Ram 3500 Fulltime 337 Plan

[SouthTX]

My DW's favorite is: Do you know what you're doing?

That line must be genetically coded into the female gender because I hear it all the time, too.

Of course, the answer is no and I really hate it when I prove her to be correct.

[Steven@147]

I've had my share of sliced fingers, burn scars and such. Ever had a piece of welding slag burn a hole thru your boot right behind the steel toe? Have banged my head on the car lift a few times as well! The other day putting a rebuilt rear axle from a 65 Mustang into a 53 Studebaker Champion with Commander leaf springs, sliced my thumb open. DW works at a hospital, checks the band aid and gauze box regularly to see whats left. Guess they have a right to be concerned.

Now I get to teach her how to drive the new Ram with our Imagine. On the other hand, I think it would be better for her to take an RV training course.

[Steven@147]

Was watching a YouTube about refueling at truck stops in the truck lane giving advice and use etiquette. The guy had a big MH pulling a SUV. In watching his video I suddenly thought about my new trucks fuel port. It doesn't have a fuel cap, it only has a green push in plastic cap and uses a flapper seal on the fill neck. That got me to thinking about the size of the fuel nozzle in the truck lane. Will the big truckers fuel nozzle fit through the hole and open the flapper. Now seems to me that Ram would have thought of that when they built the truck and the filler neck should be plenty big enough to stick the nozzle in there and open the neck flapper, but I take nothing for granted anymore.

My old Dodge had a screw on cap and the neck was plenty big to accept the truck fuel nozzle and had no flapper inside the neck. But this new Ram? Anybody had any problems using the truck lanes? I intend to take an unloaded run through a truck lane when the station is not busy.

Guy shooting the video had some good points even talked about shutting off the fridge and propane. The pump he used had the DEF on the same island as the diesel pump. On his MH he had a DEF fill gauge right beside the fill nozzle so he could tell when the DEF tank was full. My DEF gauge is inside the truck. Any problems using the truck lane DEF nozzles to fill our newer diesel truck DEF tanks?
Haven't had to add DEF to ours yet but I hear using that little plastic funnel is messy. We may just carry a box/jug of DEF in the bed of the truck.

He talked about pulling forward to the line after refueling so the pump isn't blocked while he went back in to get a receipt. I can see where some truckers may be annoyed by RVers using the truck lanes if they are not using good practices.

How have you all found using truck lanes and the refueling nozzels? Any tips you can share?

[klenger]

The Ram trucks have been able to use the large filling nozzles since at least 2001 when I bought my first Dodge Ram CTD. I get all my DEF refills at the pump at out local Pilot station. I do pull away from the island as soon as I'm done, and there's plenty of room to parking at the truck stops anyway.

[gbkims]

Just get the nozzle past the 2nd fuel flapper and don't overfill so no diesel get trapped above 2nd flapper or it may leak down the interior of the fender.

https://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/2...-up-truck.html
Locking Caps - https://www.bem-auto.com/product-pag...-def-loc-combo

[Bill Davey]

Here's a link to real fuel caps for Ram trucks. I have the green one with a magnet that holds the cap to the inside of the fuel door while you fill up.
https://www.genosgarage.com/category/fuel-caps

Truck stop nozzles with fit past the "flappers" in the filler neck, just be sure to shove the nozzle in far enough to open the 2nd flapper. Other wise you get a diesel shower. One caution regarding DEF - some truck stops have the fuel pump on the driver's side and the DEF pump on the passenger side. My preference is to buy the jugs and fill the tank prior to any big trip.

[Steven@147]

Stopped in at a local truck stop that wasn't busy just to try things out. Everything went ok until I tried to get the fuel nozzle out of the filler neck. The coil spring around the fuel nozzle got stuck on the flapper door, had to work with it to get it out. I have read where others have had minor problems with the flappers.

Had the wife watch over my shoulder so she gets it too. The pump usage went as expected. Asked if tractor or refer, Told her not to select refer and why, then asked if I wanted DEF. The only thing is I dont recall the pump listing the cost of the DEF. It may have, I just missed it. In any event I didn't use it, DEF tank is still pretty full. As with my old CTD Dodge I knew better than to open wide the fuel nozzle to dispense the fuel.

May sound silly to you all, but I want us both to know how to fuel at truck stops and DEF usage. Pulling into fuel lanes and exiting out. We are right at 58 ft.

[minnow101]

Been following your thread. Good advice from all.

FWIW, I’ll throw in my experience. Bought our first diesel in 2016. Certainly a lot to learn. Join TDR and Cummins Forum and read, a lot!

I put in a Transfer Flow replacement fuel tank. Went from the stock 32 gal. tank to 52 gallons. Some will argue the benefit vs. Cost(as the Transfer Flow was around $1500). But that extra 20 gallons gives me a total towing ranges of 450-500 miles. Way more miles then I'll tow in a day. It keeps me from having to weave my way in and around gas stations while towing. And it keeps me from being blocked in by tractor trailers at flying J/Pilots/etc. Two times in a row that happened prior to getting the new tank. Now I can get to our destination, unhook, get set up and then go and refuel. Importantly, I can get fuel at locations other than truck stops where I find the price of diesel is way more than at other nearby gas stations.

I also added a tool box in the bed. I was looking at the combo. fuel/toolboxes instead of the replacement tank I went with(those are certainly less $$$) but I was concerned the tool box section wouldn't be large enough for all the stuff/tools/what-not I thought I might need on the road. Glad I did it the way I did as that box is pretty darn full.I guess it's right when you hear that nature ”abhors a vacuum”. I have the long bed so the box in the bed had no effect on towing the fiver. Plus it is a lower height box and fits under my tonneau cover.

As far as using the exhaust brake (EB), around town in slow/moderate stop & go traffic, I use both tow-haul and full EB settings. This saves the service brakes by slowing the truck down just by lifting your foot off the accelerator. The tow-haul keeps the truck shift patterns lower(wont shift to a higher gear as quickly) which augments the EB nicely. On the open road such as interstate highways, I’ll just use Auto EB(not towing). If towing I use Auto EB and the tow-haul mode. Selecting the Auto EB mode will only activate the EB once you press the brake pedal.

I would strongly suggest getting the fuel filler billet cap to keep dust/dirt/debris out if the fuel filler pipe(or continue to use the plastic green cap that you have). I know there are 2 flappers and its claimed anything that gets past the first flap will fall out the hole located between the first and second flapper. Dust doesent just fall out and is more likely to be washed down the filler pipe when fueling up. Why take the chance?

You live in a hot climate like I do. Heat and DEF don't play well together. The warmer the ambient temperature is, the shorter the shelf life of DEF. And if the DEF degrades, it will set a malfunction code possibly leaving your truck compromised. More than a few have reporting getting the 150 miles to 5mph message on the dash readout. When not towing a tank of DEF will last a long time. Combine that with your Texas heat and it may lead to an issue. Unless I’m going on a camping trip, I’ll not keep the DEF tank more then 1/2 full. This ensures that I won't have an excess amt. of DEF potentially going bad on me in the tank.

Hope this helps.

[Stephen.Rose]

2016 RAM 3500 tradesman model, pulls my 376th through the mountains with no problems, was a Ford man for years but Dodge sold me with this truck!

[Steven@147]

Been following your thread. Good advice from all.

FWIW, I’ll throw in my experience. Bought our first diesel in 2016. Certainly a lot to learn. Join TDR and Cummins Forum and read, a lot!

I put in a Transfer Flow replacement fuel tank. Went from the stock 32 gal. tank to 52 gallons. Some will argue the benefit vs. Cost(as the Transfer Flow was around $1500). But that extra 20 gallons gives me a total towing ranges of 450-500 miles. Way more miles then I'll tow in a day. It keeps me from having to weave my way in and around gas stations while towing. And it keeps me from being blocked in by tractor trailers at flying J/Pilots/etc. Two times in a row that happened prior to getting the new tank. Now I can get to our destination, unhook, get set up and then go and refuel. Importantly, I can get fuel at locations other than truck stops where I find the price of diesel is way more than at other nearby gas stations.

I also added a tool box in the bed. I was looking at the combo. fuel/toolboxes instead of the replacement tank I went with(those are certainly less $$$) but I was concerned the tool box section wouldn't be large enough for all the stuff/tools/what-not I thought I might need on the road. Glad I did it the way I did as that box is pretty darn full.I guess it's right when you hear that nature ”abhors a vacuum”. I have the long bed so the box in the bed had no effect on towing the fiver. Plus it is a lower height box and fits under my tonneau cover.

As far as using the exhaust brake (EB), around town in slow/moderate stop & go traffic, I use both tow-haul and full EB settings. This saves the service brakes by slowing the truck down just by lifting your foot off the accelerator. The tow-haul keeps the truck shift patterns lower(wont shift to a higher gear as quickly) which augments the EB nicely. On the open road such as interstate highways, I’ll just use Auto EB(not towing). If towing I use Auto EB and the tow-haul mode. Selecting the Auto EB mode will only activate the EB once you press the brake pedal.

I would strongly suggest getting the fuel filler billet cap to keep dust/dirt/debris out if the fuel filler pipe(or continue to use the plastic green cap that you have). I know there are 2 flappers and its claimed anything that gets past the first flap will fall out the hole located between the first and second flapper. Dust doesent just fall out and is more likely to be washed down the filler pipe when fueling up. Why take the chance?

You live in a hot climate like I do. Heat and DEF don't play well together. The warmer the ambient temperature is, the shorter the shelf life of DEF. And if the DEF degrades, it will set a malfunction code possibly leaving your truck compromised. More than a few have reporting getting the 150 miles to 5mph message on the dash readout. When not towing a tank of DEF will last a long time. Combine that with your Texas heat and it may lead to an issue. Unless I’m going on a camping trip, I’ll not keep the DEF tank more then 1/2 full. This ensures that I won't have an excess amt. of DEF potentially going bad on me in the tank.

Hope this helps.

I do appreciate your input. You covered things I have been thinking about like an aux fuel tank and tool box. I read a lot of stuff on the Ram and Cumins forums. For the EB, I kind of like the Auto setting because I can lift off the accelerator and let the truck coast without the EB coming on. As soon as I tap the brakes the EB comes on. Now on long down hill steep grades the full setting would be better. Its just a question of the driving terrain. I'll get the hang of it.

I will look into the filler neck caps that someone posted on this thread, thanks for that link. Yes it gets hot and dusty here.

As for DEF, well its the nature of what we have to live with now. My son works for a GM dealer and has told me about the short shelf life of the DEF. I looked at a Box/jug of it just yesterday at a Exxon gas station convenience store. It was $15.99 for 2.5 gallons, the stuff you always see at auto stores, Walmart and other places. I wanted to see if there was an expiration date on the box, no there isn't. There is some sort of control number and maybe that decodes into at least a date of manufacture but i don't know. I have read about people getting a bad box of DEF and causing the truck to go into limp mode and a very costly repair.

See that is my concern, how do you know how old the product is and if its of good quality. How long has it been setting around in chain stores? At least at the truck stops I would guess they go through a lot of DEF and it would be good stuff. I don't know if the stuff like at WalMart is good stuff or not. Don't know if I would be willing to take that chance or not. Most drivers I have read about agree with your practice of keeping the DEF at around 1/2 tank when everyday driving. My owners manual says to wait until the DEF tank gets at about 1/2 then you can safely add 2 gallons. I hear using that funnel the OEMs give you are a PITA. On my Ram its under the front passengers seat next to the jack.