Chassis Cab · Cummins Only · Top of the Range

Ram 5500 Chassis Cab for Work in Maine

The heaviest chassis cab Ram builds, and where the range’s headline numbers actually live: 34,540 lbs of towing, a 43,000 lb gross combination rating and 800 lb-ft from the Cummins. This is the truck you buy when a 3500 has run out of rating.

Six at Quirk Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat in Bangor, all 2026 Tradesman, and every one a 6.7L Cummins — which is how this chassis is almost always specified.

new in stock

from $74,900

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

This is where the ratings stop being the constraint

Maximum diesel towing of 34,540 lbs, a gross combination rating of 43,000 lbs, and payload up to 11,530 lbs on the diesel — 12,370 with the gas V8. Those are 5500 figures; the 3500 and 4500 sit below them. If you have been specifying a body and finding that the chassis runs out before the job does, this is the answer, and no amount of optioning a lighter truck substitutes for it.

Every one we have is a Cummins, and that is normal

All six on the ground run the 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel I6: 360 hp and 800 lb-ft through the TorqueFlite HD eight-speed. The gas 6.4L HEMI technically makes more horsepower at 375, and it carries more payload because it weighs less, but at this weight class the torque is what the truck is bought for. We stock the 3500 Chassis Cab both ways if a gas chassis is what you actually need.

Power Take Off is the reason a lot of these get bought

Ram’s enhanced PTO drives hydraulics straight off the transmission, with access from the left or the right side and on either 4x2 or 4x4. With the Cummins you also get split-shaft mode, which gives you two speeds even with the truck stationary — exactly what a dump hoist, a crane or a sustained hydraulic load wants. Specify it with the truck; it is not a sensible retrofit. The available 2.4 kW onboard power system sits alongside it for everything electrical.

Plow prep is an option here, not standard

The inverse of the 3500, and worth knowing before you order. Ram fits the Heavy Duty Snow Plow Prep Group as standard on the 3500 Chassis Cab but offers it as an option on the 4500 and 5500. If this truck is going to plow, it has to be specified — it will not simply arrive that way.

When the 3500 is the better buy

Our cheapest 5500 is $74,900 against $54,867 for the cheapest 3500 — roughly twenty thousand dollars, which is most of a body. The 3500 also arrives plow-ready as standard and can be had with the cheaper gas engine. If the finished weight sits inside what a 3500 rates, that is the truck to buy and the money belongs in the equipment on the back. Step up to the 5500 because the numbers demand it, not because it sounds like more truck.

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

6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel I6: 360 hp · 800 lb-ft; What all six of ours run, and what the 34,540 lb tow rating is built on.
Transmission: TorqueFlite HD 8-speed automatic; Standard with the Cummins.
Power Take Off: Enhanced PTO, available; Left or right side access, 4x2 or 4x4, with split-shaft two-speed operation on the Cummins — usable stationary.
Onboard power: up to 2.4 kW available; Best-in-class per Ram. The electrical half of the same problem PTO solves hydraulically.

Hauling & towing

Max towing: 34,540 lbs; Diesel, 5500 models, properly equipped. The top of Ram’s chassis cab range.
Max GCWR: 43,000 lbs; 5500 models. Truck, body and trailer together.
Max payload: 11,530 lbs diesel · 12,370 lbs gas; The body comes out of this before your load does — often two tons of it.
Cab-to-axle: 60 in and 84 in options; Regular and Crew Cab configurations. The body builder picks this.
Curb weight: over 8,000 lbs in heavier builds; Before a body. Plan the finished weight, not the brochure one.
Snowplow prep: Available, not standard; Standard on the 3500 Chassis Cab; an option here. Specify it at order.

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 all six of ours. At this weight the money belongs in the body and the hydraulics, not the cab.

Big Horn

New · Stock RM8244

2026 Ram 5500 Chassis Cab

Tradesman

$78,655

Save $2,500 off MSRP

Quirk Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat Bangor

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Questions businesses actually ask

Should I buy the 5500 Chassis Cab or the 3500?

By the numbers. The 5500 tows up to 34,540 lbs against a 43,000 lb gross combination rating and carries up to 11,530 lbs on the diesel; the 3500 is the lightest in the range. Our cheapest 5500 is $74,900 against $54,867 for the cheapest 3500, and the 3500 comes with snowplow prep as standard where this one does not. Buy the 5500 when the finished weight or the trailer genuinely needs it — otherwise the 3500 leaves twenty thousand dollars for the body.

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Why is every one of yours a diesel?

Because that is how this chassis is almost always specified. At 5500 weight the 6.7L Cummins’ 800 lb-ft is the point, and the split-shaft PTO modes that a hydraulic body wants are a Cummins feature. The gas 6.4L HEMI exists and actually carries more payload because it weighs less, so if a gas chassis is what you need, our 3500 Chassis Cabs come both ways.

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Do I need Power Take Off?

If the body has hydraulics — a dump hoist, a crane, a rollback — yes, and order it with the truck. Ram’s enhanced PTO runs off the transmission with access from either side, on 4x2 or 4x4, and the Cummins adds split-shaft operation giving two speeds even when the truck is standing still. Retrofitting after the body is mounted is expensive and rarely tidy.

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Does it come ready for a plow?

Not as standard. 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, so on this truck it must be specified. If plowing is a main job and the ratings allow it, that is a genuine argument for the 3500 instead.

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What do you have in stock?

Six, all 2026 Tradesman, all 6.7L Cummins, all at Quirk Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat in Bangor, from $74,900. Every one is a bare chassis waiting on a body. If you need something lighter or cheaper we have six 3500 Chassis Cabs at the same store.

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Is the body covered by Ram’s warranty?

No. Ram warrants the chassis it built; whoever builds the dump, crane or service body warrants that, and Ram states plainly it is not responsible for independent supplier alterations. On a truck like this the body is the part doing the earning, so ask who services it locally before you sign.

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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.