This 2020 Ram 3500 H.O. Cummins is our development truck for the late-model platform. We do not start by bolting on parts and guessing. First, we put real miles on it so the engine is broken in and the power, torque, fuel economy, and emissions are stable. Then we log the truck hard with iDash DataMonster so our baseline is solid. From there, the work is straightforward: identify what the truck needs, test it in the real world, and build the package around that. We installed Banks PedalMonster right away to evaluate torque response across altitude, grades, city driving, and highway use. The Ram-Air Differential Cover is already through design and testing. In R&D for this truck are late-model Cummins tuning, a Banks Ram-Air Intake System, intercooler upgrade, Monster boost tubes, a new emissions-capable Monster-Ram, and a 5-inch Monster exhaust system. The point is not random parts. It is a complete, tested package built off a known baseline so each change can be measured and made to work together.
Gale Banks introduces a 2020 Ram 3500 HD equipped with the high-output Cummins and explains that the truck was deliberately sourced from New York because these models were difficult to find. Rather than immediately modifying it, the team put more than 4,000 miles on the truck first. The purpose was to remove the "green" condition of a brand-new vehicle and establish stable baselines for engine output, torque, fuel economy, and emissions before any serious development work began.
That break-in mileage also served as real-world validation across a wide range of conditions. Banks emphasizes that baseline consistency matters before evaluating aftermarket parts, because only then can changes be measured against a dependable reference rather than against a drivetrain that is still settling in.
One Banks product was installed immediately after purchase in New York: the PedalMonster throttle booster. Banks says installation takes about 90 seconds and is intended as a do-it-yourself upgrade. The truck was then driven through varied environments, including mountains, desert, city traffic, grades, and altitude changes, to evaluate how the system behaved in actual use rather than in a narrow test scenario.
The testing sequence began with the truck in stock form and then progressed through the PedalMonster calibrations from City to Sport to Track. Banks reports that the system made a significant difference in the Rockies, but he also notes that the combination became somewhat inconsistent at high altitude. In his view, the truck felt overly eager to shift in those conditions, suggesting that more calibration work may be needed for this application. He speculates that there may still be performance left on the table at elevation, whether through revised calibration, a different turbocharger better suited to high altitude, or future tuning changes.
The truck is a Night Edition, and Banks highlights the monochrome treatment as one of its strongest visual features. He notes that Ram eliminated chrome entirely, which he considers well executed. The body color is Granite Gray Metallic, finished with a hard clear coat that he expects to be durable in regular use.
He also comments on practical exterior details. Southern California freeway driving had already exposed the truck to gravel and stone impacts, making durability relevant from the start. Looking ahead, he suggests the truck may eventually see snow-plow duty at his Yosemite property. Although he likes the factory blacked-out 20-inch wheels, he makes it clear that more aggressive wheel and tire changes are likely part of the build plan. He also points out the extendable trailer mirrors, which telescope outward to improve visibility when towing.
Inside, Banks describes the truck as heavily optioned, comparing the amount of equipment to a luxury vehicle. He specifically calls out the deployable side step, which drops down from the rocker area and gives the truck easier cabin access while maintaining a clean appearance when retracted.
The cabin technology receives particular attention. The truck is equipped with Ram's 12-inch infotainment display, which he notes is among the largest available in a production vehicle, exceeded only by Tesla's screen in his comparison. Audio is handled by a 17-speaker Harman Kardon system, and the rear seating includes comfort and adjustment features more commonly associated with front seats. Even so, he quickly shifts focus back to what he considers the real point of interest: the truck's performance potential.
Banks identifies the rear axle ratio as 3.73:1 and hints that a gear change at both ends may be considered later, especially if the truck receives substantially larger-diameter tires. That comment ties the visual build plans directly to drivetrain strategy, since tire size changes can alter effective gearing and towing behavior.
He also notes the controlled tailgate action on modern trucks, contrasting it with older chain-supported designs that dropped abruptly. From there he moves into the powertrain. In 2020 Ram HD form, the standard Cummins is rated at 370 horsepower and 850 lb-ft of torque, while the high-output version in this truck is rated at 400 horsepower and 1,000 lb-ft. Banks argues that this broad torque delivery is why the Aisin six-speed automatic works well in the Ram, even as Ford, Chevrolet, and GMC have moved to 10-speed transmissions in competing heavy-duty pickups.
The truck's capability figures are another major point. He cites a 35,100-pound tow rating and a 7,680-pound payload rating. He remarks on the irony that a truck commonly referred to as a one-ton can carry what is effectively nearly four tons of payload, underscoring just how far modern heavy-duty pickups have progressed.
Banks then outlines the products already available or already installed for this platform. The PedalMonster is the first, having been fitted at the time of purchase. He also highlights the iDash line, specifically the iDash DataMonster and iDash SuperGauge instrument packages. These systems can display hundreds of parameters, with up to eight readings per screen and as many as five custom screens when using the DataMonster.
The logging capability is presented as a major engineering tool rather than just a display feature. By inserting an SD card into the gauge, users can log up to 100 channels at 20 samples per second. Banks says the storage capacity is substantial enough that a 16 GB card can record for weeks under those conditions. In their own use, the team logged data continuously from New York to Los Angeles without coming close to filling the card.
He also states that the Ram-Air differential cover for 2019 and 2020 Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks had already been designed, tested, and put into production. The same casting also fits late-model GM applications for 2020, and he says those covers for both Ram and GM were expected in the spring.
A large portion of the project is still in research and development, and Banks makes clear that late-model Cummins tuning is a major priority. He says Ram Cummins owners have been asking for tuning support and that the engineering team is actively working on it. In fact, he identifies that effort as one of the main reasons the company bought this specific 2020 high-output truck.
He also confirms that a new Ram-Air intake system is under development. While he avoids disclosing the design because a patent is being written, he characterizes the concept as revolutionary and says that, if development proceeds as planned, it should arrive in the spring. Additional underhood upgrades in progress include an intercooler improvement, Monster boost tubes, and a new Monster-Ram intake component that is intended to pass emissions requirements. He mentions that the team had already 3D-printed an aluminum prototype, machined it, and tested it on a truck, with a separate Engineering Unboxed episode covering that work.
On the exhaust side, Banks says the company is preparing a dedicated video on the system and has been evolving material choices over time. Previous systems used 5-inch aluminized steel, then moved into aluminized 409 stainless, and the next step is a full 304 stainless 5-inch exhaust system designed for effectively zero backpressure from the DPF rearward.
He directly challenges the claim that a DPF-back exhaust cannot increase horsepower. According to Banks, that belief is incorrect, and he says the company is producing a dyno demonstration to show measurable horsepower gains. He then describes the new exhaust tip design in detail. The tips are offered either in chrome-plated stainless steel or in high-temperature Cerakote-coated stainless steel. The system maintains a full 5-inch diameter into the tip, with an inlet area of about 19 square inches and an outlet area approaching 40 square inches. That expansion, combined with the shaped outlet, is presented as both a flow and appearance feature. Once installed and tucked under the truck, he expects it to deliver a much more substantial visual presence than the factory tip.
Banks closes by framing the 2020 Ram 3500 HO as a major development vehicle for the company. The truck is not just a shop toy or a cosmetic build; it is a platform for validating a broad range of products, from throttle control and instrumentation to differential covers, intake hardware, intercooling, boost plumbing, emissions-compliant induction components, tuning, and exhaust systems.
The overall message is that the truck has already completed its baseline mileage, has begun real-world product evaluation, and will serve as the foundation for a substantial rollout of Ram Cummins performance hardware. Banks makes it clear that the engineering work is already underway and that this Ram will be central to bringing those products to market.