Should I go 1/2 or 3/4

skyhighZJ said:
Third party opinion here as I have no real skin in the game and am certainly not in the position to get a new truck.
I see this come back around fairly regular and the arguments from both sides are alway the same: torque and power vs. cost and usage.

End of the day for me is exactly what @Wes said: better to have than not and want.

FWIW: wife dd is a 2012 Laramie longhorn 2500 Cummings because bells and whistles and it’s the fanciest thing we could afford when we bought it used. At 300,xxx miles it has been problem free and when it needs to tow it flat out performs. My dd is a 1998 ram 2500 HD and it does the same without some of the B&W but it makes loud diesel noises and I’m a child at heart.

Buy what makes you comfortable with the knowledge you may tow from time to time and verse that against what you can afford.

My .02.
Click to expand...
Mainly looking for comfortable ride, plenty of interior room, dependable for the long haul ie…… 15+ years. I’ve never been a fan of a Dodge truck due to fit and finish on the interior but I’m sure that’s changed in the 20 years since I’ve been inside one. I probably should get into a 2500 but they typically don’t ride very well unloaded.
 
obullfish said:
Mainly looking for comfortable ride, plenty of interior room, dependable for the long haul ie…… 15+ years. I’ve never been a fan of a Dodge truck due to fit and finish on the interior but I’m sure that’s changed in the 20 years since I’ve been inside one. I probably should get into a 2500 but they typically don’t ride very well unloaded.
Click to expand...
And by all means I wasn’t suggesting a dodge/ram/Cummings but the mere point of the platform in general. I will say the wife’s ‘12 is leaps and bounds more comfortable than my ‘98 but that spread and even beyond to a newer truck is light years ahead when it comes to comfort and ride quality. Suspension being what it is a good set of shocks has made all the difference in both of our trucks. I also keep the tire pressures a bit lower until it’s time to do towing things which in our house is pretty well established and not spur of the moment. YMMV. Boss man is a ford guy and his newer F-250 platinum is a Cadillac for sure but I’ve hooked up to his flatbed GN and the ram doesn’t squat like his does so be aware of towing ability versus springs that are made for ride quality.
There are so many variables anymore that, like I said, in my post previous it all comes down to what your seat-o-meter tells you is the right thing!
Go drive a comparable truck from all of “the big three” and then make a decision. Make em earn your hard earned dollars!!
 
obullfish said:
Mainly looking for comfortable ride, plenty of interior room, dependable for the long haul ie…… 15+ years. I’ve never been a fan of a Dodge truck due to fit and finish on the interior but I’m sure that’s changed in the 20 years since I’ve been inside one. I probably should get into a 2500 but they typically don’t ride very well unloaded.
Click to expand...
I’ve never liked dodges..but in 1500 trim the new rams..they are probably the nicest interior with the best fit and finish of the 3.
For a comparable like to like a tan 1500 is almost exactly 10k less than ford.
 
obullfish said:
Mainly looking for comfortable ride, plenty of interior room, dependable for the long haul ie…… 15+ years. I’ve never been a fan of a Dodge truck due to fit and finish on the interior but I’m sure that’s changed in the 20 years since I’ve been inside one. I probably should get into a 2500 but they typically don’t ride very well unloaded.
Click to expand...
Any of the 1/2 or 3/4 ton trucks these days will check all the boxes. 1/2 ton will ride better and is just easier to deal with in parking lots and traffic. I’m actually not a Dodge/Ram fan, but the build quality of their trucks has improved tremendously in the past 10-15 years. Ford would be my pick for best build quality, but they are all good. Only reason I have 2 Rams is because they met my requirements and price point. The Rambox bed storage and Multi-function tailgate on the Rams is are the most innovative things done to a pickup bed since they put a tailgate on em in my opinion.

But I agree with what @skyhighZJ said, just go drive em and see what you like. You pretty much can’t go wrong these days.
 
Just remember this ain’t the 80’s where apparently if you toted a lawn mower trailer behind anything but a 1-ton you risked life, limb, and a bus full of orphan kiddos!! I could guarantee a 1/2 ton truck probably does what my ‘98 Cummins does but I like it, I know the platform, and I like it. Oh, and it’s paid for and cheap on maint and insurance.
 
1/2 ton. Higher everything. Performance, cost , maintenance to a point, and even taxes on cost tag fees for those extra pounds.
Do you need it three times a week or month or year?
Work, pleasure, or abuse?
All aside the only info you have along these lines led me to an easy: 1/2 ton with better then average trim and a fuel tank that is available at every station without looking.
 
obullfish said:
Ended up with a Ram 2500 Laramie gasser for a rental. I’ll put it to the test and see what I think about a Ram.
Click to expand...
If ride quality is important, the 1500 Rams have a 4 corner air suspension option that is also auto-leveling and has an off-road mode to jack it up. I have it on my 2016 and it is truly the best riding truck I have ever been in.
 
I flipped and flopped on 1/2 vs 3/4 over the past year as I looked to replace my 06 superduty. Test drove some 1/2's, and one might have worked out, but so many points kept me in the 3/4 market. Had a 3/4 since '99, and they have done me well, so didn't want to go backwards and down. But, it's not a DD. Got others for riding around, the truck for when it's time to work. I tow 9-10k often enough, a half-ton just didn't seem right for the task, no matter what the tow ratings say.
 
kaiser715 said:
I tow 9-10k often enough, a half-ton just didn't seem right for the task, no matter what the tow ratings say.
Click to expand...
This where I think Nissan was on the right track with the “5/8 ton” Titan XD, but Japanese mfgs still struggle with mpg and certain aspects of “truck stuff”, and Americans don’t understand fractions :laughing:
 
jeepinmatt said:
This where I think Nissan was on the right track with the “5/8 ton” Titan XD, but Japanese mfgs still struggle with mpg and certain aspects of “truck stuff”, and Americans don’t understand fractions :laughing:
Click to expand...

Great marketing.....just call it 5/8 ton, and half the buyers will think its better than a 3/4 ton. Heck, it sounds like more than my 5/4 ton.
 
jeepinmatt said:
This where I think Nissan was on the right track with the “5/8 ton” Titan XD, but Japanese mfgs still struggle with mpg and certain aspects of “truck stuff”, and Americans don’t understand fractions :laughing:
Click to expand...

The specs on just about all the 1/2 tons these days are better than 5/8 would've been ten years ago, 3/4 ton is greater than 1 ton used to be, and one ton is really ton and half now....
 
jeepinmatt said:
This where I think Nissan was on the right track with the “5/8 ton” Titan XD, but Japanese mfgs still struggle with mpg and certain aspects of “truck stuff”, and Americans don’t understand fractions :laughing:
Click to expand...
See also early Wendy’s late 80’s marketing of a 1/3 lb burger against Mc Dicks 1/4 pounder. People took the 1/4 pounder for more money because 4 > 3. People are stupid.
 
skyhighZJ said:
See also early Wendy’s late 80’s marketing of a 1/3 lb burger against Mc Dicks 1/4 pounder. People took the 1/4 pounder for more money because 4 > 3. People are stupid.
Click to expand...
You're thinking of A&W, not wendy's

jeepinmatt said:
This where I think Nissan was on the right track with the “5/8 ton” Titan XD, but Japanese mfgs still struggle with mpg and certain aspects of “truck stuff”, and Americans don’t understand fractions :laughing:
Click to expand...
Just imagine if WE could get the small diesel engines that Europe can get...or hell even canada or south america

A nissan or toyota with a diesel and 5 speed.....damn..I'm getting all moist thing about it
 
I will say that my six-plus year experience with my 2014 Chevy 1500 was a pleasant one where I got to enjoy the tire-smoking power of that EcoTec3 5.3L combined with the 3.42 axle gears and returned an honest 18-20mpg empty freeway mileage and the ability tow up to 9900# (rated) when I needed it. The truck took my wheeling rig all over the southeast (and would rocket my trailer and rig right up Old Fort Mountain on 40 as well as up Fancy Gap on 77), hauled dual-axle box trailers for work, and did a long-haul to the grand canyon towing my buddy's rig on my trailer. I had it for about 150k. The truck needed LT tires, a rear anti-sway bar, and better front brakes to do "regular" towing duty but for the dozen or so times a year I needed to do some hauling it worked flawlessly. The 6L80E transmission's deep 4:1 first gear gets trailers out of the hole in a hurry. The achilles heel of the truck was the transmission filter, it has to be changed regularly as well as a fluid flush to prevent low line pressure and wearing out the TC clutch which eventually has the thing crapping on itself. The dealer never would change it (fleet truck) so eventually it succumbed to issues in the 140k mile range (even with two regular flushes at about 60k intervals.)

I get that "more is better" for most; I like things to be about "just right" for my needs. That said my personal tow vehicle is now a 3/4 ton Ram, but still a gasser and the "lighter duty" version with the 5.7L and the 10.5 axle. It is not a daily driver so fuel mileage is not much of an issue.
 
OnlyOneDR said:
I will say that my six-plus year experience with my 2014 Chevy 1500 was a pleasant one where I got to enjoy the tire-smoking power of that EcoTec3 5.3L combined with the 3.42 axle gears and returned an honest 18-20mpg empty freeway mileage and the ability tow up to 9900# (rated) when I needed it. The truck took my wheeling rig all over the southeast (and would rocket my trailer and rig right up Old Fort Mountain on 40 as well as up Fancy Gap on 77), hauled dual-axle box trailers for work, and did a long-haul to the grand canyon towing my buddy's rig on my trailer. I had it for about 150k. The truck needed LT tires, a rear anti-sway bar, and better front brakes to do "regular" towing duty but for the dozen or so times a year I needed to do some hauling it worked flawlessly. The 6L80E transmission's deep 4:1 first gear gets trailers out of the hole in a hurry. The achilles heel of the truck was the transmission filter, it has to be changed regularly as well as a fluid flush to prevent low line pressure and wearing out the TC clutch which eventually has the thing crapping on itself. The dealer never would change it (fleet truck) so eventually it succumbed to issues in the 140k mile range (even with two regular flushes at about 60k intervals.)

I get that "more is better" for most; I like things to be about "just right" for my needs. That said my personal tow vehicle is now a 3/4 ton Ram, but still a gasser and the "lighter duty" version with the 5.7L and the 10.5 axle. It is not a daily driver so fuel mileage is not much of an issue.
Click to expand...
I loved my 2015 Sierra, same as yours. It did DD and tow duty for 6 years and 92k miles, including a moab trip with a 27 hour stint at 70-85 mph stopping only for fuel and to change trailer tires...
 
On the subject of "how insane tow capacity of light duty trucks is today". A guy I went to college with posted these pics this week. He said it was oats and they were guestimating the bales were between 650 and 800.

Screenshot_20231003-114030.png
 
awheelterd said:
On the subject of "how insane tow capacity of light duty trucks is today". A guy I went to college with posted these pics this week. He said it was oats and they were guestimating the bales were between 650 and 800.
Click to expand...
So what is annoying with this type of showing off is that most folks only have a Class C license that has a Gross Combined Weight of 26000#. The truck weighs over 8000#, that trailer is probably about 4000#, then if we use the low estimate of 650#/bale with 32 bales the cargo is 20,800# so the total is 32800#. Using the high estimate the total is nearly 38000#. Then you can see that the load was over width with no signage.

In nearly any other circumstance I would never want the government involved in anything but I have advocated for a Towing Endorsement on driver's licenses for a long time. Everyone that wants to tow something should learn all about towing capacities, loading, weight distribution, weight limits, licensing requirements, etc. Most of these 1-ton trucks can handle more than most people have licenses for. It is a dangerous game. I see improper equipment and overweight trailers all the time. My favorite ones to stay away from are pretty much anyone towing a large 5th wheel camper; I have witnessed so many highway tire blowouts on those that I lost count.
 
OnlyOneDR said:
So what is annoying with this type of showing off is that most folks only have a Class C license that has a Gross Combined Weight of 26000#. The truck weighs over 8000#, that trailer is probably about 4000#, then if we use the low estimate of 650#/bale with 32 bales the cargo is 20,800# so the total is 32800#. Using the high estimate the total is nearly 38000#. Then you can see that the load was over width with no signage.

In nearly any other circumstance I would never want the government involved in anything but I have advocated for a Towing Endorsement on driver's licenses for a long time. Everyone that wants to tow something should learn all about towing capacities, loading, weight distribution, weight limits, licensing requirements, etc. Most of these 1-ton trucks can handle more than most people have licenses for. It is a dangerous game. I see improper equipment and overweight trailers all the time. My favorite ones to stay away from are pretty much anyone towing a large 5th wheel camper; I have witnessed so many highway tire blowouts on those that I lost count.
Click to expand...

At least the guy driving something like that is gonna have some experience... Just anyone in Virginia can run over to Camping world and buy something like this and drive it home without a single endorsement;

1696598712107.png



Oh, and the guy is likely to be in his 60's or 70's which ties into a whole other discussion in the Random Pics thread ;)
 
OnlyOneDR said:
So what is annoying with this type of showing off is that most folks only have a Class C license that has a Gross Combined Weight of 26000#. The truck weighs over 8000#, that trailer is probably about 4000#, then if we use the low estimate of 650#/bale with 32 bales the cargo is 20,800# so the total is 32800#. Using the high estimate the total is nearly 38000#. Then you can see that the load was over width with no signage.

In nearly any other circumstance I would never want the government involved in anything but I have advocated for a Towing Endorsement on driver's licenses for a long time. Everyone that wants to tow something should learn all about towing capacities, loading, weight distribution, weight limits, licensing requirements, etc. Most of these 1-ton trucks can handle more than most people have licenses for. It is a dangerous game. I see improper equipment and overweight trailers all the time. My favorite ones to stay away from are pretty much anyone towing a large 5th wheel camper; I have witnessed so many highway tire blowouts on those that I lost count.
Click to expand...
He's got his cdls. And even if he didn't, farm tag makes it legal. I'm sure there is some ag exemption for over width as well. I have no idea though.
 
We picked up a yukon xl with the 3.0 duramax back in March. We really like it. The gas motors were having some valvetrain issues so we went with diesel. Wife likes the 700 mile range. The upcharge for diesel is the same as the 6.2, think it was $400. So not the same as the 3/4 ton 10k upcharge. I towed my wake boat with it and it did well. Lacks some of the get up and go my ram 2500 has but did fine once up to speed on interstate. Wouldn't bother me to tow with it again. (well other than the mirrors). Good luck finding the right truck...
 
awheelterd said:
He's got his cdls. And even if he didn't, farm tag makes it legal. I'm sure there is some ag exemption for over width as well. I have no idea though.
Click to expand...
Yep that whole ag thing has me floating gears in an Eaton 10 speed hauling corn grossing 50+k in a tandem dump. No cdls and they could put literally anyone behind the wheel. This family did let me do the ride along/demo drive. They are as much concerned about the abuse of equipment as anything. I've already decided certain routes and one blind pull out on a main road is a no bueno for me, I'll be using another intersection. Something about certain farmers and the idea the world should move outta the way or people owe them something for "food".
These guys pull anything and everything at any hour and could care less. Two combines and headers in tow at 3 thirty to 5 pm on a busy area no problem. Lights, radio, AC, and hope you don't need your mirrors or that mail box because we coming through.
 
Back
Top