Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives New GMC/Chevy 3/4 ton Pick-Ups?

How do the new GMC/Chevy pick-ups compare to the older ones and newer Fords and Dodges? I had a 1990 3/4 ton Chevy that I had for 13 years and now a 2000 GMC that I bought used in 03. As from a previous topic I posted I do need a 6 passenger pick-up or wouldn't be looking.

I have no use for a 3/4 ton pickup. No boat or trailer to pull.

That said I would only consider a Ford F250 and not even close

Gas or diesel?

Either, but probably gas.

It has been `12 years since I last drove a Ford, I think it was a 99. It has been ~15 years since I drove a Dodge and that was a 95. I didn't like either compared to the GMs. But a lot of things can change in that time. So, why would you pick a Ford F250 over the GM or Dodge for that matter?

Drive both and you will see the difference. 2 Friends have 2 year old 2500's and I had a F250 as a Loaner and there is no comparison on interior room for one. The Chevy owners have some quirks with their electrical systems. I think the F250 has a better gas motor , will get better gas mileage and is built with a tougher frame plus it has the advantage of an aluminum body for areas where rust is an issue.

I think the Chevy lags behind in terms of drivetrain when comparing gas engines and the 6L80 transmission gearing is weird. I hate our 2500 HD gasser we have at work for the reason listed above and the turning radius is horrendous. If I were shopping 3/4 ton gassers I'd be looking at an F250 or Ram 2500 with the 6.4 Hemi, although I've heard the 66RE transmission gearing behind that engine is not ideal either.

From what I have seen/rode in,the only thing the Chevys/GMCs have is a better /softer ride.

What year is the 2500? I don't work my GMC very hard, just a few ton of hay a year and horses occasionally and it has held up well to that.

Drive them is something I need to do. Interior room is something I really need so the Dodge Mega Cab comes to mind, but they are really expensive. The Ford is supposed to have really good room too. By the way, I will be looking at a 4 door if I haven't been clear about that.

I never have had a short box, but my wife is tired of driving the extra cab with 8 ft box we have now. So it looks like a short box is in our future. I hope I don't regret it.

They are cattle ranchers and beat the crap out of them. They are 2012's bought at the same time. They are extended cabs , they were impressed with the f150 I had with regards to interior room. The f250 is more of the same , is huge inside.

I've got a 2016 2500HD HC CC SB D\A 4x4. My only complaint is the programming for electric over hydraulic steering. It's always pulling the wheel back toward absolute center. While raveling straight on a typical crowned highway at 75mph, keeping the truck on the road requires resisting the steering system pulling the wheel back to center. This quickly becomes laborious. As speed increases, so does the force of system's pull toward absolute center. This is unique this system's design.

Any perfectly aligned steering axle clocked to absolute center only delivers a straight line trajectory when traveling on an unpitched surface. Traveling on pitched road surfaces requires steering axle input increasing as pitch increases. On this vehicle, designers choose to ignore these conditions for speeds over 65mph.

A friend has the 2016 Ford F150 and while I haven't been in it it does look cavernous.

Dodge's Megacab is huge. However, it only comes with the short bed and I need a long bed so I have a quadcab.

How is the quadcab for room?

It's quite comfortable for an average sized man, certainly bigger than the back seats of most cars today. Mine is an '08 and I haven't looked at the newer ones so they might have changed them.

Just bought a Ram 2500 4x4 with the 6.4 gas motor. Crew cab with plenty of room in the back. Mine is a power wagon so 4.10 gears and a trip to the gas station pretty often.

I've had three F150 super crews and they have lots of rear passenger room. From what I've read, the F250 now uses the same cab as the F150.

I had a 2010 F250 and my 2013 F150 had quite a bit more room in the back seat area. My new Ram is quite a bit more comfortable than my 2010 f250 but about the same as the 2013 f150. The ride isn't as soft but the room and the seat comfort are. They all get nicer each year if you're willing to shell out the money.

Go drive all of them.
Good luck with your search.

Bob

Remember the old song "Give me 40 acres and I'll turn this thing around"? That's a 3/4 ton quad cab, long bed. I get my exercise hiking from the far end of parking lots to the stores.

Try all of them out - in the same day if possible. They all have pros and cons. It really just boils down to what you like.

Ignore all the internet chatter and get a few minutes of seat time in each brand.

Thank you gentlemen