Tradesman Options you want?, not so fast.

[ISB6.7]

My truck of choice is a Tradesman, 2015, 6.7 Aisin, 6.4 crew 3500 srw, it spends it days doing chores on the farm, and off time in a unheated pole barn with barn cats sleeping on the roof, (yes, real farm truck). I did order this truck with carpet and cloth seating, (by the urging of my dealer for resale) the next one will be work grade vinyl and a vinyl floor. Enough about that. When ordering a Tradesman I have done alot of research and have found many unpleasant facts. Fog lights, (chrome bumper only) rear window defogger, and daytime running lights are available on the fleet side of ordering and not retail, ( to order fleet you have to have 15 vehicles, a fan number- fleet account. And set up as a business with FCA) not likely happen for the masses, I do question Ram on why these are only fleet incentive options, and not available to the retail buyer as they are all safety related and other manufactures offer them as base model options. You may wonder why not buy a SLT and up for trim levels and get those options? but on doing that you remove manual transfer case, vinyl seating, and the black bumpers which are important to me and only on the Tradesman. This next segment is about the Ram single rear wheel cab and chassis with it's straight frame rails and industry standard frame width, all of the options in the fleet side, retail customers can get on the cab and chassis without being a fleet customer, and so much more, there is no 3.42. diesel gearing in cab and chassis, 3.73 for those with single rear wheels, Aisin is available on gas 6.4 hemis with a standard ratio of 4.44 with the Aisin option, And what a value, $1600 for either Aisin option (gas or diesel) on the cab and chassis, I wish I would have got a thank you card for spending $2700 on mine. ( and fyi, you had better really like Aisin, as the three dealers I have talked to will give no premium for it at trade in time, but I bet they will when it's on their lot!) You can go to the Ram 2018 build and price to check out all the neat options on the SRW 10K cab/chassis, or go to your dealer and build one on the fleet. side for their options, I have wrote FCA corporate twice on my concerns of pricing and options hopefully on the 5th gens the retail buyer will be treated better. ( I will keep looking for a traybed with the Ram factory trailer hookup, then perhaps a cab and chassis will be in the future.)

 

[YoAdrian]

Fog lights, (chrome bumper only) rear window defogger, and daytime running lights... I do question Ram on why these are only fleet incentive options, and not available to the retail buyer as they are all safety related and other manufactures offer them as base model options.

Agree wholeheartedly same thought ran through my head as I looked through the options list; seeing out the window is kinda important and frost happens. Maybe they expect us glued to the backup camera instead of turning around and looking with our eyes? Does it get the backup camera at least?

 

[ISB6.7]

Yes they do, mine has the Uconnect 5.0 with the screen in the radio face, and I do believe the 3.0 radio has it in the inside rear view mirror.

 

[devildodge]

I found two more that don't make much sense...the 60/40 split rear seat...not available til bighorn and the storage under the front center seat also.

And when you pick the snow Chief package you lose the black grille and bumpers.

And the funniest one of all to me...the tradesman, for people who build stuff etc....no RamBox for storing those tools.

I also noticed, the bighorn and up do have power folding tow mirrors...how did these not make it to the 5th Gen 1500 to solve one of the issues people has with the tow package.

Good times.

 

[VectorZ]

So I currently have a 2019 Tradesman as a loaner and it doesn't appear to have any sort of vertical seat adjustment. Is that correct??