# Dodge Vs Ford Towing From A Professional Haulers Perspective



## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

no real purpose for this other than information for people interested in the 1-ton Diesels. this was posted by a Professional Hauler using both a '06 5.9 CTD Dodge and a '08 6.4L Powerstroke F350.

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Well, I've officially been in a 2006 Dodge 5.9 Cummins for a week now.

Here's my comparison so far...and I will be as honest as I can. I know someone will think I'm being biased, but I actually like the 5.9 models.

First the specs:

2006 4-Dr 5.9 Dodge w/6 speed manual tranny 
84,000 miles 
4.10 gears w/limited slip 
4WD 
Cab and Chassis 
Has stacks for the exhaust which I like 
Other than that, no performance upgrades

compared to:
2008 F350 w/6.4 and Auto TorqueShift trans 
Currently 31,000 miles
4.10's 
Torque Shift Auto 
Crew Cab 
4WD w/Locking/Auto hub locks 
Limited Slip

The Load Being Carried:

I have an 8,000 pound 48' gooseneck trailer. (btw, the flatbed is 48' alone FWIW) I haul roof insulation for new construction sites for any building bigger than a house. (ie: strip malls, big name stores, gas stations, churches, schools, etc...) The load from the trailer up stands around 8-9 ft tall (believe it or not). That's about 12 ft or so from the ground up. It is as wide as the trailer which is about 8 ft and extends the full length of the flatbed...so basically, it would be like looking at a truck hauling a gooseneck style 18 wheeler van trailer...but a little longer. VERY BIG FOR A 1 TON. The loads vary, but on average the load w/trailer will weigh about 16,000 lbs NOT including the truck.

Where I go:

I live in Texas and haul anywhere in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and the southern portion of Missouri. That will tell you that I go through all kinds of terrain and weather. Not the coldest of the cold, but cold enough. The low where I live get in the low 20's right now. I run anywhere from 3 - 5 days a week.

Also, both are pulling the exact same load to the same places etc, etc with the same trailer. Before I start, I expected the Dodge to outperform...sorry.

Power...

The 6.4 blew the 5.9 out of the water. There was absolutely NO comparison for power. I actually thought it would be the other way around, but the F350 was impressively stronger than the 5.9 Dodge. Go figure. Up hills and in the wind, the 6.4 was undoubtedly more stout.

**One of my first loads with the Ford was to Tulsa, OK. I go up the Indian Nation Turnpike, and about halfway there, you hit a really big hill. It's actually a mountain, but it's not much of a comparison. Anyway, I was hitting a 25 mph head wind with a full load. I'm not sure what kind of grade the hill was going up, but I'll just say it was steep and, more importantly, loooong. I pulled the hill at 75 mph (I was testing the limits ). I didn't even have it on the floor either. My old 6.0 would have went down to about 55. I believe with the Dodge, the steepest hill so far was one between Jacksonville, TX and Rusk, TX on HWY 69. Really steep, and about 1 mile long. The Dodges bogs down up the hill loaded, and really lacks for momentum. Again, this was surprising to me.

Transmission comparison...

Torque Shift...hands down. Don't get me wrong, the 6 speed is a tough tranny, but the feel and smoothness of the Auto just begs for applause. Both trucks are fitted with 4.10 gears w/limited slip in the rear. Again, this was an unexpected turnout. I've heard so many stories from my fellow drivers about how tough the 6 speed is, but they obviously haven't driven mine. I can't tell you how much difference there is in the Auto vs the Manual. It's like a Cadillac vs an old VW Bug as far as the difference in smooth shifting. Wow is really all I can say.

Mileage comp...

Ok, here we go Dodge fans. The Dodges completely obliterates Ford when it comes to mileage. Completely. They definitely did something right in the realm of mileage. Loaded, I get (and, I couldn't believe it when I clocked it) 8.5 to 9 mpg. I did have 1 load that I got 7.3 mpg on because of the wind was blowing about 35 in my face. Unloaded...ahhh yes, unloaded. It differs every time for some reason, but it's always good. I've had as much as 16 mpg unloaded. The lie-o-meter reads around 18 mpg, but it's obviously off. Like before, I clocked this. The least I got was 12...oddly enough on the return trip from the 7.3 loaded mpg. I might have bought some bad fuel that day. With no trailer at all, it get 20+ mpg's all day. Compare that to the aforementioned Ford mileages. Sorry, but Ford bites the dust on this one.

Luxury comp...

Didn't think I was gonna go here did ya? They are both fitted well with plenty of options, but the Ford definitely has more room to breath. Both are 4 Door trucks. I know the mega cab is the biggest beast of all, but this aint a mega cab. The interior and look of the Ford is just what I favor, so this is probably up for grabs. Some ppl like the Dodge look better, some ppl like Fords better. 
BTW, the Dodge had to have the clutch and flywheel replaced at 83k FWIW. It's had a few computer problems as well...other than that, it runs just fine.

I really don't know what else to compare...

Either way, I'm in the Dodge for a few months until the owner gets a bigger truck...like a Pete or Freitliner.

Hope this helps someone!


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Thanks Mr. Professional Hauler, but we'll keep our 1 ton Dodge 5.9 anyway!

It's one Bad @ss truck and it pulls our 28krs like a freight train


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## Outback DeLand (May 6, 2007)

I second that, Dawn.


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

Make it three. 
Besides the Ford is brand new lets see how he feels after needing to bring it back to the dealer every time it throws a check engine light.

John


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## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

Different "strokes" for different folks......


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## Brian.temple (Jan 25, 2008)

Good to hear about the Ford! I work at the plant where the Super Duty is built. We hear differnet stuff. You sometimes wonder if its the company pumping it up or the truth. I would have to say the same thing about the inside. I really like the looks, fit and feel of the new truck. We are developing our own engine to get away from Navistar and the numbers that I am hearing are incredible.

BTW, on the gas issue. I was told and I am not sure if it is true, but we were told here at Ford that the new truck meets all the new air quality requirments for 2012 and that the Dodge and Chevy does not. When Dodge and Chevy meet the new requirements then thier gas mileage will drop big time. We'll see?


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## timber (May 15, 2007)

I'll keep my Dodge! I would think it's hard to be objective when your not making direct comparisons. And this is a subject that ignites fire in man. Very personal.







I like the "pulls like a freight train" comment - quite fitting!!!!


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## jozway (Jan 28, 2008)

Dodge all the way!!! Half as many moving parts in my cummins motor than the same year powerstroke i've been told.


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## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

Interesting but not really a fair comparison. I would be more interested to see a comparison to the Dodge with the new 6.7L engine and 6 speed automatic. I drove both when I was shopping and I liked the interior and ride of the Ford a bit better and the engine power seemed comparable but it's hard to tell on a short test drive. The main things that influenced me on making the final decision to go with the Dodge/Cummins were related to the Navistar 6.4L engine. The complexity under the hood of the Ford is impressive but I was concerned that years down the road any repairs out of warranty would be hideously expensive due to that complexity. I had also read the Ford would be switching engines in 2010 to an in house model and that would leave the Navistar 6.4L as a very short lived engine (just 2 model years). Since I plan to keep this truck for a long time I didn't want to be stuck with a limited run engine that might be difficult to get support for. The Navistar 7.3 and even the 6.0 were around for many years and it's fairly easy to get parts for them. These may or maynot have been valid concerns but that and a good price on the Dodge was enough to make the decision.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Hey DT, you had to go there huh?








I guess things had been pretty quiet as of late in the truck wars.









The best news for everyone is that they are not trying to pull at 48' outback that weights 16k!


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## prankster (Dec 20, 2007)

well i guess im the first diesel ford guy here and before i bought mine i tested all the diesels and in my opinion the all have great qualitys but i looked for the bad ones,,,,,,,,,,,,chevy...shifts like a bus with its allison tranny,,,,,,,,,,,,
dodge...........front ends go,,,ball joints/linkage etc and then i did a sound test chevy quietest/ ford you hear the power/dodge you cant hear a thing cause of the cummins.then my final deciding factor ford WAS the only one who offered a diesel/dually/4x4/quad cab/fully loaded...........SHORT BOX!!!!!!!


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## ColoradoChip (Jan 21, 2008)

I drove all 08 models as well, and liked the power, transmission, and noise level on the Dodge. I think that the Ford had the nicest interior, but that's not a big deal to me. On my internet research, it seems as though though Ford and GM have had more issues with their new diesels as well. Also, the incentives from Dodge were much more attractive. The local Ford dealerships seem to very stuck up about their trucks, and wouldn't work on price as much. It's my personal opinion, but I don't like what Ford did to the front end looks of the new Super Duty either.


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## Airboss (Jul 14, 2007)

MJRey said:


> Interesting but not really a fair comparison. I would be more interested to see a comparison to the Dodge with the new 6.7L engine and 6 speed automatic. I drove both when I was shopping and I liked the interior and ride of the Ford a bit better and the engine power seemed comparable but it's hard to tell on a short test drive. The main things that influenced me on making the final decision to go with the Dodge/Cummins were related to the Navistar 6.4L engine. The complexity under the hood of the Ford is impressive but I was concerned that years down the road any repairs out of warranty would be hideously expensive due to that complexity. I had also read the Ford would be switching engines in 2010 to an in house model and that would leave the Navistar 6.4L as a very short lived engine (just 2 model years). Since I plan to keep this truck for a long time I didn't want to be stuck with a limited run engine that might be difficult to get support for. The Navistar 7.3 and even the 6.0 were around for many years and it's fairly easy to get parts for them. These may or maynot have been valid concerns but that and a good price on the Dodge was enough to make the decision.


You said it! Why compare apples and oranges? The new 6.7 would have been a more appropriate comparison and I believe would have done much better.


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

More pwoer usually means more fuel so thats understandable.


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## nynethead (Sep 23, 2005)

The Ford mileage is definitely a problem. My cousins son purchased the 08 f350 CC 4x4 with the new diesel and with a couple K on the odometer he went to NC from NY doing 70-75 with no trailer he ws averaging 11mpg on the highway and he thought that was good. I get 12 pulling my 10K 5'er at 70. I know diesel is high, but I don't think I could afford the fuel pulling a 10K 5'er down the highway.


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## whodey (Feb 9, 2007)

I love haulin' like a freight train, too!


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Well, not really going to get into the battle. buy what you want and buy what suits you best not what anyone trys to talk you in to. that point should not be argued or criticized by anyone.

i dont believe this guy was in the business of running truck comparisons. from what i was reading his boss had made a switch in the TV and he thought he would share his unbiased opinion about the 2 when compared to one another.

Id venture to say that few of us could make similar comparisons. we just know and love what we drive. right?


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## whodey (Feb 9, 2007)

Sayonara said:


> Well, not really going to get into the battle. buy what you want and buy what suits you best not what anyone trys to talk you in to. that point should not be argued or criticized by anyone.
> 
> i dont believe this guy was in the business of running truck comparisons. from what i was reading his boss had made a switch in the TV and he thought he would share his unbiased opinion about the 2 when compared to one another.
> 
> Id venture to say that few of us could make similar comparisons. we just know and love what we drive. right?


Right. And the common ground is, WE LOVE HAULIN' WITH OUR DIESELS, no matter what the make.


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

whodey said:


> Well, not really going to get into the battle. buy what you want and buy what suits you best not what anyone trys to talk you in to. that point should not be argued or criticized by anyone.
> 
> i dont believe this guy was in the business of running truck comparisons. from what i was reading his boss had made a switch in the TV and he thought he would share his unbiased opinion about the 2 when compared to one another.
> 
> Id venture to say that few of us could make similar comparisons. we just know and love what we drive. right?


Right. And the common ground is, we love haulin' with our diesels, no matter what the make.








[/quote]
Right on !!


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## whodey (Feb 9, 2007)

oops


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## Tyvekcat (Aug 28, 2007)

Rattle, Rattle, Rattle....... CTD


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

On another note diesel is getting very close to $4.00 a gallon around here.























Maybe its time to do a little research on Bio-Diesel.

John


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

brian69 said:


> Good to hear about the Ford! I work at the plant where the Super Duty is built. We hear differnet stuff. You sometimes wonder if its the company pumping it up or the truth. I would have to say the same thing about the inside. I really like the looks, fit and feel of the new truck. We are developing our own engine to get away from Navistar and the numbers that I am hearing are incredible.
> 
> BTW, on the gas issue. I was told and I am not sure if it is true, but we were told here at Ford that the new truck meets all the new air quality requirments for 2012 and that the Dodge and Chevy does not. When Dodge and Chevy meet the new requirements then thier gas mileage will drop big time. We'll see?


I was just thinking about that in-house project (Scorpion) today and wondering how it was coming along! I really do like the fit and refinement of the new SD's. However - I won't be looking at them as an option until the 6.4 is out of the engine bay. Not slamming Ford here - you guys at KTP do excellent work.

What you were told is untrue. Dodge meets 20*10* standards, Ford and Chevy do not and will have to continue to make changes to their emissions systems until then. After 2010, I am not sure when the next step up in emissions regulations takes place but I would think it would be farther out than '12. I understand that around that timeframe (2011MY) the Scorpion will be making its debut and I will be looking at it!

Keep up the great work at KTP!

-CC


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