Chassis Cab · Plow Prep Standard

Ram 3500 Chassis Cab for Work in Maine

The lightest of Ram’s three chassis cabs, and the one most Maine trades actually need. No bed — a cab on a straight-railed frame, waiting for a dump, a flatbed, a service body or a stake body.

Six on the ground at Quirk Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat in Bangor, all Tradesman, and unusually for a chassis cab we have them both ways: three with the 6.4L HEMI gas V8 and three with the 6.7L Cummins.

new in stock

from $54,867

store stocking it

Every unit counted here is on the ground today. We don’t list in-transit or factory-ordered vehicles on this website. Ask the fleet team what’s inbound.

Browse 6 in stock

What it means for your business

Snowplow prep is standard here, and only an option on the bigger ones

Ram fits the Heavy Duty Snow Plow Prep Group as standard on the 3500 Chassis Cab. On the 4500 and 5500 it is available — something you have to remember to specify. In Maine that reverses the usual logic of buying up: the cheaper chassis is the one that arrives plow-ready, and the more expensive one is where you can forget to tick the box.

It is the one we stock with a gas engine

Three of our six are the 6.4L HEMI V8 and three are the Cummins. Every 5500 we have is a Cummins. That matters because the gas truck is the cheaper way into a chassis cab by a wide margin — ours start at $54,867 against $74,900 for the lowest 5500 — and the HEMI actually makes more horsepower than the diesel, 375 against 360. What it does not make is the Cummins’ 800 lb-ft, which is why a truck that tows heavy still wants the diesel.

Straight rails are the whole reason it exists

Ram is explicit that a chassis cab is not a pickup with the bed taken off: stronger frame, straight rails, heavier components, built to be cut into. The rear frame steel is rated at 50,000 psi. A body builder mounting to a flat, straight, known rail is doing a different and cheaper job than one adapting a pickup frame, and that difference shows up in the upfit quote.

Cab-to-axle before anything else

The 3500 Chassis Cab comes in Regular Cab with 60 or 84 inches of cab-to-axle, and Crew Cab at 60 inches. That measurement — back of cab to centre of rear axle — decides which bodies will physically fit, and it is the first question any body builder asks. Settle it with them before you order the chassis, because everything else follows from it.

When to step up to the 5500 instead

Buy the 5500 when the arithmetic says so and not before. It is the heavier chassis with the bigger ratings — 34,540 lbs of towing and a 43,000 lb gross combination rating — and it costs roughly twenty thousand dollars more than our cheapest 3500. If the finished truck sits comfortably inside what a 3500 rates, that money is better spent on the body. If it does not, no amount of optioning a 3500 will close the gap.

Powertrain & capability

Manufacturer figures for a properly equipped truck. Your specific build will rate differently — confirm the ratings on the unit before you buy a trailer or a body to match it.

Engines

6.4L HEMI V8 gas: 375 hp; Standard, and the cheaper way into a chassis cab. More horsepower than the Cummins; far less torque. Three of our six.
6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel I6: 360 hp · 800 lb-ft; Available. The torque is the reason to buy it — and it is required if you want the Cummins split-shaft PTO modes.
Transmission: TorqueFlite HD 8-speed automatic; Standard with the Cummins and with the PTO-capable HEMI.
Snowplow prep: Standard; The Heavy Duty Snow Plow Prep Group, fitted as standard on this model only.

Hauling & towing

Cab-to-axle: 60 in or 84 in (Regular Cab) · 60 in (Crew Cab); The dimension that decides which body fits. Start here, not with the engine.
Position in the range: Lightest of 3500 / 4500 / 5500; Ram’s own framing: the higher the number, the higher the weight rating and capability.
Curb weight: from around 6,000 lbs; Before a body. Everything under the rating after that is body plus payload.
Rear frame steel: 50,000 psi; Straight rails, built to be mounted to.
Onboard power: up to 2.4 kW available; Best-in-class per Ram. Worth specifying if the body runs tools or equipment.
Starting MSRP: from $48,605; Tradesman Regular Cab 4x2 with 60-inch cab-to-axle. Chassis only — the body is separate.

Which trim for the work

Trim on a work truck is a budget decision, not a luxury one. What we actually have on the ground is marked.

Tradesman 6 in stock

The fleet spec and everything we stock. On a truck that is about to have a body bolted to it, the cab is the last place to spend money.

Big Horn

New · Stock RM8252

2026 Ram 3500 Chassis Cab

Tradesman

$70,790

Save $2,500 off MSRP

Quirk Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat Bangor

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Questions businesses actually ask

Should I buy the 3500 Chassis Cab or the 5500?

Work backwards from the finished weight. The 5500 is the heavier chassis with the bigger ratings — up to 34,540 lbs of towing and a 43,000 lb gross combination rating — and it costs about twenty thousand more than our cheapest 3500. If the body and the load sit inside what a 3500 rates, the 3500 is the better buy and it comes plow-ready as standard. If they do not, step up. We stock both at Bangor.

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Is snowplow prep really standard?

Yes, on this model. Ram fits the Heavy Duty Snow Plow Prep Group as standard on the 3500 Chassis Cab, and offers it as an option on the 4500 and 5500. For a Maine buyer that is one of the better reasons to stay with the 3500 if the ratings allow it.

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Gas or the Cummins?

The 6.4L HEMI makes 375 hp, more than the Cummins’ 360, and is a much cheaper truck — ours start at $54,867 against $66,690 for our cheapest Cummins. What the HEMI does not have is 800 lb-ft of torque, which is what you are buying the diesel for if the truck tows heavy or works loaded all day. We have three of each, so you can see both.

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What is cab-to-axle and which should I order?

The distance from the back of the cab to the centre of the rear axle — it decides which bodies will mount. Regular Cab comes with 60 or 84 inches, Crew Cab with 60. A longer cab-to-axle carries a longer body; a shorter one keeps the truck easier to place on a site. Your body builder picks this, so talk to them before you order.

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What do you have in stock?

Six, all 2026 Tradesman and all at Quirk Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat in Bangor — three 6.4L HEMI gas and three 6.7L Cummins, from $54,867. All are bare chassis, ready for whatever body you need, which is how most of these are sold.

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Does Ram’s warranty cover the body?

No. Ram warrants the chassis; the company that builds the dump, flatbed or service body warrants that, and Ram states plainly that it is not responsible for independent supplier alterations. Two warranties, two phone numbers — ask who services the body locally before you commit.

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Tell us what the truck has to do

What you carry, what you tow, whether a body or a plow is going on it — that decides the build. The commercial team specs it, quotes multiple units, and handles factory fleet ordering.

Call (207) 299-1611

Capability figures compiled from Ram Trucks — 2026 Ram Chassis Cab (overview, capability & FAQ), checked 2026-10-01. Ratings vary by configuration and are not a guarantee for any specific vehicle — confirm before purchase.