Ford vs Chevy - No, it's not about your favorite brand...

[RayCo]

This is an 04, and the angle doesn't really strike me as extreme, or even really all that noticeable.

 

[Diamondpilot]

My old Ford's would squat like a dog dropping a duece with half that weight in it.

Of course they did.

Chris

 

[Dmace]

Of course they did.

Need a little proof?

Exhibit A: (2010 Chevy 3/4 ton, 10k lb trailer)
SITTING LEVEL

Exhibit B: (2010 Dodge 3/4 ton, 10k lb trailer)
SITTING LEVEL

Exhibit C: (2010 Ford 3/4 ton, 10k lb trailer)
NOT SITTING LEVEL

That's only a little tongue weight, imagine a full payload...

All pictures from pickuptrucks.com and their 2010 Heavy Duty Truck Shootout.

 

[LD1]

I am not a ford fan at all, and I dont mean to stir the pot because I am a dodge and chevy man, but if I was a ford man, I'd probabally say something like...................

That ford looks like it is squatting more because it is accelerating MUCH harder. More weight transfer.:laughing:

 

[AGGIE00]

My favorite setup is the softer springs and airbags. I put 2.5" of lift on my 07 2500 dodge diesel to level it out, but it doesn't take much weight in the back to give it the Texas tilt. I used the airbags to remedy this and I love it and wouldn't have a heavy duty truck without them.

 

[Builder]

My '00 Ford F-350 Superduty diesel only had a 4,900 lb front axle rating. I had to install F-550 front springs in it just so I could plow snow without bottoming out. Here's a picture of my old Ford with only a 8,000lb trailer. Notice the squat, even with a 2" rear lift kit. The front is nose high even with very little tongue weight. I never should have altered the suspension on mine. Even at stock height, I was envious of the GM HD for loading/unloading.

Another thing I dislike about Fords is working out of them all day. They sit so sky high you practically need a step ladder to get materials out of the bed. It's no wonder they have the "manstep". The truck is practically inaccesible without it.




Thing I like about the DMAX engine is it weighs ~400lbs less than the Powestroke because of use of aluminum. It enables the GM truck to carry more weight on the front axle, or equal a Ford with a 400lb or higher front GAWR because the DMAX is 400lbs lighter and the front axle components on the GM truck are lighter than Ford's. I find the GM's have a lower tailgate height, so after the hundredth sheet of 5/8" plywood, your back is still feeling OK. I couldn't imagine going back to the Ford-type truck again because of the height alone. My knees & back would be shot. Seems like a lot of guys switch to GM's in their 40's just to trade the jacked up macho look for a more ergonomic, easily accessible smoother riding truck like a GM HD.


Here's my '07 GMC 3500 4x4. Sits dead level.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Need a little proof?

Exhibit A: (2010 Chevy 3/4 ton, 10k lb trailer)
SITTING LEVEL

Exhibit B: (2010 Dodge 3/4 ton, 10k lb trailer)
SITTING LEVEL

Exhibit C: (2010 Ford 3/4 ton, 10k lb trailer)
NOT SITTING LEVEL

That's only a little tongue weight, imagine a full payload...

All pictures from pickuptrucks.com and their 2010 Heavy Duty Truck Shootout.

I wonder...Did they use a WD hitch???

 

[Duffster]

My '00 Ford F-350 Superduty diesel only had a 4,900 lb front axle rating. I had to install F-550 front springs in it just so I could plow snow without bottoming out. Here's a picture of my old Ford with only a 8,000lb trailer. Notice the squat, even with a 2" rear lift kit. The front is nose high even with very little tongue weight. I never should have altered the suspension on mine. Even at stock height, I was envious of the GM HD for loading/unloading.

Another thing I dislike about Fords is working out of them all day. They sit so sky high you practically need a step ladder to get materials out of the bed. It's no wonder they have the "manstep". The truck is practically inaccesible without it.




Thing I like about the DMAX engine is it weighs ~400lbs less than the Powestroke because of use of aluminum. It enables the GM truck to carry more weight on the front axle, or equal a Ford with a 400lb or higher front GAWR because the DMAX is 400lbs lighter and the front axle components on the GM truck are lighter than Ford's. I find the GM's have a lower tailgate height, so after the hundredth sheet of 5/8" plywood, your back is still feeling OK. I couldn't imagine going back to the Ford-type truck again because of the height alone. My knees & back would be shot. Seems like a lot of guys switch to GM's in their 40's just to trade the jacked up macho look for a more ergonomic, easily accessible smoother riding truck like a GM HD.


Here's my '07 GMC 3500 4x4. Sits dead level.

The picture of your Ford really proves nothing as it is obvious that isn't stock ride height on either end.

 

[Dmace]

I wonder...Did they use a WD hitch???

The Ford and Dodge had them but the GM has a 13,000lb tow rating without the WD hitch so they didn't use it.

Also worth mentioning is that the GM three-quarter-ton trucks can tow conventionally up to 13,000 pounds on their bumper hitch without requiring weight-distributing equalizer bars. We saved lots of time hooking and unhooking the GM trucks to their trailers compared with the Ford and Chrysler pickups, which require equalizers for trailers weighing more than 6,000 pounds.

http://special-reports.pickuptrucks.com/2010/08/2010-hd-threequarterton-gasoline-trucks-srw.html

 

[Diamondpilot]

Not to get into all the particulars here but Ford offers something like 7 spring packages for different GVWR's. GM and Dodge only offer the 1. If a WD hitch was used the guy did into know what he was doing or it was not setup right.

My F-250 will squat like a pig with 1,800# tongue weight. My 3500 Dmax would squat just the same. My f-350 with the proper package only sets down a few inches and the truck sits perfectly level with 15,600# and 1,800# of tongue weight. I pull that load 5,000 miles or so a year at 60-75 mph with no issues or tire wear.

Fords can be had so many ways its hard to tell what that truck has.

Chris

 

[Dmace]

Not to get into all the particulars here but Ford offers something like 7 spring packages for different GVWR's. GM and Dodge only offer the 1. If a WD hitch was used the guy did into know what he was doing or it was not setup right.

Yeah, I'm sure the guy that does nothing but test trucks for a living had no idea how to set it up. He should have asked a pilot that tows boats around before attempting this test.
The Ford Towing Guide (pg 8) clearly states that the SRW F250/F350 is limited to 6,000lbs without a WD hitch and the DRW is limited to 8,000lbs.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

The Ford and Dodge had them but the GM has a 13,000lb tow rating without the WD hitch so they didn't use it.

2010 HD Three-Quarter-Ton Gasoline Trucks (SRW) - PickupTrucks.com Special Reports

Yeah, I'm sure the guy that does nothing but test trucks for a living had no idea how to set it up. He should have asked a pilot that tows boats around before attempting this test.
The Ford Towing Guide (pg 8) clearly states that the SRW F250/F350 is limited to 6,000lbs without a WD hitch and the DRW is limited to 8,000lbs.

Very interesting...I thought that most 1/2, 3/4, and 1-ton trucks had to have a WD hitch if towing over 5k or 6k...Also, I thought most of their hitches are rated somewhere around 5k/12k. To double check I looked at Chevy's towing guide and it has a footnote under the 1500 saying that you need a WD over 5k but there is no such notation under the 2500 or 3500. Another thing, it says that the 3500 HD DRW can tow around 17k bumper pull (nothing about a WD hitch) and I noticed that the factory hitch is rated at 17k/17k. I posted that before and everyone seemed to think that it could not pull 17k without a WD...Now I'm not so sure...

 

[Dmace]

Very interesting...I thought that most 1/2, 3/4, and 1-ton trucks had to have a WD hitch if towing over 5k or 6k...Also, I thought most of their hitches are rated somewhere around 5k/12k. To double check I looked at Chevy's towing guide and it has a footnote under the 1500 saying that you need a WD over 5k but there is no such notation under the 2500 or 3500. Another thing, it says that the 3500 HD DRW can tow around 17k bumper pull (nothing about a WD hitch) and I noticed that the factory hitch is rated at 17k/17k. I posted that before and everyone seemed to think that it could not pull 17k without a WD...Now I'm not so sure...

Just like you said, it's all about what their hitch is rated at. I really don't understand why Ford and Dodge don't just put a good Class V 2-1/2" hitch on from the factory. For $367 and less than an hour of install time, you can install a Class V Titan receiver that's rated at 18k lbs with or without a WD hitch and 2000lbs of tongue weight without losing the spare tire or modifying the bumper.
It all depends on the trailer too, I need the WD hitch for towing my 7000lb 27ft camper since it's so front heavy and the axles are set pretty far back but I can load up my 10,000lb 10ft dump trailer and the truck barely squats below level without the WD hitch.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Just like you said, it's all about what their hitch is rated at. I really don't understand why Ford and Dodge don't just put a good Class V 2-1/2" hitch on from the factory. For $367 and less than an hour of install time, you can install a Class V Titan receiver that's rated at 18k lbs with or without a WD hitch and 2000lbs of tongue weight without losing the spare tire or modifying the bumper.
It all depends on the trailer too, I need the WD hitch for towing my 7000lb 27ft camper since it's so front heavy and the axles are set pretty far back but I can load up my 10,000lb 10ft dump trailer and the truck barely squats below level without the WD hitch.

Like you said, it all comes down to the tongue weight.

I broke the factory 2" hitch on my 4 month old 2004 F-250 Diesel 4x4. The hitch was rated at 12,000# with WD and I believe 7,500 without. Anyway I was pulling just shy of 15,000# and no WD. Impossible to use on most boat trailers. I have only had 1 boat trailer it would work on. Anyway, I broke it. Luckily I caught it before I lost the load, a brand new $120,000 boat. I went the next day and got 2.5" Titan at a RV dealer about 1 hour away. Still have it and never a issue.

When I ordered my 2006 F-350 Diesel 4x4 SRW I told the dealer I did not want the 2" hitch that came on the F-250 and F-350 SRW trucks. I wanted the 2.5" hitch that came on the DRW trucks. He did a tow package with a hitch delete then ordered the 2.5" hitch and they put it on as a dealer installed option. One dealer tried to convince me it would not work because the frame was narrower on a DRW truck but that was not true. It was only narrower on a Cab and Chassis truck.

What I am getting at is a better hitch can be had. Just takes some know how and a dealer who is willing to do the research, not just order what is in a package.

Chris

 

[CompactTractorFan]

I broke the factory 2" hitch on my 4 month old 2004 F-250 Diesel 4x4. The hitch was rated at 12,000# with WD and I believe 7,500 without. Anyway I was pulling just shy of 15,000# and no WD.

I wonder why you broke it??? :confused2:

 

[Diamondpilot]

I wonder why you broke it??? :confused2:

I have broken many things Kyle. I work my stuff hard and always find the weak point quickly. Get a few years on you and you will be in the same situation.

By the way, congrats on the Member Of The Month honors. I enjoy your posts.

Chris

 

[jmanatee2]

I have an 08 chevy 2500HD diesel and they do the same thing on that hitch 7500/13500 noWD/WD and it is a 2.5" class V hitch, its stupid. I think it is CYA if you tell people you can put a 13500lb trailer on it people will do it with out looking at the way the trailer is loaded. Some may need a WD some may not.

I upgraded my hitch to a curt 15602 18,000lb with or without WD 1800lb tongue capacity for $208 plus 45 min to install. I am selling my stock hitch and probably make close to the $200 so it will be a wash.

I pull my 10k lb dump trailer no WD truck sits very level.
I pull my 12k lb (about 11.5k lb on it) flat bed with the kubota and implements with no WD and the truck sits level.

So why would I need or want WD?

 

[Dmace]

So why would I need or want WD?

The WD hitch is not just for sitting level while parked in your driveway. I see plenty of hot shot RV'ers that think they can put a 30ft travel trailer on a 1/2 ton truck and pull it since it sits level with no WD hitch. Then they get on that bumpy road and all of a sudden their chains are dragging and the trailer jack is scraping all the frost heaves off the road.

It may sit level when parked, but drive down a bumpy road and you will see where that WD hitch really makes a difference.

 

[timswi]

The WD hitch is not just for sitting level while parked in your driveway. I see plenty of hot shot RV'ers that think they can put a 30ft travel trailer on a 1/2 ton truck and pull it since it sits level with no WD hitch. Then they get on that bumpy road and all of a sudden their chains are dragging and the trailer jack is scraping all the frost heaves off the road.

It may sit level when parked, but drive down a bumpy road and you will see where that WD hitch really makes a difference.

That's certainly true..I used to pull a 32 foot trailer with a 1/2 ton shortbed reg cab 4x4 Chevy (not the ideal truck for that, but it worked fine)...I wouldn't dream of trying that without a WD...Even if I was using a 1 ton, I'd still use WD and sway control...You do see a lot of stupid in the towing world though.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

I have broken many things Kyle. I work my stuff hard and always find the weak point quickly. Get a few years on you and you will be in the same situation.

By the way, congrats on the Member Of The Month honors. I enjoy your posts.

Chris

Thank you. I too enjoy your posts; you seem very knowledgeable in the trailers/transportation area... Oh, and about the breaking stuff...I brake stuff all the time, just nowhere near or over its rated capacity...:laughing: