Dealership a heavy hitter

Known for its beefy Hemi engine passenger trucks, Dodge curiously has lacked a heavy-duty line to go head-to-head with competitors for commercial business.

That's changed for the 2008 model year, as the carmaker recently unveiled Ram 4500 and 5500 cab chassis versions motored by 305-hp Cummins Turbo Diesel engines.

The additions to Dodge's truck fleet caught the interest of Keith Roberts, general manager and partner of Hoover

Dodge in Summerville. "It's a major, major part of the market," he said. "I wanted some of the business."

The new vehicles are a good fit at the Summerville store, which has been selling the somewhat smaller but also heavy-duty Dodge Ram 3500 since the automaker reintroduced the line for 2007 after a five-year hiatus.

Hoover Dodge received its first heavy-duty trucks in the past month. The Dodge outlet intends to convert its showroom to set aside a section just for the heavy-duty Rams, as well as installing new equipment and training service technicians to work on the larger trucks, Roberts said. "They are a big deal in this country," he said, noting the share of sole proprietors to midsize businesses locally that desire trucks to tow, haul and move hefty weights on the job.

Dodge is entering an already competitive market dominated by Ford's lineup of F-450s and up and Chevrolet's Kodiak C4500 and larger full-size models.

"Statistically speaking, one out of every five trucks is for commercial use," said Ric Terrazas, commercial truck manager for Hoover Dodge in Summerville. The dealership supplies vehicles for business use such as Dodge Caravan minivans for florists and Dodge Caliber compacts for ventures that want top gas mileage.

Extending the lineup fits right in with the dealership's emphasis on company fleet operations and commercial uses, he said.

The Ram 4500 can handle up to 16,500 pounds, or more than 8 tons, while the 5500 can balance 19,500 pounds. The trucks are known as "cab chassis" vehicles since they arrive at the dealership with the two- or four-door cab and the steel-framed chassis, which then is customized with a body. The versatile chassis, with two sets of twin wheels and super-strong vented disc brakes, can be adapted as a dump truck or tow truck, for instance. "I've got a landscaper looking at one," Terrazas said.

The models come standard with a 52-gallon fuel tank able to go 480 miles on a fill up, he said. An optional 22-gallon tank is available to retrofit the chassis as an emergency medical service vehicle, for example. The 4500 and 5500 editions are similar although the 5500 has a longer wheelbase and can be converted into a car hauler. The engine, which is the same on both models, is a long-lasting low-sulphur-emission diesel. Still, buyers have added protection from parent Chrysler's unlimited-mileage power-train warranty, he said.

Buyers can buy the cab and chassis, which has a base price of $32,000, and customize the trucks on their own. Or they can have it fitted through Dodge's supplier, the Mid-South Truck Equipment Centers in North Carolina of Quincy, Ill.-based Knapheide Manufacturing Co. "I can get it from them in five days," Terrazas said, or as fast as two days for an emergency job.

While its first vehicles are cab and chassis only, Hoover Dodge expects to sell the 4500 models equipped with a pickup bed by next year.

Terrazas foresees plenty of business marketing the heavy-duty lineup. Hoover's commercial truck headquarters is the Summerville store, and it attracts buyers from surrounding Dorchester County, Greater Charleston, Moncks Corner and Walterboro. "It's a large area," he said.