Compare Ford F550 to Ram 5500

ken white wrote:
Keep us posted on how well you like, or dislike, that beast...

:)

The additional width of the DRW 5500 has not been problem since driving a SRW with a truck camper puts you at the same width. I used to tow a 8.5' wide toy hauler prior to owning a truck camper, so my experience may not mirror those that tow something skinnier. The additional 3' in length of this crew cab with 9' deck verses my extended cab short bed has been the biggest challenge. With the truck camper and hitch extension, I am 25' long and no longer can fit in to a single parking space. If it is a big lot, you can park in the back. However I had trouble finding parking at an outlet mall the week before Thanksgiving and had to back in to a space with green belt to rear so the additional length did not block the aisle. Parallel parking up to this point has worked out for me, but these spots were in sleepy towns without much congestion. We have alternate open top vehicles we take with us to get around when the weather is better, so this will be less of an issue for about half our trips.

Mileage has been 10-12 mpg for the first 1000 miles. When empty, the truck weighs over 10,000 lbs and is over 14,000 lbs with the camper on the back. This is slightly less mileage than what my 6.0 Powerstroke gave me after being broken in and hauling 2500 lbs less. The PSD didn't lose much mileage when towing my 8000 lb trailer while hauling the camper, but I haven't towed the trailer more than 50 miles with the Cummins yet to give you an idea of mileage.

I test drove the longer chassis version of the 5500 with no deck and hitch installed. The rear wanted to hop when going over bumps because of the stiff springs and 19.5" wheels. My shorter chassis and almost 2000 lbs of deck, spare and hitch make the ride tolerable empty but the F250 with suspension upgrades and 19.5's rode better empty. When loaded with the 4000 lb camper, the ride is almost as comfortable the F250 loaded, but the suspension is firmer and tighter. I can see why many people would advise to use an air cushioned hitched if you use one of these trucks to tow a fifth wheel. People always claim you get stability out of the wider stance of the DRW verses a SRW. I have to argue it has more to do with the spring rate of the springs and the stiffness of the anti-sway (stabilizer) bar. Although my F250's motions were controlled when hauling a heavy load, the 5500 has reduced those motions due to suspension rated for twice the weight. In rough driving even with my load, you feel more jarring verses a suspension that is flexing with greater travel. In the future, we plan to go with a bigger heavier truck camper and possibly bigger enclosed trailer - We can live with the firmness since we know we now have upgrade options later that would not be possible with our previous truck.