Unlike most truck posts-I am looking to start a brand war!I am shopping for a replacement for my DuraMax CC SB (which has been an awesome powertrain). But the truck is getting old and I need more payload. I am looking at 1 ton Gas, SRW, CC, LB. For the last 30 years I have driven all GM trucks.It has been extremely frustrating trying to stay with GM. I cannot find any 1 tons, forget about long beds, SRW, or the new 6.6l gas engine. I cannot even find one to test drive. The salesman (who I have worked with for many years) cannot not even tell me when/where to find such a truck. It seems that all GM is building is trucks for the Home Depot crowd. I have been looking for a couple of months and need to pull the trigger soon. I attribute the lack of inventory to the strike last fall.So I have decided to look at Ford and Ram. I have a few questions and would like overall feedback, especially from those that own the latest generation of these gas trucks.Can anyone compare the Ford 6.2 l 6 speed to the new 10 speed?How about the Ram 6.4l 6 speed to the new 8 speed?Are the new trannies more efficient?I have recently driven;Ford 6.2l 6 speed. For some reason the truck I drove felt sluggish and the steering was “spongy”. XLT base.Ford 6.2l 10 speed. This truck felt much lighter on it’s feet and was a real nice truck. For some reason the overall experience of this truck was nicer than the 6 speed. XLT Premium pkg. Made me wonder if there was a front end issue or tire inflation issue with the 6 speed ford I drove.Ram 6.4l 8 speed. Peppy, nice steeering. A little more bouncy in the ride than the Ford. Tradesman pkg.I have pretty much given up on GM and am between the Ford with 10 speed or Ram with 8 speed. I am leaning toward Ford.I tow 10k lbs, but also haul 4k lbs in the bed so payload is more of a concern than tow capacity.Let the fun begin!Thx, Bill

My local Chevy dealers (Glendale and Burbank) have very limited numbers of 3/4 ton trucks and few if any 1 tons.

I realize this is not the question your raised: But I would not want to carry an Eagle Cap 850 on an SRW when you could choose the stability of a dually.

If you are buying new, I’d wait and drive a 7.3 gasoline Ford and 6.6 gasoline from GM. They should be available pretty soon.

jimh425 wrote:If you are buying new, I’d wait and drive a 7.3 gasoline Ford and 6.6 gasoline from GM. They should be available pretty soon.The 6.2 Ford has enough juice for my needs. I have to guess the 7.3 will be a serious fuel hog. I suspect it will be a great engine...but yikes...wouldn’t want to feed it daily.Wish I could find a GM 6.6 to drive. Frickin unicorns around here.

Have you searched out west for the truck you want? Long beds are more common out west.

1 ton SRW debate | Good Sam Community

49 Replies

billtex
Explorer II
Jan 10, 2020
burningman wrote:
Buying a single rear wheel one ton to get more payload over a 3/4 ton is all smoke and mirrors.
It’s the same hardware.
The truth is the Dana 80 rear axle in an old Dodge 2500 has an 11,000 rating by itself.
Others have a big Sterling axle. Same ones the 3500s have.
It’s really all about tires. No matter what badges or rating stickers you put on a single rear wheel truck, it’s only got two tires to carry the load on.

Spring packs and tires are different. Yes, you can upgrade these.

But why?
burningman
Explorer II
Jan 10, 2020
Buying a single rear wheel one ton to get more payload over a 3/4 ton is all smoke and mirrors.
It’s the same hardware.
The truth is the Dana 80 rear axle in an old Dodge 2500 has an 11,000 rating by itself.
Others have a big Sterling axle. Same ones the 3500s have.
It’s really all about tires. No matter what badges or rating stickers you put on a single rear wheel truck, it’s only got two tires to carry the load on.
billtex
Explorer II
Jan 10, 2020
GDS-3950BH wrote:
GeoBoy wrote:
I wouldn’t own a HD gas engine truck with cylinder deactivation. More things to go wrong.

Me either, if I ever find one with cylinder deactivation.

Ram.
billtex
Explorer II
Jan 10, 2020
wowens79 wrote:
I’ve been reading about the new gassers, and looking at them also. Mainly the GM 6.6 and the Ram 6.4. I’ve been waiting for GM to up their game with the new gasser. I’ve got an old 6.0 that I’ve been driving for 17 years that has been a great truck, but I want a little more power, and I feel loyal to the GM.

After reading about the Ram, the only complaint was the shift points of the 6spd. All of the reviews and comments with the new 8spd have been very positive on how it totally changed the way the truck drove.

Couple of weeks ago I test drove the Ram and Chevy back to back, both were similar trims, and I liked the Ram so much better. The interior looked and felt nicer, and the 6.4 and 8 spd were super smooth and peppy.

The Chevy felt weak, and did not want to down shift. I’ve since read a couple of articles where the writer had the same feelings about the Chevy. The Chevy sales guy asked how it compared, and I told him that driving the 2 that I liked everything about the Ram better, if it weren’t for having had a great experience with my old truck, that I wouldn’t consider the Chevy,

I’m 95% sold on going to the Ram.

Read MotorTrends 2020 heavy duty truck of the year comparisons. Their thoughts pretty much echo my feelings.

Agree 100%. I have been in GM trucks for 30 yrs. I really feel like GM missed the boat by putting a 6 speed in their new truck. Ford has gone 10 spd and ram 8 spd. I have a DuraMax now, and the powertrain is absolutely awesome and has been trouble free (the rest of the truck is kicking the can). If I were going diesel again, I would def go Duramax. But the new gassers are very competitive. I am trying to get a handle on mpg numbers for these new trucks and i will make a decision soon. It is really starting to look like i may switch truck teams.
billtex
Explorer II
Jan 10, 2020
So i got to test drive the new ford 7.3 l 10 speed today. It’s legit. Noticeable power increase over the 6.2l 10 speed. For some reason the 7.3 shifted smoother than the 6.2l I drove the other day (see post above). I don’t need the 7.3 but I wanted to drive it before I pull the trigger (towing 10k# max).
This was interesting; on a (brief) 10 mile test drive I observed the following.
68 mph “normal” drive mode = 14 mpg
Reset trip meter.
60 mph “eco” drive mode = 19 mpg. Yes 19.

Now this is very unscientific, but it was an interesting observation. I am waiting to see more data points for mpg with the 7.3. If it is close to the 6.2l, I may just check that box. As noted above, I have driven all 3 of the latest generation gassers. The 7.3 is the most robust.

Stay tuned.

Bill
specta
Explorer
Jan 10, 2020
ScottG wrote:
I have the 6.4 Hemi in my Challenger with cyl. deactivation. There's really nothing to be afraid of. They are not problematic and work off very simple mechanics. There's really nothing appreciably more to go wrong. It's actually one of the reason I got the 6.4 over the 5.7.

We really need a like button here. :B
ScottG
Nomad
Jan 10, 2020
I have the 6.4 Hemi in my Challenger with cyl. deactivation. There's really nothing to be afraid of. They are not problematic and work off very simple mechanics. There's really nothing appreciably more to go wrong. It's actually one of the reason I got the 6.4 over the 5.7.
ppine
Explorer II
Jan 10, 2020
What debate? I have been driving a Ford one ton SRW since 2002 and it is the best vehicle I have ever had. Travel to find one. Have it shipped. There are plenty of trucks out there if you know where to look.
specta
Explorer
Jan 10, 2020
GeoBoy wrote:
I wouldn’t own a HD gas engine truck with cylinder deactivation. More things to go wrong.

Why not just deactivate it?

The vehicles I've seen equipped with this its been a mode that you can select.
GDS-3950BH
Explorer
Jan 10, 2020
GeoBoy wrote:
I wouldn’t own a HD gas engine truck with cylinder deactivation. More things to go wrong.

Me either, if I ever find one with cylinder deactivation.