Truck question?

[Clear-Cut]

Dodge Ram 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, and Ford F-150 are all the same level model trucks correct?

i know they all have different engine sizes and stuff, i am just wondering if the base models of all three perform alike.

[Dunn's]

Depends if you want extended cab our not. If so don't get the ford the F150's extended cab is like half the size of Chevy and Gmc's Dodge has the biggest extended cab.Oh yeah and it costs the exact same for extended cab on all of them.

[Clear-Cut]

regular cab is fine for me

[gmcplowtruck]

i suggest the gmc i have a 06 gmc 3500 and its great i had a 97 chevy 1500 with the 4.3 vortec v6 and that truck would pull a 12 foot trailer loaded to the limit better then my dodge 2500 with a v8 and it would stop it good to and i didnt have elec brakes either and i dont like fords

[topsites]

You are correct assuming they are the same class (i.e.: 1/2 ton).

You will find these 1/2 ton types to be the most abundant, they are the most frequently seen full-size p'up truck on the road, mainly due to the fact that it's geared and behaves like a car and thus many people drive them as such (because most p'up trucks are never used for their true intended purpose but maybe once or twice / year). While driving one does have the odd feel of the body, the quiet ride and the evenly spaced gears give away little about the fact that this is supposed to be a truck, and it feels very much like a car. While anyone will tell you that these are great trucks, towing with these is hard on the bands or clutch of the transmission, frequently causing premature wear and subsequent failure.

Once you get into 3/4 tons (250 / 2500's), suddenly you're into a rare commodity but this would be my class truck of choice for our kind of work.
Although strangely enough, the engine sizes are similar or the same, the gears of the transmission are spaced closer together. The 3/4 ton is the first pick up truck that shares mild characteristics of say, an 18-wheeler (I said it's mild). While a newer one can ride almost like a car, the stiff suspension, the extra duty brakes and the closer gearing on top of a 5,000 rpm redline gives it away: this really is almost like a TRUCK. You can, on occassion, feel a hint of a huff and puff, but it's an in-between, this tough as nails truck will tow a 1,000+ pound trailer every day and you can pull other people's car(s) with it on occasion.

Full tons (350's /3500's) are at least as elusive, thou these are frequently used as ambulances and tow trucks.
The full ton's tranny has even closer spaced gears, and thou I've never driven one, must admit it feels like a TRUCK when riding in one.
Yup, you can hear these things grinding when shifting, and huffing and puffing just like a real truck lol.
While these workhorses could pull a house off it's foundation, it is mostly intended for pulling 3000-6000 pounds on a regular basis.

[gmcplowtruck]

i agree somwhat but i put 70 k of pulling with my 1500 v6 and i would have 2500# daily and it pulled great and with dual flowmasters out the rear you could hear it huff and puff
but i will admit my dump gets horible gas milege 8 mph but you can drive it on a daily basis w or w/o a load i ve taken it on 200 mile road trips and it rides smooth its not until you start thrashing it around in pot holes and bumpy roads that it feels like a rough truck they really came along way w truck suspensions

[Clear-Cut]

You are correct assuming they are the same class (i.e.: 1/2 ton).

You will find these 1/2 ton types to be the most abundant, they are the most frequently seen full-size p'up truck on the road, mainly due to the fact that it's geared and behaves like a car and thus many people drive them as such (because most p'up trucks are never used for their true intended purpose but maybe once or twice / year). While driving one does have the odd feel of the body, the quiet ride and the evenly spaced gears give away little about the fact that this is supposed to be a truck, and it feels very much like a car. While anyone will tell you that these are great trucks, towing with these is hard on the bands or clutch of the transmission, frequently causing premature wear and subsequent failure.

Once you get into 3/4 tons (250 / 2500's), suddenly you're into a rare commodity but this would be my class truck of choice for our kind of work.
Although strangely enough, the engine sizes are similar or the same, the gears of the transmission are spaced closer together. The 3/4 ton is the first pick up truck that shares mild characteristics of say, an 18-wheeler (I said it's mild). While a newer one can ride almost like a car, the stiff suspension, the extra duty brakes and the closer gearing on top of a 5,000 rpm redline gives it away: this really is almost like a TRUCK. You can, on occassion, feel a hint of a huff and puff, but it's an in-between, this tough as nails truck will tow a 1,000+ pound trailer every day and you can pull other people's car(s) with it on occasion.

Full tons (350's /3500's) are at least as elusive, thou these are frequently used as ambulances and tow trucks.
The full ton's tranny has even closer spaced gears, and thou I've never driven one, must admit it feels like a TRUCK when riding in one.
Yup, you can hear these things grinding when shifting, and huffing and puffing just like a real truck lol.
While these workhorses could pull a house off it's foundation, it is mostly intended for pulling 3000-6000 pounds on a regular basis.

for now im only going to be pulling a 8x5 or 10x6 trailer with a 36" wb and a 21" push ( with all of the other handheld tools) and do a couple of small mulch jobs..for the price it hink the 1/2ton will be the best for now...when i need to move up to 3/4 tons ill do that...but that probably wont be until i graduate college in 2009

thanks for that write up too i cleared a lot of stuff up

[Envy Lawn Service]

While anyone will tell you that these are great trucks, towing with these is hard on the bands or clutch of the transmission, frequently causing premature wear and subsequent failure.

Help me understand why so many people buy trucks with automatic transmissions for use as a work truck in the first place?

I've never even owned an automatic truck.

Heck, I've been sitting here 5 minutes now trying to remember if I have ever even driven one. Not one occasion even comes to mind yet.

[mag360]

Help me understand why so many people buy trucks with automatic transmissions for use as a work truck in the first place?

I've never even owned an automatic truck.

Heck, I've been sitting here 5 minutes now trying to remember if I have ever even driven one. Not one occasion even comes to mind yet.

auto is nice of you have employees or plow alot of snow.

[PSDF350]

You are correct assuming they are the same class (i.e.: 1/2 ton).

You will find these 1/2 ton types to be the most abundant, they are the most frequently seen full-size p'up truck on the road, mainly due to the fact that it's geared and behaves like a car and thus many people drive them as such (because most p'up trucks are never used for their true intended purpose but maybe once or twice / year). While driving one does have the odd feel of the body, the quiet ride and the evenly spaced gears give away little about the fact that this is supposed to be a truck, and it feels very much like a car. While anyone will tell you that these are great trucks, towing with these is hard on the bands or clutch of the transmission, frequently causing premature wear and subsequent failure.

Once you get into 3/4 tons (250 / 2500's), suddenly you're into a rare commodity but this would be my class truck of choice for our kind of work.
Although strangely enough, the engine sizes are similar or the same, the gears of the transmission are spaced closer together. The 3/4 ton is the first pick up truck that shares mild characteristics of say, an 18-wheeler (I said it's mild). While a newer one can ride almost like a car, the stiff suspension, the extra duty brakes and the closer gearing on top of a 5,000 rpm redline gives it away: this really is almost like a TRUCK. You can, on occassion, feel a hint of a huff and puff, but it's an in-between, this tough as nails truck will tow a 1,000+ pound trailer every day and you can pull other people's car(s) with it on occasion.

Full tons (350's /3500's) are at least as elusive, thou these are frequently used as ambulances and tow trucks.
The full ton's tranny has even closer spaced gears, and thou I've never driven one, must admit it feels like a TRUCK when riding in one.
Yup, you can hear these things grinding when shifting, and huffing and puffing just like a real truck lol.
While these workhorses could pull a house off it's foundation, it is mostly intended for pulling 3000-6000 pounds on a regular basis.

The gearing is not what seperates a 1 ton from a .5 or even a .25 ton truck. Frame size is what seperates them. My 1 tom 04 F350 with a psd runs 3.73 gearing. Nut I could get even lower gearing for it. It is also the same gear ratio that was in my 01 150 with the 5.4l. Also I have had cars that had high red line. That don't factor in either. Except as to where does it produce it's max tourge and max hp. Half tons are good trucks. But if I were going to be towing plowing or carry alot of weight often, then I would get a .75 ton or 1 ton. Also there are heavy half tons. My 01 was one. Kind of a light 3/4.

[hackitdown]

I pull a 14' open trailer loaded with a 52" ZTR, blowers, trimmers, tools, toolbox, gas cans, wheelbarrow, aerator(sometimes), etc, with a Toyota Tundra V8. It is smaller than an F150, but I have no problem at all. However, I would never put a load of anything heavy (like stone) directly in the bed of the truck. I also will not plow with it.

I did once break a leaf in one leaf spring. But other than that no problems in three seasons of mowing, and now 97K miles.

My neighbor swears by his much bigger and nicer F250 to do the same work. But I think he gets only about 10mpg, and I get about 15mpg pulling the trailer.

[PSDF350]

Toyota makes a great 1/4 ton truck. Wish they would build a real 1 ton.

[Shopkeeper]

Toyota makes a great 1/4 ton truck. Wish they would build a real 1 ton.

Your wish has been granted sir.

2007 Toyota Tundra.

[PSDF350]

Your wish has been granted sir.

2007 Toyota Tundra.

I said real 1 ton.

[Potchkins]

Toyota makes a great 1/4 ton truck. Wish they would build a real 1 ton.

Your wish has been granted sir.
2007 Toyota Tundra.

I said real 1 ton.

ya a tundra is a half ton

[snoope]

JM L&L,

YOU have to make that decision..out of the 4 or 5 companies out there .....which dealer will support your truck purchase with great service and $$$ savings at purchase??? ....The new Toyotas are supposed to be great and the "Big 3 " will always have their "Cheerleaders":rolleyes: :rolleyes: ...

I'm on my 3rd Toyota Tacoma but will need to upgrade if the new LCO actually leaves the "Ground"...A small pu/ will not do.....The family F-150 Lariat will be a start but it is only 2wd....but it does pull the boat quite nicely:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Automatic versus standard is very "old school".todays tech-specs allow Autos in the biggest rigs (all of our new Mack Granites are Allisons hauling 15-18 ton:walking: :walking: )and our Volvo rock trucks (35-40 tonners ) have always been "Juice drive":)

Go test drive the trucks BUT also the dealerships.....find one that treats you with the same respect that you give your customers......The LCO's around here that grow or profit the most establish those kinds of relationships with all of their "Jobbers".....loyalty creates loyalty.........and those "Perks" can be quite rewarding......


Snoope back quiet

[Envy Lawn Service]

for now im only going to be pulling a 8x5 or 10x6 trailer with a 36" wb and a 21" push ( with all of the other handheld tools) and do a couple of small mulch jobs..for the price it hink the 1/2ton will be the best for now...when i need to move up to 3/4 tons ill do that...but that probably wont be until i graduate college in 2009

thanks for that write up too i cleared a lot of stuff up

For no more than you're going to be doing there, a 'mini' truck would be fine.
Ford, Mazda, Toyota, Nissan, Chevy, etc... any mini...
Heck, a mini with a V-6 will tow a BIG Z around just fine.
I have a V-6 Ranger XLT 5-speed.... extremely high mileage now.
It will pull a 60" Z and all the goodies no problem.
The only time you know it's back there is on long uphill grades... but the truck is old.
And you'll know it's back there if you have to stop hard and the trailer has no brakes.

Matter of fact, the gas mileage and power is good enough that when I went to pick up a new 60" from 80 miles down the road, I hooked the 6x10 to the Ranger and went after it. No sense wasting the gas to take a big truck down there for that. The old Ranger yanked that Z up the interstate at 75 mph no problem.

So yeah, you'll be just fine with a half ton truck for a long time.
My Ranger can handle anything within reason I can put on the 6x10.
So a half ton will have no trouble at all.

I like manuals, the majority seem to like automatic.
Just if you get an auto, make sure it's not a Dodge.
A friend of mine here used to be in the business and his trans went out after less than two seasons of just towing a trailer.

[gmcplowtruck]

my 1/2 ton chevy with a v6 and helper springs could haul 1.5 ton in the bed with ease and i used that truck for the first 6 years that i i was cutting and landscaping helper springs are a must for a lighter duty truck that youll be using for work hellwigs are who made my and i bought them from the acme truck catalog now known as supertruck catalog and they only run for about a $150 for 1500# and $250 for 2500# installation is a breeze just a couple of bolts

[Clear-Cut]

For no more than you're going to be doing there, a 'mini' truck would be fine.
Ford, Mazda, Toyota, Nissan, Chevy, etc... any mini...
Heck, a mini with a V-6 will tow a BIG Z around just fine.
I have a V-6 Ranger XLT 5-speed.... extremely high mileage now.
It will pull a 60" Z and all the goodies no problem.
The only time you know it's back there is on long uphill grades... but the truck is old.
And you'll know it's back there if you have to stop hard and the trailer has no brakes.

Matter of fact, the gas mileage and power is good enough that when I went to pick up a new 60" from 80 miles down the road, I hooked the 6x10 to the Ranger and went after it. No sense wasting the gas to take a big truck down there for that. The old Ranger yanked that Z up the interstate at 75 mph no problem.

So yeah, you'll be just fine with a half ton truck for a long time.
My Ranger can handle anything within reason I can put on the 6x10.
So a half ton will have no trouble at all.

I like manuals, the majority seem to like automatic.
Just if you get an auto, make sure it's not a Dodge.
A friend of mine here used to be in the business and his trans went out after less than two seasons of just towing a trailer.

thats good to know, because i was originally looking at the 3.0L ranger or the mazda 3000 mainly because it is also going to be my personal car to drive around in so i want to get somewhat decent gas mileage on it

but then i figured that the smaller less powerful engine would be working a lot harder and using more gas than an f-150 v6 would be using. but if it doesnt have a problem towing a smaller open trailer i may as well go with the ranger for now since the gas mileage is better and it is cheaper altogether.

thanks a lot envy,
justin

[Envy Lawn Service]

thats good to know, because i was originally looking at the 3.0L ranger or the mazda 3000 mainly because it is also going to be my personal car to drive around in so i want to get somewhat decent gas mileage on it

but then i figured that the smaller less powerful engine would be working a lot harder and using more gas than an f-150 v6 would be using. but if it doesnt have a problem towing a smaller open trailer i may as well go with the ranger for now since the gas mileage is better and it is cheaper altogether.

thanks a lot envy,
justin

No problem... and you are also in luck because I'm a Ford man primarily.

When it comes to fuel economy, there is NO reason to get a V-6 F150.
It's a larger heavier truck than the Ranger, more than the liter of displacement can make up for. The result is that you get an F150 with no better gas mileage than the V-8... and worse in some cases when you are working it. So you get a full size truck for less, but it's weaker.

The Rangers can be had in 2.3L I-4, 3.0L V-6 and 4.0L V-6.
I've had all of them. The I-4 gets the best gas mileage and is not way far off the 3.0L if it's in a 'straight truck'.... no air, no power steering, ect. The 3.0L can run the XLT package and still have more power and torque. Plus the life of them is so much longer if you keep it around for a 'run-about' errands truck later. The 4.0L is really stout, but uses nearly as much gas as a V-8 but doesn't have that level of power.

So I prefer the 3.0L in this size truck due to the power, gas mileage and long-long life. The way I see it, it has enough power to pull anything you can safely stop with it.

In your area you probably don't have much in the way of hills to deal with. Just bad traffic. I probably average 20 mpg in tow. Maybe 15 mpg on the hilly routes with a big ZTR behind it. I would expect you to average 20 mph about all the time. On the open road running errands it gets 25 mpg or better.

So I vote for the Ranger 3.0L, a reciever hitch and a small trailer. Brakes on the trailer don't hurt either. If you are going full-size, get the V-8... just expect 15 mpg or less around town and towing and 20 mpg absolute best running empty on open roads.

Also remember that 4x4 and auto trannys hurt the gas mileage too.

[Grits]

Help me understand why so many people buy trucks with automatic transmissions for use as a work truck in the first place?

I've never even owned an automatic truck.

Heck, I've been sitting here 5 minutes now trying to remember if I have ever even driven one. Not one occasion even comes to mind yet.

You can tow with an automatic. Automatics make great work trucks, I don't know why you wouldn't have an auto.....Envy, how old are you? You must be from the "old school"!:cool: :D

[Envy Lawn Service]

You can tow with an automatic. Automatics make great work trucks, I don't know why you wouldn't have an auto.....Envy, how old are you? You must be from the "old school"!:cool: :D

I get asked how old I am all the time.
I'm one of those people who is older than my time style old school I guess.
I'm 32 right now.

I learned to drive when I was just a kid... and it was in an old flatbed on the farm. It was a manual tranny. I'd drive that and the hay truck and trailer sometimes too (I usually got stuck stacking hay).

I guess I wouldn't say I "wouldn't have and automatic truck" really... I have just never even considered one, so I've never owned one. I still haven't been able to recall ever driving one either. Just before I fell asleep lastnight I thought I remembered once, but then realized it was a 3-speed on the column (3 on the tree). I'm starting to believe I really never have driven one.... LOL.

My wife on the other hand... she won't even try to learn to drive a manual, which drives me absolutely up the wall. The autos seem ok to me in a family car. But the sporty cars... NO... and the SUV's... NO. They feel like slugs.

I've had one car my whole life that was an auto that I thought was OK. I once bought a Thunderbird Elan Coupe. I bought it used. It was an ex-Virgina State Trooper car. It was one of the unmarked Interceptors they used on I-95. It got bumped in the passenger door and taken out of service. Some rental car outfit bought it at auction, installed a new door skin, and later auctioned it off because nobody rented it. So I got my hands on a cherry trooper car at a young age. It had the 5.0L Intercepter (5.0L Cobra crome deleted) and a really well tuned auto tranny.

God that thing would hook up and run.... run like a scalded dog (as we say in the south). It was a wolf in sheep's clothing and I used to have an absolute ball with it. I never met a Mustang, Camaro, Firebird, Trans-Am or anything else in the same 'era' that it wouldn't eat alive. That car never lost a race, short or long... and it would have taken serious 60's muscle to top it... and even then it would have taken something that could get off the line with some grip.

The tranny in it was really the key. It was set up for getting off the line perfect with no effort... whereas a built mustang would burn the tires half off. The little T-bird would lay a light, quick, straight POS, shift and bark and it was all over.

Now what were we talking about again? :cool2:

[Clear-Cut]

thanks again envy, u were a huge help