Chris,
I would agree with your assessment here, in some respects. I, for one, drive a lot but do not pull 100% of my driving time. This is one obvious reason that I went with the GMC truck. It is a much better daily driver than my 250 was. The other main reason for me is that the current powertrain performance is the best of the three main choices in stock format. I would agree with your assessment that Ford has the best frame and suspension, but I do not agree that Dodge is in that class. While I know that for the new 2500 and up Ram's the frame design has been substantially improved, to this point Dodge has utilized some older frame design and suspension design techniques which are not at the level of either Ford or GM. I have discussed this finding in a previous post about one year ago. The Dodge suspension pieces and radius control arms, etc. are fairly flimsy v. the Ford and as of last year they were still utilizing mostly rivets for most structural cross members (though interestingly not on every truck--what??) rather than double pass welds as do both Ford and GM. On the heavier duty 3500 chassis cab trucks, the C-channel frame thickness on the examples reviewed was only about 75% the thickness of the equivalent Ford and GM products. I have been pleasantly surprised with my GMC frame design, more so than what I expected. The C channel is thick and unlipped and the rail thickness has been improved, it has several thick crossmembers both tubular and stamped, which are double pass welded, just like the Ford I had. The axle, driveshaft, and mounting points are thick and have large load bearing surfaces, so I must say while my Ford had some heavier duty pieces, given its suspension design the GMC I drive is right there. It is difficult for any of us to make a determination about axle loading or durability since the front suspension design of the GMC is different from that of the Ford or Dodge product. It would ultimately boil down here to whether one feels the design is inherantly stronger or weaker v. comparing them directly.
Chris, I totally see your point here. If I were doing heavy load carrying or pulling day in and out I would go Ford all the way. The frame and suspension design for this type work is the better choice, but at the cost of manuverability and some driveability for those who care about that. At that point, the additional potential for durability and long term service would likely outweigh the GM's power advantage. I do not feel, with some reason, the Dodge is at the Ford level here. I also do not feel it to be at the GM level either. I, too, thought that people "in the know" were going Ford/Dodge due to these specifics, but in reality many were buying either 1. the best deal or 2. based on word or mouth or previous purchase loyality. I also noted when looking that there was NOT an overwhelming preponderance of Fords and Dodges doing these type tasks. Just yesterday I noted while driving that there were many GMC trucks, both SRW and DRW on the road pulling some big loads, not just grandpa and grandpa pulling the travel trailer. When I started looking, I also found that those buying GMC/Chevy products for heavy towing were doing just fine also, contrary to what I believed before. I admit this. So perhaps their suspension design, though different, is not that bad for heavy towing. I also note that you mention interior design in your comments. While I will say from an appearance perspective (though a personal preference) I think the King Ranch package is top notch. That said, the seats in my current truck are more supportive and comfortable, the gauges are easier to read, it offers a rear DVD with a sunroof (Ford did not) which is important to me but probably not to the average hauler, the interior noise is less, and it drives better. I think you might have a tough time convincing me otherwise--though I loved those dark leather seats on my Ford for their appearance and thought my Ford was a better looking truck, i.e., bigger and bolder. The Dodge is being redesigned, with a substantially upgraded interior as you know. This seems with good reason. The current Dodge crop have interiors that mimic my 2002 Ford, rather than the 2008 one. It appears as though this is being addressed in the new trucks to achieve a par with the other two. This will be a welcomed change as interior design has been a Dodge shortcoming v. the other two manufacturers, IMO. As you aptly mention though, this area is highly subjective; with some prefering more goodies and others less. I am not sure having owned both a Ford and GM truck within the past two years that I fully "buy" the implication that the GM is not a fully capable work truck in this class. Perhaps last year, before I had towed with one, but not this year. As I have stated before, there are things about each truck I have owned that I like, and some things I do not. There were certainly things my Ford 6.4L offered that my current GMC does not, and vice versa. There are certain tasks for which one might suit better than the other. As you note, it boils down to needs and preference, but in the highly competitive heavy duty pickup market it boils down to performance and no competitor can be strong in one area but not in another and hope to sell any trucks.
John M
Its the 2011 Superduty dash......
