Our tow vehicle 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 Mega Cab 4 x 4 dually

This is an article my husband wrote on our tow vehicle quite a few months ago. I thought I would add it to my blog.

2007 Dodge Ram 3500 Mega Cab 4x4 Dually


When we made the decision to sell our home & full-time RV we owned three vehicles, an 04’ Nissan Armada SUV, an 01’ Chevy Silverado 1/2ton extended cab 4x4, and our ultra cool 92’ Plymouth/Mitsubishi Colt Vista mini mini van. We needed a big truck to pull the big camper we would need & nothing we had would do the job. We drove around town for quite a few days and put our whole family in different trucks. I really liked the power of the Chevy Heavy Duty Silverado 1 ton with the 6.6L Duramax diesel & Allison 6speed transmission. It drove well for such a big truck, but we couldn’t all fit in the cab & the price was quite a bit higher compared to the Dodge & Ford. At the time there were people having trouble with the Ford 6L Powerstroke diesel. A friend of mine who has only owned Fords said not to get the 6L. But the biggest reason was the Chevy and Ford cabs were just not big enough for our family. I was really looking at the Dodges because of the Mega Cab and heard a lot of good things about the Cummins diesel. We went and drove a used 07’ with the 5.9L Cummins and the 4 speed automatic. The mega cab had a lot more room in the back for the family so I decided the Dodge would be the one, I just had to find the right truck. We went and drove one with the new 6.7L Cummins and 6 speed automatic at Ozark Dodge in Ozark, Missouri. We dealt with a really nice salesman there. Then I started shopping around on the internet and calling dealers around the country. I found a big difference in price and even used ones approached the price of new ones. I found one in North Carolina, but a dealer in St. Roberts, MO beat everyone’s price and was fairly close to home. I decided I wanted the 07’ because of the 6 speed automatic. At the time the 08’s were coming out so they had good rebates on the 07’s. I was looking for 07’ Ram 1 ton Mega Cab SLT 4x4 with the 6.7L & 6 speed automatic. I originally wanted single rear wheels but was told by a couple friends with excavating businesses that for the amount of weight that would be placed on the bed with the heavy 5th wheel trailer, that dual rear wheels would be best. They said tire wear would be better & the stability would be much better. They were right, it tows with now sway & I like the thought of having the extra tire on the ground in case one blows. So I also told the dealer I was looking for a dually. I also wanted 4wd because I have needed it so many times in the past, even used it for getting a trailer moving on wet grass. I also like having 4 low in case I need a really low gear, like when I pulled our stuffed 40’ storage trailer up our steep gravel driveway. I told the salesman I did not want a lot of options as I was trying to keep the cost down. The SLT package comes with stuff like AC, power windows & locks, anti-theft, CD player, etc. so it is pretty nice already keeping my wife happy. I did get the anti-spin rear differential (which works), upgraded cloth seats with some kind of water resistant material (great with the kids), floor mats, fog lights (nice) & engine block heater (which I believe heats the coolant, oil & fuel cutting down on warm-up in cold weather a diesel problem). One decision I made was getting the 3.73 axle ratio over the 4.10. I based this off of advice from quite a few farmers & friends that consistently haul heavy loads with their Dodges. They said the 4.10 would be too low on the highway & that they haul way more than their truck is rated for with no problems. The salesman could not find one just like I wanted with the 4.10 as there were not many 07s left & the only 4.10s he found had the Laramie package which cost quite a bit more than the SLT. Now that I have the 3.73 at times I wish I had the 4.10. I am towing a lot of weight & I think that the 4.10 would at least give that extra advantage. It really does tow very nice & has a lot of power, but with the 6sp tranny at 60mph the tach is at just 1500rpm in 6th gear. This is the rpm where the stated max torque of 650ft/lbs starts so I try to keep it there or above while towing. The Ozark “mountains” & mountains of Kentucky, North Carolina & South Carolina have given it a pretty good workout. Now for the mileage; unloaded normal everyday mix of driving I get about 14mpg according to the on-board overhead display. Highway running 65-75mph approximately 17mpg. Highway running 55-60 apprx 20mpg all per the overhead display. When I tow mileage ranges from about 10-12mpg depending largely on the terrain. I usually don’t go any faster than 65mph on the interstate but normally run about 60mph. The steepest grade I have encountered so far I have been able to pull at only about 40mph. But in general I can keep it at about 50-55mph on most hills & mountains. I have a friend who gets much better mileage with his Chevy 6.6L Duramax. Of course he does not have all the emissions systems that they have placed on the new diesels. I am really not impressed at all with the new DPF (diesel particulate filter) & all of the stuff that goes with it. Thank the Lord, I have not had any problems with mine in the 14,000 miles I have driven but it is ran pretty hard, while towing, which I was told keeps the particulate filter cleaned out. Also the truck does not idle very much, which Dodge says will cause the truck to need to be ran on the freeway to clean the DPF out or Regen as they call it. In my opinion a diesel that gets better mileage would be helping the environment more than something that causes it to use more fuel to keep the exhaust cleaner. Yesterday I read in a diesel magazine that the same trucks with the DPF deleted were getting 3-7mpg better & which I think will make the engine last longer in the process. They stated that the DPF delete is legal in Canada but not here in the US. More information will be coming on how I maintain the truck & other opinions & experiences I have with it & our Forest River Salem 5th wheel toy hauler camper trailer, our Yamaha, Honda & Suzuki ATVs, Honda EU3000 generator, Valley(I think formerly Husky) sliding 5th wheel hitch, cell phone booster, our Sam’s club kayaks & much more. Thanks for reading, God Bless & hope you have a tail wind wherever you tow.

Shae