Maybe a new truck Ford or Dodge?

[Hay Dude]

IFS is fine if they stay on the road and you never go to larger, more aggressive tires. When you started hauling and towing on other than paved roads, they don't hold up, quick search will show some of the issues encountered,

"weak factory tierods"

"The real problem with IFS is the tie rod ends, as well as the rest of the steering linkage (such as the infamous idler arm that always seems to be bad) in a stock truck. The big problem with them blowing up a CV shaft is when they are lifted.

Another reason they got a bad rep is because of the 1/2 ton version that was much weaker and couldn't handle larger tires or a lift without completely going to crap back when it came out. I know the heavy 3/4-ton and 1-ton version changed minimally since it came about (til 2011) but I think the 1/2-ton really was revised."

Probably true, but there were aftermarket parts to fix these weaknesses.

My “lift kit & big tires” days are decades behind me. I like pretty much bone stock trucks-other than a ranch hand bumper or a flat bed, I leave them alone.

No, the 6.4L was.

I put 186K miles on my 2006 6.0L pulling trailers frequently, heaviest was 14K frequently. I did take care of the weakpoints. All it required was ARP headstuds, EGR delete. I bought the headstuds and EGR kit and had installed by Ford under warranty, just had to pay the $100.00 deductible.

Yeah maybe. I owned 3 of them. Constant repairs. Over 120K miles and you couldn’t keep them running. Nice looking, fast, pretty tough but extremely unreliable. Here’s one of the 6.4’s I had. I liked it as a plow truck

 

[Hay Dude]

Same WB?

Yes, I think so. The Superduty turns a little tighter. For all I know, the newest Ram may turn tighter now, but it never was a big deal in real life situations. And the Ram had more advantages over the Ford, so I went with it.
I think when you test drive the Ford, it’ll feel faster and maybe a little nicer driving, but if you really want a truck you can push the limits on, the Ram/Cummins/Aisin is a better package. Ford makes great trucks, but I needed a change from Ford and so far I am very happy. If I wasn’t, I’d reveal the weaknesses of the Ram.

Just make sure you get the Aisin transmission and the power-fold flat mirrors.

And remember…..its RAM, not “Dodge”. Been that way for like 12 years.

 

[sea2summit]

No, the 6.4L was.

I put 186K miles on my 2006 6.0L pulling trailers frequently, heaviest was 14K frequently. I did take care of the weakpoints. All it required was ARP headstuds, EGR delete. I bought the headstuds and EGR kit and had installed by Ford under warranty, just had to pay the $100.00 deductible.

Had an EGR fail…was not fun.

 

[sea2summit]

I have read/heard several times that for Ford's if you are considering a F350 Dually, Don't, get the F450 instead, much more payload and towing AND they have a smaller turning radius. sounds like the same situation.

And it’s cheaper because you can get is as a chassis without 7million luxury features I’d never use anyway. No carpet, manual windows, manual transmission and enough electronics to run lights and a AM/FM radio is all I want.

 

[Hay Dude]

And it’s cheaper because you can get is as a chassis without 7million luxury features I’d never use anyway. No carpet, manual windows, manual transmission and enough electronics to run lights and a AM/FM radio is all I want.

THAT will probably have to be ordered. 99% of trucks at dealers, or in my case, a chassis pool, will have a lot of power accessories. Since I had no choice (couldn’t order a truck) I simply purchased an extended warranty to cover their eventual failure.

 

[sea2summit]

THAT will probably have to be ordered. 99% of trucks at dealers, or in my case, a chassis pool, will have a lot of power accessories. Since I had no choice (couldn’t order a truck) I simply purchased an extended warranty to cover their eventual failure.

I’ve done builds on both websites then “find my truck”. The Rams closet to what I want are in Florida but the Fords are in Texas. I can’t figure that out.

 

[Hay Dude]

I’ve done builds on both websites then “find my truck”. The Rams closet to what I want are in Florida but the Fords are in Texas. I can’t figure that out.

Florida aint far for you right? Still in GA?
Your local RAM dealer may even trade trucks with FL dealer and bring it closer

 

[Complete Turf Care]

I haven't read all posts, so I don't know if this has been mentioned, but keep in mind that a Cab/chassis truck will be 'detuned' compared to a pickup bed truck. This is with Ram and might be on Fords also.
This means that a 'cab/chassis' truck will have less horsepower and torque than a pickup bed truck. I'm not sure why they do this, but I found out when I bought my 2016 Ram 3500 cab/chassis.
I have about 170000 miles on it now, and it has been a good truck. We don't use it much anymore, but it is the only truck I have that I feel comfortable pulling our 40' trailer with.
One thing I noticed when I first got it was that it took longer to merge into traffic when getting on the interstate compared to my previous Ram 2500 which had the same engine, but was not 'detuned'

 

[sea2summit]

Florida aint far for you right? Still in GA?
Your local RAM dealer may even trade trucks with FL dealer and bring it closer

Ain’t far. Once I get serious I’ll make a road trip them let them hound me with calls for 30-45 days until they get desperate enough to give me a better deal.

 

[sea2summit]

I haven't read all posts, so I don't know if this has been mentioned, but keep in mind that a Cab/chassis truck will be 'detuned' compared to a pickup bed truck. This is with Ram and might be on Fords also.
This means that a 'cab/chassis' truck will have less horsepower and torque than a pickup bed truck. I'm not sure why they do this, but I found out when I bought my 2016 Ram 3500 cab/chassis.
I have about 170000 miles on it now, and it has been a good truck. We don't use it much anymore, but it is the only truck I have that I feel comfortable pulling our 40' trailer with.
One thing I noticed when I first got it was that it took longer to merge into traffic when getting on the interstate compared to my previous Ram 2500 which had the same engine, but was not 'detuned'

They do that because they’re work trucks and most employers don’t want their employees hotrodding around. Dodge and Ford are both offering speed limiters on their chassis cabs too. Not a hard fix with a tuner.