6.4 Hemi Ram 2500 or 6.2L F-250

Hannibal wrote:

Do you feel the same about CAW? I have as our tow vehicle a union built in Kentucky F250. My fun vehicle is an American made union built Harley. I've bought many union built in America vehicles over the years. If Ford would have offered the Focus in a hybrid, I would have chose it over the Prius in a heartbeat. I buy American union made when it's offered and it's what I want. If not, I'll support labor unions in other countries.

I'm in the USW and yes, I support American Union made overall. I support none union, American Made on a secondary level. I do support Canadian made on a third level. I don't support other foreign made vehicles at all.

I made the mistake of buying a GM foreign made sports car and seen how poorly it was assembled. At the time, I didn't realize it was made in Mexico, and wouldn't had bought it if I did. I foolishly thought that a Chevy would be an American made car. MY BAD.

Didn't realize that the Dodge Ram 2500/3500 were made in Mexico. To bad, I'll have to re-evaluate and may look at a F250 with 4.30 even closer now. Never heard of an American work truck made in a foreign country. Guess that's why my employer usually has Ford F250/F350/F450 vehicles and Chevy Silverado 2500/3500s.

Hannibal wrote:

The 5.4L F250 verses the 5.7L Hemi powered 2500HD Ram is similar. The Ram's drive by wire accelerator ramps up much quicker than the F250. 1/3 throttle in the Ram feels like 2/3 throttle in the F250. But at full throttle, they're not all that far apart. I would suspect the new 6.2 verses the Ram's 6.4 would give the same impression. Once I got familiar with it, I like the Ford's more predictable throttle feel.

Agreed. They still use a slightly aggressive ramp up in the 6.4L.
I don't notice it until I drive the wife's jeep cherokee trailhawk then jump right into my truck.

Honestly, whichever truck you get will do the job. One might get a little better mileage, one might be a little more comfortable, one might be a little more expensive... but the Ford 6.2, Ram 6.4 and GM 6.0 are all strong engines that will likely last longer than you want to own the truck anyways.

You cannot go wrong with whatever truck you use. Whichever one meets your combination of comfort, amenities and fuel economy is the one that will likely make YOU happiest for the life of your truck.

katoom400 wrote:
This is a very useful topic to me right now. I have been looking to upgrade from my 2010 Tundra 5.7 since August. I tow a ~7500lb travel trailer about 10 times a year, the rest of the time the truck is my daily driver ~70 miles a day round trip.

I've been reading everything I can on many forums regarding all of the 3/4 offerings and of the big 3 the GM was the only one I did not like at all.

I have been leaning 6.4 hemi with 4.10's after all of the positive comments I've seen. The MDS also appeals to me as the truck is 90% running empty as my daily driver.

as far as my wife is concerned she absolutely loves the interior of the Ford much more than the Ram and I tend to agree...the Ram feels more "modern" inside, but the Ford feels more comfortable to me.

It seems you can get a few more options for the same $ compared to the Ford. but still I'm finding myself drawn to the Ford. I had an 01 7.3 and loved it.

My biggest hold up right now is the way the Ford puts out the power, at least in the trucks I've test driven (which were all 3.73's) as there are no 4.30's sitting on the dealers lots to test drive.

on the test drives the power just felt very linear...no rush to throw you back in the seat compared to the 6.4/3.73 trucks I've test driven. This may be fine...just not what I'm used to..the 7.3 was also very linear but would pull a train.

I have read about the Ford's drive by wire and the "adaptive" transmission learning your driving habits and getting better. and generally I drive like an old man but have gotten used to the snap of my 5.7/4.30 geared Tundra.

Lot's of guys are reporting the 6.2/3.73 trucks pulling 10k+ are pulling great gives me some confidence that I would be ok with the 6.2\3.73 combo once I got used to it...or it gets used to me....

if I wanted 4.30's I would have to order a truck blindly since there are none around here to test drive. question is: do I really need it for a trailer under 8k? some good deals on 6.2/3.73 siting on my local dealers lot right now....I am ready to pull the trigger...

thanks for any advice

The 5.4L F250 verses the 5.7L Hemi powered 2500HD Ram is similar. The Ram's drive by wire accelerator ramps up much quicker than the F250. 1/3 throttle in the Ram feels like 2/3 throttle in the F250. But at full throttle, they're not all that far apart. I would suspect the new 6.2 verses the Ram's 6.4 would give the same impression. Once I got familiar with it, I like the Ford's more predictable throttle feel.

Mike Up wrote:

Hannibal wrote:

Mike Up wrote:

Hannibal wrote:
Even my Prius is union made. JAW. All that aside, I think you'd be happy with either truck.

Not according to this UAW list. Checked back to 2007 and only union made Toyota is Corolla and only some of them are Union Made.

Here

JAW is not UAW.

http://www.jaw.or.jp/e/

Oh, another country's workers. I see, NOT AMERICAN MADE. Worst than buying a none union American made vehicle IMO.

Do you feel the same about CAW? I have as our tow vehicle a union built in Kentucky F250. My fun vehicle is an American made union built Harley. I've bought many union built in America vehicles over the years. If Ford would have offered the Focus in a hybrid, I would have chose it over the Prius in a heartbeat. I buy American union made when it's offered and it's what I want. If not, I'll support labor unions in other countries.

katoom400 wrote:
This is a very useful topic to me right now. I have been looking to upgrade from my 2010 Tundra 5.7 since August. I tow a ~7500lb travel trailer about 10 times a year, the rest of the time the truck is my daily driver ~70 miles a day round trip.

I've been reading everything I can on many forums regarding all of the 3/4 offerings and of the big 3 the GM was the only one I did not like at all.

I have been leaning 6.4 hemi with 4.10's after all of the positive comments I've seen. The MDS also appeals to me as the truck is 90% running empty as my daily driver.

as far as my wife is concerned she absolutely loves the interior of the Ford much more than the Ram and I tend to agree...the Ram feels more "modern" inside, but the Ford feels more comfortable to me.

It seems you can get a few more options for the same $ compared to the Ford. but still I'm finding myself drawn to the Ford. I had an 01 7.3 and loved it.

My biggest hold up right now is the way the Ford puts out the power, at least in the trucks I've test driven (which were all 3.73's) as there are no 4.30's sitting on the dealers lots to test drive.

on the test drives the power just felt very linear...no rush to throw you back in the seat compared to the 6.4/3.73 trucks I've test driven. This may be fine...just not what I'm used to..the 7.3 was also very linear but would pull a train.

I have read about the Ford's drive by wire and the "adaptive" transmission learning your driving habits and getting better. and generally I drive like an old man but have gotten used to the snap of my 5.7/4.30 geared Tundra.

Lot's of guys are reporting the 6.2/3.73 trucks pulling 10k+ are pulling great gives me some confidence that I would be ok with the 6.2\3.73 combo once I got used to it...or it gets used to me....

if I wanted 4.30's I would have to order a truck blindly since there are none around here to test drive. question is: do I really need it for a trailer under 8k? some good deals on 6.2/3.73 siting on my local dealers lot right now....I am ready to pull the trigger...

thanks for any advice

My experience isn't completely comparable but might help you decided. I'm hauling a large truck camper with mine, only about 2,000 pounds less than your trailer but with the airodynamics of a brick and while I have the 4,3 gearing I think the 3.7 would work fine at these weights. Here is my review of our experience with the truck:

Ford 6.2 and large truck camper

If you read the discussion that follows you will find more reports of People's experience with Ford's 6.2.

Look at your towing usage verses your unloaded driving. We go out twice a month and the vehicle is dedicated for hauling and foul weather. I would not have chosen the combination I have if it was a daily driver. You need to balance your usage with the configuration you choose.

I suggest finding a truck with the higher ratios and test drive it even if the the trim level and configuration you want will be different. This will give you an idea whether it will be comfortable daily driver with the engine spinning faster and shifting more often.

Once you nail down what you want, have the dealers do an inventory search or order exactly what you want.

librty02 wrote:
Buck the truck in your sig looks just like the one I test drove today! Just the 350 not the 250 :)

My wife would not let me buy one with the 17 or 18" wheels because of how they look. Initially it didn't matter to me but now I have to admit she was right... the 20's make the truck. The 3750lb tire load rating is a nice bonus and those big LTX A/T2's are nice off-road and in the snow.

hondapro wrote:

I haven't found a hill here in Pa that I can't maintain the speed limit when towing,sometimes it drops to 3rd gear and rpms go to 4500 it pulls fine.

Better than the mid 90's International 4700/4900 Crew trucks I drove, pulling backhoes up small hills. Hek, sometimes my speed dropped to only 45 mph with the pedal to the floor.

katoom400 wrote:

Lot's of guys are reporting the 6.2/3.73 trucks pulling 10k+ are pulling great gives me some confidence that I would be ok with the 6.2\3.73 combo once I got used to it...or it gets used to me....

Your usage is almost identical to mine and my TT is about 8500#. The gearing thing is overblown IMO with relatively low weights like we are towing. At 7-8K TT the 3.73 will tow just fine with the Ford or Ram. I can't imagine there is that much difference. I test drove the 6.2 and found it much less "quick" off the line than the Hemi. That was a big part of my decision.

And for the record I don't care if it is built on Mars :)