Chevy 3500 Diesel Dually vs Ford F350 Diesel DRW - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Pamela · RV-Dreams Community Member

Chevy 3500 Diesel Dually vs Ford F350 Diesel DRW

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

Why would you rule out the Dodge with a Cummins??

Alie and Jims Carrilite · RV-Dreams Family Member

TRAILERKING wrote:
Why would you rule out the Dodge with a Cummins??

Because its just a lil 'ole six cylinder biggrin

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

I have the chevy C4500 which basically has the same engine and trans as the C3500. The exhaust brake works really well but I don't have any experience with the ford.

Here's the best example I can offer... I tow a 15000 lb 5th wheel. On a 6% grade down hill the exhaust brake will hold the speed at 55MPH, I never have to touch the brakes.

Bill and Linda · RV-Dreams Family Member

Pamela wrote:
We originally chose a Ford F350 DWR and were in the process of locating one, but we have recently read reports that the exhaust brake did not perform as well as the Chevy 3500. Does anyone have experience with either of these? We have family in Colorado so will be traveling over mountain passes. Any thoughts on which truck would perform better towing in the mountains would be appreciated. Pros and Cons, etc. Thanks!

I have driven and used both trucks you asked about as well as the new RAM 3500HD / 5500HD trucks. The Chevy/GM and RAM trucks clearly have superior exhaust brakes. (Actually they use the turbo but it’s the same deal.)

As has been reported in the trades, the 2015 Ford F-450 (no mention of the F-350) will have a bigger turbo and it will hopefully address the exhaust brake issue, as reported in the trades, as well as the high altitude issues, also reported in the trades. The 2015 F-450 will also now provide an on-off switch for the exhaust brake like the RAM and Chevy. If you specifically want a Ford, I’d wait to check out the 2015 F-450. If you want to purchase now, the Chevy or RAM is a better choice as pertains to the exhaust brake, IMO and others tests.

I’ve got a lot of mountain towing miles with the Chevy 3500HD and that exhaust brake works really, really well when towing and solo. The I-70 Eisenhower pass just west of Denver, for example, only required 3 or so brake applications all the way down on our last trip. A total non-event.

My experience

Pamela · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thank you for all of your really great responses! We will definitely be looking at the Chevy 3500. Thanks again for sharing your experiences and expertise.

deminimis · RV-Dreams Community Member

In case you haven't pulled the trigger on a pickup yet, here are my musings: I'm both a Chev and a Ford guy. Not sure what year you are considering, but there are some differences and my comments are very generalized. The Chevs tend to ride nicer. The Fords tend to be more stout and have greater towing caps, but have a stiffer ride. If you are planning on using offroad when not towing, the Chev could use some upgrades to the front end...a lot of upgrades. Then again, I'm assuming we're talking 4x4 which may not be a case and I have almost zero experience with non-4x4 pickups. I love our Chev dmax/Allison combo. Ford had to buy back my uncle's 6.4 diesel Ford ('08, if i recall correctly). If going used Ford diesel (pre '11) then unless you go way back to '02 and the 7.3, then I'd be less enthusiastic about Ford. The 6.0 Ford can be made to be a reliable platform, but it takes some work and $. The 6.4 Ford diesel ('08-'10), well, don't get me started. The '11-on 6.7 Ford diesel is reportedly doing well, but I don't have any first hand experience with that platform. If you're looking for gas, then I think the V-10 Ford is right at the top. I think the Allison trans (in the Chev) is about as good as it gets and I love it. Ford's 4R100 was okay, but we had one go at less than 70,000 miles (and it was not a heavy towing rig). Ford's next trans, the 5r100 is great. They finally got it right, in my opinion (although it downshifts hard when in tow mode, but this can be fixed/lessened, reportedly, with a programmer I haven't felt the need). Ford's latest trans appears to be great as well. Perhaps that helps, perhaps it muddies the water. My opinions are just that and others' opinions will certainly vary.

PS: Just looked at your title and your'e just looking at diesel, so disregard my gasser comments.

-- Edited by deminimis on Friday 18th of April 2014 01:50:50 PM

igotjam · RV-Dreams Family Member

Also check the box height. I bought a Ford as the height of the box was much lower than the Dodge or GM. We had an 08 F-450 and now a 12 F-350. Don't recommend the 08-10 Ford....ours was a problem but in 2 years the 12 has been great. We tow over, through and around the rockies all the time without problems. I think the GM is great (from what I have heard) but the box height scared me away.

Pamela · RV-Dreams Community Member

Well, we ended up with a 2014 F350. It had a back up camera and we added another camera to see into the bed of the truck for ease of hooking up. We won't get our trailer for another month and we are anxious to see how it does. We will keep you posted! Thanks again for the really great responses and info!

Jack Mayer · RV-Dreams Family Member

My opinion on the Ford (pre-2015) exhaust brake not having a switch.....

It does not have the capability to turn it off, because then you may notice it does nothing. And I'm only half kidding here.....

The new Fords should be great if they get the rear axle rating issue on the 450 resolved. The 350 should be a great hauler in it's class....

tex_rvr · RV-Dreams Community Member

.0i have a 2014 450 pulling a 39 ft mobile suite headed for montana .I am getting avg. 9.8 mpg that is hand calulated at 63 miles per hour . it handles the fw like a dream i had a 2008 450 before this there is not comparison on performance . know the 2015 ford will even be better 440 hp 875 tq

crmfghtr · RV-Dreams Family Member

tex_rvr wrote:
.0i have a 2014 450 pulling a 39 ft mobile suite headed for montana .I am getting avg. 9.8 mpg that is hand calulated at 63 miles per hour . it handles the fw like a dream i had a 2008 450 before this there is not comparison on performance . know the 2015 ford will even be better 440 hp 875 tq

Hi all, We just purchased a NEW 2015 Ford F350 4x4 Lariat SRW Long bed to replace our 2012 Ram 3500 4x4 Laramie DRW. We have a 2013 Heartland Landmark Key Largo 5ver. Right now it weighs in at 14300# and hitch is 2840#. Last week after I got about 500 miles on it I hooked it up to the fifth wheel. I took it up a hill where the Ram used to tow the 5ver. Let me tell you the difference. First let me say that in no way am I bashing my old Ram I'm just going to state facts. The hill I refer to is about 5 miles at 6%. The Ram Floored would at best do 60 up this hill. In addition to that, the stock suspension would sink about 3 inches causing the headlights to be pointed toward heaven. This kind of disappointed me since I though I was getting a heavy duty truck which could handle 3000-3300 hitch (Fully Loaded). The Bride also did not like the DRW configuration.

I set out to check out a SRW truck to see if it would handle the 5ver. I have never owned a ford so I kept an open mind and decided to test drive one last. The truck I drove came with a factory Reese 5th wheel hitch and 11500# suspension package. It has 440 HP and 860 LBS of torque. (I won't go into all the packages it has). I Set the 5ver on the hitch and it only dropped about 1-1/2" (Level status) I was shocked! I then set out to tackle the same hill. The truck accelerated up the same hill at speeds of 70+. (I don't recommend you do that) I wanted to check the power of this truck. Let me say I am very surprised and glad.

So far fuel mileage towing up hill 7.7 -- straight 13.6 -- and not towing 18.3.

Regards,

-- Edited by crmfghtr on Thursday 31st of July 2014 09:16:17 PM

Jo And Craig · RV-Dreams Family Member

Robert, we haven't towed yet, but we love our 2015 Ford F350 Diesel DRW long bed... same as yours! And I love driving it!!! Thanks for the info. We don't have any grades where we live, though. Just overpasses!

crmfghtr · RV-Dreams Family Member

Jo And Craig wrote:
Robert, we haven't towed yet, but we love our 2015 Ford F350 Diesel DRW long bed... same as yours! And I love driving it!!! Thanks for the info. We don't have any grades where we live, though. Just overpasses!

Congratulations on your New truck, enjoy it. Bigger Turbo, Injectors, Improved Transmission, Exhaust Brake button, 440HP, 860 foot pounds of torque are just a few of the improvements on the 2015 vs. the 2014 and earlier models. I'm very impressed with mine. Ours is a SRW (Single Rear Wheel) I know a dually is more stable, but We don't always tow so that was a big decision in getting the SRW truck. We hope to full-time in the future as soon as I'm finished with working but for now this truck will serve our needs.

Happy Trails!

Rob_Fla · RV-Dreams Family Member

We recently finished a Coast to Coast trip with our GMC 3500HD pulling our 5th Wheel and it preformed flawlessly in all conditions (Rain, Wind, Hills, Heat, High Altitudes, you name it).

When we traveled across much of the Mid-West area, we traveled some long days and many miles, the GMC trucks ride was very comfortable, I was tired by the end of a long day but not sore from the long travel days.

All of the "Big Three" manufacturers are improving their HD Trucks drive trains and suspensions every year and have some really great HD Trucks these days.

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Rob ... I agree with you, the "big three" are all making great trucks ... the customer wins! You can pick your favorite flavor and be confident yours is just as good as anybody's. I'm a Ford guy, but both Chevy and Ram are great trucks ... not just a great engine or transmission inserted into a so so truck. Just pick the one that looks the best because they are very equal in every meaningful category. There was a time when the Cummins engine justified the Ram short comings and the Allison transmission made the Chevy a good pick. Now they have all improved on their weaknesses, and grown their strengths to make it a very level playing field.

nineback · RV-Dreams Community Member

This is a 2 year old post.