New F350/450 vs used F450 or Ram3500

I would rather have an F350 with 3.55 gears for pulling a 17,000 lb trailer than an F450 with 4.30 gears. At 22,000 lbs I would go to 4.10 gears and wouldn't want 4.30 gears unless my trailer was approaching 30,000 lbs. As far as I know the F450 only comes with 4.30 gears.

We use to have an F550 to pull our race trailer. It had the custom bed/boxes which were super handy. The truck had the worst turning radius though. It would of made dealing with a camper at a campground very frustrating. The motor was a dog though and we eventually sold it for a Chevy 3500. The 3500 was night and day difference power wise along with turning and such. The 550 held the weight a ton better.

I guess where i am going is if the truck is strictly to pull the trailer and you camp at wide open places i would go with a RAM 4500 with a custom bed. If you camp at tight spots or might use the truck for other stuff i would get a 3500. Brand is your decision but i like my Rams. No matter which route you go make sure it has 4wd. The 550 use to get stuck on wet grass going down hill

Lexx. For starters, I hate the adaptive cruise control. I figured out how to turn that off real quick. But if you like it, that's what matters here. Are the "do dads" as you say worth it to go an extra $20,000? As a new F450 owner, I'd say most likely not.

The blind spot monitor still works if I have the camper in tow. But it shows me if someone is in my blind spot of the truck. If someone is down beside the Vengeance, I can see them in the mirror.


I bought my truck because I like the "truck". Not so much all the fancy things. Many of the extras can be annoying. Mechanically, I wouldn't change a thing except as 4x4ord said, the 4.30 is a total waste for towing 18,000 lbs. My 2015 F350 with the 3.55s was just as good towing our camper and in some instances, I'd liked it even better. But to get the 19.5 wheels and wider front end, you need to get the F450. But again, A 3.55 or 3.73 would make so much more sense for what I'm hauling.

I avoided the 450 as I didn't want the rougher ride of the g rated tires.

My 350 has the 4:30 gears and don't have any complaints about this...no I cant do 85mph down the highway without turning some higher rmp's.

Before you buy the truck why don't you find the actual trailer you want and verify its weight, maybe any brand 1 ton drw will work.

Like the above posters said, it comes down to trailer weight. The tech options don't mean anything to me personally. When towing I usually want to be focused and in control, and not following very close. I don't know what the maximum distance for the adaptive cruise control is. With a big trailer it should be a long gap.
Personally I prefer the ram because of how much easier to work on and more reliable the engine is at higher miles. But if you don't keep your trucks for 10+ yes then either should treat you well.

I wasn't expecting to but I love the adaptive cruise and you can set how far ahead it looks. I considered the 450 but went with the 350 mostly for more tire choices and wanted the TPMS. Mine has the 355 gears and works well for me. I haul a truck camper so tail lights are covered so can't use BLIS

the doodads are expensive but they are nice.

All I know is what I read but I understand you can fool the blind spot feature on the Ford's by telling it you are towing a conventional trailer. If you tell it you are towing a fifth wheel it shuts it off. For how well this works see the comments above. I do like the idea of the camera system on the Ford's but not sure how helpful it is towing a fifth wheel. The backup camera for the trailer which is integrated into the truck's monitor would be a nice feature, I guess. The one thing I do like is the built in tire pressure monitoring system that is available even on the DRW's. I see that you can also opt for a 4 tire TPMS for the trailer but there is a limitation on the size of the valve stem, if I read it correctly. The bed camera would also be nice as I have to hook up blind with my Denali and BakFlip bed cover.

I think a new(er) 350/3500 is going to be more than adequate for just about any trailer. For that reason, I would rule out a 450/4500. No need.

Not going to touch the RAM vs Ford part of this. I prefer RAM, but I don't think you can go wrong with any of the Big 3 Heavy Duties.

New vs used? I really don't understand the desire to buy used in a diesel truck. They just hold their value too well. For not much more $$, you can buy brand new, with full warranty.

If I were in your shoes, with a family of 5, I would look real hard at a 3500 RAM Megacab. That will give you the most room with plenty of towing capacity.

Any and all the doodads are great/nice when they all work. If any go down then it can be $$$ option to get fixed and one will say that the doodads are a piece or garbage. IMO, folks get to comfy relying on technology such as blind spot items and never bother to turn their head or buy blind spot mirrors. Depending on what type of adaptive cruise control you have. some work nice and others I'd toss. Don't have it on my 350, but wife's '17 Passat does and it does work well, but can be a PITA at times at same time. Couple of our semi's have them and I kinda like it whereas my semi doesn't have it. Buddy has it in his semi and he has to be in front cuz the alarm will keep beeping at him if he's within "X" feet of anyone in front (around 600' or less). So it's easier for him to be in front. As for gears, like most others w/ a 350 SRW, we have 3.55 gears which do ok. Do wish Ford would offer 3.73 gears in SRW rather just in their 350 duallies. One of the biggest things a driver has to do is keep their eyes moving and always be checking their mirrors every 10-15 seconds or just a smidge less. That way, you can keep abreast of things behind you most of the time.

Like others have said, decide what type/weight of RV you want or aim to get/have either now or future, then decide what tonnage truck you need. Once you have that, THEN figure out what extras you want/need on truck. I really wanted a Lariat, but settled for a XLT as it had 99% of what I wanted. Lots of trucks on our local dealer lots are loaded to the gills. If you wanted a truck with just what you wanted, chances are you'd have to order it.

After having ADC on my new Challenger SRT, I'm not sure I would buy a truck without it. It would be fabulous when towing but RAM seems to be afraid of putting it on trucks.
That wold make for a very hard choice for me.