THE PONCHATOULA TIMES, SEPTEMBER 9, 2010, PAGE 7
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The mathematics
of a champion
puller
By CHRIS O'CONNOR
Times On Wheels Columnist
Here's a fun way to do math.
Let's see how much can be
pulled or hauled in the 2010
Dodge Ram 3500 Laramie edi-
tion truck.
The partnership between the
heavy duty diesel engine mas-
ters at Cummins and Chrysler,
has created for the Dodge brand
what many consider the gold
standard in this country for
pickups.
So, let's start with consider-
ing hauling the real heavy met-
al. Gold, the element that for-
merly backed our realm, tips the
scales at 27.5 pounds per bar in
Fort Knox (24 carat purity).
The 3500 Laramie Crew
Cab can carry in its bed' 187
bars, 2.5 tons, and at over $1200
per ounce represents about 94
billion dollars worth of cargo.
A savvy trader could add 640
more bars in a trailer hitched to
its towing package and push the
total haul to around 3.3 trillion
dollars worth.
That's more than the Gross
Domestic Product of most coun-
tries in the world rolling along
in the back of your truck. See
what you can imagine? And it's
amazing what you can pull with
an almost 9-ton towing capac-
ity.
The Dodge Laramie Ram
truck has a 6.7 liter Turbo Cum-
mins diesel engine under the
hood with a six-speed automatic
transmission. That combina-
tion makes this vehicle best in
its class for low end torque: 650
ft" lbs. at 1500 RPM.s, Think
, freight trai, nQt peedy, b/t
also not slowing down unless
you want it to.
A special towing mode, when
selected, revises the transmis-
sion shifting schedule, reduc-
ing gear hunting when pulling
a heavy load. Anyone looking
to tow or haul anything from
a trailer, 5th wheel, or RV will
be comfortable with this power-
train's capability.
Towing a Bobcat or a Donzi
boat, a race-car, or horse trailer,
will cause no doubts about the
capability of this machine. Brak-
ing is ramped up as well, with
large surface area disc brakes,
all around. Engine-assist brak-
j,
Perfect for the Manchac boat launch
The big horns of the Ram 3500 Laramie Crew Cab stand out at Pass Manchac. It doesn't
even have to honk. (Times Photo by Chris O'Connor)
ing, just like in a big 18 wheel
rig, is provided for the addition-
al security vital in taking large
loads down inclines.
Dual rear wheels and Dodge's
self described shouldered fender
design along with a muscular
chrome hood make for an im-
pressive look, unlike any truck
I've driven.
Inside, the Laramie Crew
Cab four wheel drive edition
was quite a luxurious truck. Up
front the spacious captain's
chairs are: leather, heated, ven-
tilated, and adjustable in every
way imaginable. In back, the
four door Laramie Crew Cab
seats three easily and offers the
lucky passengers DVD or satel-
lite TV viewing with wireless
headphones, climate controls,
reclining 60/40 seats. Passen-
gers preferring natural scenery
can gaze up at the sky through
the automatic sunroof.
To experience an almost con-
vertible-like breeze, back seat
riders can open the automatic,
electric sliding rear window. No
ordinary vinyl or plastic trim-
mings adorn this vehicle, in the
optional: package those have
both been replaced with leather-
wrapping on the handles, steer-
ing wheel, and other accents.
Satellite-based Sirius radio
as well as traffic navigation and
GPS navigation are also option-
al. This high tech media center
is rendered very usable via con-
trols both up front and on the
steering wheel. Another plus
to navigation was pointed out
by Eddie Veatch, famous local
musician and former worldwide
piano dealer who commented,
"Anyone who has ever backed up
to a trailer, solo, will appreciate
PLEASE SEE PAGE 8
Ram 3500 Laramie Crew
Cab the ultimate truck
By BRYAN T. McMAHON
Times On Wheels Columnist
The Ram 3500 Laramie Crew Cab is for serious truckers.
Our fully-loaded test drive
vehicle comes with a base price
of $50,145, boosted by a list
of mouth-watering options to
$58,385, or roughly six times
the cost of the house I grew up
in. But you've got to think big to
approach this vehicle.
Time out for Bryan's Reality
Check.
Ladies, if you are d for a se-
cure vehicle to hold the fruits of
your next shopping expedition,
please do not buy this truck.
"Overkill" does not begin to de-
scribe it.
Guys, you are going to be the
hard cases. Yes, as the headline
proclaims, this is the ultimate
truck. But on a daily basis,
would you use it to commute to
a desk job in the Crescent City?
Spend your money instead on a
gym membership and work out,
so the bullies will stop kicking
sand in your face.
In the McMahon house we
would call this a "Peck Edwards
Truck" for the local larger-than-
life sometimes cowboy, some-
times yachtsman, whose toys
are so huge he actually needs
this big diesel dually to move
them around.
See my coileague's column for
other applications of the Ram
3500's awesome towing capa-
bilities and real life uses.
The 35 gallon fuel tank is a
practical necessity for a vehi-
cle that posts miles-per-gallon
readouts in the low teens, but
again, someone needing the
power will not begrudge the 6.7
liter Cummins Turbo Diesel its
needed fuel.
And if you are working, or
'playing, hard enough to step up
to this vehicle then you will en-
joy the creature comforts built
into it.
Leather bucket seats (even
the second row seats heated) go
well with the dark brown inte-
rior and set off nicely the Austin
Tan Pearl Coat exterior: Trust
me, this truck comes with power
everything.
The standard sound system
is anything but. The "media
center" includes CD/DVD/HDD
radio, Sirius Satellite Radio,
pulsing through an Alpine pre-
mium sound system with nine
speakers and sub-woofer. For
your safety and convenience, the
sound controls are duplicated on
the steering wheel.
But why stop at the standard
issue equipment when outfitting
the ultimate truck?
Go for the Sirius backseat
TV service, the Sirius Traffic
Service, the backup TV camera
/
Great grand piano mover
Saxman Eddie Veatch poses in a Dodge Ram 3500 Lara-
mie Crew Cab before his weekly Friday evening gig at Mar-
iner's Restaurant in Hammond. Veatch, who recently re-
tired from a successful career selling grand pianos across
the country, later smiled appreciatively as he inspected the
6.7 liter Cummins Turbo engine under the hood. He mused,
"My life would have been a lot easier if I had started out
with a truck equipped this way." (Times Photo by Chris
O'Connor)
that you really do need, the Mo-
par tubular side steps that come
in very handy for ascending this
big truck, the body color fender
flares, the transfer case skid
plate (because we know how you
are), the remote start system
that allows you that extra cup of
Joe while your faithful steed is
warming up or (given our loca-
tion here in the subtropics) cool-
ing off, and the integrated trail-
er brake controller with display
that you will use frequently if
you need a great towing truck.
The options add over $8,000
to the sticker price but for those
readers needing a truck of this
caliber, it is money well-spent.
This is truly an American
truck. You won't see anything
like it in, say, Europe. But then
again, this is America, larger
than life.
TR00.CC
