Trouble deciding between dodge and ford

[pprice01]

Hi Everyone. Was dead set on a 2014 Dodge SRW MegaCab 3500 CTD until I spoke with a very nice salesperson out of Michigan while looking at different trailer options.

I'm in Vegas, and the salesperson (lady) at the RV dealer told about her many, many years of experience with the big 3 (Ford, Chevy, Dodge) and hands down she emphatically recommended the Ford over the others.

She also said she had 88 delivery drivers, and towed plenty of rigs herself as well. 90% of the drivers had Ford or Chevy, but the Chevy's unloaded ride was significantly rougher than the Ford, and the Dodge simply 'didn't handle the weight well' - with similar 1-ton SRW setup.

She isn't making any money from recommending a tow vehicle, just giving her opinion, which I appreciate very much and find hard to ignore.

I wanted the megacab for the kids, but it's not an absolute requirement.

I'm looking at towing a 5er upwards of 15,000 GVWR. She also told me dually' aren't necessary for these, and that the GVWR is only on there for Canada. I should pay attention to the UVW and add 1,000 pounds to see what I'll be realistically towing. Thoughts?

Anyone out here try both (Ford and Dodge) and have an opinion they're willing to share?

Thank you very much.

Paul



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[ferguson65]

Originally Posted by pprice01

I'm looking at towing a 5er upwards of 15,000 GVWR. She also told me dually' aren't necessary for these, and that the GVWR is only on there for Canada. I should pay attention to the UVW and add 1,000 pounds to see what I'll be realistically towing. Thoughts??

LOL. GVWR only for Canada. BS. Calculate your tow rig based of your GVWR, not any other "assumed" number. For upwards of 15K, you're easily into dually territory. Some of the SRW trucks are rated for the weight (SRW F350 is rated to 15,900 5th IIRC), but depending on trailer layout you can run out of payload, or worse rear axle or tire ratings with the SRW. I wouldn't go that heavy without a dually, but plenty would. I prefer more truck than just barely enough.

Originally Posted by pprice01

Anyone out here try both (Ford and Dodge) and have an opinion they're willing to share?

I had a 2007 Dodge Dually with the 5.9 HO and 6 speed stick. The "last of the good ones" without emissions. I did buy it used at 45k, and think it may have been beat on pretty hard in it's prior life. Injection pump died at 49K and left me sit. Lots of little stuff that shouldn't have failed so quick, dash light bulbs, balljoints, lower 4 link bars, axle U joints, clutch could barely hold with 14K hanging off the back. I sold it at 64K after 3 years, for 1K less than I paid, did ok. Ordered my Ford and could not be happier. The rear wheels were just replaced under warranty for corrosion. Other than that, no real issues to speak of. I'd never go back to a Dodge, or Ram, or Fiat, whatever the hell they want to be called now.

[B and B]

Hello,

Reading other threads I have seen the Megacab overly reduces payload. Maybe seeing the actual CCC sticker might be a good idea pro to deciding,

[pprice01]

Originally Posted by ferguson65

LOL. GVWR only for Canada. BS. Calculate your tow rig based of your GVWR, not any other "assumed" number. For upwards of 15K, you're easily into dually territory. Some of the SRW trucks are rated for the weight (SRW F350 is rated to 15,900 5th IIRC), but depending on trailer layout you can run out of payload, or worse rear axle or tire ratings with the SRW. I wouldn't go that heavy without a dually, but plenty would. I prefer more truck than just barely enough.



I had a 2007 Dodge Dually with the 5.9 HO and 6 speed stick. The "last of the good ones" without emissions. I did buy it used at 45k, and think it may have been beat on pretty hard in it's prior life. Injection pump died at 49K and left me sit. Lots of little stuff that shouldn't have failed so quick, dash light bulbs, balljoints, lower 4 link bars, axle U joints, clutch could barely hold with 14K hanging off the back. I sold it at 64K after 3 years, for 1K less than I paid, did ok. Ordered my Ford and could not be happier. The rear wheels were just replaced under warranty for corrosion. Other than that, no real issues to speak of. I'd never go back to a Dodge, or Ram, or Fiat, whatever the hell they want to be called now.

Thanks all! I was a little surprised by how flippant she was in regards to the weight. I've done a lot of research and found that I need to stay close 80% of GVWR for safety. Thought I might have missed something.

The Ram Megacab 3500 CTD has a published max towing of 16,500 and max payload of 4,350.

I understand the payload to be the hitch weight (22.5% of GVWR) + 450 pounds of people + ~200 pounds for gear in the truck + ~250 pounds for the hitch. I believe that I should try to keep this weight at close to 80% of max as well.

I will have to look into the equivalent of Ford.

Anyone else on the Dodge Ram Megacab 3500 SRW vs. Ford F-350?

[Mountndream]

so, i am unsure how big our kids are, but I am 6'4 and weigh 270. I fit in the back of the Ram Crew cab very comfortably.

There was recently a discussion here about whether the Mega cab was worth it.

I can't tell you what truck to buy though. I bought mine based on price and the deals offered. Most people here seem to be so loyal to a brand that nothing else matters

[pprice01]

Originally Posted by Mountndream

so, i am unsure how big our kids are, but I am 6'4 and weigh 270. I fit in the back of the Ram Crew cab very comfortably.

There was recently a discussion here about whether the Mega cab was worth it.

I can't tell you what truck to buy though. I bought mine based on price and the deals offered. Most people here seem to be so loyal to a brand that nothing else matters

Thanks! Appreciate it.

My kids are small, but having the room in the megacab will certainly still be appreciated, even without the long trips.

I guess I can stick to the lighter RV we are looking at, even though it is not as 'nice'.

Paul

[asquared]

Do not listen to her. She is a bad source of info. 15k is definitely dually territory. As for advertised payload, don't buy into it, you will never see it. Go by the actual door sticker on the truck. That will show you your payload with actual truck options.

The 15k fiver, is that dry weight or gvwr? I can tell you I have a 3500 SRW chevy diesel and tow a fiver that weighs 12300 lbs loaded. I had a 4000 lb door sticker payload. By the time you account for passengers, pets, hitch fuel etc, cat scale showed me to have 3200 lb payload. I have a 2800 lb scaled pin weight. I am within limits and the rig tows well. I would not want to go much heavier with my truck.

As for chevy riding rougher, that is BS too. I went from an F250 lariat package to a silverado 3500 LT package with not much change in ride quality and my trucks are daily drivers. Go for any of the big 3 that suit your needs and wallet but go dually.

[pprice01]

Originally Posted by asquared

Do not listen to her. She is a bad source of info. 15k is definitely dually territory. As for advertised payload, don't buy into it, you will never see it. Go by the actual door sticker on the truck. That will show you your payload with actual truck options.

The 15k fiver, is that dry weight or gvwr? I can tell you I have a 3500 SRW chevy diesel and tow a fiver that weighs 12300 lbs loaded. I had a 4000 lb door sticker payload. By the time you account for passengers, pets, hitch fuel etc, cat scale showed me to have 3200 lb payload. I have a 2800 lb scaled pin weight. I am within limits and the rig tows well. I would not want to go much heavier with my truck.

As for chevy riding rougher, that is BS too. I went from an F250 lariat package to a silverado 3500 LT package with not much change in ride quality and my trucks are daily drivers. Go for any of the big 3 that suit your needs and wallet but go dually.

Thanks asquared! Im going to go with my first choice, the SRW megacab.

The 15,500 was GVWR. I will likely go with the Salem 356QB. It's much lighter and I can stay well within my limits on the weights.

[Skyliner]

I think the Ford rides worse unloaded than the other two brands. I can vouch that mine rides harsh on segmented highway concrete! However, put some weight on it and it rides like a dream which is why I bought it. The power of the 6.7 Ford is impressive though fuel economy is not quite as good as the Dodge.

Bottom line: Get what you like. Each brand has their share of lemons and don't let that scare you away.

[pprice01]

Originally Posted by TonyD

I think the Ford rides worse unloaded than the other two brands. I can vouch that mine rides harsh on segmented highway concrete! However, put some weight on it and it rides like a dream which is why I bought it. The power of the 6.7 Ford is impressive though fuel economy is not quite as good as the Dodge.

Bottom line: Get what you like. Each brand has their share of lemons and don't let that scare you away.

Thanks TonyD!

[tuckerdog1]

I wanted the megacab for the kids, but it's not an absolute requirement.

I checked the sales brochure for the 2015s ( probably the same info for the 2014s ). The mega cab vs the crew cab gives 3 extra inches of leg room in the back seats, and a couple cubic ft. of storage behind the seat. All other measurements were the same.

Tuckerdog1

[BigDaddy1967]

Originally Posted by B and B

Hello,

Reading other threads I have seen the Megacab overly reduces payload. Maybe seeing the actual CCC sticker might be a good idea pro to deciding,

After doing much research to get to where I am, CCC seems to be somewhat of an arbitrary number. More important to me is the GVWR of the truck and trailer, GAWRs, then making sure my configuration does not exceed any of the WRs. Then, it seems to boil down to weight and weight distribution management.

[pprice01]

Originally Posted by tuckerdog1

I checked the sales brochure for the 2015s ( probably the same info for the 2014s ). The mega cab vs the crew cab gives 3 extra inches of leg room in the back seats, and a couple cubic ft. of storage behind the seat. All other measurements were the same.



Tuckerdog1

Interesting. I'll have to go to the dealer and load up the family in both again. It sure looked and felt like it was quite a bit bigger.

Do the back seats fold flat like they do in the megacab?

[Crusader 816]

My 2016 srw ctd is rated for 17700. I tow a 15500 5ver with no problem. It's a crew cab and have plenty of room. Love all the torgue the Ram has.

[inspectorgf]

I agree that the sales lady has no idea what she is talking about. I have a 06 mega cab and have always had dodge trucks and have had good luck with them all. My wife has a sierra HD so I have driven both and for someone to suggest that a truck with a solid front axle like Dodge or Ford ride better than something with IFS is crazy. I much prefer my truck to hers but would not say crazy things about another brand. As stated before they are all good trucks and they all have issues as well get what you like. Also my trailer has been back to Indiana a few times and every time its been picked up the driver had a dodge, and when I picked my trailer up saw a lot of dodges transporting rvs.

[tuckerdog1]

Do the back seats fold flat like they do in the megacab?

Haven't seen how they fold in the Mega. In my 2016 CC, the seats fold up against the seat backs. My truck has that optional double folding flat floor setup under the seats. Fold the seats up, unfold the flat floor, and it's pretty much smooth surface from door to door. The seats are split 60/40, so this can be a partial flat floor if you choose.

[Filthy Beast]

Originally Posted by pprice01

She also told me dually' aren't necessary for these, and that the GVWR is only on there for Canada. I should pay attention to the UVW and add 1,000 pounds to see what I'll be realistically towing. Thoughts?

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I think this is right in line with "your truck can pull anything on the lot"

[W5CI]

I bought my RAM 3500 DRW on Price alone, most people wouldnt have it but it works great for us

[dustman_stx]

I have to respectfully disagree with the comments about using the GVWR of the trailer to calculate how much you'll be towing. The salesperson was right on about looking at the yellow sticker UVW and adding 1K to have a good idea of your loaded weight. It's possible to have a 5W with an UVW of 10K with a CCC of 4K or as little as 1K. Both will weigh ~11K going down the road, so why would you advocate needing more truck for the 14K GVWR trailer over the 11K GVWR trailer when you'll be towing the same weight either way????? This makes NO SENSE.

[Captcharles]

I had a Ford F-350 Dually. After about four months of driving and I couldn't wait to get rid of it. I bought a ram 2500 SRW with a Cummins. I'll never go back. I love this truck.