So, if I’m pondering a diesel 3500 SRW 4wd in the future, what does it give me over the 2500? After scoping specs, (all 3, but leaning Dodge), I don’t see spits dif in towing, just bigger payload in the 3500, which isn’t a huge thing for my use or need that I can envision. It’s got me leaning 2500, unless I want a dually.....which I don’t. Just thought I wanted a 3500 for covering my bases, but seems without two wheels, they’re just 2500s with stiffer rear suspension/higher bed capacity?

In the Ram, the 2500 uses coil spring rear suspension while the 3500 uses leaf springs. IMO the 2500 rides noticeably better. Ford uses leaf springs on both, usually with one extra on the 350. Not sure about the GM offerings.

Big plus for the 2500.

I think you are correct that the only difference between a 250/2500 or 350/3500 is stronger rear springs for higher payload in the bed, and associated rougher ride. I know that was the case when I purchased my Ford Super Duty, I went with the F250.

I looked at some online auto parts stores. I compared some common parts for the 2500 and single wheeled 3500. Except for the springs, all parts I looked at were the same part #s, axles, hubs, brakes, U-joints, etc. Even the wheels are the same. They both have front coils and use the same springs.

Both the 3500 and 2500 before '14 have leaves on the rear. I think they put coils on the 2500 after that. My '08 2500 also has air bags and I can bring it up the 3500 capacity with an air hose. They're readily available for all years and both leaf and coil springs.

Intended purpose?

Check out the F350. A long bed crew cab diesel single wheel is now rated to carry about 4600 pounds. Plus the long bed gives you a 48 gallon tank. For a few bucks more the F350 does so much more just in case you ever need it and has the correct sticker on the door jam to prove it. Should be worth a lot more on trade in as well.
F250 diesel has a really crappy load rating that most owners dont realize until after they buy it.

Load ratings on diesel 3/4's is lower than similar gassers because of the extra engine weight.

If will matter if you're in an accident and have exceeded the capacities of a 3/4 ton truck. Won't matter one bit to the judge that the parts are the same.

One major consideration is that if used commercially, the 1 ton GVWR is can be over 10,000 lbs, which makes it a DOT defined Commercial Motor Vehicle when crossing state lines. All of a sudden you need DOT #’s, log books, driver qualification files, annual inspections, medical cards, all manner of fun!

The 1 ton does not have a higher towing capacity than the 3/4. It only has stiffer rear springs and higher payload capacity, but not much. The 1 ton can make sense if you're going to install a service bed or flatbed with toolboxes, air compressor, welder etc., and you know the springs on the 250 will sag too much. The 350 is a stiffer ride when it's unloaded. For most people buying SRW, the 3/4 ton makes more sense. For people buying a heavy work/service truck or tow rig for a 5th wheel or gooseneck, they will be better off with a dually. In Ford, the 450 and 550 offer more significant upgrade from the 250 than the 350 does -- but not saying they're better if you don't need them.

For me personally, I got out of the big pickup thing. 20 years ago all the young dudes I knew were buying big -- not for work, but for recreation, toy hauling, and basically for the image because they didn't want to drive a Prius. Some of them are still buying newer versions of the same thing and paying $80 or $90 thousand dollars for them. Yeah they tow a couple times a year but mostly they just commute in those things. My advice is if you need to tow but only occasionally, then buy a used rig, like 15 years or older. Then you can buy a half-ton, compact pickup, or an SUV or car or whatever for everyday when you don't need 20,000 pounds towing capacity.

I like the idea of a 1 ton in Minnesota because the license difference between the 3/4 ton will save quite a bit over the life of the truck, YMMV

A diesel 2500 with have an abysmal load carrying capacity due to the heavy diesel engine. I haul a cabover camper and my 3500 swb diesel has a 4100lb payload capacity , many 2500 diesels are under 2000lb capacity

It's not just the diesel that lowers payload capacity -- crew cab, 4x4, long-bed all add a lot of weight that takes away from the left-over payload capacity. Even the DRW option can lower payload capacity on some pickups because it adds weight and it's usually not the tires that are the limiting factor.

Dunno about the newer ones but whenever I looked over a 3/4 ton ford, it has this odd-ball front dana 50 half assed axle.

The one ton had the high pinion dana 60.

Independent front suspension on a heavy duty truck makes zero sense to me, so chevy was out.

Nowadays, ford runs a dana super 60 front axle. That's some overbuilt stuff right there.


Even one ton leaf packs, I added an extra leaf to the front end. Flat bed, full length crew cab utility-rack and 6 steel cargo boxes, the rear spring pack was upgraded to f-550 springs. The f-350 springs were not enough.

Coil springs on a dodge rear axle? That's some urban-cowboy bullsht right there!

the receiver on the 1 ton dodge maybe larger, so you have to sleeve down to use your existing stuff

Going to a long bed crew cab on a 2020 F350 diesel will actually increase the load capacity beyond a short bed crew cab.
Each brand and truck model is different. It really pays to do research before buying.

The Dana Super 60 is an overbuilt front axle for a Jeep. It's pretty wimpy for a full-size pickup, even for the front axle. It's fine for low profile highway size tires, but weak for larger tires on a 4x4 that weighs 8000+ pounds.

Coil springs are so much better than leaf and it has nothing to do with urban cowboys. Leaf springs support the vertical load, but they also have to be stiff enough to locate the axle and limit axle wrap. With coil springs, the axle can be located by rigid links/control-arms, so the coils can be rated for the load instead of for locating the axle which almost always results in a mismatch. Coils are especially superior off-road. Leaf springs have nothing going for them in any respect except cheapness for the manufacturer. FWIW, I have both, so this is not personal bias. My HD pickup has leaf, but my other truck and 4x4 are coil. I don't own any Dodge either, so I'm not defending that.

Having owned both 2500 and 3500 Dodges in the exact same configuration(an 06 and an 08, so not really apples to apples) I'd go 3500 again. Mine rides a little better than my 2500 for some unexplained reason, and I like the extra capacity.

I like the 3500 because of the load capacity and that it doesn't squat as much when I hook up a trailer.

3500 due to additional payload. I'd also recommend the aisin transmission which I believe is only available in the 3500.

Bearings and brakes are usually bigger on the 1 tons.

HUGE difference,

Not with the Dodge.

Don't know about nowadays, but the 80's-90's chevy 1 tons had a bigger radiator than the 3/4ers....

I don’t tow enough 75% of the time to need a 3/4-1 ton, but those times I do, I may have 7k # of tractor and bucket, then add bush hog, other implements,....whatever, and sometimes it’s not far, but other times I may be going 6-10 hours. If I was just hauling around here, I’d be fine with an older something. I don’t think I’ll be buying brand new, either. I just don’t want to be looking at my 1st gen tundra and then at my bud’s small skid steer or my Deere 5200 and our equipment trailer, and knowing I better not try that. LOL

I don’t think I’d have a cab over or utility bed need, but you never know, I guess.....just trying to be able to load up whatever I have and get to duck or deer camp, or such....when I want, and not having worrying about enough truck. No commercial use. No dozers or track hoes or huge skidders.

These days they use the same one, at least NAPA sells the same one for both of them.

Rent. It's so much cheaper and you can get exactly what you need for those occasional jobs. Owning the excess capacity is a waste of money, but tons of people do it for their ego and they pay.

I bought my2019 Duramax, specifically for hunting and hauling heavy loads around my place. Rental companies take a dim view of using their vehicles off road. Some say specifically that you can't do it. My old 98 Ram 2500 maxed out right at my load of truck, slide in camper, trailer, mules, tack and gear. With the Chevy at 23K capacity I have some to spare and it doesn't skip a beat pulling over 11-10K mountain passes. Same with me, hauling those heavy loads is probably 70-75% of use. Keeping a few mules all year, spending a few thousand on hunting is probably a waste of money too, but I enjoy my retirement .

If you're hauling and towing heavy 75% of the time, then by all means buy or keep the one-ton. But the OP implied those numbers are flipped for his use -- 75% of the time he doesn't need it.

Nobody really off-roads a tow rig, not by my definition of tow rig or off-road. Driving unpaved fire roads isn't offroading. What the mules do is offroad. So my suggestion was never to offroad a rental truck, but for the guy who tows heavy only on occasion to rent for those occasions and buy or keep based on the majority use.

I remember back in the day I had buddies that would talk about buying Duramax duallies so they could put their Harleys in the back and then tow their Mastercraft. They did it too, and the fifth wheels and the side-by-sides. My neighbor just bought a new GMC 3500 Denali to tow his 5th wheel and 4-seat RZR, replaced his older Dodge Mega-Cab.

Personally, I'm not retired yet, but I am enjoying being able to meet all my family's needs and being debt-free. I'm not here to judge anyone different. Some people can afford more pickup than they need. Others just want more than they can afford. In my experience, once you buy a vehicle that isn't going to make you money, it's just about impossible to get your money back without severe depreciation and loss on the resale.

I’m not driving 30 min to an hour to rent a truck, AND most of time I’m towing off pavement at some point or other.....some nasty dirt, chert, clay roads. Think farm use on the side. Let me clarify: I tow something a lot. I only need to tow BEYOND my current truck’s abilities on occasion. It’d also probably make more sense for me to daily drive a couple of trucks (likely keeping the older, paid off one, for hunting/off-road) if one is paid for, than own a commuter car that won’t do ANYTHING else, and pay insurance, etc.....been there, done that. I just ain’t a car person....kinda like owning cats.;)

Would never suggest a car, but you mentioned hunting/off-road. A one-ton won't do that, at least not where I go. That's why people tow side-by-sides, ATV's, and 4x4 project crawlers.

As much as you'd do nasty, better to do it to a rental than one you own. Use a decent credit card, and it's all insured. Nevertheless, the times you'd need to go beyond your current truck's towing capacity aren't likely the one's that also call for extreme offroad. I don't intend to keep trying to convince you, but to clarify that my point is that you can borrow the capability that you rarely use on a temporary basis and that allows you to buy/own/keep capabilities that are incompatible. There's no one vehicle that can do it all, so it makes sense to own what you use the most or what you cannot rent. Big towing capacity is one of the easiest rentals. Driving an hour to pick up a rental is not a big deal if you only need it one or two weeks out of the year. I do that with RV's. I am so glad I don't permanently own one of those money pits. Speaking of money pits, I do it with boats too. With the boats, a day's rental costs almost half a monthly payment on the same boat, but who can boat several days a month all year long? I have too many other avocations. I only rent a boat one day a year or two years. The rest of the time the payments, depreciation, insurance, registration and storage costs are all someone else's. I also don't have to register the trailer, tow it, or pay launch fees. No doubt for someone who boats every weekend it's worth it to own one. I own a canoe. I can put it in the quieter lakes that I prefer, and it's paid for. It has capabilities the big boats don't have and I use it far more often than the powerboats or sailing boats so I own it and rent those.

As for off roading, three weeks ago I had to travel 12 miles on nasty road. All up hill, rocky, ruts, deep wash board. I was hauling my full load .I was able to make 3-5,miles per hour in 2nd gear 4WD. Summer I haul a few loads of 3x3 bales , about 6 ton a load.At times more gravel for my lane .I sold my 22 ft triaxle flatbed this summer, but still have a 14 ftdump.

I have rented 1/2 trucks, but have not seen many 3/4 T rentals here locally. I don't need a 1 T, but a 1/2 ton won't do for my every day chores.I have not owned a 1/2 T since about 1969.

Western juniper, holy sht do you rent a spade shovel too? Who's show do you think you run here, rent a center?

A working man's lifeline is his tools and his truck. Hh4 needs a truck.

Shotgun rifle and a rented 4wd.....that just don't sound right!

Give it a rest.

No. He doesn't need a truck. He already owns one. He may want another one and inquired here for advice about the particulars which is what I offered. So back off with the hostile rhetoric towards someone who has maintained civility in his conversation.

Maybe there’s some confusion.

Yes, I will take it OFF-PAVEMENT, but I don’t intend it for true ‘off-road’ use. I have a Rhino, an FZJ80, and a 1st gen Tundra. The Tundra or the Landcruiser would go, and one would stay....depending.

No, I can’t and won’t rent a truck....they can’t be rented anywhere nearby that suits my needs, nor do I want to plan ahead because I ‘might’ need it, or all the HUGE PITA issues I can think of with the logistics of not having THE truck on hand, when needed. Heck, I wouldn’t normally rent a boat, either. I generally keep a few on hand and have plenty to borrow, if I have a different need.....but they’re seasonal/use specific, and I don’t drive them as much as even my tractor most times.

I’m trying to learn what I might need TO OWN in a 3/4-1T, towing 4x4, that won’t restrict whatever I might need to tow, when I need to tow it, or where I need to haul it to. Now, what is possibly debatable is true ‘need’ for a diesel over a gas, when I’m only towing heavy on occasion.....the extra grunt would be nice, but it might be more pain than it’s worth, and gas burners are likely cheaper to own and maintain right now.....at least in the emissions diesels.

Thanks again.

Hh4,
I hope you keep the landcruiser. An fzj80 is an excellent hunting rig. I've owned 3 80s: a fully locked fzj80, lx 450, and a right hand drive HD-j 81 imported from Japan.

In all cases, with a mild lift, the cavernous wheel wells swallowed 35s. The full floating rear axles were tough against heavy loads of firewood. The disc breaks whole way around, were a joy to work on.

The head gasket job on one was straight forward, but took me at least 40 hours and well over $4000 in machine work on the head and oem parts.

I converted one to a four door with little Ute bed in the back. To keep the smells of fish coolers and meat out of the cab. The nice seats and coil suspension was easy on the back doing the 3 hour runs to klutina lake on the trail.

The low end torque of the big 1fz-fe is superb. The 80 was Toyota's finest, a tundra will never compare.

Likewise, you get into a used one ton dodge, ford or chevy, that tundra will never do safely, what a big American truck can do. The diesels do better setting than gas. Diesel fuel isn't as hard on injectors or seals as gas when they sit stored. Good luck man.

Thanks....good info on the ‘sitting’ part. I’ve had FJ40s, a 60, a cruiser, and now this triple lock fzj. My only reason for not keeping it would be all the minor stuff and cosmetics it needs to be 100% function and wife/road trip-friendly, compared to my tundra. I’m not sure I want to spend the time and $ to get it where I want it.....but if I do/can, (you’re correct) not much better that I know of. I’d love to get it back 100% on the interior and minor stuff, get my lift sorted, and get a small, lifted trailer to run behind it....and just drive it for 400k. Lol