My search for a replacement truck goes on

[agesilaus]

We are looking for a replacement for our incinerated 2012 350. Looking at 2016-2018 Ram and Ford HD trucks.

I see a number of RAM diesel 3500 duallys (2017) showing up at a very good price. One in particular a Laredo at 40K with all sorts of options.
I've never driven a drw before and it seems overkill for our 9K Trailer.
Are they that much harder to drive and park? What about mileage? Better than a gasser anyway I assume. We'll look at it Tuesday probably.
Lots of gas Ford 6.2L around at a good price. And thoughts on that engine from owners? I assume they'll pull our TT easily tho with worse millage but the big price advantage of gas vs diesel at the pump right now may help that.

[Kirk W]

My primary issue with a dually if you don't need one is parking it. We used to travel with friends in our Class A that one had a long box, crew cab, diesel dually and the other 4 door Chevy Kodiak. The Kodiak was easier to park of the two. Our friend with the dually also could get stuck on wet grass from tires slipping while the single wheel trucks didn't have a problem. A dually is great for stability when you need it, but since I don't need one, I sure don't want one.

[agesilaus]

Yeah that's what I'm worried about.

[rpsinc]

Seems like lots of RAM SRW 3500s in my area.  I do hear plenty of stories about front end problems on the RAMs, needing some significant repairs every 50K miles, so as you are looking keep in mind if those used trucks are around 50K.  Also, the Ford turbos have problems too, which I dont understand since all 3 makes use the Garrett mulitvane turbos, might be something about the FORD application.

Also, if choosing diesel, be wary of any with a Bosch CP4 fuel pump.  They tend to fail with lots of $ to repair.  There are some retrofit options available to eliminate that issue.  I am a GM/Duramax owner, having 3 of them and know more about them.  GM has done some good work in their development of the Duramax/Allison platform.  The RAM with the Dodge transmission is a non reliable option as that Cummins makes too much torque for that tranny but the Aisin, modeled after the Allison is a great option.  Not familiar with Powerstroke weaknesses, never been a Ford guy.

[D&J]

2 hours ago, agesilaus said:

We are looking for a replacement for our incinerated 2012 350. Looking at 2016-2018 Ram and Ford HD trucks.

I see a number of RAM diesel 3500 duallys (2017) showing up at a very good price. One in particular a Laredo at 40K with all sorts of options.
I've never driven a drw before and it seems overkill for our 9K Trailer.
Are they that much harder to drive and park? What about mileage? Better than a gasser anyway I assume. We'll look at it Tuesday probably.
Lots of gas Ford 6.2L around at a good price. And thoughts on that engine from owners? I assume they'll pull our TT easily tho with worse millage but the big price advantage of gas vs diesel at the pump right now may help that.

I'm pulling out 16K 5th wheel with a 2013 Ford 6.2 DRW 2x4 with 4.30 gears that we had from new. Pulling at reasonable speeds over long trips it will get 8 to 9 and 13 to 15 hwy empty.

Denny

[Kirk W]

2 hours ago, rpsinc said:

The RAM with the Dodge transmission is a non reliable option as that Cummins makes too much torque for that tranny but the Aisin, modeled after the Allison is a great option. 

Interesting. I sure know a lot of happy Dodge/Cummins owners that have many trouble-free miles. Maybe nobody uses the Dodge transmission? I bought my 2003, Dodge/Cummins in 2014 from the original owner and really don't know what transmission it has but I do know that all that has ever been done to it is the recommended maintenance. 

[rpsinc]

You likely have given it the care it needed and I would think that you have also NOT towed near or past its capacity.  In So Cal I see many of these trucks towing 40+' toy haulers loaded to the gills to the point that during desert season the CHP sets up on I-10 with portable scales because of the hazard these rigs pose.

I had a guy reach out when I was selling my MDT and he was towing with a RAM 3500.  He had a sand car on a rack on the bed of the truck, the bed was full of gear AND he was pulling a 43' toyhauler loaded with UTVs and gear for his family of 5, which also rode in the truck.  His 1st question to me was, will my HDT pull his setup on the Utah freeways at 75MPH+?  Told him I didnt know because to me that was unsafe and I would not do that, even IF it could.  No way he was safe.

[Larry Burkett]

I have an F-450, 3rd one and F-350's before that, and have not had any problems in traffic, parking in parking lots. If you know what you are doing driving one, you won't have any problems. As to wet grass, that is what 4 wheel drive is for.

[palmeris]

Love my f450 drw 6.7 liter. The 4.30 rear end gets 14 to 15 unladen and 8 to 9 towing 20k.

Wide track front end makes it very manageable to park in standard parking spotes but the full length bed makes it stick out further so you learn to back into spots and park in the far reaches of the lots.

Yes it's big and the first couple times driving is intimidating but after a week or 2 don't even think about it anymore.  It's my daily driver with 145k and going strong no turbo or fuel pump issues as it's maintained regularly per manufacturer specifications.  Did have to change the egr cooler at 138k thanks you epa for that.

Rides like a truck too.

[agesilaus]

OK here is the situation as of this afternoon:
Went to a RAM and a Ford dealer, neither had anything at a reasonable price. The RAM guy had a 2017 diesel in the lot at the upper end of our range. The bed was rusty, it was the low end trim model, the door groaned and squealed as it was opened. And when you turned the truck on the first thing you see is the "REPLACE FUEL FILTER". So these people were too lazy to oil the door hinges and service the filters on a $47000 sale. Does not inspire confidence.
The Ford guy just did not have anything except a gasser priced as high as the diesels
Went to the "Truck Spot" the owner came out, we told him our parameters and he proceeded to show us 6 or 8 trucks. All spotless.

Found one 2018 RAM 2500,4WD shortbed, not sure what trim level but has backup camera and such. Color dark red, not my fav but heck not a killer either. $39K, 43K out the door! As is but so were the dealer models.
Hopefully the insurance company will come thru Wednesday, otherwise we will put a deposit down. Off to the CU in the morning. The one potential problem is 204K on the clock. But with a diesel I'm not worried but the CU may not like it.
Assuming we get it I'll run it down to the RAM dealer for filter/fluid changes and to get them to check it out. Florida has I think a 72hr 'change your mind law' that says you can back out of a contract in that period of time. Not sure if it apples to used trucks tho.
It has a grill guard/winch bumper and front receiver. No winch but that could be added. Side steps too. Cloth seats but that is minimal concern.
We need a topper but the dark red color is problem. Maybe get a white one and have it painted.

[NDBirdman]

I have a RAM under classifieds for sale.

[agesilaus]

Probably not around here.

[Jinx & Wayne]

I've been driving a 2017 F-350 dually diesel longbed Supercab 4x4 since Dec 2017. That is the 6.7 turbo diesel. I have 74K miles on it and pull a 37', 16k fiver.

When we first bought the truck I was white-knuckle every time I was in close quarters. After a short time I became familiar with how it turns and where the corners are located. After that handling and maneuvering was not a problem. You do need to recognize that it is less maneuverable than smaller/shorter vehicles. Planning when in confined areas is important. When I park in a lot I consider whether the space provides room to get out - I try to park where there is more room. This means I often park further out in a lot where there are fewer vehicles. Another option is to park in spaces lanes meet and there is room to back straight out.

I've never had the traction problems described by others. Once a road washout and our GPS took us down a dirt road. I came to a hill that suddenly turned to sand. I was able to shift into 4WD on the fly and get through it pretty easily. There wasn't any way I was backing up.

Towing I get between 9.5 and 11.5, depending upon terrain. Average is 10.5. Not towing I get 10-12 mpg in town, 16-18 on the highway, and about 14-15 overall. The fuel tank on the Supercab is only 34 gal so I put in a 50 gal aux in the bed.

Wayne & Jinx
2017 F-350 diesel, dually
2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

[Jinx & Wayne]

On 2/28/2022 at 1:03 PM, rpsinc said:

I had a guy reach out when I was selling my MDT and he was towing with a RAM 3500.  He had a sand car on a rack on the bed of the truck, the bed was full of gear AND he was pulling a 43' toyhauler loaded with UTVs and gear for his family of 5, which also rode in the truck.  His 1st question to me was, will my HDT pull his setup on the Utah freeways at 75MPH+?  Told him I didnt know because to me that was unsafe and I would not do that, even IF it could.  No way he was safe.

Guy in the site behind me last month had a F-250 pulling a 43' toyhauler with a UTV inside. He mentioned that he blew a tire doing 80. It is pretty hard to overestimate people's ability to exercise bad judgment.

Wayne & Jinx
2017 F-350 diesel, dually
2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

[Steven@146]

I can only comment on Ram trucks as we have a 2018 DRW LB CC 4x4 3500 Cummins. We tow a 16.8K GVWR 5th wheel. Towing we get 9-11 mpg, not towing highway 19-20 mpg. Its payload rating is 5,390#. Payload is the key to towing RVs not so much towing capacity. You will run out of payload way before you run out of capacity. The exhaust brake with our rig is outstanding towing our rig. The ride with and without the 5er is very good.

My wife used to daily drive it to work in downtown Austin Texas and parked it in an under ground garage. Yup, its big and long but if she can do it anyone can. And if we can drive in downtown San Antonio around the Alamo and find a parking space then it isn't that bad, but Yes it will not fit in econobox parking spaces. 

Ram did use the CP4 fuel pump only two years, I believe 2019-20. Based on what I've read on the Cummins Diesel forum there is a recall in the works to fix the problem. As for transmissions with the 3500 Rams, if the truck has the Cummins HO diesel  it will always have the AISIN transmission. The Dodge tranny (68RFE ?) can't handle the torque of the  Cummins, so I've read. The AISIN transmission is outstanding but is a little expensive for fluid and filter changes every 30K miles.

We have 64K miles on our truck now and have only had one problem with it, the 4x4 drive solenoid on the front axle, fixed under the 100K power train warranty. I don't know about the problems with front ends, we haven't had any. The front axel is not a straight axle, its independent. The front tires will lean in full lock turns, this causes the front tires to ware on the outside edges if you don't keep them rotated. If you don't rotate the front tires they will last about half as long as the rear tires. Obviously this would be too much truck for your rig, but I've never heard RV owners complain about having too much truck. LOL's

 

[rpsinc]

There are all kinds of people that make up this world and I am one of those people.

[beemergary]

Have a 2014 Ford F350 crew cab 4x4 and need it at times. With 80K I pull a 12k lb. living quarters racecar trailer. Luv it. Rides great and no problem. 19mpg highway. + or -12mpg on the flat. In KY.-Tenn on I75 on the big hills will push 13mpg. Lots of power and the newer ones have more. Had a F250 with the 6.0 and with 205K only replaced one injector for $275.00. Worked for GM for 40yrs. I drive myFord because its a work truck. 90% of tow vehicals I see at race tracks are Ford or Dodge.

 

[TXiceman]

In our 9 plus years full-time, we see Ford diesels as the most popular truck for towing heavy.  Next comes Dodge/Ram and Chevy/GMC is a distant third.  But in the past two years we have seen an uptick in the number of Chevy/GMC trucks towing heavy.  I don't know if it is the fact that they have pushed their ratings up or people just fall in love with the fancy tailgate.

Ken

[Pappy Yokum]

On 2/28/2022 at 7:34 AM, rpsinc said:

Seems like lots of RAM SRW 3500s in my area.  I do hear plenty of stories about front end problems on the RAMs, needing some significant repairs every 50K miles, so as you are looking keep in mind if those used trucks are around 50K.  Also, the Ford turbos have problems too, which I dont understand since all 3 makes use the Garrett mulitvane turbos, might be something about the FORD application.

Also, if choosing diesel, be wary of any with a Bosch CP4 fuel pump.  They tend to fail with lots of $ to repair.  There are some retrofit options available to eliminate that issue.  I am a GM/Duramax owner, having 3 of them and know more about them.  GM has done some good work in their development of the Duramax/Allison platform.  The RAM with the Dodge transmission is a non reliable option as that Cummins makes too much torque for that tranny but the Aisin, modeled after the Allison is a great option.  Not familiar with Powerstroke weaknesses, never been a Ford guy.

EASY solution to get the "straight scoop" on Chevy/GMC. Ford, Dodge (RAM) from the folks who own one!

Several Diesel Forums for each!

As well as brand specific forums for both gas & diesel.  (Google is your friend!)

Go to the "brand specific" forums for each....*NOT* a "general" forum (such as this).  Each of the above will have sections for various year(s), with sub sections on engines & transmissions etc.

Also, besides those... - most importantly - look at the "Help!" sub forum/s by *OWNERS* of the brand who are having problems!  What kind?  How many?  How solved?  Under warranty?  After warranty?  At what cost?  How much "down time"?

Lastly, you can join (whatever forum) and ask specific questions about the brand & year of the truck you are considering.

Good luck!

 

 

 

Edited March 5, 2022 by Pappy Yokum

[palmeris]

Ford power stroke forum

[Pappy Yokum]

On 3/5/2022 at 7:57 AM, palmeris said:

Ford power stroke forum

When I was looking for a new pickup, I had 20 diesel forums for the "big 3" -  also one "Cummins" forum, one "tow rig" - AND a forum for swapping Cummins engines into Ford pickups!  (Many Ford pickup owners loved their trucks - but not the "power joke" engine at that time - **see "edit" for current site).

I could post all the internet addresses, but some may be outdated......and, besides....

Thread starter "Agesilaus" is a capable guy - even been a Moderator on forums .......(see his thread: "Stop the Spam !!").... so he should have the ability to find the various (current) forums for pickups - &  if he's *not* a DEF fan, might even want to consider a Gas engine now = more forums!

Edit:  Link =  Cummins engines to gas/diesel FORDS !!....(for "Diesel Conversion Specalists") - Their home page covers the "why".  (Chevy & other conversions also).

😉

Edited March 8, 2022 by Pappy Yokum
"Conversions" link added

[rickeieio]

On 3/2/2022 at 4:37 PM, rpsinc said:

There are all kinds of people that make up this world and I am one of those people.

There are three kinds of people.  Those who can count, and those who can't.

Someone above commented they'd never heard an rv'er complain about having too much truck.  So true.  I didn't pay any more for the truck in my signature than the same year (2018) diesel dually would cost.  It ought to last a long time.

Edited March 9, 2022 by rickeieio