A question for the truck guys. Do you prefer 2500 or F-250?

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Sep 6, 2020
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(For Ford vs the others, 2500/F-250)

I don't have or drive a truck.

But I know.. plenty do.

For those that do. Do you prefer a 2500 over a 150/1500 or a 350/3500?

And if so.. Why or why not?

I yield the floor.
 
I worked in fleet maintenance for most of my life and the Fords hold up better. The 150 vs the 250 or 350 no matter which brand chosen is the load you are going to carry or tow.
 
I wanted a diesel, so I found a 2500. Don’t need higher load capability, don’t want drw. On mine, the frame on 2500/3500 is 1/4 vs 3/16 on the 1500.

To me, the 2500 is a great middle ground, fwiw.

That said, modern 1500 trucks seem to have the same or better capacity than 2500s of old.
 
I wanted a diesel, so I found a 2500. Don’t need higher load capability, don’t want drw. On mine, the frame on 2500/3500 is 1/4 vs 3/16 on the 1500.

To me, the 2500 is a great middle ground, fwiw.

That said, modern 1500 trucks seem to have the same or better capacity than 2500s of old.

Yes, but think of a 2500HD...
 
I'm not a fan of the torsion bar setup on the GM HD trucks or the rear coil springs on the Dodge 2500 trucks. Otherwise for my needs they're all pretty much the same.
 
I wanted a diesel, so I found a 2500. Don’t need higher load capability, don’t want drw. On mine, the frame on 2500/3500 is 1/4 vs 3/16 on the 1500.

To me, the 2500 is a great middle ground, fwiw.

That said, modern 1500 trucks seem to have the same or better capacity than 2500s of old.

Apart from bottoming out the suspension a few times, the 2019 C1500 I rented did a lot better than my old F350. Rode a ton better. Had no problem maintaining 70 all the way down and back through the hills , even with the 3.08 rear! Brakes didn't even seem to get overworked either.

I don't actually know the towing capacity of my 01 F350. It's either 7500 pounds, 10,000 pounds or 12,500 pounds. I can say the old triton 5.4 is pretty much at the limit with a 10,000 pound trailer.
 
Depends on what you need it for, no? While I could daily drive my 1500 I'm not sure I'd want to do so in an unladen 2500 (or bigger). But if I was routinely hauling heavy, like half my miles were "working" miles, then I'd rather have the 2500 (or bigger).

I don't daily my truck and these days it seems oversized for my needs. Over the weekend, for fun, I was toying with "what-if" I went to a RAV4 Hybrid. No joke, it had the same payload as my Tundra! but I'm pretty sure one handles the weight better than the other.

Anyhow. When I moved a year ago I used my truck to pull an enclosed trailer. It was way nicer to put stuff into a trailer, with a low loading floor, than the chest high tailgate of my truck. I spent a few days moving all my stuff. Shortly thereafter a friend went to move, but he was adamant that he didn't need my trailer, just the truck. So I helped using only the truck. Within 5 minutes my back had enough, the truck was much harder to deal with.

YMMV but I'm about done with pickups. Kinda cool but my "needs" have changed since I bought mine. I scratched my itch, I guess, had wanted one for years, as I had warm memories of being young and having a couple of them. Life moves on I guess.
 
Yes, but think of a 2500HD...
short of the early/mid 90s chevy/GMC 1500 and low-gvw trucks with the 6.5, I don’t think that you get the diesels in trucks that aren’t the HD (>8800 lb) 2500 trucks. So you made my point.
 
I have a RAM 3500 4wd crew cab dually. For my use, the only pick up that would work is a 1-ton dually . And at the time (2017) only Ford and RAM offered enough capability. The GM just didn't have high enough ratings.

I actually considered an MDT or HDT. But having owned those in a business, they are miserable to drive in comparison.

Now, all three have high enough ratings, but I don't care for the GM IFS front end. The Ford interior isn't as nice as RAM. I still have concerns over certain aspects of the Ford built Scorpion Diesel. RAM just recently got rid of the CP4.2 HPFP, and went back to the CP3.

So if I were to replace the '17, it would be a new RAM. The Cummins just has a better feel to me, has the most torque, and I like the interior the best.
 
I have a RAM 3500 4wd crew cab dually. For my use, the only pick up that would work is a 1-ton dually . And at the time (2017) only Ford and RAM offered enough capability. The GM just didn't have high enough ratings.

I actually considered an MDT or HDT. But having owned those in a business, they are miserable to drive in comparison.

Now, all three have high enough ratings, but I don't care for the GM IFS front end. The Ford interior isn't as nice as RAM. I still have concerns over certain aspects of the Ford built Scorpion Diesel. RAM just recently got rid of the CP4.2 HPFP, and went back to the CP3.

So if I were to replace the '17, it would be a new RAM. The Cummins just has a better feel to me, has the most torque, and I like the interior the best.

The front end begs the question"What were they thinking"? I have a 2018 Silverado half-ton and thought the 2019 redesign was a disaster-but the GM twins sold more than the F-150 last year and the age demographics of buyers moved downwards. So what do I know.....
 
The front end begs the question"What were they thinking"? I have a 2018 Silverado half-ton and thought the 2019 redesign was a disaster-but the GM twins sold more than the F-150 last year and the age demographics of buyers moved downwards. So what do I know.....

The front end styling is one thing. But I was specifically talking about the IFS suspension.
 
I was looking used, and actually was looking for a 05-07 6.0 Powerstroke CCSB 4x4. Ended up with my truck because the deal was just too good to pass up. Plus it got me into the LS engine game for about as cheap as possible.
 
My half ton 17 silverado 6.2l is rated 12,700 and i pulled trailer at the limit 5k+ miles cross country with zero issues. If youre not towing a lot get the 1500 it is very capable and has plush ride compared to the 2500 brick. 2 times in the shop for glitchy injectors and once for trans Chuggle. IMO the Ford used to have all beat on drivetrain but the GM-Ford 10 speed is a new animal. I would own either of them. The GM redesign imo is *****.
 
It really depends upon the year and what I would be looking for.

I love my Fords, but I don't get too hyped up about mid-00s gas 5.4 3valves.

F-250 OBS with a 7.3, Super-Duty 6.0 (work done of-course), 6.2 Gas and 7.3 Gas - I like them all. New 6.7 PSD is a great motor as well. 6.4 I don't know.

2500HD GM, 6.0 Gen III and IV LS is great, so '00 thru '19. Not too sure I like DI only in a 3/4 truck that'll be worked long and hard. Diesel GM 2500, I'd only want up to an LBZ.

I don't really do enough to warrant a 3/4 ton, so my little 1/2 ton 2.7 EcoBoost does plenty for me.
 
No way as a rec vehicle would I buy a diesel truck now. The out of warranty repair costs could approach $7k+. I am thinking about a 3/4 ton truck in the next year. It will be a gasser. Too bad toyota does not make a 3/4 ton class truck. I'm considering chev and ram.
 
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