Considering a new tow vehicle

[jpgale]

See the post here (https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...3th-70742.html) for some information that has led to this point, however my wife wants me to buy a new truck. I have looked at a 2019 F250 superduty Lariat with almost everything I want, but I have not test driven it. I have always been mostly a ford guy but not super brand loyal. I did drive a 3500 long bed Ram with the High Output Cummins in it today and although not what I am looking for I did really like the truck. This leaves me in an obvious quandry Ford or Ram. Both trucks have good points and bad points, both have excellent tech. I find the Ram to be slightly better looking outside (kinda like comparing 2 supermodels they are both good looking) and the interior is better in the Ram as well but again the ford is still quite nice. The cummins is a great engine and has a great rep, the 6.7 powerstroke is a good engine with a good rep. In the 2500 class I am looking at the cummins is only a 850 torque version so the ford has a little more. I find the ford to have better mirrors (in none tow mode I really dislike the Ram mirrors) and the power extend because I am always forgetting to extend and retract the mirrors, the ford also has the longer bed in crew cab short bed configuration.

So I am wondering why you all who have 250/350 class diesel trucks that are ford or ram (sorry I just don't like the GM products) actually brought the truck you have and what you think of them now.

[havnfun]

Holy smokes. You are one lucky guy. Would your wife talk to my wife about getting a new truck?

Happy RVing,
Jeff

[jpgale]

Originally Posted by havnfun

Holy smokes. You are one lucky guy. Would your wife talk to my wife about getting a new truck?

Happy RVing,
Jeff

It get better, she hates shopping and loves sports

[TCNashville]

If going diesel, go with the F-350/3500 as the payload numbers for all the big 3 in the 3/4 ton segment are abysmal. My '12 F-250 XLT with the 6.7L PSD was only 2300lbs. In a Lariat package it's probably going to be less. Only pennies more to upgrade. Btw, the Ford 6.7L is a towing beast!

[Big1]

It's really a preference but I would advise anyone who is looking for a heavy duty truck go with the 3500, I made the mistake twice hoping that the 3/4 will work and it will but if you want to be legal and have room for payload go with the 3500.


After I bought my 1 ton I ask my wife could she tell the ride different from the 3/4 ton that I had and she said no, but the ride is subjective. If you ever think about going to a big 5'er you want have to worry. Let us know what you decide.

[havnfun]

Originally Posted by jpgale

It get better, she hates shopping and loves sports

Amazing. I hope you realize what a jewel you have there. The rest of us are jealous.

Happy RVing,
Jeff

[ttavasc]

As others have said - if going diesel skip the 250/2500. Also, if the DW is going to drive it better get her input between the RAM and the Ford. When we switched from the RAM 1500 to the F-250 the DW was ecstatic (a big plus by the way ). She never liked driving the RAM - didn't care for the forward visibility and felt the same about the RAM 2500 when we test drove them. She loves the visibility in the F-250 and is much more comfortable with driving it - with and without the trailer.

[jpgale]

I always imagined that I would buy a 35 class, but the 25 class I looked at today would work based upon my scaled numbers with my current truck. We are not going the 5th route in future either we both like the bumper pulls and I want my bed space. What I was hoping for more was a ram vs ford than a 25 vs 35 debate. As for my wife she can’t drive so I don’t need to make her happy on that front. The more I think through this decision the harder it gets.

[Midnightmoon]

Up until the end of the 2018 model year, the Cummins came with the Bosch CP3 vs. the CP4-CP4.2 injection pump on the Ford. The CP4's have been very troublesome in all applications. Google "CP4 pump failures" for more reading than you would ever want on the subject. So, pre 2019 I would recommend the Cummins just on that single aspect.

Now that 2019 Cummins trucks are also using the CP4, those lines are blurred a lot for me. The claim is the new CP4 is again reworked to help with the high failure rate. But, there's not enough of them on the road to have any real world data at this point.

[Jopopsy]

I never understood why you would buy a diesel 3/4 ton. As others have said you end up with F150 HDPP payload - what’s the point of all the added expense?

3/4 ton gas, 1 ton diesel.

[jbrnigan]

I bought my first Ford truck last year. My current and likely long term trailer is a 29RKS that cat scales at 8500 lbs, 1100 lb tongue weight. I bought an F-250 Lariat, PSD, and it is a tow beast. As already stated, the consensus opinion was "buy a 350 / 3500" because of payload. Well, my F-250 has a CGWR of 2448 lbs, which is more than sufficient for my set up. Engine and trans are the same between 3/4 and 1 tons. In any event, I took the grand I saved by buying the F-250 and spent it on floor mats, bed mat, locking tonneau cover, and an air freshener (LOL). The point is, I didn't buy more truck than I needed or anticipate needing for the future. I use my Ford almost exclusively for towing my trailer and it does so beautifully. I went from gas to diesel and would never go back.

[SB_James]

I would agree with others here that a 2500 / 250 series truck is plenty enough truck for towing all but the largest TT.

It is a more critical decision between 3/4 or 1 ton if you are towing a 5th wheel. That’s when payload and axle ratings become the deciding factors.

Good luck truck hunting, and show off your new ride when you get it!

[Screwby]

I can’t give an opinion of the Ram as I’ve never owned one. When I was shopping the Ford grabbed my attention first because it looked better in my opinion. Once I started crawling around them, driving them, and looking at the numbers the Ford stood out to me as being more “refined”, feature rich, and all around had a better “feel” to it. Once I drove them all it was a showdown between the Chevy and Ford as those two rode better and drove smoother even for 1 tons. The 6.7 scared me because they were new at the time and no one knew what to expect but the torque and power wrapped in that good looking skin drew me back and I bought a F-350 DRW fully loaded. It’s good looking, pulls like a beast, with nice stitched leather heated and cooled seats and well thought out interior we enjoy the long road trips. I couldn’t be happier with the decision I made and so far the 6.7 has been amazing. She now has 211,000 on her and still running great whether pulling a 6,000lb TT or the 16,500 lb. 5th wheel.

[Bookemdanno]

My vote is to go with whomever gives you the best deal! I cross shopped the same 2 trucks at the end of ‘16. Ford would not deal on the then new body style, so I went with a left over ‘16 Ram 3500 in February ‘17. I don’t think you can go wrong with either truck...good luck & let us know the outcome.

[CampNow]

When we were in the market for a diesel back in '16, we went in with an open mind. Test drove all the Big 3. They were all very impressive. Then we got down to the nitty-gritty---what's it gonna cost to own one of these beasts. After a month-long, nationwide search, quickly discovered Ram offered the deepest discounts--by far. If we were lucky, we'd get 8-10% off MSRP on the Ford and Chevys. We were regularly quoted 10-15% off MSRP on the Rams. All said and done we ended up purchasing a new Ram Cummins for almost 20% off MSRP. That saved us $5,000+ vs. the Ford and Chevy.

Granted, if you're brand loyal, $5k may not sway you. But, if you're not, a savings of $5k is hard to ignore.

[jpgale]

Originally Posted by Midnightmoon

Up until the end of the 2018 model year, the Cummins came with the Bosch CP3 vs. the CP4-CP4.2 injection pump on the Ford. The CP4's have been very troublesome in all applications. Google "CP4 pump failures" for more reading than you would ever want on the subject. So, pre 2019 I would recommend the Cummins just on that single aspect.

Now that 2019 Cummins trucks are also using the CP4, those lines are blurred a lot for me. The claim is the new CP4 is again reworked to help with the high failure rate. But, there's not enough of them on the road to have any real world data at this point.

I did a quick search, seems most failures are related to water in fuel, I don't do a large amount of miles in my truck so I would not need to drain it that often, I currently do mine about once a year, I would step that up in this case. It is worth considering as well, it seems the newer powerstrokes have had less issues. Being honest compared to the 6.0 I have now this is a minor inconvenience .

[jpgale]

I will of course keep this thread up to date, even if I decide to keep it (unlikely as you know happy wife etc), so I will also post pictures if I decide to buy a new one. Off now to contact a ford dealer about an f350 I saw on their website.

[CampNow]

Originally Posted by jpgale

I did a quick search, seems most failures are related to water in fuel, I don't do a large amount of miles in my truck so I would not need to drain it that often, I currently do mine about once a year, I would step that up in this case. It is worth considering as well, it seems the newer powerstrokes have had less issues. Being honest compared to the 6.0 I have now this is a minor inconvenience .

Not exactly what I've heard and read over the last few years. Although the percentage of CP4 failures are small relative to sales, Ford has consistently put the onus on the owner, blamed the failure on contaminated fuel (water, etc.), and refused to repair it under warranty. I believe there are a number of active CP4 class-action lawsuits that claim Ford (and Chevy) CP4.x pumps are not designed for use with the low lubricity diesel fuel found in the US--thus they self-destruct (draining your tank won't help). When the CP4.x pump grenades it takes the entire fuel system down with it. Cost to repair---$8,000 - $10,000!

As of late there's been a lot of threads (on various Ram and Cummins forums) expressing concern when Rams/Cummins started using the CP4 (vs. the CP3) in their new 2019 trucks. All fueled by Ford's less than stellar track record with CP4's. The 1st concern is, of course, long-term reliability. Coming up a close 2nd, however, is whether Ram/Cummins will step up to the plate and warranty CP4 failures---unlike Ford.

Some may find it interesting that Chevy quit using the Bosch CP4 pump in their Duramax. They now use the Denso HP4. Got to wonder why.

[jpgale]

So I had seen a nice F350 long bed 6.7 powerstroke at my local ford dealer, so I went and looked at it today. When I test drove the truck it felt like I had been driving it all my life, it just fit me so well. The truck which is very long did not feel very big to drive. I ended up buy the truck, I am still a little shocked that I did that but my wife is happy I did. I have dreamed of having an 2017+ f350 long bed so I am kind of a little dazed that I now do. I will get my old truck fixed and sell it.

I really did seriously consider buying a new RAM it really was one hell of a truck but finally driving the ford it became a no brainer to me, it was a very easy decision to make and I felt comfortable even with the payment so I know I made the right choice.

[JFlightRisk]

That's a great looking truck. Congratulations!