Dodge RAM 2500 vs. Ford F-250 SuperDuty.

rogerd1000

I am looking to purchase a new truck and I can't decide which one to buy. The Dodge or The Ford. The Dodge I would buy is a 2500 Quad Cab SLT w/8ft Bed. The Ford would be the F-250 SuperDuty Crew Cab SLT w/8ft Bed. I will put a Fisher Plow on the truck. Does anyone have any feedback about either of these two Trucks that might help me make a decision. Thanks in advance.
Roger

mullins87

Either one would be a fine choice. I'm a Ford man, so I'm partial to the Ford truck itself. However, I think the Cummins is the better engine. The new 6.0L Navistar in the Ford is fairly new and has had its share of bugs. If you're looking at 2004's, I believe the vast majority of those bugs have been eliminated. The Cummins on the other hand, only received fuel delivery upgrades - someone correct me if I'm wrong and I have been several times. So, I'd bet it's still rock solid even with those new injectors. They sure are a lot quieter than they used to be!

Seems like "dusty" is affliated with a company that has a rather large fleet of trucks. Maybe he will chime in with some advice.

wpalkowski

I don't know about the Dodge, but Ford doesn't recommend snow plow on their F250/350 crew cabs, expecially if there's a heavyweight diesel under the hood. Believe you can't even order the snow plow prep package with CC diesel configuration. Am told that chassis and suspension aren't beefy enough to stand up to that kind of front end weight and pounding with that long a vehicle. Think you have to go up to like an F450 CC chassis in order to support plow reliably. Be worthwhile to check Dodge specs too, you don't want to have something fail and then have warranty claim denied because you overloaded front end of truck.

dustyk

I can't comment on any diesel versions since our company doesn't have those in the current pick-up fleet. Our mediums are almost all Fords.

Since 1997 our only 4x4s have been 1/2 ton Dodge 1500s (four) in Monroe county. They are currently equiped with Western plows and are used extensively for parking lot plowing and salting for our more than a dozen sites in the area. (The big parking lots are done by a contractor who uses big earth moving equipment.) Two of them also carry a 4500 pound salt-spreaders in the back. This combination has worked well. They've been a very reliable platform.

We do have a few SuperDutys (2002s) in our fleet, but they are all two-wheel drive to the best of my knowledge. I can't verify the comments made by another contributor about fitness-of-purpose of the SuperDuty, but I guess I am a little surprised to hear they aren't recommended for snow plowing. I know some years ago GM would not warranty any fleet 1/2 ton truck chassis for plowing, one of the major reasons we went to Dodges.

Our new Dodges are all 1/2 ton 1500 series with the 4.7 engine (there are a few with the V6).

My daughter's horse stable has two SuperDutys, one is a F350 and the other is a F450. Both are diesel dual wheel 4x4s. The owner is not particularly pleased with them. They have experienced a number of nagging issues, but I don't think they've had any real major problems with them.

Our F150s have been competent performers. Like anything else, they are not perfect and suspension problems come to mind as being somewhat pronounced. We've lost a few transmissions, but based on sixty some odd F150s the failure rate is well within the norm for this type of fleet. There have been a couple to have valve/cylinder head issues. Don't know on this one. Some claim they are harder on tires than GM or Dodge, but that's an unverified opinion from our fleet manager. As far as brakes, it has never seemed to matter what we've owned, it is our highest maintenance/repair item.

The 4.6 Ford and 318 Dodge engines are nearly bullet proof. We've never lost a Dodge engine, and I think only one Ford. The new Dodges have the 4.7 (287) motor and we've yet to have any problems.

I'm afraid I can't help you much with your 3/4 ton search. I have only ever driven one SuperDuty and that was a while ago. I thought the handling was not as nimble as our GMs or the Dodges and I would have to say much noisier than an F150. I've never driven a new style 3/4 ton Dodge. The Dodge truck frames and bodies are very stiff and strong and I think the RAM 2500s have rack-and-pinion steering like the 1/2 tons. The new RAMs are pretty quiet on the inside,too.

Good luck,
Dusty

wpalkowski

It's just the Superduty crew cab long bed configuration that's not recommended for snowplowing,

doneil

I am looking to buy a bigger truck to replace my '99 GMC Sierra 1500. I need a truck large enough to pull a 38' travel trailer with a dry weight of about 8,700lbs. and a GVW of about 11,300lbs. Since I will never pull it with the tanks full, I'd estimate the maximum weight that I would be pulling would be about 9,700lbs, including passengers.

I love my GMC, but the new GM's and Ford's seem to be priced much higher than the Dodge Ram trucks. I've only owned one Chrysler product in my life, and that was a lemon. I really like the looks of the Ram 2500, but I'm gun-shy. Are these newer Dodge trucks reliable? Can I pull this trailer with a 3/4 ton 2500, or am I going to need a 3500 instead? I'm looking for 4WD with a crew cab and a gas-powered engine. Any thoughts?

wpalkowski

Be wary of the published dry weight of the trailer. Some manufacturers think dry weight is the chassis and the four walls with nothing inside. Nothing = no fixtures, furniture, nothing. Can you get this trailer to a scale and have it weighed? Then you won't have to be guessing.
    I'd be looking at the F350 or the RAM 3500. Considering length of trailer, a dual rear wheel truck would probably help your stability a great deal when towing, not to mention giving you a higher towing capacity.
  Are you towing alot, or just a couple times a year? I've got a Ford V10, I get 7-8 mpg towing 8K lbs, but I only towed about 1200 miles this year. Considering size of your rig, a diesel may be in your future.

mullins87

The published dry weight of the camper is the base model before any options are installed. So Walt's suggestion of having it weighed is a very good one if it can be done. That TT should have a tongue weight in the 1,000 to 1,200 lb range when loaded. Is it a front kitchen model? If so, the tongue will be a LOT heavier.

Any 3/4 ton can and will pull it just fine. However, the dually suggestion is a valid one if you are going to be pulling it a lot. I have a similar rig with a dually and a 31' TT. The rig is rock solid even in some fairly strong crosswinds. The configuration you're looking at, crewcab 4x4, is the heaviest you can get. All that extra weight is working against your effective towing capacity. Being a diesel fan, I'd get the diesel.

doneil

Where would I go to get the trailer weighed? I don't know that the state police truck weigh stations will do this for me.

I don't plan to tow it alot. I've rented a seasonal beach site on the Chesapeake Bay and plan to leave it there from spring through fall. They also provide off-season storage within a few hundred yards of the campsites. Other than moving it back and forth from off=season storage to the campsite twice a year, the only other traveling I plan to do with it is to drive it to and from a maintenance facility when needed about 60 miles away. Of course, I had to move it to higher ground last week before the hurricane hit.

The kitchen and bathroom areas are centrally located. The refrigerator, stove, microwave, water heater, furnace, power converter, shower, and bathroom sink are all located near or above the wheels. There's not much weight in the front, only a bunk set, a dinette, a couple of 30lb. gas tanks and a battery. Of course, this is where my pass-through storage is, so I keep my fishing gear and long-handled tools there.

Thanks for all of the advice. It's good to have experienced people who are willing to respond. I'll try to look into getting the trailer weighed.

mullins87

For what you are doing with the trailer, a 3/4 ton will be just fine. Since you won't be towing all the time, the gas engine might be a good choice. The extra cash the diesel option will cost you will buy a lot of gas.

Is there a truck stop close by? I ask this because most will have a scale where you pay somewhere between $5 and $10 to weigh. Most will let you weigh a second time, within 24 hours, for free. You weigh the truck and trailer the first time, unhook the trailer, then weigh only the truck the second time. Subtract the first gross weight from the second gross weight to get the trailers gross weight.