Masonry Magazine February 2004 Page. 22
Trucks
The Dodge carries on the tradition of brute force capabilities that the series has been recognized for since the PowerWagon of the 1940s and 1950s.
It's when you look at the standard equipment list that you know, this isn't your dad's - much less your granddad's-pick-up. Compared to just a few years ago, the trim level in a $27,000 list-price truck, as this one is, seems out-of-place for work. The interior features air conditioning, tilt steering, power windows, speed control, AM/FM with CD radio, and cloth bench seats that ride hard but feel soft. And this is just the mid-level trim package, the Laramie level is even nicer.
The towing capacity for the short wheelbase model is 8,600 pounds and for the long wheelbase version 8,400. Maximum payloads are 1796 and 1791 respectively with standard load rating of 1720 and 1740. Note that the lower trim level truck, the ST, has a higher rating across the board while the top-of-the-line Laramie has a lower rating in each category.
The bed length is, obviously, the big dimensional difference. The short bed version, which we tested, is only 75.9 inches long in the closed-gate mode, not enough to haul eight-foot timber; the long bed will accept that wood with a bed of 97.9 inches-leaving room for a (narrow) tool box in the front. The extra 20 inches of wheel base (120 versus 140) in the long-bed version makes a difference.
Ride is where the luxury feeling comes to the forefront. Surrounded by the appointments of a Chrysler, you move along the highway sitting on top of the world. Without aftermarket suspension modifications-the "jacked up" look- the Dodge Ram with the 20-inch rims and 275/60R20 tires still puts you up high. Unfortunately, getting in the cab requires some climbing. You might want to consider one of the retractable steps.
The test truck had the optional 3.92:1 rear axle ratio that gave it a strong pulling capability, but a somewhat loud sound on highway driving. The engine, as one who knows the Hemi's mystic
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Is TOO MUCH ENOUGH?
Regulation at the state (especially California) and national level has caused most car manufacturers to cut back on the number and types of options available. Customers can no longer pick and choose from a wide variety of power and performance options because the manufacturers don't and in many cases, can't certify all the permutations and combinations. So we end up with a short list of choices when looking at new cars.
Not quite the same with trucks, however. Fewer regulations allow truck companies to offer combinations that don't need to be certified for the same level of emissions or meet car mileage requirements. So we have performance options in trucks that are not available to car buyers. Maybe that's one reason trucks are so popular with people who never haul more than a few grocery bags in back?
Take for example the Dodge Ram 1500 SRT-10. By canvassing the parts bins of Chrysler, Dodge Trucks has been able to drop the Viper V-10, 8.3L (505 cu. in.) engine under the hood. What does a 500 HP engine do for a pickup truck? Can you say, "Pick up and go!"
The Ford F-150 Lightening may have started this trend in full-sized pickups but Dodge has certainly raised the bar. This normal looking truck can top 150 MPH and sprint zero to 60 in a tad over five seconds. Wolfgang Bernhard, Chief Operating Officer-Chrysler Group, remarked, "The Ram SRT-10 is true to the performance ideals that created the original Dodge Viper: keep it simple and make it fast. There is no replacement for displacement."
Various performance parts, such as Bilstein mono-tube shock absorbers and performance-tuned springs, keep the SRT-10 on the road at high speeds. The 22-inch custom "Viper-style" wheels fitted with 305/40 R22 Pirelli Scorpion tires also help.
All in all, the SRT-10 is probably not the best truck for crawling around a large job site, picking up debris, and hauling the mixer to a new location. For one thing, they've lowered the truck 2.5 inches for better road handling, Less ground clearance isn't popular in the mud, however. The fun is made when that F-150 driver sneers at you at a stoplight. This is one pickup with pick up.