3/4 or 1 ton p/u comfort

I hve a 17 chevy 1500 LTZ and it rides great. Springs are compliant so a good ride. smaller wheels with larger tires have more mushiness to absorb bumps than the >20 inchers all the rage these days. Larger trucks meant to haul also can have high pressure tires that ride like stone. I keep E rated tires at 42psi and they ride great and pump them and airbags up with a load.

I have the same truck but a 2018 Crew Cab with the 20" and find the ride acceptable. I I am VERY FUSSY when it comes to seats and ride quality.
 
I thought pretty much everyone agreed the Ram 2500 with the coil spring rear suspension is the best riding 3/4 ton truck? Know its not going to win many payload contest, but the ride is 2nd to none for what it is.
 
What makes the truck uncomfortable? Also, what trim level is your truck? Find some seats out of a wrecked fancier model and swap them in. Maybe test drive the same year truck as yours first with that trim level to make sure it's worth it.

But $1,500 of seats is better than eating $25k+ in depreciation and trade in value. And if it wasn't worth it you can always sell the seats again and get your money back.
 
So I got more replies than I thought I would. I was going to try and answer most of them but that seems fruitless. For those of you trying to answer my question I appreciate it, I know it is a subjective and personal thing. I should have fleshed my original query out more, but I did it last second on a whim.

I read some of the answers and was feeling myself get snarky and wanting to reply based on that but decided that will not serve me well and turn this into another thread that bitog is famous for.

So in my interest in moving this forward I will try and explain what I am after more clearly and hope I can perhaps target some choices.

First. I drive a 2017 F250 Platinum CC SRW, with the HD rear end. It is all the truck I need, not more not less (sans comfort). I cannot use a F150 in my usage scenario and I am unwilling to go dually. A 1 ton option SRW would work, but I do get all I need from a 3/4 ton.

I was not good at explaining that my issue with the truck is seat comfort on long trips. I take many long trips, I am getting older and I have back and neck issues. I know and have tried all the seat and posture setups I can possibly do on my current truck and I am just not getting to where I need to be. Ford has lowered the quality of their seats over the years and I notice it. My 2011 F350 from memory was much better. Some of my issues are just going to be nature of the beast and I know that.

So my question should have stated that I am looking for people who drive more than an hour. I am also looking for recommendations on specific trim levels. Conversely if anyone has used an aftermarket seat I would like info on that. I know that different combinations need to be tried and comfort is subjective. However it is unrealistic for me to try different trucks on long test drives. There are to many trim combinations and the length of the drive would not be granted. Different opinions could narrow my search and let me target certain trim/options from the different manufacturers.

I can point an example from my 981. Many people feel the base seat is more comfortable the the 18 way upgrade they offer. After trying both I agree and I have the base seats in my car. Admittedly I don't drive that car for hours, but my research before buying that car helped me target my options when shopping. It helped me notice things that other drivers that owned the car pointed out after longer term use.

Thanks
 
I kind of wish Toyota made a 3/4 ton truck.

Sure they do.

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Maybe try the seats from a base model. Leather seats can be really firm and not so soft. Nice to look at, but comfort isn’t as great sometimes.
 
The 2019 Chevy I rented had extremely comfortable seats. But it was a 1/2 ton towing a 6000 pound trailer so of course it's going to ride nice.

What are you running for tire presssure? Unless I'm towing, I drop the tires in my F350 down to 45 front 35 rear. Rides pretty good for what it is.
 
The 2019 Chevy I rented had extremely comfortable seats. But it was a 1/2 ton towing a 6000 pound trailer so of course it's going to ride nice.

What are you running for tire presssure? Unless I'm towing, I drop the tires in my F350 down to 45 front 35 rear. Rides pretty good for what it is.
Yeah … my Z71 had better seats than the Rubicon … the first cloth seats I had in years and enjoyed that …
 
My 2011 F350 from memory was much better. Some of my issues are just going to be nature of the beast and I know that.

Can you shop for another one of those? Do you mention what you need? More lumbar support, firmer cushioning, less bottom length? Most Fords I've driven have long bottom cushions so I have to sit forward in the seat or my lower leg is hard to bend at the knee. Can you rent before you buy to try out long term? Seating comfort is personal. I'm no spring chicken and can do 16 hours in a Honda Insight or Smart Car.
 
I change my tire pressure down if I am not towing and also use the rancho adjustable shocks, they do help. I currently have michelin defender ltx tires. I use a road tread because even though I am 4x4 I only see paved or improved dirt roads.

For those of you wondering why I use a pickup for long trips

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Is that satisfactory?
 
I don't find my 1 ton uncomfortable. 4 door long bed so it rides pretty decent. Has the same seats as a half ton Chevy. I will admit is smooths out hauling the trailer. The old 02 3/4 ton? That had a rough ride especially with KYBs I had on it. Comfortable is very subjective. My wife and kids love the truck for comfort.
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Solid front and rear does not mean you have to put up with a bad ride whatsoever. I’ve had to pull in clapped out cummins and old 7.3 fords on leafs so any of the new trucks are more than adequate for me. I will say that the Ram unloaded is smoother for sure but once you’ve got 26k behind you there’s other things to worry about.

GMs are blacklisted at the company I worked at for very obvious reasons so I can’t say anything about their ride.
 
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One of my friends has a 2017 F350 CC with a haybed on it and it's one of the worst riding trucks I've ever been in. Very rough riding on anything other than a smooth road. I doubt any of the newer Fords are going to have much of a different ride than your current truck since the suspensions are pretty much the same. You probably need to find something with independent front suspension.
 
Perhaps an F150 with the Heavy Payload Package would work for you. I had one and it rode firmer than a vanilla F150 but definitely not as firm as an F250. I thought it was just right on the highway and a little firm in town.

Tire pressure made a huge difference; E-rated tires came standard and I ran them at around 50psi when empty. Above that became a tooth rattling experience without a load.

I agree with you generally but the high payload F150s are unicorns on dealer lots. You will have to order one most likely. That's when a discounted F250 starts to look more attractive.

Edit: after seeing the pics, what do you need 4WD for? Location is stated to be FL. I'm betting a 2WD will ride somewhat better as you will drop weight on the front.
 
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