[Speedwake]

man o man - the power of suggestion is scary...


they guy who is buying my 288 has a new Ford F250 with a Diesel...same color as mine - Black.

I have a Triton V8. He joked to me on Sunday after the ride that I'd be in a Diesel in no time and I think he's right since I told him whatever I bought in the way of a next boat would be over 7,000 lbs.

My F250 is a 2001 with 30k miles and the trade in value is really good and Ford, Chevy and Dodge are all offering cash back or great financing deals.

Sorry Guys, but I've ruled out Chevy's and GMC's - not really a fan of their body styling.

That leaves me with the Ford F250 or the Dodge Ram.

Any opinions (no fights ok?) on the Powerstroke Diesel vs. the Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel. The Ford has a little more torque (540 ft lbs vs 475 for the Dodge), the Dodge has a 7/70k mile power train warranty whereas the Ford has 5/100k power train warranty.

I like the styling of the F250 a little better because they have a "blacked-out BFT(Built Ford Tough)" black version this year with black bumpers, etc.... but I like the idea of the Cummins Diesel..

opinions???

- jeff

 

[Canada Jeff]

I think they are both coming out with new diesels this year. Are you going 4 x 4 or 2 wheel? The dodge look great with those 20" wheels in black!

 

[Speedwake]

4 x 4 - the only way to travel...

 

[Canada Jeff]

I agree! Have you looked into any price diference yet?

 

[Speedwake]

Dodge Ram 2500 and Ford F250: Price = exactly the same.

 

[gilla]

Ford coming out with a 6L engine-more power and quieter. Cummins also has a new engine due this fall. Both will be superior to current offerings but will surely cost more. Rebates differ by region. In MS-they have a 1500 rebate or 4.9/60 financing. The best buy will be a 2002 Ford or Dodge-but the dodges are slim in this area.
An auto trans for launching a must with Ford having the most reliable auto I think. You going to drive it everyday or just for towing?

 

[turbo2256]

After going to a dually I never want another SRW my .02

 

[Speedwake]

It'll just be used to towing... I have a cheap "go to work car". There is a nice Dodge Dually at the Dodge dealer with 11k miles on it, but it's white and I am not a fan of white trucks.

 

[jimgoog]

I have the F-350 Dually too, rides like a caddilac. Diesel of course. With the Ford you can get a "true" Crew cab, so you can bring your friends along for the ride. The dodge is very small, comparable to the third and fourth door ext. cab models offerd by Checy/gmc and Ford in size. I have heard of transmission problems in the Dodge.

As far as the 20" wheels go, you need sidewall strength for towing.

One other thing to consider is the service department at your dealership.What is their workload. Nothing like getting an appt a week away and then waiting for hours for your truck to be ready.

I also beleive you leave the first year model of anything for someone else to buy and have the hassles of customer based R&D. Recalls etc.

Bottom line is get in them and drive them, drive the hell out of it (not the one you intend to buy). I did and it was the Ford hands down. I had previuosly only owned GMCs and Chevys. The ford was more comforatble, had much better visibility all around (the tow mirros are power both sides).

Hope that helps.

 

[26scarab]

Well I will tell you up front I'm Dodge biased

Ford

1) true crew cab
2) auto trans is a little better than current Dodge (02)
3) Mileage is not as good
4) ride is not as good 2500vs 250
5) front suspension is junk unless you buy a F350 (solid front axle)
6) interior noise is more in the Ford .

And me personally I like the exterior styling of the Dodges

Now if your willing to wait for the 2003 Dodges then the decision is easy.
The new Dodge Cummins is quiet , and will have a new auto trans that can take the 305hp and 555ft/lbs that the new motor is putting out.
Plus the styling is Awesome.

Truthfully either way I think you will be happy.

I recently towed an 11,000 lb boat 300 miles and with the A/C on I got almost 13 miles to the gallon. That was towing 60-65. Now the same load towning 80 I got 10.5 MPG.
With the Dodges , if you spin the motor over 2000rpm's your mileage really falls off.

In the city I usually get around 16 MPG , on the highway it will jump up to 19. But it really depends on how you drive.

 

[splinter]

One of the other things to consider besides torque, when buying a tow vehicle is the GCWR (gross combined weight ratio) or, What does the whole package weigh? GCWR says what your whole package can LEGALLY weigh. Why is this important? Let’s say that you happen to get in an accident while towing that beautiful new 42’ Cigarette that weighs 13,000lbs wet (Estimate - 9000 dry, 200 gals fuel = 1500, 500 gear, 2000 trailer) but you are pulling it with an F-150 with some helper springs in the rear. The F-150 4X4 weighs 6500lbs. That is a GCWR of 19,500lbs. I can tell you an F-150 doesn’t have a GCWR of 19,500lbs. Let’s say it is 15,000lbs for sake of argument. That would put you 4500lbs over the legal limit. That is a lawsuit waiting to happen. A lot of IF’s but it could happen.

Remember not only do you need to figure out what the “wet” figures for the boat and trailer are but you also need to figure out what the wet figure for the truck is as well.

A Real world example. My 2000 F-350 Crew Cab Powerstroke 4X4 with fuel and me in it weighs about 7800lbs. My Stingray with gear and full of fuel including the trailer is about 5800lbs. That puts me at a GCWR of 13,600lbs well within the 20,000lb GCWR rating and plenty of room to move up.

Sorry this is so long but this is a legal variable that not many people think about. I see people all the time who are over weight. Just because the bumper doesn’t sag doesn’t mean you are legal. Have I towed over weight before? Yes. How many times have you seen an F-350 dually going down the road with a 3-car open trailer with a 5th wheel carrying three cars? If each car weighed 4000lbs that’s 12k plus the trailer at about 4k so that is 16k. The f-350 dually only has a GCWR of 20,000lbs. He is severely over weight legally. Not that the truck has any problems towing it. One last note, the F-250 SRW and F-350 SRW and DRW all have a 20k GCWR so the lighter the truck the more you can tow. The DRW will be a little more stable with heavy weight though.

Oh yeah, and most dealers will tell you they can tow anything whether Dodge or Ford and they are right. They have the torque to pull anything……..but not Legally.

I am in no way preaching but just wanted to illustrate an example of what should be another consideration when purchasing a tow vehicle

 

[26scarab]

The 2003 Dodge 2500/3500

GCWR is #23,000
GVWR is #12,000

good point Splinter.

I have no idea what my 2001 has, I can look at the window sticker tonight

 

[Candyman]

Sorry Guys, but I've ruled out Chevy's and GMC's - not really a fan of their body styling.

I guess you haven't driven a Chevy with a D-Max yet! I'm a Ford man. I have a deal at the local dealer where I pick the truck and the price is right. I own a crew cab 2500HD 4X4 Chevy with a Duramax. Go test drive a Dodge, Ford and Chevy. I like the look of the Fords but hated the engine noise. Drive a D-Max. You'll love it.
Dan

 

[OldMagicfloat]

A friend of mine down in LOTO has owned all big 3 trucks..gas and diesel..he tows a 40ft 5th wheel horse trailer w/5 horses, the front is set as a 16 or 18ft camper, he tows all over the western U.S. for shows and swears the Duramax is the only truck motor he'll ever buy again hands down!! claims he gets 9-10 mpg towing and 15-16 empty.. my 2 cents worth, I tow w a 454 4wd 3/4 t Suburban.that way there's room for passengers and luggage under cover. Disadvantage is I get 10mpg towing or not.

 

[Speedwake]

thanks guys - great advice all around,...

- jeff

 

[gilla]

Duramax-18 to 1 compression on Alum heads??

 

[283CHECK]

I have a '01 F-250 psd crew cab short box 4x4 with 42k on it and love the truck. But I want to keep the miles low so I now have a '03 F-352 psd single wheel short box on order. They have yet to offer the new diesel motor in the Fords which I am happy for. I don't want the headache of a new idea. Sounds like a good concept I just don't want to be a gunny pig!!

Plus the Ford crew cab has a ton more leg room than the dodge crew!! From what I can tell all they did was take the x-cab and turn the doors around!! Next on my list would be a gmc with the dmax but an inlaw sells for so I can't beet the $$ with a stick

 

[OldMagicfloat]

I have a 2001 GMC with the vortec 8.1, it rocks has the same towing cap. as the duramax which is 16000 lbs, no ford, no dodge compares.
i hauled a 38 hustler from nj to st louis through the mountains of PA, no problem at all ( on regular gas with no spark knock), to top it off i dont worry about finding diesel fuel either.

choose wisely grasshopper the proof is in the pudding!!!!

 

[gilla]

Bigblocpower
Whats your mileage-loaded/empty. W/O a blower like a PSD, do you notice a loss at elevation?

 

[OldMagicfloat]

13mpg empty 9-10 loaded to the hilt, it has the allison tranny and 4.10 posi. it is a monster, looking forward to a few upgrades including new exhaust so i can annoy the chit out of the neighbors. no power loss at elevation at all. if i go west to the rockies ill let you know.