Ford or Ram?

[jmoney]

Two 13 mile daily trips wouldn't be good on the diesel engine. Too bad you'd have to use it for a daily driver.
If that was my situation, I'd find some little POS electric vehicle for cheap, and then buy the truck of my dreams.

The new GM, Ford and Dodge trucks are pretty amazing. I don't envy your job to make this decision, but I'm excited to read which you get, and why.
Good luck on this! :beer:

My daily commute is less than that, and I've never had a problem. I did put 28k on my truck in the first year though from all the weekend driving.

 

[b9ev]

I drive about 4 miles each way on my daily commute in my F350. One thing I make sure I do is get it up to operating temperature which isn't hard in the winter or summer as I hit the remote start to let the inside warm/cool. 135k miles on it but it is deleted and has other reliability mods. I could daily drive my Tacoma instead but it isn't nearly as fun to drive.

 

[Comanche Scott]

Takes about 45 minutes at full operating temperature to eliminate moisture build up inside the engine. If that isn't done on a regular basis, nitric acid forms inside the block, mixes with the oil and erodes bearings.
I'll bet there are people who only run their diesel engine for 5 minutes a day for years at a time and never have issues. Unfortunately I've seen first hand the results of folks who haven't been as lucky.
As they continue to lower compression ratios for diesel engines, this should be less and less an issue.
The same thing happens in a gas engine, but it comes up to operating temps quicker, reducing overall run time required to purge moisture.

 

[b9ev]

Great information to know about 45 minutes to fully be at temp and what actually happens. I do drive for a couple of hours at a time every few days, hopefully that helps.

 

[IPA]

Two 13 mile daily trips wouldn't be good on the diesel engine. Too bad you'd have to use it for a daily driver.
If that was my situation, I'd find some little POS electric vehicle for cheap, and then buy the truck of my dreams.

The new GM, Ford and Dodge trucks are pretty amazing. I don't envy your job to make this decision, but I'm excited to read which you get, and why.
Good luck on this! :beer:

Thanks. It's not a bad problem to have, I must admit.

My drive to work is on the short side, but I still average about 20-25k miles per year. Lots of running around doing errands and stuff on the weekends and after work, as well as at least one or two longish (~1000 mile) road trips each year. And where I live I can't get much of anywhere without spending close to 10 minutes on the interstate at highway speed, and 45 min or so at operating temp will be at least a weekly occurrence, no problem. So gas or diesel, I'm not too worried about the engine not getting enough exercise.

 

[TheColonelJLK]

I just purchased my new 2016 Super Duty with the 6.7 engine this past June. Currently sitting at 17k miles. 80% of the mileage was from a two month journey around the Pacific Northwest. I have a topper on the truck, with a Decked storage unit in the bed and BFG All-Terrains on stock, 20in rims. Here are my observations so far:

-It took around 7-9k miles for the transmission to 'break - in'. During that break in period, the shifting of gears (mostly between 4 & 5) on inclines could be felt, as if changing gears while going up a steep hill on a bicycle. After that break in period, the shifting has been flawless on inclines. I asked the dealership about the hard shifting during my first oil change and they said that was normal, even though I thought it was pretty f'in annoying.

-Engine has a slight delayed response on throttle response from stop to about 30mph. I would say from 40mph -70mph this thing is a rocket ship if you floor it. Very quick response, gets very good gas mileage from 55-78mph on the highway. Anything higher, you are losing MPG, and city mileage was 13mpg. Very quiet engine from cab, even when sitting idle at a stop light.

-Has a nasty bump steer, most notably on the highway. Probably my least favorite thing about this truck. I imagine when I upgrade my stock suspension and steering that will go away.

-Built from my hometown, I got a nice discount at the dealership for having a friend work on the assembly line where they are built.

-Amazing feel on the highway. Very comfortable, quiet and nice luxury (I have the lariat package). Feels very sturdy, and love having lockers front and rear. Makes a huge difference on trails.


In general, I am very happy with my new purchase. I decided on the diesel engine knowing that I was wanting get out of the Jeep game and find something more, long-term, reliable and practical. I have never driven a Dodge or Chevy so I cannot say if it better than the Ram, but I will say, I have never had buyers remorse, even with the bump steer and break in period. In other words, every truck has flaws so I think its just pick what you feel comfortable with, whether it is brand loyalty or some unique feature that is really selling you on that purchase.

 

[STREGA]

It's not just the engine that needs to get good and hot, on the newer diesels the exhaust has to get hot as well or the catalytic converter will plug up and need to be replaced you don't want to know how much those cost. On my Cummins equipped Ram I plug it up in 9k miles, in my situation I just could not run it hard enough often enough.

 

[IPA]

I just purchased my new 2016 Super Duty with the 6.7 engine this past June. Currently sitting at 17k miles. 80% of the mileage was from a two month journey around the Pacific Northwest. I have a topper on the truck, with a Decked storage unit in the bed and BFG All-Terrains on stock, 20in rims. Here are my observations so far:

-It took around 7-9k miles for the transmission to 'break - in'. During that break in period, the shifting of gears (mostly between 4 & 5) on inclines could be felt, as if changing gears while going up a steep hill on a bicycle. After that break in period, the shifting has been flawless on inclines. I asked the dealership about the hard shifting during my first oil change and they said that was normal, even though I thought it was pretty f'in annoying.

-Engine has a slight delayed response on throttle response from stop to about 30mph. I would say from 40mph -70mph this thing is a rocket ship if you floor it. Very quick response, gets very good gas mileage from 55-78mph on the highway. Anything higher, you are losing MPG, and city mileage was 13mpg. Very quiet engine from cab, even when sitting idle at a stop light.

-Has a nasty bump steer, most notably on the highway. Probably my least favorite thing about this truck. I imagine when I upgrade my stock suspension and steering that will go away.

-Built from my hometown, I got a nice discount at the dealership for having a friend work on the assembly line where they are built.

-Amazing feel on the highway. Very comfortable, quiet and nice luxury (I have the lariat package). Feels very sturdy, and love having lockers front and rear. Makes a huge difference on trails.


In general, I am very happy with my new purchase. I decided on the diesel engine knowing that I was wanting get out of the Jeep game and find something more, long-term, reliable and practical. I have never driven a Dodge or Chevy so I cannot say if it better than the Ram, but I will say, I have never had buyers remorse, even with the bump steer and break in period. In other words, every truck has flaws so I think its just pick what you feel comfortable with, whether it is brand loyalty or some unique feature that is really selling you on that purchase.

I didn't know a front locker was an option - I don't remember seeing that anywhere in the available options.

What kind of highway MPG are you getting?

 

[TheColonelJLK]

I didn't know a front locker was an option - I don't remember seeing that anywhere in the available options.

What kind of highway MPG are you getting?

You're correct, I dont have a front locker, I have the 3.55 electronic locker option in the rear. I had front and rear lockers on my Rubicon and that is probably why I accidently type that. on the highway I was getting high 18's low 19's, but in the mountains (Colorado), I get between 14-16 depending on the commute. I should also mention I have a light foot for the most part :smiley_drive:

As others have mentioned, it takes around 45min for my engine to reach operating temp, especially on cold days - remote start helps the process, but it still takes considerable time compared to gas engines. Im not sure about Rams, but I have to add DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) every oil change or so (costs around $30 to refill), so that is another cost to think about, along with needing a new fuel filter every 15k (cost me $200 at the dealership).

I was in your predicament and decided to go with the diesel for long term reliability, resale value, and happiness to have a diesel.

 

[mrpeepers74]

anyone know the difference between the tradesman powerwagon w 5.7 hemi vs the newer 6.4 hemi? was there a changeover from 2013 to 2014? Is the 5.7 adequate. Looking at a 2013 powerwagon tradesman from 23k w. less than 20k miles.

 

[STREGA]

anyone know the difference between the tradesman powerwagon w 5.7 hemi vs the newer 6.4 hemi? was there a changeover from 2013 to 2014? Is the 5.7 adequate. Looking at a 2013 powerwagon tradesman from 23k w. less than 20k miles.

I had a 2005 PW and the 5.7 was adequate. Now have a 2016 Ram 4x4 non PW with a 6.4 Hemi and it definitely has more power than the 5.7. There were some changes made on 2014 models, one was axle ratios they are slightly taller on the 6.4 to help mpg's. Sounds like a decent price for a 2013 PW, just be aware that PW's can't haul or tow much.

 

[mrpeepers74]

I tow a jeep tj on 36s w/ car hauler, appx 6-6500 lbs. Back and forth AZ to Colorado and Utah. 2 times a year.

Looking for a newer 2500 to put on a RTT, how would the powerwagon differ from traditional 2500 gasser?

 

[plainjaneFJC]

The PW is not a daily hauler, but I wouldn't hesitate to get one if I was just hauling that load twice a year. Problem being your adding a RTT to the mix. I'd look at one of the big 3 1 ton single rear wheel trucks.

 

[js9234]

I tow a jeep tj on 36s w/ car hauler, appx 6-6500 lbs. Back and forth AZ to Colorado and Utah. 2 times a year.

Looking for a newer 2500 to put on a RTT, how would the powerwagon differ from traditional 2500 gasser?

Powerwagon would work great for that small load. They have a little less payload than a regular 2500 but the benefits of the Powerwagon over a regular 2500 definitely outweigh that.

 

[armymgdude]

My 07 powerwagon is our adventure and fulltime travel rig. We live in a 20ft travel trailer that weighs about 7000lbs. Truck and trailer scale weight is 15000lbs. It does just fine with the weight, I do slow down on the passes but never drop below 45mph. I think actually if you are comparing to a gas 2500, the PW tows better because of the 4:56 gears. Non PWs are usually 3:73 or 4:10s at best. The new power wagons have more power, but a 2013 has 383hp with 4:56 gears. My 07 has 345hp. Plus the 2013 still has rear leaf springs so it should have slightly higher load capacity. Mine is 2000lbs, with max trailer of 11000lbs.

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