New 2019 Tradesman 2500

[hutchman]

1st post, and I'm happy to say I stumbled into a new 2019 2500 Tradesman today with a 392.

I've been asking about these since they were announced, but my local dealership has not had any. Today was different however.....they had 1. Not 2, not 3, but 1 and it was almost exactly what I was wanting. It is a Tradesman short box, 392 and 8 speed, Preferred eq. package, chrome app package, tow mirrors, brake controller, and 3.73s. No carpet and vinyl interior....perfect for a woods truck!

The color was good too from my perspective, it's Granite Crystal.

New one on the left and my trade on tbe right:

I've put about 140 miles on it so far and my impressios are:


1. It's very quiet....much more so than the 4th gen truck....and I thought it was quiet.

2. Fuel economy from the lie-o-meter is about the same as the 4th Gen Gassers I owned. Not good, but OK.

3. Drives well. It drives straight and does not wander. It handles corners well.

4. The 8 speed is made for the 392. Together they seem to provide an effortless transition from lower speed/power conditions to higher speed/ power conditions.

5. I was given a printout specific to my new truck's tow ratings.....10000# GVWR, 14,190# trailer towing capacity, 6000# RAWR, and approximately 3800# of payload. It appeard it will be a great mid weight towing truck.

All in all , I am very satisfied with this truck and confident that FCA has hit the nail on the head on this on!

My original post stated an 8000# RAWR, which is wrong....it's still 6000#. 8000# was just too good to be true. I'll blame the mistake on old age and trifocals!

 

[devildodge]

Awesome on your new HD.

WWW.HDRAMS.COM in case you haven't seen us.

Great looking truck. The pic were you took from the rear wheel back...you can not tell it is still a 4th Gen.

I love the 6.4l and can not wait to have the 8 spd behind that 392 Hemi.

Check your payload sticker on your door jamb. Be very interested to know what it says.

Awesome.

 

[devildodge]

Since we have numerous threads on the rated payload being different than the printout, I am very curious how they got 3800# payload

Especially since 3380 is the towing chart capacity and you do have a few options on that Tradesman.

Edit: approximately 3300# would be correct as your Trailer rating seems legit...maybe a typo?

Just curious. My 2015 Tradesman is rated for 2998 and the chart says 3010 and my only option is protection package which is about 110 lbs.

Thanks. Still an awesome truck. And the configuration you got will be the payload leader of the 2500 HD...a longbed takes away payload.

 

[Creep0321]

Just post a picture of the door jamb sticker?

 

[devildodge]

If it is 3300ish on the printout that is great news as they updated the system to be more accurate.

If it is 3800 that is very unfortunate as it has to be wrong.

Sorry for taking this off topic. Once we get the confirmation I will move the talk to the payload thread.

 

[PorBoy]

Very nice op as I’m sure you’re probably the first one I’ve seen who has one.

 

[devildodge]

They changed the floor consule... not sure if for the better...but who really needs 6cup holders in the front lol

And what up with the seat belt. I am guessing the center seat had lap shoulder belt now?

Love the color with the chrome.

Sorry, I can not stop checking out your truck. AWESOME.

 

[hutchman]

So as to the weights I stated....I did not have the paperwork in hand, but was stating what I remembered and I was wrong. It was 3300# and not 3800# as I stated.

I do not like to make mistakes like that and I do appologize.

As to changes....yes the floor console is different than on the Gen IV Tradesman. It does not have the extra cup holders as the older trucks do. Another change I found was when I went to put some tie downs in the hidden floor storage in the back seat floor, there is none. No backseat floor storage.

As to the funny looking seat belt, I use a short seat belt extender to make it easier to buckle up. As I age, it becomes harder to twist and perform simple tasks such as belting up. I had installed on in the drivers side and my wife stuck one in the same one without thinking. That's why it looks like we were playing stack the seat belt extenders.

Strangely, there is another advantage to the extenders. When you have one inserted, the computer thinks that seat has a seat belt hooked up and does not alarm if you are not belted. We ALWAYS wear our seat belts, but the alarm is very annoying to me!

Today, we took a little ride and noticed the following:

This thing is quiet. It's a Tradesman and is obviously not as quiet as a more expensive model is, so a Laramie must be like sitting in your living room. It is impressively quiet.

It is tall. I believe the floor height on this truck is as tall as my '16 Power Wagon was. I'm 6'8" and I have to stretch to get in. I'm waiting on a set of Amp Running Boards for my wife. We carry a stool to help her get in.

One interesting mechanical note.... Yesterday on the hiway at 70 mph, I noticed the engine turning 1750 rpm. Didn't think much about it. Today on our ride, we were on a state highway at 55 mph and I noticed the tach again indicating 1750 rpm. The transmissiom was obviously in a lower gear. We the turned on a county road driving about 45 mph. Guess what, still about 1750 (really about 1740) rpm. My conclusion is the computer seems to think the engine is efficient at that rpm and tries to keep the motor in it's "happy" spot.

It appears the bed dimensions are identicle to the Gen IV trucks. So, today I ordered a bed mat and tonneau cover for a Gen IV. I think it will fit just fine.

And to add, being 6'8", I hate the rotary shifter. It's right where my knee needs to be. But after many long years of being this tall you learn the adapt, because complaining certainly doesn't help! LOL!

 

[devildodge]

Awesome. THANKS @hutchman greatly appreciated.

That is unfortunate about the floor console. We just found out tonight that a cube box of Kleenex fits were the center cup holder is on the floor. Still have 5 other cup holders to use.

Very odd about the in floor storage also. I do not understand at all why it isnt there.

Yes the cab and bed are the same...but that is it. So the in floor storage missing is even odder.

That 8 spd really seems to bring the 392 to life
Thanks for posting. Great info.

It is ok to make mistakes lol, we all work through them.

 

[hutchman]

I've spent the last hour doing research on numbers. I notice in the chart above there is both a 10000# and a 9900# GVWR. That must be for tax reasons in states like CA. 10,000# or over is probably licensed and taxed as commercial.....maybe? Mine is 10,000# on the door.

Sorry for the bad picture. I went outside in a pair of shorts and a T shirt. Crap, it's cold outside.

Back to towing and payload.... I've been towing for years and understand the numbers, but....

Follow this link, it is supposed to be payload and max towing for my truck. I put my VIN in and this is what comes up....well I can't link to my VIN info, but it stated the Max payload for my Tradesman CCSB 4x4, 392 as being 3740#. That's about what I remember from the sheet at the dealership.

I understand that max payload could be for a regular cab truck, but the Ram website stated specifically the max payload for my VIN and my CCSB 4x4, 392 as being 3740#. I think this makes my head hurt! LOL!

Tomorrow, I'll go weigh the truck and we will know the true answer.

 

[devildodge]

9900 is Canadian.

The website is notoriously wrong.

Can not wait to hear your weight.

Thanks so much for the info

 

[hutchman]

So here's the weight scoop.

These numbers are for the truck with me driving and 1/2 tank of gas.

Steer axle 4150
Rear axle 2950
Total 7100

So from this we can estimate true empty wt for my truck as approximately 6600#, which gives me an actual usefull load of 3400#. My truck is a very lightly optioned truck so this is proably close to maximum usefull load for this configuration.

 

[devildodge]

Thanks for the info. Now that is a good payload number

 

[hutchman]

I'm headed to the muffler shop tomorrow for a Resonatordectomy and Muffler Transplant.....both very serious procedures, but the prognosis is for complete recovery and much better performance.

 

[PorBoy]

Looking forward to “ hearing “ the results lol..

 

[Gondul]

I'm headed to the muffler shop tomorrow for a Resonatordectomy and Muffler Transplant.....both very serious procedures, but the prognosis is for complete recovery and much better performance.

Which is the donor muffler?

 

[hutchman]

I'm sitting at the shop now. It will be a Magnaflow just like I had on my Power Wagon. It seemed to make the motor more responsive and it did improve gas mileage about 1 mpg. We'll see how it works on this one.

 

[hutchman]

Well as sometimes happens, he did not have a 3 1/2" in and out muffler on hand. So the truck is in the muffler shop until Monday afternoon.

I guess I'm stuck with my Jeep 'till Monday.

 

[titanium]

Notice the gear selector is now a dial. Is that standard? I seen in a other picture of what looked like a 2019 limited, model that had the shifter on the column.

 

[hutchman]

Notice the gear selector is now a dial. Is that standard? I seen in a other picture of what looked like a 2019 limited, model that had the shifter on the column.

Yes, from what I know, tne rotory dial is now on all 2500 and 3500 trucks.