Who's building the best 3/4 Ton/ 1 Ton Gas Truck these days!

[jaxyaks]

Who do you think is building the best 2500/3500 gas truck for a truck camper hauler these days?

Ford, Ram, Chevy?

When it comes to smaller trucks I know what to buy but I find myself looking at truck camper rigs and wondering who is building the most reliable gas HD rigs at the moment.

I am open to all suggestions and would love to hear opinions.

The question is geared towards new, but its open for used configurations as well...(Just no Diesel)

Thanks in advance

For what its worth this is what the inter webs says at a glance.

3/4 Ton

Ford 2.0 out of 5
Ram 2.5 out of 5
Chevy 3.0 out of 5


1 Ton
Ford. 1.5 out of 5
Ram 2.0 out of 5
Chevy 2.5 out of 5

 

[REF]

Ohh, another Ram vs Ford vs Chevy thread.
Your thread title suggests you are more familiar with the Ram offerings, nothing wrong with that, but I would go with the Ford 7.3 Godzilla gasser option myself.


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[jaxyaks]

Ohh, another Ram vs Ford vs Chevy thread.
Your thread title suggests you are more familiar with the Ram offerings, nothing wrong with that, but I would go with the Ford 7.3 Godzilla gasser option myself.


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Changed it for ya, but Chevy also uses the 2500/3500 moniker.....

 

[Todd n Natalie]

What are you using it for? Highway / dirt road driving? Off road / trail use?
How heavy of a camper are you looking at?
Do you want an single, extended or crew cab? (Ram does not offer an extended cab)
Will the camper live on the truck full time?
Will the truck be your daily driver as well?
If so what climate will you be in? Will snow / winter be a consideration?

 

[Hegear]

I have a power wagon at the moment and have been a ram guy for my last 6 trucks. if I were buying today the ford Godzilla engine would be very tempting, that and the fact you can order the ford with a tremor package with rear locker and front limited slip.

 

[jaxyaks]

What are you using it for? Highway / dirt road driving? Off road / trail use?
How heavy of a camper are you looking at?
Do you want an single, extended or crew cab? (Ram does not offer an extended cab)
Will the camper live on the truck full time?
Will the truck be your daily driver as well?
If so what climate will you be in? Will snow / winter be a consideration?

Bones of the truck, Engine/ Transmission/ Reliabity/ Longevity etc. Just like it says, who is building the best 3/4 ton 1 ton gasser. All of your options listed are available in configurations from all three, so once you narrow down who is building the best longest (potentially) longest lasting combo, each of them have trucks that can be optioned to meet those configurations.

But just for fun

Camper lives on truck full time, daily driver, all 4 seasons use, 20-50K per year, cab configuration is not relevant really just preference. 3/4 ton camper weight 1500-2500 lbs. 1 ton camper weight 2400-4000 lbs. (again dually if camper weight commands it, not relevant really to build of truck) Forest service trails, dirt roads cross country tripping etc.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

Bones of the truck, Engine/ Transmission/ Reliabity/ Longevity etc. Just like it says, who is building the best 3/4 ton 1 ton gasser. All of your options listed are available in configurations from all three, so once you narrow down who is building the best longest (potentially) longest lasting combo, each of them have trucks that can be optioned to meet those configurations.

But just for fun

Camper lives on truck full time, daily driver, all 4 seasons use, 20-50K per year, cab configuration is not relevant really just preference. 3/4 ton camper weight 1500-2500 lbs. 1 ton camper weight 2400-4000 lbs. (again dually if camper weight commands it, not relevant really to build of truck) Forest service trails, dirt roads cross country tripping etc.

Okay, for me in this case, I might go 2024 GMC 2500. Extended cab Sierra w/ 6.5" box to keep overall length / wheelbase down. The other feature that leads me to GM would be you can get auto trac 4WD in their heavy duty trucks which would be nice for inclement weather.

An F350 w/ the 7.3 is right up there though. I think it would come down to whichever I think drove / rode and fit me best + the best deal I could get.

I'd suggest driving all 3 and see what you like. Really can't go wrong with any of the big 3 really. Just comes down to personal preference.

If Dodge used the 1500 5th gen cab on their heavy duty trucks, I might lean that way. But, I've read cramming the 5th gen interior into the 4th gen cab really ate into interior room.

 

[SDDiver5]

I would go GMC Sierra as well. It has the nicest and most comfortable ride with the IFS IMO. And If I'm just doing forest roads I would prefer that. However, I prefer the customization that ford offers when you build a truck. Just about any option can be put on any configuration (mostly). I dont know about their gas motor vs. Ford godzilla motor tho.

IDK. I'm gonna vote Ford because I'm a self admitted biased fanboy

 

[IdaSHO]

Bone stock brand new…

If Gasser, Ford
If Diesel, tossup between Chevy or Ram
The Chevys are incredibly comfortable and smooth, but if you run heavy Id avoid the IFS and go Dodge.

 

[UglyViking]

If you don't plan to modify the suspension at all, the GM trucks will probably give you the best road manners. If you plan to do any off roading and want a more performant suspension then I'd go solid axle (Ford or Ram).

I'd steer away from the 7.3 godzilla engine right now. Seeing longevity issues up with camshaft and rollers. Will probably be fixed soon, may already be fixed, but I've been seeing them pop up. Do more research on a ford/super duty specific forum for this info.

Ram 2500 has coil rear end, for your needs and a camper as described I'd steer away from it. It's completely "fine", but I think you'll be more happy with a leaf sprung suspension.

Past that, you'll likely not answer "who makes the best" because it's not an easily known answer. Each have their pros and cons, you need to figure out what's most important to you and go drive them.

 

[jbaucom]

I'd get a 2024 GM with the 6.6 gasser & 10 speed. The 10 speed hasn't been available on a gas HD until the 2024 model year. A lot of driving combined with nothing rougher than dirt roads/FS roads means I'd opt for the one that drives the best, which would be the IFS GMs.

 

[Grasslakeron]

Test drove the big 3 in 2020. Ordered and bought a 2021 F350 7.3 SCLB. Ride is just smooth as glass compared to the other two.

 

[GeorgeHayduke]

20k-50k miles per year is a heckuva lot of miles to put on a gasser getting at best 10 mpg with a big camper. Lots of miles with the engine under load is really the place a diesel engine (and the emission systems) shines, but I can appreciate you wanting to go with gas. With that much seat time, I'd approach this more like you were a hotshot driver and prioritize cab and seat comfort, quality of the headlights, service intervals on engine and transmission, etc. With that much time on the road, you might want to consider driver assist features (lane keep, adaptive cruise, etc).

Ford's cab has a flat rear floor, I think that's a big advantage over the Ram cab. Ram's cab and bed is shorter than the crew cab short bed offerings form Ford/GM (6' 4" vs 6' 9"), giving it a significantly shorter wheelbase and better turn radius that could pay off in daily driver or trail situations. Watch out for issues with the center of gravity of some campers being behind the rear axle on Ram. Ford has a selectable e-locker, Chevy/GM have a G80 auto locker and Ram has a limited slip. Pick your poison there. Ford also just updated their trucks for 2023, including a new gas engine. With steps in the bumper and bedsides, it's much easier to access cargo in the Ford and GM trucks than Ram. Ford's aluminum body might be preferable over steel depending on how they treat the roads in the winter where you live.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

End of the day, they are all good trucks. Pick which one you like best.

There is no definitive answer for 'Who builds the best 3/4 ton truck'...

If it were that easy, everybody would only buy that 1 truck and there would be no other offerings because they'd be discontinued for lack of sales.

 

[jaxyaks]

End of the day, they are all good trucks. Pick which one you like best.

There is no definitive answer for 'Who builds the best 3/4 ton truck'...

If it were that easy, everybody would only buy that 1 truck and there would be no other offerings because they'd be discontinued for lack of sales.

True but it it is nice to have info about all 3 brands to be made aware of any ongoing or new issues with powertrains that pop up, like the current issues with the Ford 7.3 as mentioned above etc.