Custom Camper Build - f-350 vs 450/3500 vs 4500, GVRW, Gas

[djcote]

One other thing to consider is resale. If you have time to watch similar rigs in the market, you will likely find the gas versions are priced way low and stay on the market for much longer than their diesel counterparts.

A great point!

With that said a diesel upgrade in a Ram is around $8,000. Thats alot of travel money.

You can read opinions online all day until your blue in the face. Go drive the trucks and see what you like best. With that said, Ram over Ford any day. The Fords are running on 10+ year old chassis and motors (except the new 6.7L diesel). Rams are very new trucks underneath, that is why they are killing the competition in towing and payload. Massive frames, massive brakes and great engines. If your worried about a diesel check out the 6.4L Hemi in the big Rams. Its an awesome motor way ahead of anything Ford or Chevy has. Again their stuff is dated.

Go drive them!

 

[IdaSHO]

nothing more than marketing tools.

Frames and brakes have next to NOTHING to do with towing and payload ratings.
Hell, there are 35,000 lb GVWR trucks running around with lighter frames and smaller brakes than today's 3/4 and 1-tons.


Just like GVWR, the towing and payload ratings are set by the MFG and are for the most part are marketing tools.


There are no standards. to set GVWR. What there are though are registration challenges. There is a reason that you will not find a 1-ton with a greater GVWR than 14,000 lbs.
Once you push past 14,000 lbs you get into a class 4 truck. Whole different set of rules and regs to follow just to tag.


There is a reason Fords have slightly lower payload ratings.
And a reason why they always have, and havnt changed much.

They have a formula that works. They are heavy duty trucks.
They WEIGH more than their dodge counterpart.
And people wonder why the difference in payload capacity

What would you rather have? A truck that has a stamp on it saying it can haul more than its competition only because it weighs less??
Or a heavier truck with a slightly lower rating?


hmmm....

 

[Kmehr]

I have no direct experience with either truck, so probably not a lot of persuasiveness to what I have to say, but my vote would be to go diesel in either choice. I see your concern about the ULSD but it looks like based on some others experiences in baja, it shouldn't be much of a problem. I'd be just as concerned about getting some really crappy gasoline in Mexico and ruining my fancy gas motor! I say diesel because of the weight you are hauling. Sure gas trucks are cheaper upfront and have some nice powerful motors that are lasting a long time, but for really heavy weights, diesel is the only way to go. You don't see any gas powered big rigs out there...which i think is pretty telling. Finally, I think one of the above posters hit the cost of diesel vs. gas on the head- resale. If you can afford it up front and ever plan to sell it, it probably makes more financial sense. The percentage decrease in value of gas powered trucks is bigger, especially if it's got a sought after diesel like a cummins or the new ford. And the fuel economy over the gas makes the cost per gallon sort of a wash. Look at the old 12 valve cummins. A nice one will still set you back $10K! a gas truck of equal quality is probably going to be around $3k. Just my two cents.

Ill add this too, comparing my "experience" towing hauling with diesel vs gas, the diesel wins hands down. I used to have a 6.5L chevy diesel, and now have basically the same truck with a 5.7L gas motor (I sold the diesel 3 years ago and inherited the gas last fall if you are wondering why i made the switch). The 6.5L diesel would tow haul circles around the gas. Sure the gas can do the job, just nowhere near as well. The power differential between the two is still not as drastic as the difference between gas and diesel in the trucks you are looking at either. 195hp/440ft/lbs for the 6.5 and 210hp/300ft/lbs for the 5.7 gas.

 

[S2DM]

Is there much modification needed to run the 41" tires on either the 3500/5500 or the F550?
Ward

Sorry Healeyjet, I just realized I never answered this. Probably too late as you are already way into what looks to be an amazing build. Depends on the kit you use. Buckstop offers a kit that includes fender flares and a 3" lift to accommodate the tires. Others have kits with zero lift and just use custom flares and push the bumber 4" forward. So it seems very doable.