Need towing report from Ricatic

I have had both. 2006 GMC 2500 with LBZ, and currently 2011 F250 with 6.7 Powerstroke. Loved both. I really like the Ford's interior better, but it's a Lariat, versus the GMC that was not top of the line, but a little under. (Had the fold down "console/6th seat") and I had leather added - not factory). GMC was quicker off the line, but Ford seems to pull harder once it gets going. Both towed my 5th wheel great. I traded just because I wanted a new truck, not because I wasn't happy with the GMC. I had ALWAYS been a GM guy, but I test drove the Ford and really liked it. So far, I am very happy with the Ford, and after the GM bailout, I may stick with Ford, but I never say never or forever.

FishOnOne wrote:

45Ricochet wrote:

FishOnOne wrote:
I would also like to add to the wish list on HC Hauler's '12 vs his '13 RAM truck towing comparison.

Hey Troy have you ever heard that song Red, Red, Red, Red, Red neck song in the country western mix?
Every time I hear it you come to mind :B Good song, just reminds me of you with the lyrics.
Jim did post his mileage.... not towing of course :W
Ram really dropped the ball there, no pun intended Jim.

And Bob, my old tractor engine :B is doing fine but the 2014 Fiat is on Santa's list. I'm really trying to be a good boy the rest of this year :R

Rick,
This song?

Again I would like to hear some seat of the pant's towing performance on NC's truck. Fuel economy is a good start! :W

Yup thats it, pretty funny song.

ricatic wrote:
I am not sure if the GM has a CEL. I have not seen one yet in 6500 miles...The Ford never ever made it that far without a CEL...or a breakdown.

LOL! That made my day.. too funny

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

ricatic wrote:
My apologies for the lack of posting lately. I took a new job and have been very busy.

Here are some observations on the two trucks, while keeping in mind that the Ford was a SRW and the Chevy is a dually.

The Ford had 3.55 gears and 20 inch tires. The GM has 3.73 and 16 inch tires. The Ford is the winner on fuel economy. Empty by 3 to 4 MPG...towing about 2 mpg.

Power is different...and not as spirited in the Chevy. The Ford was a strong runner...when it ran. The GM does a great job of towing my fiver. No real noticeable performance difference towing.

Handling, the GM is the winner, but it is a dually.

Interior comfort, as far as front seat goes, it is a tie. The GM is noticeably smaller in the back seat area. Both trucks are very comfortable. The newer Ford had some nice electronic features that were not available at the time the GM was built.The Ford lost some points with the location of the power window switches...too far forward to just reach with normal hand placement. This is a common Ford complaint. The GM is much better.

The battle of the towing mirrors is won by the Ford...no power extend or fold...but visibility is excellent in the GM.

Transmission battle goes to the GM...hands down...the Ford always had some small but noticeable shifting anomalies.

I am not sure if the GM has a CEL. I have not seen one yet in 6500 miles...The Ford never ever made it that far without a CEL...or a breakdown.

Peace of mind can not be quantified. My Ford was such a disappointment in the reliability department. It had started stalling at feathered throttle just before I traded it. I could consistently get it to quit if I just feathered the throttle off idle. That was disturbing.The memory of the $10,000 event was always lurking.

The GM LBZ is well vetted. The known problems are very few and minor. It's performance is all I need. I can move up considerably in fiver size and not need a bigger truck. The LBZ powered Chevy has lessened my desire to get a new truck...it's paid for, runs excellent and it does not have a CP4 Bosch pump...hallelujah...I am no longer surprised that my truck starts when I turn the key...and stays running...

Regards

EXCELLENT report! Thank you Ricatic!

I would have never guessed about some of the things you reported on. Like the fuel mileage I would have guessed it would have been a tie or the nod going to the Chevy.

I agree with the mirrors, Ford is WAY nicer and always has since the 60's IMHO.

I would have thought you would give the Ford way better ratings for the interior. Interesting.

Oh, about the CEL. Yes, the LBZ has one. :B Mine just came on the other day. :W #8 glow plug open at 65K. :o

Thanks again for your insight!


About the other trucks. Sure I would like to hear about the new and early Cummins/Dodge Ram or whatever they call them now! :)

Fuel mileage is what it is...a 2006 DuraMax dually versus a 2011 DEF equipped SRW truck with a lower numerically axle ratio and 20" rubber...I was not surprised at the difference.

I was surprised on how nice the GM interior really turned out to be. It is not as roomy but still very comfortable. The front bucket seats are very nice. Savannah, the Wunderdachshund, does not like the GM as well. She is short and long...Center console shape and height does not fit her well...she can not see out the windows...but she didn't pay for the truck...Yes, the newer Ford was nice...but I do not feel comfort compromised.

Regards

interesting on the mileage. I thought the EPA killed fuel economy with the newer trucks.

I own a 2010 Duramax and a 2011 Powerstroke.
The GM handles a little better than the Ford when unloaded.
Both trucks get fairly similar mileage empty - I'd say a slight advantage to the GM when empty. Towing the Ford does better in the mileage department.
The Allison transmission is always making smooth shifts and choosing the right gear for the load and speed where as the Ford will sometimes make harsh shifts and is not always in the gear it should be.
The Ford torque converter is superior to the GM's.
For towing smaller trailers (up to 12,000 - 14000 lbs) both trucks perform excellent.
When towing heavier trailers there is no comparison the GM lets you know it is working - it revs much higher making much more noise and vibration. The torque converter seems reluctant to hook up under very heavy loads with the GM.
About the only thing that lets you know the Ford is working is the fuel gauge. I won't use the GM on large trailers if I can avoid it.
The Ford has much more comfortable seats with far better adjustments.
The towing mirrors on the Ford not only provide electric extend and fold but also provide much better visibility.
The information center on the Ford is much nicer.
The Ford allows the operator to disallow any number of the top gears and has a very nice indicator to show which gears are available and also marks the current gear.
The Powerstroke is a smother quieter engine than the Duramax.
Ford offers a tailgate step.
The Ford seems tighter - GM has developed more creaks, squeaks and rattles.
Ford has locking storage compartments, much larger console more AC adapters and and an inverter that the GM lacks.
More thought seems to have been put into the layout of the Ford's buttons and controls. GM has many switches lined up that need to be read in order to know what they are for. The Ford has been more reliable than the GM although I wouldn't complain about either as far as reliability goes.

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

ricatic wrote:
My apologies for the lack of posting lately. I took a new job and have been very busy.

Here are some observations on the two trucks, while keeping in mind that the Ford was a SRW and the Chevy is a dually.

The Ford had 3.55 gears and 20 inch tires. The GM has 3.73 and 16 inch tires. The Ford is the winner on fuel economy. Empty by 3 to 4 MPG...towing about 2 mpg.

Power is different...and not as spirited in the Chevy. The Ford was a strong runner...when it ran. The GM does a great job of towing my fiver. No real noticeable performance difference towing.

Handling, the GM is the winner, but it is a dually.

Interior comfort, as far as front seat goes, it is a tie. The GM is noticeably smaller in the back seat area. Both trucks are very comfortable. The newer Ford had some nice electronic features that were not available at the time the GM was built.The Ford lost some points with the location of the power window switches...too far forward to just reach with normal hand placement. This is a common Ford complaint. The GM is much better.

The battle of the towing mirrors is won by the Ford...no power extend or fold...but visibility is excellent in the GM.

Transmission battle goes to the GM...hands down...the Ford always had some small but noticeable shifting anomalies.

I am not sure if the GM has a CEL. I have not seen one yet in 6500 miles...The Ford never ever made it that far without a CEL...or a breakdown.

Peace of mind can not be quantified. My Ford was such a disappointment in the reliability department. It had started stalling at feathered throttle just before I traded it. I could consistently get it to quit if I just feathered the throttle off idle. That was disturbing.The memory of the $10,000 event was always lurking.

The GM LBZ is well vetted. The known problems are very few and minor. It's performance is all I need. I can move up considerably in fiver size and not need a bigger truck. The LBZ powered Chevy has lessened my desire to get a new truck...it's paid for, runs excellent and it does not have a CP4 Bosch pump...hallelujah...I am no longer surprised that my truck starts when I turn the key...and stays running...

Regards

EXCELLENT report! Thank you Ricatic!

I would have never guessed about some of the things you reported on. Like the fuel mileage I would have guessed it would have been a tie or the nod going to the Chevy.

I agree with the mirrors, Ford is WAY nicer and always has since the 60's IMHO.

I would have thought you would give the Ford way better ratings for the interior. Interesting.

Oh, about the CEL. Yes, the LBZ has one. :B Mine just came on the other day. :W #8 glow plug open at 65K. :o

Thanks again for your insight!


About the other trucks. Sure I would like to hear about the new and early Cummins/Dodge Ram or whatever they call them now! :)

I prefer the Stainless Mirrors on the '80's GM's. They were so good the Dodge designers copied them, but they weren't as good.

45Ricochet wrote:

FishOnOne wrote:
I would also like to add to the wish list on HC Hauler's '12 vs his '13 RAM truck towing comparison.

Hey Troy have you ever heard that song Red, Red, Red, Red, Red neck song in the country western mix?
Every time I hear it you come to mind :B Good song, just reminds me of you with the lyrics.
Jim did post his mileage.... not towing of course :W
Ram really dropped the ball there, no pun intended Jim.

And Bob, my old tractor engine :B is doing fine but the 2014 Fiat is on Santa's list. I'm really trying to be a good boy the rest of this year :R

Rick,
This song?

Again I would like to hear some seat of the pant's towing performance on NC's truck. Fuel economy is a good start! :W

FishOnOne wrote:
I would also like to add to the wish list on HC Hauler's '12 vs his '13 RAM truck towing comparison.

Hey Troy have you ever heard that song Red, Red, Red, Red, Red neck song in the country western mix?
Every time I hear it you come to mind :B Good song, just reminds me of you with the lyrics.
Jim did post his mileage.... not towing of course :W
Ram really dropped the ball there, no pun intended Jim.

And Bob, my old tractor engine :B is doing fine but the 2014 Fiat is on Santa's list. I'm really trying to be a good boy the rest of this year :R

ricatic wrote:
My apologies for the lack of posting lately. I took a new job and have been very busy.

Here are some observations on the two trucks, while keeping in mind that the Ford was a SRW and the Chevy is a dually.

The Ford had 3.55 gears and 20 inch tires. The GM has 3.73 and 16 inch tires. The Ford is the winner on fuel economy. Empty by 3 to 4 MPG...towing about 2 mpg.

Power is different...and not as spirited in the Chevy. The Ford was a strong runner...when it ran. The GM does a great job of towing my fiver. No real noticeable performance difference towing.

Handling, the GM is the winner, but it is a dually.

Interior comfort, as far as front seat goes, it is a tie. The GM is noticeably smaller in the back seat area. Both trucks are very comfortable. The newer Ford had some nice electronic features that were not available at the time the GM was built.The Ford lost some points with the location of the power window switches...too far forward to just reach with normal hand placement. This is a common Ford complaint. The GM is much better.

The battle of the towing mirrors is won by the Ford...no power extend or fold...but visibility is excellent in the GM.

Transmission battle goes to the GM...hands down...the Ford always had some small but noticeable shifting anomalies.

I am not sure if the GM has a CEL. I have not seen one yet in 6500 miles...The Ford never ever made it that far without a CEL...or a breakdown.

Peace of mind can not be quantified. My Ford was such a disappointment in the reliability department. It had started stalling at feathered throttle just before I traded it. I could consistently get it to quit if I just feathered the throttle off idle. That was disturbing.The memory of the $10,000 event was always lurking.

The GM LBZ is well vetted. The known problems are very few and minor. It's performance is all I need. I can move up considerably in fiver size and not need a bigger truck. The LBZ powered Chevy has lessened my desire to get a new truck...it's paid for, runs excellent and it does not have a CP4 Bosch pump...hallelujah...I am no longer surprised that my truck starts when I turn the key...and stays running...

Regards

EXCELLENT report! Thank you Ricatic!

I would have never guessed about some of the things you reported on. Like the fuel mileage I would have guessed it would have been a tie or the nod going to the Chevy.

I agree with the mirrors, Ford is WAY nicer and always has since the 60's IMHO.

I would have thought you would give the Ford way better ratings for the interior. Interesting.

Oh, about the CEL. Yes, the LBZ has one. :B Mine just came on the other day. :W #8 glow plug open at 65K. :o

Thanks again for your insight!


About the other trucks. Sure I would like to hear about the new and early Cummins/Dodge Ram or whatever they call them now! :)