummins dually. Wiring harness fractured wiring steering column, left me up by Washington DC to be hauled to Dodge dealer. Patched it together, dealer said he could not guarantee how long it would last. Turned around and came home , never drove again, sold. 2006 Cummins Dually. Owned 11 yrs. Computer had built in turn signals, no fuse in fuse box for turn signals. Lost right turn signal , brake light. Rigged it up so I did thru wiring. Lost two lift pumps in fuel tank. Wired it up direct to pump with switch to sell. 4 trucks 4 wiring problems. Carry a fire ext. 0 -
Quick&Dead wrote:I had a 2004 Ram 1500 4x4 club cab w/5.7 Hemi and it performed wonderfully
I bought a 2004 Quad cab 5.7 Hemi in Aug 2012 w/118K on it and it was a great driver but being a Chrysler product things broke far more than my Toyota T100 or Mercedes E320.
I had it until Feb 3 this year when someone ran a stop sigh and T-boned me.
I got more from insurance than I paid for it cuz it seems trucks go up in price as they age not down0 -
Did you get an 8 foot bed ? 0 -
Sig220_Ruger77 wrote:montanajoe wrote:Sounds real good to me. I love my used, high mileage Ram 1500,has served me well thus far. Congrats Jon.
I know we talked about yours, back when I bought a truck from the father-in-law(can't remember if I updated, but that one ended up having a ton of stuff wrong with it), but what year and miles does yours have Joe?
This one has 121,000 on it. I figure if I put 10,000 miles on it a year, I'd be good. We have the wife's little Jeep SUV to use for all of our weekend travel, so gas and miles shouldn't be a big issue.
Jon
Mine is a 2004 1500,with 5.7 hemi,quad cab,and 195,000+ miles. Had 183,000 on it when I bought it 3yrs ago.0 -
select-fire wrote:Did you get an 8 foot bed ?
This one just has the 6 1/2' bed. I think most of the time I will like that better, but there definitely will be a few times I'm sure I will miss the long bed.
Jon0 -
montanajoe wrote:Sig220_Ruger77 wrote:montanajoe wrote:Sounds real good to me. I love my used, high mileage Ram 1500,has served me well thus far. Congrats Jon.
I know we talked about yours, back when I bought a truck from the father-in-law(can't remember if I updated, but that one ended up having a ton of stuff wrong with it), but what year and miles does yours have Joe?
This one has 121,000 on it. I figure if I put 10,000 miles on it a year, I'd be good. We have the wife's little Jeep SUV to use for all of our weekend travel, so gas and miles shouldn't be a big issue.
Jon
Mine is a 2004 1500,with 5.7 hemi,quad cab,and 195,000+ miles. Had 183,000 on it when I bought it 3yrs ago.
Good deal. Did you buy it from someone you knew, or do you know where it came from at least?
The 5.7L definitely doesn't lack power! Even in the bit older models like yours.
Jon0 -
Congrats!!! New truck days are fun!!! My last two pick up purchases have been Fords, but I've owned Dodges in the past. I hope it serves you well. 0 -
Forgot to mention, on the 2014 Ram 2500, I got the Rambox option and totally LOVE THE OPTION.
No more 'stuff' floating around in the truck, under the seats, etc.
The Rambox option gives one plenty of room for all those 'little things' ... hydraulic jack, 4 way wrench, tow strap, flares, tool kit, gloves, tarp, rope, hitch mounts/balls, etc. that one packs in when towing a trailer/camper.0 -
I never owned a Dodge but when I was growing up my grand dad owned a construction company and bought all brands of trucks.Of all the trucks he used,the mid 60s heavy duty crew cab Dodges were the best and toughest.His guys pulled heavy equipment out of mud,towed huge loads with no problems.The big green Dodges are still sort of local legends. 0 -
Like the pictures. You got yourself a nice truck. 0 -
Sweet! 0 -
On my advice Makaila bought a dodge truck from the neighbours widow on the vineyard...
Mitsubishi agricultural turbo diesel
Regular cab short bed fleet side
4X4 with manual hub lockers on the wheels - true 4wd
4 speed manual tyranny with granny gear
Engine block heater - two oil filters - oversized radiator
4 stacked headlights - two clear and two orange - two large round foglights
Manual everything - am radio in dash with under dash FM converter and cb radio / scanner
Twin gas tank (one normal and one reserve)
Main air filter snorkel comes out top of hood on left
3 sway bars and skid plates
New wood bed floor made from pressure treated telephone pole remnants cut and shaped and rhino lined all over
Tailgate with chains on each side - removable by one person
New sapphire blue paint with tangerine and eggshell striping
Less then 80,000 on the engine - luckily there is a Mitsubishi agricultural and commercial dealer near woods hole oceanographic institute on the mainland who understands this two year only engine option - has points
Two batteries - single orange dome bubble gum machine rotating light on roof
Skinny ag tires with aggressive tread
Good around town on island but not a highway vehicle
Zero rust which is inexplicable
Mike0 -
A 1/2 ton Dodge is a "pulling machine"???????????????
Hope you allowed plenty of money for gas.0 -
Mobuck wrote:A 1/2 ton Dodge is a "pulling machine"???????????????
Hope you allowed plenty of money for gas.
For my needs yes.
I kind of laughed at the original sale sticker that said "21 mpg highway." I'm not expecting that. I will be happy with 15 with my driving. Anything else will be an awesome plus.
Jon0 -
Sig220_Ruger77 wrote:Mobuck wrote:A 1/2 ton Dodge is a "pulling machine"???????????????
Hope you allowed plenty of money for gas.
For my needs yes.
I kind of laughed at the original sale sticker that said "21 mpg highway." I'm not expecting that. I will be happy with 15 with my driving. Anything else will be an awesome plus.
Jon
The hemi w/MDS and a light foot on the highway .. you MIGHT make 21 :?:0 -
I have a friend who has an F250 regular cab short bed fleet side dually 4WD with a manual tyranny and the Triton V-10 with the heavy duty off road fleet / police options
He gets offers from folk trying to buy it literally every day
He has like 350,000 miles on it and it's a special order configuration that essentially does not exist
Two enormous gas tanks - tow package - FX4 package - etc...
He thinks it's the best truck ever made and he might be right - but it's a unicorn - even the dealer offers to buy it back on a regular basis - he no longer tows with it or works with it - he cleaned it up and it's his weekend toy now - how even takes it to car shows and it gets a ton of attention
I like it simply as a curiosity that is great in foul weather and has a fascinating to me power plant and configuration
I have driven a vehicle with a V-10 engine and a manual tranny - which is unobtanium super car territory - he also has an expedition with a V-10 that is a hanger queen now
Mike0 -
Quick&Dead wrote:Sounds like a great choice.
I had a 2004 Ram 1500 4x4 club cab w/5.7 Hemi and it performed wonderfully pulling a 30' camper. BTW, also used a Equal-i-Zer WD hitch to eliminate any sway from passing semi's/wind. Average MPG pulling the camper was between 10 - 12 mpg. Great truck.
Upgraded now to a 2014 Ram 2500 4x4 crew cab w/6.4 Hemi and lovin' it too. More horsepower & about the same MPG
My Dad has a 2015 or 2016 Ram 2500 with the 6.4L. I drove it a couple times and that thing certainly doesn't lack power! He bought it to do some part-time pulling while he was retired.
Good stuff on the Equalizer hitch. I was definitely thinking about getting one when we purchase the camper.
I just finished getting all my spare stuff in it today. Man does it have a lot of nice storage room. I found room for a compact floor jack, torque wrench, sockets, pliers, hammer, zip ties, bungees cords, ratchet straps, couple quarts of oil, spare oil filter, maglight, tow strap, jumper cables, safety vest, spare jacket, hat, gloves, and probably a few other items I forgot to mention.
Jon0 -
.\" I will be happy with 15 with my driving. Anything else will be an awesome plus."
With that expectation, you could be driving a Chevy 3/4 ton with a 6.0 and actually have some towing capability.0 -
The 3/4 1 ton trucks have heavier suspensions, brakes.. that make the tow vehicle more stable. They also use Load Range E 10 Ply tires instead of D range found on most half ton trucks. Heat is a big factor when weight is put on a tire. 0 -
May I also suggest putting LT tires on it if you are going to tow?
IME, P or SL tires feel 'squishy' with the added weight of the trailer and stuff that goes into the bed. Even at max air pressure I did not like the feel.
LT tires solved that, with thicker sidewalls and higher air pressure.
Just food for thought.0 -
I bought a new factory blacked-out RAM 1500 Tradesman standard cab with Hemi in May, 2015. I'd rate it as the second best pickup I've ever owned, the best being a 1965 Power Wagon crew cab (which I painted UPS truck brown with a paint brush). I live up a steep switchback in the mountains of north Idaho, and have yet to not been able to get out even in the worst of winter. On-road it rides like a Cadillac, fast and responsive bone stock with the Hemi. I think you made a good choice. Many happy miles to you. 0 -
guntech59 wrote:May I also suggest putting LT tires on it if you are going to tow?
IME, P or SL tires feel 'squishy' with the added weight of the trailer and stuff that goes into the bed. Even at max air pressure I did not like the feel.
LT tires solved that, with thicker sidewalls and higher air pressure.
Just food for thought.
The tires currently on it are LT BFG AT/KO's. I'm not looking forward to the price to replace them when need be, but I should be able to get a couple years out of these.
Jon0 -
Sig220_Ruger77 wrote:guntech59 wrote:May I also suggest putting LT tires on it if you are going to tow?
IME, P or SL tires feel 'squishy' with the added weight of the trailer and stuff that goes into the bed. Even at max air pressure I did not like the feel.
LT tires solved that, with thicker sidewalls and higher air pressure.
Just food for thought.
The tires currently on it are LT BFG AT/KO's. I'm not looking forward to the price to replace them when need be, but I should be able to get a couple years out of these.
Jon
Good to go then!
I run them at 70 PSI when towing. That seemed to be the sweet spot.
I will probably have to adjust that though. I sold my 5600 pound camper and went to a 4200 pound model. Smaller, too. It should be easier to tow and maneuver.0 -
70 psi. is 5 # over the max for a load range D tire. Load range E 10 ply is 80 max. 0 -
select-fire wrote:70 psi. is 5 # over the max for a load range D tire. Load range E 10 ply is 80 max.
I know.
I can read and everything! I even know where to look for all that cool information.0
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