The Toughest Truck Gets Tougher

Its pretty well common knowledge among contractors, bushmen and roughnecks alike, if you want a nice, comfortable ride then you get a Chevy or GMC, if you want something a little tougher you opt for a Ford, but if you have serious work to do theres nothing better than a Dodge Ram.

And theres nothing that can touch the new Ram Heavy Duty for payload or towing, especially if mated to the high-output Cummins turbodiesel. That engine gets upgraded for 2004.5 to an incredible 600 lb-ft of torque available as low as 1,600 rpm and 325 horsepower at 2,900 rpm. In case you were wondering, the Cummins "600" is once again the class

Other brands trucks are fine for light jobs, but if you have serious work to do theres nothing better than a Dodge Ram Heavy Duty. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

I drove both the 2,500 and 3,500 Rams when they debuted to the media about two years ago, and once again when a Cummins equipped version came into the press fleet. The standard HEMI engine is sensational, with a no-nonsense 345-hp at 5,400 rpm and equally sober 375 lb-ft of torque at 4,200 rpm. Still, compared to the two diesels the

That Ram engine gets upgraded for 2004.5 to an incredible 600 lb-ft of torque available as low as 1,600 rpm, and 325 horsepower at peaking at 2,900 rpm. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

For toting heavier payloads or pulling large gooseneck trailers both diesels are beyond capable. The regular output 5.9-L, turbodiesel inline-6 feeds 250-hp and 460 lb-ft of torque down to either the rear- or all-wheels, through either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. But if you want one youd better act quickly, as its

To make the Cummins pulling power more obvious, Dodge loaded up a gooseneck trailer with two full-size competitors. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

The new Cummins "600" only costs a trifle more than the outgoing high-output diesel, however. It gets the 6-speed manual, a fairly easy unit to row through the gears, or optionally the 4-speed automatic with overdrive.

I was impressed with the 2003 H.O. Cummins, which put out a respectable 305-hp at 2,900 rpm and 555 lb-ft of torque at 1,400 rpm. To make the trucks pulling power more obvious, Dodge loaded up a gooseneck trailer with two full-size competitors, a Ford F-350 and a Chevy Silverado

The 2004.5 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty Cummins "600" is seen here towing a Caterpillar 777D Mining Truck with a gross vehicle weight of 155,684 pounds. Just a bit larger than the Ram, the Cat stands 33.1 feet tall and 20 feet wide. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

Of course a better photo op has the new "600" towing a Caterpillar 777D Mining Truck with a gross vehicle weight of 155,684 pounds. Just a bit larger than the Ram, the Cat stands 33.1 feet tall and 20 feet wide.

That stunt was to show the world that the Cummins "600" equipped Ram delivers a best-in-class towing capability. While towing Cats isnt recommended, anything up to the trucks 16,400 pound rating is. Incidentally thats 3,000 pounds more than the Ford F-350 PowerStrokes towing capacity. The top-tier Ram also boasts

Even when loaded down with 3,500 pounds of weight in the bed, the truck drove and performed like virtually no load was there. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

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