Gassers: Ram 3500 6.4L vs Ford's F350's 6.2 and 7.3 Godzilla for overlanding

[ScottPC]

I agree, the fuel situation is a real challenge. The gas trucks have have 30ish gallon tanks and depending on mpgs provide 300 - 400 miles in range. Not horrible, but not ideal either. So having spare tanks to supplement can be tricky and even dangerous if not handled properly. DIesel would be preferred in this vehicle selection if ULSD was available everywhere (I have another post on this topic), but the emissions gear is a pain. At least with diesel there are Higher Capacity tank replacements or auxiliary tanks that can be automatically transferred. Your point regarding mods and tires are well taken, too. There are no free lunches in this endeavor. On the one hand you may have a little more capability to handle difficult terrain successfully but if those capabilities fail, you're quickly SOL. Focusing on reliability first and then developing better field repair skills will be important for sure

 

[mk216v]

Continuation from the other thread...
@ScottPC have you considered a Ford chassis-cab, so that you can get the 40gal aft-of-rear axle fuel tank? Pics of my it on my old rig with such a tank here; https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...perfect-roundtheworld-overlander-sold.221185/
Ford makes the chassis-cab in SuperCab or SuperCrew (although the wheelbase can get a bit longer than a pickup version).

For our "new" rig, we again went '19 F350 Lariat and 6.2L/6spd again, but Crew Cab 6.75' pickup (solely for our dogs--spoiled dogs--due to new camper decision), so 159.8"WB, 34gal midship fuel tank. But, Hwy Products is building the flatbed/boxes, I will add 4qty 4gal Rotopax to the tunnel/crossframe box, so we'll have 50gal of fuel max. Then one of the first new ATO Aterra XL campers; https://atoverland.com/pages/aterra-xl-flatbed-camper
Will be going with Carli/King susp, 37s, and thus Nitro 4.88 gears w/ Eaton e-locker front to get some pep back. Might be towing a bumper-pull 2horse trailer at times so I'll need the extra RPM's.

I went around and around on the Ford vs RAM (even considered a ProspectorXL, but no payload!), but having had '07/E350/6.0L, '10/E350/6.8L, '15/F150/Ecoboost, '18/Transit/Ecoboost, '19/F350/chassis-cab, I decided to stick with the blue ovals--just home feeling for us, used to/like the styling. Diesel was too much a premium entry cost, and being in the industry around even more complicated diesels and all their CEL's/parts failures, no way I want to build backcountry rig and complicate the reliability. I decided to stay away from the 7.3L Godzilla/10spd due to it being a new engine and newer trans still, the 6.2L/6spd has been out a long time. Sure, the 6.2L/6spd has less torque, less gears so worse MPG, but it's tried/true. And when trying to follow K.I.S.S, nothing wrong with tried/true IMHO. YMMV however.

PS--Most fuel tank mfr's won't make a larger petrol tank due to issues with emissions junk; they've had some issues with the petrol tanks sucking down due to vacuum related issues. Which is unfortunate, as it'd certainly be nice to somehow have 55gal of fuel in a single tank when desired. You could do something like @montypower did on his aux tank behind cab, or even possibly an aux tank where you use it to transfer fuel into the factory tank?

 

[jonathon]

I really like my Ram 6.4. I have the 8 speed auto and 4.10 gears. It’s a great truck and the brand presents an exceptional value. I would’ve paid between $9k and $10k more for a comparable Ford. I’m sitting at 12,200 miles since buying it 12/19, no regrets. I love the interior and the uconnect 8.4 is perfect for trips as I can use Gaia GPS with it on CarPlay.

I’ve had two issues. The first was a defective LED in the drivers mirror that was bad off the lot. Easy fix. The second is the 2019 and 2020 trucks have an issue with the blend door allowing heat in with the cold air. There’s a TSB on it and it’s been fixed.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

The 7.3 should also be fairly reliable. It doesn’t have a long track record, but on paper it should be long lasting and easy/simple to fix when things do break.

Thats not how reliabilty/longevity works man!

 

[cobro92]

Thats not how reliabilty/longevity works man!

You’re not wrong! But all I’m saying is that if you look at how it was built, it *should* be reliable. I’m not guaranteeing that it will be!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Well... Not many folks chiming in regarding the international travel factor..

I have and love my Ram, but i will be staying within the US and Canada, so not super worried about parts or service issue

If i was traveling more remotely/deeper internationally (yes i know Canada technically counts) I would of opted for a Ford.

I travel often and Ford outnumbers Ram probably 10:1 in most areas, so the dealer networks and part availability is a lot better on the Fords. If not dealers then fellow travelers possibly carrying spares.

Just through Canada, i can count the number of Rams Ive seen on 2 hands, meanwhile, i saw hundreds, if not thousands of Fords.

As for motors... Just ask yourself.. Have you ever in history seen a for sale ad stating "Truck has too much power, i am selling to buy one with less"? No

Its the same with bed length.. Ever see a for sale ad "Truck has too much space, want a shorter bed"? No

Same with fuel capacity... Ever see an ad "Truck has too much fuel capacity, i want less"? No

That @mk216v fella obviously hasn't actually used Rotopax much while on the road, in cold or crappy conditions. They 100% absolutely suck and are a nightmare. That poor guys brain is still stuck in "Overlanding for the gram" mode! ?

So when making your decision, also look at what aftermarket aux tanks are available for what models from Transferflow or Titan. Can probably get upwards of around 65-80 gallons of onboard fuel. Fuel capacity was huge deciding factor for me on how i ordered/built my truck.

My .02

 

[tacollie]

My buddies Ram 6.4 seems to use less gas then my 6.2. Maybe due to having 2 more gears. Our camper fit the Ford better and I like the interior layout more than Ram. Ram and Ford both make decent trucks. Neither has a solid edge over the other imo. OP should drive both and buy the one they want.

My 6.2 with a 34 gallons tank has more range than any of my Toyotas...

 

[Porkchopexpress]

Thats not how reliabilty/longevity works man!

I think it's safe to assume the 7.3 will last a long time as it was overbuilt for that purpose. That's why the HP and torque numbers were disappointing to people expecting a race truck. Reliability is still somewhat unproven but so far so good after the first year.

 

[jadmt]

I think it's safe to assume the 7.3 will last a long time as it was overbuilt for that purpose. That's why the HP and torque numbers were disappointing to people expecting a race truck. Reliability is still somewhat unproven but so far so good after the first year.

well except for the spark plug cap fiasco or whatever it was that was leaving them dead in the water.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

well except for the spark plug cap fiasco or whatever it was that was leaving them dead in the water.

EXACTLY my point sir

Hilarious folks claiming “it should be reliable”

Ummmmm, that’s not how real life works

 

[Porkchopexpress]

well except for the spark plug cap fiasco or whatever it was that was leaving them dead in the water.

You mean spark plug wires or coils causing misfires? That's about best case scenario as far as engine problems. 5 minutes to fix and likely a quality control problem with a supplier.

 

[skrypj]

I also vote 7.3L. Big, pushrod, and no DOD/MDS/displacement nonsense.

Also, the 10 speed and 4.30 gears will give a ver solid crawl ratio. You should have zero issues offroad even with larger tires.

 

[Trixxx]

The 6.2L is a very well proven engine, so is the 6 spd transmission. IMO - one of the most reliable gas 3/4 or 1/ton gas combo’s you can buy right now.

The 7.3L has a classic pushrod design and while new, it uses basic, proven technology.

The 6 spd transmission is also long proven as it’s been in the super duty’s from 2011-2019.

The 10 spd transmission is amazing (I have it in my 6.7 and can get 18-19mpg at 70+ mph with 37’s). That being said, it’s also new to the super duty’s and not proven. Overall people seem very happy with it (I love mine) but there have been some rare issues and it isn’t yet long term proven. However, I do not find the rare issues to abnormal even for well proven components. I have 18k bullet proof miles (knock on wood) and I have zero regrets.

 

[mk216v]

Well... Not many folks chiming in regarding the international travel factor..

I have and love my Ram, but i will be staying within the US and Canada, so not super worried about parts or service issue

If i was traveling more remotely/deeper internationally (yes i know Canada technically counts) I would of opted for a Ford.

I travel often and Ford outnumbers Ram probably 10:1 in most areas, so the dealer networks and part availability is a lot better on the Fords. If not dealers then fellow travelers possibly carrying spares.

Just through Canada, i can count the number of Rams Ive seen on 2 hands, meanwhile, i saw hundreds, if not thousands of Fords.

That @mk216v fella obviously hasn't actually used Rotopax much while on the road, in cold or crappy conditions. They 100% absolutely suck and are a nightmare. That poor guys brain is still stuck in "Overlanding for the gram" mode! ?

So when making your decision, also look at what aftermarket aux tanks are available for what models from Transferflow or Titan. Can probably get upwards of around 65-80 gallons of onboard fuel. Fuel capacity was huge deciding factor for me on how i ordered/built my truck.
My .02

Haha, azz!

I've had these 4gal Rotopax's (in black vs red mind you--special edition biznatch) longer than you've been driving off-pavement. But you are correct--not much extreme cold weather use yet. But, being petrol, I'm limited in aftermarket choices. Especially since you didn't like my dog oven and factory 40gal tank, so now I'm at factory 34gal. Regarding aftermarket aux tanks, for petrol it appears that you have to have something custom made. Not much if anything available. If you go diesel then yes, look at Titan poly IMHO.

And I'm glad to have your blessing on my Ford. When we travel, we'll test reliability. I think you might owe me lots of tacos and Tecate!

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Regarding aftermarket aux tanks, for petrol it appears that you have to have something custom made. Not much if anything available. If you go diesel then yes, look at Titan poly IMHO.

Not completely true...

If you’re lazy and stick to IG for your research like @mk216v then you likely won’t find much.

If you read between the lines and do some OEM part # comparability checking between petrol tanks and Diesel tanks, you may be surprised...

Example: 2019+ Rams use the EXACT SAME PART # fuel tanks for their diesels as they do their petrols

In the aftermarket world, liability rules all

Transferflow and Titan mainly only list diesel for most of their tanks because emissions, smog laws, that little angry Greta girl, etc...

But in fact, they are often the exact same tank. I’ve confirmed this with them via phone.

Easy way to check.. find whatever make and model you have. Look up the OEM part # for the fuel tanks for both diesel and petrol.

Not sure about Ford, but Ram used the same for both.