Have you considered the 1500 eco diesel? Similar to the Ford Ecoboost in payload and towing. If your going 3/4 ton or 1 ton ... I would assume the Cummins engine with the 3.42 gears would get better fuel mileage than the 6.4 hemi... But I have no experience with the 6.4 engine so I'm just assuming here.

 

I have considered the eco diesel but it's only rated for 8600lbs towing & has worse payload than my current Sport at around 1100lbs. I can get about 1800lbs payload from the GM or Ford half tons. I'm towing a 36' camper that's about 8500lbs loaded, not quite 3/4 ton territory but very close.

 

I'm towing a 36' camper that's about 8500lbs loaded, not quite 3/4 ton territory but very close.

I laugh every time I see manufacturers claiming their 1/2 tons can tow close to 10,000 lbs! There was thread on here somewhere very recently where a guy bought a trailer about your size and tried towing it with his new half ton. It scared the crap out of him! I know I can feel the weight of even my Airstream (6000 lbs +/-) behind my 3500, so putting 8,600 lbs behind a half ton is ludicrous! I'd get a 2500 and enjoy the ride, vs a 1500 and being on the edge of soiling myself on a regular basis.

As Derekj said, resale on a Cummins is MUCH better than any 1/2 ton and that factor needs to be put into your cost per mile as well!

 

No question if I was in you're situation I'd be getting a 2500 or 3500 srw with the Cummins.
If payload might be an issue go with the 3500 srw Cummins/Asian.

 

Definitely the 2500 cummins. Especially if diesel is paid for. Also much better resale especially if you get 4x4.

 

go for it.

i drive mine about 10 miles a day round trip and people said i was nuts. i pull once a month or so. best decision ive ever made.

 

Right now diesel fuel is low in NH but typically it's been higher than gas, about 50-60 cents higher per gallon. What can I realistically expect for mileage unloaded during my typical work week?

 

With a pretty solid mix of Hwy and city for me, I'm getting a good and pretty consistent 15-16 average. Mine is a daily driver and I haven't even hit the one year mark (11 months) and just hit 34K!

 

I have an 11 mile drive on the same street, all the way to work every day. I seriously drive nothing but city on my commute. Speeds from 30-55mph. Lately I have been getting 14mpg, but when I first got the truck it was much worse. Closer to 11. Not sure if it's because of the break in, or if I have figured out how to drive it to get that mileage. Probably a combo of both. I've got 33k miles on it now.

 

I have towed a lot of old 4x4's with my sequoia, yes it could tow them. Towed one the other day with my 2500 diesel and wow what a difference. The comfort level and safety feeling was night and day. It was like driving without a trailer. I got a 2500 because I loved the feel of it much more then the 1500, it is a grocery getter and a long vacation trip taker (10+ times a year). I enjoy driving it to get groceries just fine. I do not commute, but if I did I would enjoy driving it daily, it will rarely tow anything, but when I drive 1200 miles round trip to our other property I want to feel safe, relaxed and enjoy the ride and I know I can do it in the 2500, me being happy is so much better then getting a smaller truck to keep other people happy. Never understood why some people get upset if I buy a big truck to drive and not tow stuff with all the time.

 

I too am looking at getting a new truck soon. And also like you looked at the F150. What is really enticing about the F150 is the HEAVY DUTY PAYLOAD PKG. If you add this option to the F150 it is rated for 12,000 pounds towing. Payload is 3000lbs. It is a comprehensive pkg that requires the max towing pkg, in other words you have to have the max tow pkg in order to get the payload pkg. Even the thickness of the frame is heavier than the standard F150. On the flip side you then cannot get some of the top line trims and when you start shopping the price and take into account the bigger discounts Dodge is giving, the Ram 2500 is only $1-$2K more, if that.

 

I too have looked at buying a Ford but have heard too many issues involving getting things covered under warranty. Granted most of the complaints for warranty issues I heard are from the diesel crowd but if Ford treats their customers like that then I'll just buy a Ram. Besides, the Ram looks way better!

 

Get the CTD. There's many around here with great MPGs (20-24) and plenty of trouble-free miles, plus you'd rid yourself of towing concerns.

 

I looked at the max payload package on the F150's but can't get over the fact that you have to order with a bench seat, most of the options I have in my Sport now are not available plus Ford isn't building the max payloads yet in a super crew so I'd have to find something off the lot with just the max tow meaning around 1800lbs of payload. I'm sure I'd enjoy driving the Ford for the other 330 days a year that I don't tow vs any 2500 though, it's a tough call which is why I'm at a standstill.

 

Absolutely get a 2500 and don't look back. I don't think I put mileage on like you, I bought mine new in October of 2015 and I'm sitting st 15783 miles right now. I love the diesel. Great fuel mileage on highway for what it is and not bad period mileage. I think it's better than my finances 6cyl stock jk wrangler. I have had one issue with a flash being needed.

I've had 3 Cummins, this is by far my favorite, 2015 cc long bed 4x4 g56 TRADESMAN. I can't see buying my next ram with a more featured package, love the tradesman

 

My brother in law has the brand new aluminum Ford Ecoboost F150, loaded. It's an awesome truck, and I'd opt for something like that in your line of work. Unless hauling heavy, I see no reason for the new diesels.

 

Just and FYI, if looking at a 2500 CTD the payload isn't all that great. Sticker on mine is 1835 lbs. The GVWR is 10,000 so it kills the payload. If you go buy rawr I have a little over 3k. I go by rawr personally.

 

That's a very valid point, I need to look in a few door jambs to see if it will have the payload I need since I'd love to be 2k or above.

 

Alot of this(in my opinion) depends how long you plan to keep said vehicle?

 

I plan on keeping it for 3-4 years or 125-140k. I need a newer vehicle for work & while my current rig looks brand new my first priority is dependability. If I don't go to work I don't get paid & having a vehicle down in the shop means a rental car.

 

The new Nissan Titan with the 5.0 Cummins is said to be between a 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton truck... To me, they're a little ugly...but it's another option.

 

Just watched a video where they did a tow and empty fuel mileage test, by TFL Truck. Empty it got 17mpg and pulling about 5k pounds it got 11.1mpg, which I would consider absolutely terrible mileage for a diesel, especially compared to our trucks. I get 10mpg pulling 11k, and closer to 20 when empty.

 

Picture is worth a thousand words...Damn fine looking truck!

 

No question, Ram has everyone beat in the style department!

 

Besides, the Ram looks way better!

X2.....no question on that.

 

While people do it everyday, I dont think you'll be happy with that weight of a travel trailer behind a half ton gas burner....unless the trips are short hauls.

...then again, if you've never towed with a diesel you likely wont know what your missing.

 

No way in hell will you ever catch me towing 12k in a half ton truck. Anyone who tells you otherwise is part of the problem.

My fifth wheel is 11-12k loaded. No way any well equipped half ton handles it safely.

 

I love my ram.. it gets great mileage. I love how it pulls. Absolutely no comparison to anything I've had before. I have no complaints driving it everyday. If you stayed away from stop and go and spent time on the road I wouldn't be surprised if it got better than your last truck

 

The EB f150 with max tow is a screamer, lots of fun and good mpg. I went ram 2500 because I could find a nice used 2016 2500 CTD but no f150 heavy payloads. I would buy a car if you could, but the CTD ram is smooth, quiet and good mpg for a 3/4 ton. I don't DD mine, I prefer a car for 40k miles a year.

You could buy a car and a used truck for the cost of new trucks these days.

Gas motors suck in heavy trucks. The new ones have no torque and feel sluggish. I've driven them all, gas motors work great in a 5klb half ton, they are brutal in a 3/4 ton. Well worth the diesel. You get most back in resale. Maintenance is expensive but they last if maintained.

 

I don't know if Redthies was referring to me but I had a 13 Ram 1500 with the hemi and bought a 25 foot Sea Ray (loaded about 8800 lbs) and was towing it. It towed it and was supposed to 9200 lbs, but it felt terrible. Coming out of the ramp at the dock, puttering in traffic and braking was the real nightmare. After having transmission issues and other little problems, I went back to the CTD 2500 and haven't been happier. My round trip to work is about 8-10 miles a day and haven't had a single issue. Go for a test drive in every truck your considering and see for yourself.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

Test drove a CTD 2016 Big Horn crew cab today & I was thoroughly impressed. I zeroed out the EVIC before my test run & hopped on the highway, then I took some secondary roads that I'm familiar with. The ride was a little stiffer than my Sport but not bad at all, the EVIC registered 13.8mpg by the end of my test ride which wasn't bad at all. I was really impressed with the get up & go. I was ready to sign on the dotted line until they started playing games with my trade so I walked out on the deal.

There's more trucks & more dealers out there so if I want the CTD I'll get one. Now I'm busy crunching numbers in my head between what a new F150 will cost including maintenance & the CC CTD. I think right off the bat the resale or more importantly the trade value at around 125k will be stronger on the CTD, hopefully almost covering the initial investment difference of a diesel over the gas Ford (hopefully)