Garey

Another new guy seeking comparisons/general info.
I'm looking to get 1-ton 4x2 diesel crew cab long bed with mid-level trim package and a manual trans. This will mostly be for towing an enclosed trailer (not sure of what eventual weight will be) but if it's comfortably enough, I may drive it more. From my research so far (drove the following trucks), I've learned:
Ford 4x2 CC LB 7.3 auto
Great ride!!
Best rear seat room
Great dual lens tow mirrors
new motor is supposed to be much stronger and easier to maintain than 7.3L.
Cool stereo, Cassette and CD in XLT trim

Dodge 4x2 QC SB 5.9 auto
Motor felt MUCH stronger than Ford 7.3
Excellent interior layout
Wife loves the looks
Choppy ride with Shortbed
Much cheaper

My questions:
1) Does the Dodge long bed ride nicer than the short bed?
2) What are the benefits of getting a dually vs SRW? (I'm leaning toward dually but wonder what happens to the trucks ride - it's VERY important that the wife like it!).

TPilaske

I like the longbed better. But switched out the stock shocks for some Ranchos because you seem to bounce down the road much more with it while towing... now with the firmer shocks, it's a great ride!<br><br>I have towed with both a 2500 SB &amp; now the 3500. My personal opinion, the 3500 feels alot more stable/solid in the rear while towing.<br><br>Couldn't tell you anything about the FORDs other than some of them look real nice! ;D There should be plenty of opinions on both the 2500 &amp; 3500s as we have a good mix of them on here and I think almost everyone tows something or other!<br><br>Tony<br><br>p.s. -- welcome to the site!

me4osu

DRW trucks have much more stability while towing heavy loads. <br><br>And they cost more to re-tire. :'( :'(

KC

The Dodge will tow more, even more than the 6.0! The 6 speed is a great trans for the dodge!<br><br>KC <br><br>

Garey

I should have also mentioned that the Dodge salesman told me the HO Cummins was not allowed in California because of emissions. Does anyone know if that's true? If it is, then I'm comparing the regular Cummins to the Ford 7.3 that I drove. I'll only be able to get a 5 speed manual, right? My feel was that the Dodge had better power. <br><br>The salesman at the Ford dealership jumped in the truck and just started cranking. It &quot;finally&quot; started after about 15 seconds. Hmmm, I wonder if this guy was familiar with diesels?

DPG

First off, your Ford salesman deffinately was not familiar with diesels, but that isn't just at Ford dealerships! Quite a few salesman that I've talked to would spend a considerable amout of time looking for the spark plugs if I had asked them to. ??? I've owned Ford (F350 DRW 7.3TD), GMC (6.5 TD 2500) and now my 3500 Quad cab. The long bed is a much better ride than the short bed. The Dodge rides better than either of my previous trucks, and that's from my wife, not just me. She finds the Dodge very comfortable. I do have Rancho 9000 shocks, which helps cut down on the bounce. I know that the HO can not be sold in California, but I don't know if ownership is prohibited. IF you have to go with the non-HO Cummins, for a few dollars you can increase the HP/torque to a very respectable level. The only time I don't like my dually is in small parking lots, and when I buy tires. ;D Seriously, if you are going to be towing serious weight regularly, you will really appreciate the dually.

Garey

Yeah, I think the salesmans' actions were more a condenation of a lot (but not all) salesman, not the dealership. The salesman at the Dodge dealership told me (with great enthusiasm) about the &quot;hydrocarved frame&quot; the Dodge has! His description of the &quot;carving&quot; process was very animated!

I'm starting to think I don't need the dually. I don't think my trailer will be much over 10K pounds. I know there are lots of things I can do to increase power but frankly, I have a race car to work on, I don't want to spend a lot of time messing with the tow vehicle! Even if I got a goosneck trailer in the distant future, I could still go fairly large before starting to overburden the rear axle.

BigBlue

The axles on the two are almost identical. The 3500 has a Dana 80 while the 2500 has the Dana 60 (I think). Both hold about the same weight. I think the 60 has a sheer rating of like 30,000 or so pounds. Ask Haulin In Dixie about towing. That guy tows some serious loads and if I'm correct, his is a 2500 with a dual rear wheel conversion. The LB rides MUCH better than the SB. I like the looks of a SB better though. My opinion. The brakes on a 3500 are also a bit bigger. The only downside I can see to owning a 3500 is having to replace 6 tires instead of 4. But if I'm correct, a DRW gets better tire mileage cause there's not as much weight pressing down per square inch of a DRW as there is a SRW. I think that's right. My dad's got a 3500 4x4 Crew Cab LB SRW Chevy 6.5L. We tow a 10K gooseneck with it and we've never had a problem with swaying or anything.

97CTD

Actually if you get a manual tranny in the 2500 you get the Dana 80 rear the same as the 3500 that is what mine has!<br>

Garey

I'm really glad I found this forum! Everyone has been very informative and I think we'll be putting a 3500 SRW LB QC on order soon. I was hoping to drive the Ford 6.0 first but our local dealer, who sells more Fords than any other in the world, doesn't have any 6.0 4x2's to sample! Oh well, my wife likes the looks and the interior layout of the Dodge better, despite the smaller rear seat area. I guess she figures that since we're both well under 6' tall, we'll have the seats far enough forward to provide ample legroom for any passengers!