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Ram 2500 vs F250

The whole 10k lb DOT thing revolves around GVWR not GCWR, right?
Can’t be over 10k regardless. So a 1/2 ton with a GVWR of 7000# plus a single axle trailer with a 3500# gvwr has a combined rating of 10500 gcwr means you need DOT numbers.

any new one ton on its own needs dot numbers regardless if it’s pulling a trailer or not.

once again this only applies to commercial usage
 
He was looking at 3500's and was told they werent available on any trim model 3500... MAYBE on a 2500 they are available.. I never went to look. He basically crossed Ram off his list because of that... although I think its a dumb reason NOT to buy one truck over the other because its not like Ford or GM offer anything remotely close. He said the basic nav setup(all you could get) in the 3500 was crap compared to the Ford and GM offerings in their 3500's... He liked the re-designed GMC Denali the best overall, but hasnt pulled the trigger yet.
I've had no end of issues with the screen in my 2019 Ford. It's been in a few times. (full disclosure, I have and F150, but when I looked recently at the 250, it was the same one)
 
On my 3rd Dodge w Cummins. Current is ‘15 2500 crew cab 4wd, with auto trans. Great truck, minimul trouble. Hwy mileage 22mpg and will pull like an Ox
Tradeoff, I despise getting stuff out if the back. Truck sits too high and its a bitch gettin stuff out of back of truck. Also I get aggrevated climbing in an out of truck. Put step bars on and that helped
 
A couple points on DOT #s and CDL requirements. First, commercial over 10k GVWR needs a DOT # and annual inspections, but private use does not. Trucks with over 26k GVWR used commercially needs a Class B CDL, and Class A CDL with a 10k trailer behind it. Commercial trailers rated over 10k needs DOT inspections as well.

If you buy your truck through your company/LLC/other commercial entity, guess what, you have a commercial motor vehicle and have to abide by all FMCSA regulations. Unless you spec a 350/3500 at 10k GVWR, you need a DOT #, and I have no idea why anyone would buy that much truck and do that. Farms in most states are excluded from many of the regs, but have to have farm plates and are restricted in how far from the farm those exemptions apply, and the exemptions typically don’t go over state lines. Local farmers know their regs where they do apply though.

Like TxWelder35 said, FMCSA has zero to do with personal vehicles. It is strictly commercial use only.

Personal vehicles, your state will be the ruling entity as far as license requirements, but traveling interstate can get you into a hassle with weights and lengths, as well as running doubles. Some states require specialty endorsements on your license, but interstate if your license is good for your state, it's good for traveling cross country. Here's a good chart for what is required where for heavy/long RV hauling.


I’ll stay out of the rest of the conversation because the only diesels I run say Freightliner on the front. I’d personally pick whichever gave me the best bottom line price. All present day diesels are having maintenance issues with the Obama piss and smog regulations on them. Deletes aren't a real solution for most of those issues as well as running you into issues with other regs, especially considering there is going to be a ton more regulation enforcement on that happening in the next four years.
 
I have always been a Ford guy, but bought a 2018 Ram 2500 and am very impressed. Note that the engine is much easier to work on that the V8 diesels, there is just much more room.

I found a dealer that would sell me a new model for about the price many persons were trying to sell slightly used trucks. Bought mine for $4,500 less than the Costco price.
 
Forget fuel economy. It's negligible and oil changes, fuel cost, DEF, and larger maintenance never pays for the diesel premium.


My 18 duramax work truck gets 12-14mpg. Our new 2020 6.6l gassers get 11-13mpg doing the same job. $15k premium for the diesel engine is insane right now unless you're never unhooked from a trailer over 10k.


I've worn out several Fords. Ram drivetrain tends to outlast the truck. The Ford interior tends to outlast the drivetrain. Chevy is comfortable to drive and needs alignment checked up on fairly often.
 
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For you guys with say '14 and newer Rams, how have the front ends been holding up? I currently have an '07 3500 4x4 w/ 6.7 Cummins and it goes through ball joints and tie rod ends pretty regularly..
 
The trailer required to haul 12k is going to weigh a minimum of around 6k lbs. That means the absolutele bare minimum weight rating on the trailer is 18k. Get a 1 ton dually of your preferred brand setup correctly and you should be fine.

A Kubota SVL95 can't be hauled on a 14k trailer. We have to haul it on our tandem dual axle trailer and it requires a CDL to haul legally. It also weighs around 12k with a cab.

Our 14k rated tilt decks are 3200 lbs. Add our 12k mini-ex and I weigh 25500 combined with a service bodied crew cab long box. Perfectly legal.

I live in a state that runs off measured weight. Just because I'm registered for 25999 on the truck and 15k on the trailer, it means nothing because they just run me over a scale and if I'm under 26k they leave me alone.

If I drive into Wyoming they have a small freak out like I'm going to actually weigh 40999 like my reg says.
 
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For you guys with say '14 and newer Rams, how have the front ends been holding up? I currently have an '07 3500 4x4 w/ 6.7 Cummins and it goes through ball joints and tie rod ends pretty regularly..
Look Into the Dynatrac ball joints for that truck. I had em in my 06. They last longer and to replace the joint you don’t have to press them out.

the newer trucks are a little different and don’t seem to eat them so fast
 
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Our 14k rated tilt decks are 3200 lbs. Add our 12k mini-ex and I weigh 25500 combined with a service bodied crew cab long box. Perfectly legal.

I live in a state that runs off measured weight. Just because I'm registered for 25999 on the truck and 15k on the trailer, it means nothing because they just run me over a scale and if I'm under 26k they leave me alone.

If I drive into Wyoming they have a small freak out like I'm going to actually weigh 40999 like my reg says.
Who made the tilt deck? They are usually heavier than a standard deck with ramps.

And if you subtract your trailer weight from the GVW of the trailer you're at 10,800 total capacity. I wouldn't put a 12k machine on that trailer and haul it. Your trailer is overloaded.
 
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All present day diesels are having maintenance issues with the Obama piss and smog regulations on them.

To be fair that shit came about from Bush #2... 07 was the switch over, but the regulations were written in 2000... Bush owns that one...

His EPA also owns the fucking ULSD disaster...
 
As I stated I do not Listen to the lie Ometer I do everything against the pump all Ford pickups are ether way high or way low on the fuel eco meter, I fueled up in twin falls Idaho drove to battle mountain picked up my wife drove to Reno and fucked around there and made it back to Winnemucca where I was just under 1/4 tank. My odometer said 651 miles and I put just under 30 gallons of fuel in and did my top off got it to 30 gallons 21.7mpg on my 2020 Powerstroke. I do this with all my trucks that’s how I get my fuel eco.

My last diesel was a 2011, so I guess they made substantial improvements. I never saw over 16. I had the King Ranch f350 crewcab eight foot box 4wd. What's your configuration to get those numbers?
 
Am I the only person here that will tow 12000 pounds with a half ton truck? Been doing it for years with a 5.3 liter and just ordered a gmc 3.0 Duramax hoping to gain a little fuel economy and torque. My friend has a Cummins Ram 3/4 ton and tows up to 27000 pounds with it.
Smart people understand that going over load will wear and destroy componets much faster and do not have brakes designed to saftley stop.

They also understand when you get an in accident and kill someone you can be found criminally negligent for doing something you knew was dangerous.

Just because you can doesnt mean you should.
 
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Smart people understand that going over load will wear and deatroy componets much faster and do not have brakes designed to saftley stop.

They also understand when you get an in accident and kill someone you can be found criminally negligent for doing something you knew was dangerous.

Just becuase you can doesnt mean you should.
That makes sense since I am just a stupid farmer. A lot of people on this thread love jerking themselves off over what the door jamb says their towing capacity is when in real life the meager 1/2 ton truck is doing jobs well outside it’s weight class.
 
The new RAM trucks are super nice and would be my choice for a half ton. Im a ford guy through and through but the new RAMs are nicer imo.

Hard to beat the ford 7.3 gas right now for a super duty. If you dont know if you need diesel, you deffinelty dont. Huge waste of money and the compmiance bullshit is a money pit.
 
That makes sense since I am just a stupid farmer. A lot of people on this thread love jerking themselves off over what the door jamb says their towing capacity is when in real life the meager 1/2 ton truck is doing jobs well outside it’s weight class.
You can also stuff more powder into most cartridges over max load.

Thats just as smart as what you are saying.
 
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That makes sense since I am just a stupid farmer. A lot of people on this thread love jerking themselves off over what the door jamb says their towing capacity is when in real life the meager 1/2 ton truck is doing jobs well outside it’s weight class.
It’s one thing to pull a trailer and get it to stop. It’s another thing to drive that load on the freeway, around tight bends, in the rain, panic breaking, having to swerve around something in the road, and pulling it over a mountain. A 1/2 ton pulling a mini ex is not safe.
 
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Test drive and buy what you like not what you told to or you won’t be happy . It seems in my area Ford has better resale. Personally I drive 2018 chevy duamax which has lots of power gets good fuel mileage pulling. No problems at 75000 miles. If I need more power I’ll just use the peterbilt.
 
It’s one thing to pull a trailer and get it to stop. It’s another thing to drive that load on the freeway, around tight bends, in the rain, panic breaking, having to swerve around something in the road, and pulling it over a mountain. A 1/2 ton pulling a mini ex is not safe.
I agree with you on the mountain example and the mini excavator. I was just trying to get through to people that trucks can be used successfully to tow more than what the engineers tell you. That is really all I wanted to get through. But truthfully I am sorry I mentioned it because it seems to have derailed this thread.
 
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I've had better luck with the Dodge than the Ford. Others have told me the opposite. If you don't have a favorite, pick which dealer is closest and provides the best support after the sale. No matter how good the truck you will need them at some point.
 
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I agree with you on the mountain example and the mini excavator. I was just trying to get through to people that trucks can be used successfully to tow more than what the engineers tell you. That is really all I wanted to get through. But truthfully I am sorry I mentioned it because it seems to have derailed this thread.
Once again, just because it can get it up to speed, make a turn, and slow down does not mean the vehicle is designed to tow that amount. Have you ever looked into how tow ratings are achieved?

trailer brakes go out and you are in a half ton hauling heavy...good luck. Because nothing ever breaks on a trailer ever. They never have wiring issues.

get a brand new half ton and go tow 10k with it every day. It’s not going to last very long. Half ton was made to pull your boat around and a utility trailer. If you are hauling any heavier than that the gain in all around performance and stability is well worth it to step up to a 3/4 ton minimum
 
I've had better luck with the Dodge than the Ford. Others have told me the opposite. If you don't have a favorite, pick which dealer is closest and provides the best support after the sale. No matter how good the truck you will need them at some point.
Need them for what?
 
I have nothing to add regarding trucks but I love that in America a "mini" excavator weights 16,000lbs.
My neck of the woods a mini excavator weighs 2,000 - 4,000lbs.....

I wish I could have me a Diesel Ram 2500, not sure it fit on our roads let alone finding a parking spot.
 
One question. I’ve got a buddy who’s a Ford man. His brother runs a variety of diesels for work. He’s been ragging me saying the dodge will rattle my fillings out relative to the Ford. Any truth to it?
 
I rented a 2019 Ram 2500 with Cummins to drag a travel trailer out west in summer of 2019.

I've never driven a 6.7L PowerStroke, but personally felt the Cummins was fairly smooth. Then again, I sort of set expectations based upon "its a HD truck with a diesel engine" and drove squarebody Chevys as a kid so I don't expect them to ride like a BMW 7 Series.
 
Who made the tilt deck? They are usually heavier than a standard deck with ramps.

And if you subtract your trailer weight from the GVW of the trailer you're at 10,800 total capacity. I wouldn't put a 12k machine on that trailer and haul it. Your trailer is overloaded.
Tongue weight. 2k ends up on the truck. Axles weigh in about 13500.

They're diamond c. They've held up great considering they do weigh 1500lbs less than our older ones. We have broken everything, but that's usually because of job site entrances and getting stuff run into. Destroyed fenders and tilt latches because people forget to flip the lever and just drive to the end of the deck are the main damage.
 
Once again, just because it can get it up to speed, make a turn, and slow down does not mean the vehicle is designed to tow that amount. Have you ever looked into how tow ratings are achieved?

trailer brakes go out and you are in a half ton hauling heavy...good luck. Because nothing ever breaks on a trailer ever. They never have wiring issues.

get a brand new half ton and go tow 10k with it every day. It’s not going to last very long. Half ton was made to pull your boat around and a utility trailer. If you are hauling any heavier than that the gain in all around performance and stability is well worth it to step up to a 3/4 ton minimum

Agreed. Just because the truck can pul it doesn’t mean it can stop it. I’d rather have too much truck than end up buried underneath that mini ex in a wreck
 
There are a lot of mods for the Cummins if that means anything to you. I can't speak for the Fords, but the Ram is supported very well in the aftermarket perfermance department.
 
What size mini excavator are we talking about?

Something like a Kubota KX17 weighs about 4k and a U25 about 6k...both very easily doable with a modern half ton with trailer. Much bigger than that and yeah, a HD truck is much better suited for anything other than an occasional short pull for a weekend warrior.
 
What size mini excavator are we talking about?

Something like a Kubota KX17 weighs about 4k and a U25 about 6k...both very easily doable with a modern half ton with trailer. Much bigger than that and yeah, a HD truck is much better suited for anything other than an occasional short pull for a weekend warrior.

Kx057-4
 
As someone who raced a Ford Mustang in time trials and pulled it with a Dodge Durango Hemi... I'd get the Dodge.

I cannot stand Ford trucks. Always more expensive than the need to be. The problems they tend to have are so preventable (in design) that it's like they called up BMW and said, "How can we make things more complicated than they need to be?" Ford seems to use truck customers as testers.

I almost bought the Nissan Titan XD back when I was racing and liked it, but it was kind of a short term gain (lower initial price but worse MPG).
 
As someone who raced a Ford Mustang in time trials and pulled it with a Dodge Durango Hemi... I'd get the Dodge.

I cannot stand Ford trucks. Always more expensive than the need to be. The problems they tend to have are so preventable (in design) that it's like they called up BMW and said, "How can we make things more complicated than they need to be?" Ford seems to use truck customers as testers.

I almost bought the Nissan Titan XD back when I was racing and liked it, but it was kind of a short term gain (lower initial price but worse MPG).
I would disagree, the 6.0 was definitely a pile of shit but I owned several of them as well and put hundreds and hundreds of thousands of miles on them as well. I’ve owned several Cummins engines not only in pickups but equipment as well and have not been overly impressed. Some are much better than others..There is a reason Ford has been the number one selling pickup for 43 years straight... Reliability would be that number one reason otherwise consumers would have gone elsewhere.
 
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Well, I did some looking around and ended up actually buying a dump truck. 2000 F650 crew. 5.9 24v Cummins. 6sp Eaton trans. Twin cylinder hydraulic dump bed. Pintle hitch. Only had 13500 miles on it. Clean CARFAX. It had a bad injector pump, which was weird, but was drivable and solid elsewhere. Did not look at all like a used dump truck usually looks. New pump, air dog, 75 HP injectors and boost fooler, EGT gauge and it pulls like a choo choo train. Now I can still drive my f150 daily, which fits in my garage, and is paid for. I got it for a third of what a 3500 class truck would have cost new, repairs and all. I’ll be a tad over that with new rubber but still a bargain for the utility provided. Now I just need a Gatormade tilt trailer.

3C14B1A3-8F38-496C-AD81-CC17E6A0A05B.jpeg
707200DF-4D64-41E3-AF2A-FCB5F5E198E2.jpeg
 
Totally looking forward to the following after three pages of discussion:

- Several recommendations for GM trucks
- Multiple suggestions for a 12V Cummins or 7.3L (bonus points if it's an IDI)
- Some jackass talking about the fuel economy of his Jetta TDI
You left out the

Tundra

How dare you?

1616620403641.png
 
Well, I did some looking around and ended up actually buying a dump truck. 2000 F650 crew. 5.9 24v Cummins. 6sp Eaton trans. Twin cylinder hydraulic dump bed. Pintle hitch. Only had 13500 miles on it. Clean CARFAX. It had a bad injector pump, which was weird, but was drivable and solid elsewhere. Did not look at all like a used dump truck usually looks. New pump, air dog, 75 HP injectors and boost fooler, EGT gauge and it pulls like a choo choo train. Now I can still drive my f150 daily, which fits in my garage, and is paid for. I got it for a third of what a 3500 class truck would have cost new, repairs and all. I’ll be a tad over that with new rubber but still a bargain for the utility provided. Now I just need a Gatormade tilt trailer.

View attachment 7589689View attachment 7589687

That truck is 20+ years old???

Great shape. You got a bargain at any price.
 
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