3/4 Ton Recommendations

[tchur1]

I have owned a 3/4 ton Chevy gasser but that was on '04. I loved that truck but the interior on the new GMs arent that much nicer than what I had in '04 haha.

I test drove the Ram Laramie level 1 with air suspension and was really impressed. The boat is all I will be towing so I dont need crazy payload or towing capacity and their interior is money compared to everything else on the market.

The biggest reason I am not considering Ford is because I get supplier pricing on GM and have a line on a custom order Ram for just under invoice so the price to go Ford is significantly more.

I feel like Im basically choosing between the cummins and Rams awesome interior vs the allison and GMs interior from 1942.

[roadster02]

Ford has a better idea! #1 in sales since 1977, and didn't take no stinkin" govt. bailout. Government Motors once, and Mopeypower twice. Ford, nada. IMHO. I would buy any of the big three before I would an Asian vehicle.

[dh009]

For me, it was an out of cycle vehicle change, so it wasn't time to look for the next dream vehicle, just a "practical" change based on boat decisions. With that, I went GMC for a couple reasons:

The use of CP4 in Rams was leading me to look at brand new '21's. While this may or may not be a real concern, it was swaying what years I was looking at. Interior updates that came with newer Rams also set the limit for how old I would go. I found a brand new '21 Laramie that was perfect for me, but in the end brand new was significantly more $$$ than 2-3 years used and since it was an out of cycle change I couldn't justify the additional expense. It's not typically fair to compare brand new to 2-3 years old, but that was the situation.

I also initially dismissed all GM's because of my impression of the interior on a Chevy 2500 (LT or LTZ, can't recall). While still shopping, I decided to look at a 2018 GMC Denali that was priced well on a whim and felt totally satisfied. I thought it would have a major payload penalty, but it wasn't as significant as I expected. The '18 GMC Denali was no where near as fancy as the '21 Ram Laramie that had the big screen, surround cameras, etc; but was very comparable to my '17 F150 Lariat which I had been very happy with and was only reluctantly giving up. It actually felt like an easier transition from the 1/2 ton ford to the 3/4 ton gmc than to the 3/4 ton ram. The Ram was dramatically taller and would have been much more challenging to get the kids in/out. And it was my perception that the GMC ride was marginally better than the Ram, but perhaps only marginally.

Also, with two young kids and car seats, I liked the rear bench on the GMC better than the Ram. The Ram has a larger cutout in the center seat bottom and a larger tunnel making the rear center seat much less comfortable. The rear coils weren't much of a factor for me since there were solutions to beef up the back end, but it does seem they are tuned for comfort and not load carrying.

In the end they were both great options, but I didn't want to spend the extra money on a brand new vehicle with significantly more convenience features that I didn't really need. I went with something that covered all the wants and gave me the towing numbers I needed. Speaking of which, Ram's language on use/requirement of Weight Distribution was ambiguous. GMC is abundantly clear, which helped too given that's what started the shift to 3/4 ton in the first place.

However, make no mistake...the first selection criteria for me was overall length. If my garage was a bit deeper I would have bought an F250 crew cab and not looked back. I loved the cab on my F150 and the styling of the super duty's. With that being said, I'm really happy with the GMC and don't regret my decision at all. I've towed our X23 over 1000 miles this year with the GMC and I'm perfectly content.

[roadster02]

Good deal!!

[dh009]

Forgot to mention, I was only looking at 2017-2019 GM’s. I wanted the L5P and in 2020 they jumped in overall length which excluded them from my list.

[tchur1]

Makes sense. Thank you for the input. Im planning to place a factory order for either option which is why I have eliminated the ford. I can save 10 grand and order a new truck exactly as I want it, instead of paying more for a used Ford. What a weird world we live in.

It being a '22 eliminates the fuel pump issue on the older rams. I do worry a bit about the trans on the Ram. This will be my daily driver, we live about 5 mins from the ramp and then i have to tow it 600+ miles a couple times a year which is leading to the upgrade.

Im leaning towards the Ram right now because I like the interior and can get a better deal on them. Others have mentioned the coil springs on the Ram, what are everyones thoughts on just getting it equipped with the off road package (includes Bilstein shocks) and their factory air suspension?

My Chevy had airbags on it because we had a cabover camper, but is it way unnecessary to get the factory bags added in this use case?

[dh009]

If you are comparing brand new to brand new, are you looking at crew or mega cab on the Ram? Do you have any length restrictions? The 2020+ gm crew is likely much better rear cab space than the Ram crew. Moot point if you’re looking at the Ram mega though.

Do you have any payload targets you’re after or is any 3/4 ton going to do the job? Seemed like factory air was a big payload penalty if you’re looking at numbers. Nice option for handling varying loads though.

Ram crew is also likely much more maneuverable daily given the tighter turning radius and shorter wheel base vs the GM crew depending on where you live and drive.

[tchur1]

No length restrictions. I live in Lake Tahoe so tight quarters arent much of an issue. I was not looking at the mega cab, just standard crew. I test drove a Ram crew and mega a week ago and didnt think the crew was too small. Im 6' tall and sat in the back seat and didnt notice much of an issue. I also dont have kids (and wont for the next few years) so back seat room isnt as much of a worry.

As far as payload targets go, I just need it to handle the tongue weight of the xstar (about 800 lbs) along with 4 adults at most in the cab. I believe Ram Laramie with the OEM airbags has 2000lbs payload which should be plenty for any situation I find myself in.

I do like aspects of the GM trucks as well, including the larger cab, longer wheelbase for towing and stability but keep coming back to the interior features of the Ram as a big selling point.

There are rumors of an allison 10 speed coming to the Ram in 2023, too bad its not sooner or this would be a no brainer.

[Tsumi]

Air suspension = more failure points, but better ride and no squatting. Up to you whether the tradeoff is worth it. In my opinion, it is worth it if only to keep the headlights from glaring into other drivers (see this way too often with trucks towing heavy).

With regards to cab size, it's only on longer trips (1+ hours) where you really start to notice having the ability to stretch and recline. If you aren't making trips with people in the back seat, that is a moot point. And if it is just friends, you could tell them to suck it up or drive their own car.

[TolCarMan]

Interesting story about the Ram- My buddy was planning on meeting us down in Lake Powell about a month ago. He didn't want to tow his boat with his Raptor, so he went out and rented a brand new (45 miles on the clock) Ram 2500. About 120 miles into his journey, it went into limp mode because of tranny issues. He was stranded on the side of the road in the middle of no where for 2 hours... luckily the rental company he was dealing with handled it well and brought him another one.

That said I really like Rams (and Fords), but I'd have a tougher time pulling the trigger on a new 3/4 ton Ram because of that story. I'm excited to see what you get!

[Wheelin98TJ]

Ford.

Aluminum body, nicest interiors, and solid drivetrains with awesome power.

[tchur1]

Ya I like the idea of airbags just for a better ride since it will be my daily driver as well. Im not buying this expecting it to ride like a BMW but if I can improve it why not. I also like the ability to eliminate squat, my tundra currently squats so badly with the boat hooked up.

Cab size is probably lowest on my priority list, I dont often travel with 4 adults in the car, and if I do its my younger brother and he can just deal with it. Crew cab should be more than sufficient for me.

Tolman that story about your buddy definitely gives me pause, hes not the only person to have tranny issues on a Ram so makes me more uneasy.

Like I mentioned earlier, the only reason I am not considering Ford is because I can get the other two at invoice on a factory order right now, whereas ford is full MSRP. If anyone has a line to order a ford at invoice I am all ears. Would love a tremor with powerstroke.

I appreciate everyone's input here!

[Roman]

Ford.

Aluminum body, nicest interiors, and solid drivetrains with awesome power.

Aslong as no weird corrosion issues from the aluminum trucks pops ip, if you resell and live anywhere near the rust belt I think you would be a fool not to buy ford. In 10 years the used market for fords will be amazing because the bodies won’t be rusted through.

Rams are the fastest rusting trucks out there. Most would say rams have the nicest interiors too.

[Olaff]

I have been a Ford guy all my life. Owned '73 F-100, 4 Broncos, 3 Mustangs, 2 Expeditions, one F-250 with the 7.3 Diesel... Had F-150's with 5.0's and 3.5 Eco-boost, and Diesel F-250's as company trucks for the last 10 years.
I was given a brand new 2020 Ram 2500 4x4 with the 6.4 liter gas engine as a work vehicle in October of last year. Tradesman package.
At first I hated it. Couldn't get used to the dial-a-gear transmission, the placement and lack of storage/cup holders, the vauge steering feedback at center.
But I gotta tell you after 30,000 miles, I like it.
I tow construction equipment on a dual axle trailer. 8,000# excavators, Skid Steer loaders, and direct pull hydro-vac excavators. I have never thought "I wish it had more power". I am also very impressed with the fuel economy (17 mpg with no load, 14 to 15mpg with a 10,000# trailer). I do not have the airbags, and can't say I need them. I an very satisfied with the coil sprung rear axle. I put a load of 1,600# worth of ready mix concrete in the bed 2 weeks ago and that was the first time I had experienced any drop in the rear.
I have driven a new Ram 5500 Field Service truck with the Cummins Diesel, and I would say for a daily driver and frequent trailer use the 6.4 Gas burner is my choice. My experience with Diesels is I get 18 or 20mpg when not towing, and 11 or 12 with a load or when cruising over 70 mph.
The Ram 2500 with a 6.4 Magnum has my vote as a capable and comfortable truck for personal, towing, and durability. It is VERY fast off the line when I want, averages 15mpg at 80 mph, sits high and rides well, is capable off road, and has given no mechanical or service issues in 30,000 miles.

[Olaff]

Oh yeah, and the turning radius on the Ram is pretty tight too. I don't know if they changed it, but I remember Chevy's having an issue with not turning very tight (important when backing and maneuvering a trailer)