Dodge finds flexibility
Nov 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Rick Weber
Electrical connections are user-friendly because of three-fused battery feeds routed into the cab and on to the rear of the chassis. A high-current 50-amp ground stud is at the rear of the frame. Upfitter wire circuits and electrical schematics are identified in the body builder guide.
Twin 7"×10" trailer tow mirrors are standard, as are 19.5" wheels. The Ram 4500 and 5500 chassis cabs are available in three trim lines: ST, SLT, and Laramie.
Quad Cab models provide seating for six passengers and are equipped with four standard doors and 60/40 folding rear seat. Seat cushions fold up to create a tall storage area from floor to ceiling. An optional floor section under the back seat folds open to form a flat-load floor with additional storage in each of the foot wells.
Frame changes
Chris Borczon of the Dodge Truck Commercial Vehicle Team said the frame features front tow hooks that are removable for a snowplow; a new front suspension crossmember; new front suspension attachment brackets; new transmission crossmember brackets; and new spring hangers.
“The rear frame rails are essentially the same basic shape and form as on a 3500,” he said. “The holes you see on the 3500 are the exact holes pressed in the same position. The only difference is that the frame is 2 mm thicker. You will want to pay attention on upfits to the front spring hangers. If you have any hardware such as shear plates or horizontal mounting that come close to that stamp bracket, you will want to pay attention to that new large bracket. It has the same footprint, but is a little bigger.”
On dump-body installation on the 4500/5500, he said Dodge's testing has shown that four attachments are required. He also said that exhaust-system modifications require care.
“From the muffler forward, that is an area that can't be modified,” he said. “The particulate trap and regeneration system depend on certain back-pressure numbers. If you modify that, the concern is that you can change the back pressure and get it out of range.
“On the tailpipe in the rear, call us. For simple things such as putting on an exhaust to extend the tailpipe for a wider service body and using the same diameter pipe, that's not an issue. Or if you want to remove the entire tailpipe and put a downturn on it, that's not an issue.”
On PTOs, he said there is the capability to attach direct-mount pumps to the Aisin automatic. The maximum pump size on the Aisin is approximately 11 gpm, though a 4×2 manual transmission can take a larger pump. He said 4×4 manual transmission 4500/5500 models are not PTO-capable.
Dave Donnelly gave an update on retrofitting non-PTO vehicles.
For automatic-transmission vehicles: the vehicle must come equipped with cruise switches in order to have “idle-up” control capability; the patch panel for the floor pan is required and will be available through Mopar (part number 82211579); and the vehicle must be taken to a Dodge dealership and have the “PTO and idle-up” feature enabled.
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