Ford or Dodge?

[jk96]

Only comparing diesels here. I have a 2012 Ram 3500 dually diesel. 198,000 miles. About 70% of miles hauling and fairly heavy loads. Not unusual to scale around 26,000 truck and trailer combined and sometimes more. Transmission work under warranty at 62,000. No trans issues since. Other than that I have done wheel bearings on all 4 wheels, ball joints upper and lower on both sides once. Replaced oxygen sensor under warranty. And lots of tires. That's about it. No signs of rust anywhere on the truck however in the winter I wash regularly anytime there is salt on the roads. Love the truck, still very little hwy wind noise, and still sounds solid on the road with no creaks or rattles showing up after 7 years of use. Great ride as well. It does seem to eat up tires but I chalk that up to how heavy my loads are. Usually the rears where out just ahead of the fronts. I have a couple of friends with 1 ton fords and I test drove a few as well. My buddy Ron hauls for me and often we are meeting along the highway somewhere to grab a trailer from me or him. The ford diesels are snappier of the line, much better throttle response from a stop than my ram but when it comes to towing heavy I prefer my ram. The fords drag *** under equal loads. The exhaust break on my ram is superior to his ford as well. His ford also beats me to death compared to my truck. If I had to buy again Ram would be my choice however with all three mfg making nice trucks money talks and would take a look at the other two again if the deal was significantly better.

 

[ovrszd]

Only comparing diesels here. I have a 2012 Ram 3500 dually diesel. 198,000 miles. About 70% of miles hauling and fairly heavy loads. Not unusual to scale around 26,000 truck and trailer combined and sometimes more. Transmission work under warranty at 62,000. No trans issues since. Other than that I have done wheel bearings on all 4 wheels, ball joints upper and lower on both sides once. Replaced oxygen sensor under warranty. And lots of tires. That's about it. No signs of rust anywhere on the truck however in the winter I wash regularly anytime there is salt on the roads. Love the truck, still very little hwy wind noise, and still sounds solid on the road with no creaks or rattles showing up after 7 years of use. Great ride as well. It does seem to eat up tires but I chalk that up to how heavy my loads are. Usually the rears where out just ahead of the fronts. I have a couple of friends with 1 ton fords and I test drove a few as well. My buddy Ron hauls for me and often we are meeting along the highway somewhere to grab a trailer from me or him. The ford diesels are snappier of the line, much better throttle response from a stop than my ram but when it comes to towing heavy I prefer my ram. The fords drag *** under equal loads. The exhaust break on my ram is superior to his ford as well. His ford also beats me to death compared to my truck. If I had to buy again Ram would be my choice however with all three mfg making nice trucks money talks and would take a look at the other two again if the deal was significantly better.

Well written response from someone that truly works their truck.

 

[jk96]

Well written response from someone that truly works their truck.

Also just to clarify when I said his ford drags *** that was not in reference to power (his Ford has plenty) but on the way it sits under load. When I'm sitting level and swap trailers his rear end looks like it need airbags.

 

[RSKY]

I have had a Dodge, now have a Ford. The only thing I can add to the discussion is that the Dodge 3500 had the worst reliability record of any new American build vehicle a couple years ago. I assume they how have the problems fixed and you aren't looking for the heavy duty type anyway.

The last truck I had was a Dodge bought new in 1993 and sold in 2012. I tend to buy new and drive them for years.

RSKY

 

[atsah]

Only comparing diesels here. I have a 2012 Ram 3500 dually diesel. 198,000 miles. About 70% of miles hauling and fairly heavy loads. Not unusual to scale around 26,000 truck and trailer combined and sometimes more. Transmission work under warranty at 62,000. No trans issues since. Other than that I have done wheel bearings on all 4 wheels, ball joints upper and lower on both sides once. Replaced oxygen sensor under warranty. And lots of tires. That's about it. No signs of rust anywhere on the truck however in the winter I wash regularly anytime there is salt on the roads. Love the truck, still very little hwy wind noise, and still sounds solid on the road with no creaks or rattles showing up after 7 years of use. Great ride as well. It does seem to eat up tires but I chalk that up to how heavy my loads are. Usually the rears where out just ahead of the fronts. I have a couple of friends with 1 ton fords and I test drove a few as well. My buddy Ron hauls for me and often we are meeting along the highway somewhere to grab a trailer from me or him. The ford diesels are snappier of the line, much better throttle response from a stop than my ram but when it comes to towing heavy I prefer my ram. The fords drag *** under equal loads. The exhaust break on my ram is superior to his ford as well. His ford also beats me to death compared to my truck. If I had to buy again Ram would be my choice however with all three mfg making nice trucks money talks and would take a look at the other two again if the deal was significantly better.

Is Ron's Ford a DRW 350? My 350 had no sag at all pulling heavy with gooseneck, my 250 sagged bad..

 

[prof fate]

Yeah, it can vary a LOT.

I had a 13 silverado - 1/2 ton, 4 door 4x4 got it for towing, so equipped for that. Scaled it at 5700 and it was GVWR of 7000 - so 1300 lb payload. I had a few minivans that had hither payload capacity. Put in 4 adults and a dog to go camping and bam, you have maybe 700 lsb left for payload/tongue weight. Pitiful really.

My 05 F350 has a GVWR of 10,500 and I'm guess 6500lb scale weight (haven't done that yet), it's a simple single cab 8' bed 4x4. So that's what, 4,000lb payload? 2 tons!

Talking with a ford owner friend and he's telling me he can carry 2000 in his F150...I said BS, but when you look up the stats on F150's you can get them equipped to haul quite a bit - a lot for a 1/2 ton truck.

If it's gonna be driven empty a lot ride can matter - the silverado was damned near a car (also p rated tires, 4 ply). The F350 has E rated 10 ply...and a lot more suspeension and rides like a truck, bumps/potholes are NOT your friend!

but it's got HUGE brakes compared to the silverado...which makes towing a MUCH less white knuckle experience when stopping.

You didn't specify how much weight you might be hauling and that makes a difference. Are you talking a half ton, 3/4 ton?, 1 ton? A V6 in a 3/4 ton Ford??

I have a Dodge/Cummins dually with manual transmission for my heavy hauling needs. But I wanted a better-riding, more nimble truck for day-to-day driving and hauling. So when I was truck shopping I was amazed at the difference in payload in stock trucks. Most of the half-ton Dodges the payload was only about 900 pounds according to the door sticker. That meant once I loaded my quad and my camping gear I would already be over the truck's rated capacity. But they sure had a nice soft, smooth ride!
I ended up with a Ford F150. Payload according to the door sticker is 1937 pounds - a thousand pounds more than the Dodge. And that's stock, without the heavy payload package. My understanding is that the 3/4 ton Dodges (Rams?) now have coil spring suspension in the rear for better ride...big topic of discussion on the truck camper forums because of sway problems due to the soft springs.

 

[jk96]

Is Ron's Ford a DRW 350? My 350 had no sag at all pulling heavy with gooseneck, my 250 sagged bad..

Yes. Same year as mine. 2012 f350 DRW. His bed also sits much lower than mine. Both stock.

 

[jk96]

Regardless both great trucks and have no problem getting the job done. His has been very reliable as well.

 

[atsah]

I hear good things about Fords 6.7. Dodge sits high for sure.

 

[slus]

Sounds like you're talking half ton trucks since you mentioned a V6. I don't know your needs, but I hate to be limited on the jobs I can do by the capability of my truck. I'd be looking at base model 3/4 if not 1 ton trucks if I were you. I wish I got a Ram 3500 instead of my 2017 Ram 2500, like someone else mentioned they went to coil springs on the Ram 2500s for better ride at the expense of load capacity.

 

[ovrszd]

Sounds like you're talking half ton trucks since you mentioned a V6. I don't know your needs, but I hate to be limited on the jobs I can do by the capability of my truck. I'd be looking at base model 3/4 if not 1 ton trucks if I were you. I wish I got a Ram 3500 instead of my 2017 Ram 2500, like someone else mentioned they went to coil springs on the Ram 2500s for better ride at the expense of load capacity.

I agree. I consider a 1/2T a car with a big trunk.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I agree. I consider a 1/2T a car with a big trunk.

I don't... I haven't figured out how to get my garden tractor in the trunk of my car... Can't get my 4 wheeler in there either and a thousand other things that I put in my 1/2 T pu..

I don't see any reason to haul them in my one ton that eats more fuel, has a much worse ride ect., when it's not needed!

SR

 

[EddieWalker]

I agree. I consider a 1/2T a car with a big trunk.

That's what I love about my F150. 8 foot bed for hauling lots of stuff, 5.0 V8 for plenty of power, and a super smooth ride better then most cars!!!!

I had a F250 before, and the difference is significant. If you have to drive very far, it's just a lot nicer having a truck that rides like a car.

 

[ovrszd]

And that my friends is why they make so many varieties. My F250 rides very well. Gets 15mpg. Will pull 25K lbs comfortably. Will haul groceries with the best of them.

 

[Granthol]

My thing is I don稚 really haul heavy, but I do haul bulky stuff. Rarely do I need to haul more than a ton and then I borrow a neighbors trailer to haul it. Payload is usually not my issue, but space is.

 

[ovrszd]

My thing is I don稚 really haul heavy, but I do haul bulky stuff. Rarely do I need to haul more than a ton and then I borrow a neighbors trailer to haul it. Payload is usually not my issue, but space is.

Then you Sir are a prime candidate for the vast offerings of 1/2T trucks.

 

[Granthol]

Which is what I知 looking at. I would like to pickup 4x4. I have an f150. Its a 2004 with 190000 miles. Leaks a drop or 2 of oil every time I park it, but it doesn稚 have a spot of rust anywhere. Even the undercarriage is rust free.

 

[Jstpssng]

Be careful. There are some who get rather testy when you call their Ram pickup a Dodge.

 

[atsah]

They put a big enough "RAM" on the **** thing and they keep getting bigger..

 

[Granthol]

If they don’t want to drive a truck built by Dodge they need to buy a Ford or Chevy. Call it what it is.