Which new 1 Ton Diesel would you buy?

[Todd n Natalie]

I think with a lot of fleets a lot of it comes down to which dealer is offering the best deal too....

 

[Trixxx]

New diesels are far too unreliable regardless of the manufacturer. Have a buddy with a transit mix, gravel business he uses his truck hard often towing a tridem equipment trailer. In the past 6 years he's had Ford, Dodge, GMC diesels, none of them lasted a full year without breaking down. All powertrain issues. The GMC was in the shop for 6 weeks waiting for warranty parts. He now drives a Chevy with a gas engine, 2 years of trouble free driving and he's not missing the diesel torque. He'll never buy another diesel pickup. But he was several Mack gravel and cement trucks with real diesel engines.... all pre def.

I had my 42’ 5th wheel hotshotted a couple years ago. The guy had a 2012? F350 with 400k miles on the original engine and transmission and he had nothing but compliments. Those are 400k hard, towing miles.

Ford has been using the 6.7L since 2011, so they have it dialed in prettttty well. There were some modifications/improvements made in 2017 and 2020? Maybe one other between 2011 and 2017.

I work oil & gas and know a lot of super duty owners. Very few major issues in frequent discussions with them.

 

[SDDiver5]

If I were buying a truck today I'd go for a Ford. I think all three of the trucks would work for my uses and each has its area that it shines. I think the Ford is the best overall even if its not the best in each area. I do find their interior the most comfortable personally.

Agreed! (Shocking, I know.)

Close second place would be RAM personally.

 

[deserteagle56]

I work oil & gas and know a lot of super duty owners. Very few major issues in frequent discussions with them.

Same here in Nevada with the mining industry. Vendors who service the industry are primarily choosing the Superduty because they seem to have the fewest problems and stoutest drivetrains.

Also something to consider is the parts support. At least in northern Nevada Ford is by far the best in this regard - I used to do purchasing for the mines. Didn't matter what it was, if you needed a part for a Ford it was generally available overnight. GM and Dodge - some parts can be weeks out. I remember lead time on a simple carrier bearing for a Dodge 5500 we had was 4 months.

And lest you think I'm a Ford fanboy...my personal dually is a Dodge/Cummins with the 5.9 that I intend to hold on to for the rest of my life!

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I think with a lot of fleets a lot of it comes down to which dealer is offering the best deal too....

That's why my agency goes with Ford. They are cheaper for us to buy and maintenance at the dealer is cheaper.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

If I was buying one... I'd probably get a F350 with the 7.3 and then get with 5* Tuning and start playing with it. It would have a higher payload rating compared to the 6.7 and cost 10k less to buy. The 7.3 also has much cheaper oil changes and maintenance requirements. The 7.3 will also be cheaper to repair and there is nothing complicated about it. In many parts of the country Diesel fuel cost more than unleaded. Just my .02.

 

[GeorgeHayduke]

I see slightly more Rams than Fords being used for hotshot and commercial work in my neck of the Rockies, and basically no GMs. TFLtruck does some good reviews of towing heavy with DRW 1 tons in the mountains. There's another channel on youtube called PD Diesel Power from a guy who runs a hotshot fleet in the Spokane area with lots of trucks over 500k miles. He primarily has Rams but also has Ford and GM trucks that he compares against. Both great resources to get more opinions.

The latest Powerstroke is undeniably the fastest and has closed the gap on the Cummins in terms of the MPG advantage it traditionally had. The driving dynamics of the V8 vs a inline 6 will always make the Cummins a little slower revving, but there's also way more space under the hood if you're planning to do your own maintenance.

All three of the drivetrains are pretty solid these days but I think there are important differences in the transmissions and fuel injector pumps. GM doesn't use an Allison-made transmission any more, instead they manufacture it and got approval to use the Allison brand name. Ram has improved the 68rfe over the years but it's not a medium duty trans like their Aisin. Better for tuning though.

Ram switched back to a CP3 fuel injector pump in 2021 which I think is pretty big advantage over the CP4 pump that Ford is still using. The CP4 pumps are known to self destruct and take out the fuel system and turbos.

Historically, Ram has been a little cheaper than an equivalent Ford, but who knows these days.

Honestly, I think the decision would come down to what inventory you can find in your neck of the woods and your preferences on a lot of little things:

Ford cab is a little bigger than the Ram and has a flat rear floor if that matters to you. Personally I think the Ram interior has better fit and finish.

Ford comes with a rear locker vs Ram's rear LSD.

Ram has a factory air suspension option.

Ford offers a 450 pickup with better turn radius and 19.5" wheels if you're looking for even more truck.

Integrated tailgate step in the Ford vs kick-down step on the Ram.

10 speed transmission in the Ford vs 6 speed in the Ram.

Aluminum vs steel body panels.

Ford mirrors power extend into tow mode, Ram's you have to flip up manually. Ram has heated and powered convex mirrors though and Ford/GM don't.

 

[MobileCabin]

This is painful. I am trying to decided between the 2022 3500HD couble cab and 2022 F350 XLT supercab, both 8'bed gassers. The final selection will be fitted with a Phoenix popup slide-in. Right now I have the GMC on order and talked to Ford today. The supply issues with GMC has it in a cloud of confusion that results in uncertainty when it would be built with the options that I need. The Ford sounds like a 11-13 week turn around at this time. Fortunately there are a few months to finalize until Phoenix will have to know what truck will use the popup.

Most truck camper users appear to prefer Ford. I like the GMC IFS smooth drive feel and overall ease of repair. If I were out west driving in the rocky BLM areas the Ford front axle would be better. But in the northern fishing areas that I try to frequent that is not necessarily as important.

So, is the larger Ford gasser really the way to go for the pop-up camper? My current diesel van is nice, but not good on rough terrain, bad cross winds or regions where their is lack of good diesel. A Ford or GM is something that could be fixable anywhere in the US, at least in comparison to a Sprinter. But then I suspect the aluminum body on a Ford poses a repair issue in many parts of the country.

 

[GeorgeHayduke]

I am trying to decided between the 2022 3500HD couble cab and 2022 F350 XLT supercab, both 8'bed gassers.

Ford has suicide doors vs GM's small regular door. 10 speed Ford trans vs 6 speed GM. True e-locker in Ford vs G80 slip-actuated locker in the GM.

What tie-downs will you use for the camper? I believe the Happijacs won't work on the aluminum Ford bed because the shear strength isn't as good as steel. Aluminum body panels are more expensive to repair than steel, but since you're up north you might appreciate the extra rust resistance.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

This is painful. I am trying to decided between the 2022 3500HD couble cab and 2022 F350 XLT supercab, both 8'bed gassers. The final selection will be fitted with a Phoenix popup slide-in. Right now I have the GMC on order and talked to Ford today. The supply issues with GMC has it in a cloud of confusion that results in uncertainty when it would be built with the options that I need. The Ford sounds like a 11-13 week turn around at this time. Fortunately there are a few months to finalize until Phoenix will have to know what truck will use the popup.

Most truck camper users appear to prefer Ford. I like the GMC IFS smooth drive feel and overall ease of repair. If I were out west driving in the rocky BLM areas the Ford front axle would be better. But in the northern fishing areas that I try to frequent that is not necessarily as important.

So, is the larger Ford gasser really the way to go for the pop-up camper? My current diesel van is nice, but not good on rough terrain, bad cross winds or regions where their is lack of good diesel. A Ford or GM is something that could be fixable anywhere in the US, at least in comparison to a Sprinter. But then I suspect the aluminum body on a Ford poses a repair issue in many parts of the country.

The 7.3 gasser is an amazing motor. As for repairing the aluminum body, it's very easy. In 2015 people freaked out about the aluminum F150....and now aluminum trucks are common place.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

Gas or diesel could also vary depending on how much towing will be done and the weight of what is being towed.

Gassers can tow a lot. But, I'm sure it would be less stressful in a diesel.

I think all the gas V8 make their power higher in the powerband. I know it drives me nuts when my truck is running at 4K RPM for more than a few mins, haha

 

[Trixxx]

Gas or diesel could also vary depending on how much towing will be done and the weight of what is being towed.

Gassers can tow a lot. But, I'm sure it would be less stressful in a diesel.

I think all the gas V8 make their power higher in the powerband. I know it drives me nuts when my truck is running at 4K RPM for more than a few mins, haha

Fuel MPG and range are also worth considering between gas and diesel. A Ford with the 6.7 is capable of another 5-7 mpg. That goes a long ways on a 34 gallon tank. Plus the option to add an auction tank.

 

[Tex68w]

I guess you are asking generically but knowing how you will use it might make a difference?

My perception is that Ford has been the leader in selling light duty commercial diesels with Dodge second and GM a distant 3rd. Since commercial users abuse them and see the most broken trucks, their preference probably reflects reliability, durability and overall operating costs.

Maybe someone who deals with truck fleets can confirm or deny?

My personal preference has always been for Ford and I still think (like the poster quoted above said) that they have the best overall HD consumer grade truck at the moment. I drive a RAM with a Cummins at the moment and while I think I am coming to prefer the CTD over the PSD in terms of characteristics, I still think that I prefer the cab and overall body of the Ford over the RAM. I get far better fuel economy with the Cummins but it doesn't have the get up and go that the V8 Powerstroke and Duramax have.

RAM is nipping at the heels of Ford in sales in recent years while GM seems to be slipping further and further from the pack and are now way back in distant third in this segment. Some prefer the better ride of the IFS on the GM but I will always take a straight axle on a HD truck and most fleets prefer them as well, there's just no denying the durability of the straight axle for the use/abuse they see.


Regardless of all of that, you really can't go wrong with any of them. Go test drive them all and set a budget and go from there. I'll only make fun of you if you buy the GM lol, jk, but not really.

 

[Explorerinil]

If I was buying one... I'd probably get a F350 with the 7.3 and then get with 5* Tuning and start playing with it. It would have a higher payload rating compared to the 6.7 and cost 10k less to buy. The 7.3 also has much cheaper oil changes and maintenance requirements. The 7.3 will also be cheaper to repair and there is nothing complicated about it. In many parts of the country Diesel fuel cost more than unleaded. Just my .02.

I just did my first oil change on my 7.3, it was around $40. I used run of the mill motor craft 5w30 and filter from Walmart, it was also the easiest oil change I’ve ever done. When opening the hood you can see ground around the 7.3, it’s definitely going to be easy to work on. We just got back from a vacation to Branson Missouri, it was 917 miles round trip, hand calculated mpg with 3 people, a bed full of gear, yakama rack with fishing rod holder, average fuel economy was 15.2. Not bad considering most of the time we were going 75 to 80 mph and the truck has the tremor package with 4:30 gears, small lift and 35’s.

 

[MobileCabin]

Thanks for the useful input. More useful than from the various truck forums for this application.

I find the suicide doors and e-locker a pro. Got use to them with our Toyota.

The aluminum strength issue is probably more of a negative for me than any perceived corrosion benefit.

I like the simplicity of the 6 speed transmission over the 10. But then I was told yesterday at the dealer that the 10 speed jumped down to a 6 speed when in heavy tow mode. If that is true, the 10 speed seems even less important.

Have to talk to my favorite mechanic and get his input on the 7.3 ford over the 6.6 gm.

It will most likely get down to availability.