I have driven both at this point (just test drives they won't let me load them...)
My wife really likes the Chevy 3500 dually mainly due to the exhaust brake and the "rumble in the rockies" test. I still like the Ford better and could add a EB but that just adds $$ to the equation. We are set on the 5th wheel and its advertised GVWR is 15.5k. we are going to be spending part of our time in the Rockies and Alaska so steep grades up and down are in the future.

Is there anything that I can tell her about Fords system that may help? I want the Ford but... you know how that goes Happy wife Happy life. Especially when she will be working and I will not...

 

What did people do before they put exhaust brakes on these trucks? Funny how we can't live without things that we've lived without for many years!

Good luck to ya.

 

I have beat this horse to death. Here is the short version. The GM Ebrake is better than the Ford at holding back a very heavy trailer at speeds at or above 53 mph and at higher elevations. I have descended many 9% grades that are over 3 miles long with my 13000 pound fiver behind the truck. GCVW was 22300 pounds. My first descent at 65 mph required truck brake usage until I slowed down. I tried the next long 9% descent with an initial descent speed of 50 mph. The truck held the 50 mph speed without using the truck brakes and no increase in speed all the way to the bottom. This has been repeated several times with the same results.

The "Rumble" is really nothing more than a paid advertisement for GM. They bought both trucks, funded both comparison venues costs and wrote the test criteria. They made sure the descent speed never slowed below 53 mph. Is this a coincidence...based on my personal testing, I doubt it...There's more but let me know if you want to hear it. I will go PM from here.

Regards

 

The Exhaust brake built into the Ford Turbo works just fine. Maybe it doesn't have quite as much braking power as the Duramax ( per the Rumble in Rockies ) but it has enough that it does the job. Like Rickatic I have hauled my 4H GN trailer ( avg 13,000 lbs) down many a steep grade here in Utah. Mirror Lake Hiway summits at 10,300 Daniel Summit on US 40 at 8,000 and Parley's Summit on I-80 7,200. All of these have long downhill grades.

If I cross the summits at 70mph, Yep, I've got to touch my brakes on the downhill run,. If like Rickatic, I cross the summit at 50-55mph. the truck will hold that speed and I will never touch my brake peddle.

Choose the truck you like, Both will do the job.

 

I knew that the "rumble" was a paid advertisement for chevy in disguise. I just do not know that much about the system on the Ford, or the Chevy for that matter. I have never even come close to paying this kind of money for a truck and am driving myself crazy with research to make the right decision.

Thanks for the responses and patients with these questions. BTW I am driving them crazy on a Chevy forum asking questions too...

 

The exhaust brake on the Ford seems to be sufficient, it's worlds better than my old 7.3 or Dodge 5.9, neither of which have exhaust brakes at all. The rumble in the Rockies touted rolling off Eisenhower at 65 mph with that trailer pushing them down the hill. I'm guessing they've got more ***** and less brains than I do because I'm not at all comfortable with rolling down that hill that fast. If stuff gets ugly, and it can in a hurry such as a wreck ahead, I want to see them trying to bring that load to a stop from 65 mph going down that grade. I prefer keeping things down below 50 mph and this truck does that without riding the brakes.

 

exactly...it is called operating your motor vehicle...It is the responsibility of any owner/driver/operator of any piece of equipment to understand the design and operating limits of the equipment. GM knew the Ford EB would not hold as well at 53 and exploited it. Smart move for them because nobody that mattered challenged them on it...I do not count...I asked for the test criteria and the operating instructions to the "Rumble" driver to be made public...the silence was deafening...Had they tried the hill at 50 mph, the results would have been dramatically different.

I was a participant in the Ohio Truck Meet on New Years Day. We pulled a 12000 pound trailer up and down a 1 mile long hill that was an 11% to 19% grade. I pulled the hill twice. My first descent was at 45 mph and the truck needed some braking help. The second descent was at just under 40 mph. No braking needed all the way down. This is worth repeating, it was an 11% to 19% downhill run.

IMO, the EB is a low ranking item on the overall feature list for selection of a truck. I actually researched the number of 8% grades that are over 8000 feet elevation in the continental USA. There are only about 20. There are only a handful of these on freeways. Descents on the vast majority will never be at 50 mph, let alone 65 mph. For 95% of all truck purchasers, this is a non issue. Some owners live at these higher elevations and it makes a difference to them.

Regards

 

Just driving the truck for the conditions and the tow/haul will work just fine.

Other things to consider is the whole package. You are gonna spend alot of time in those seats.

What don't want is to be pushed around and have to really drive the truck. So the heavier ford will be the better choice for creature comforts and the better choice for a towing platform.

I have had mine up and down some pretty steep grades and never had a problem controlling either. It was the way the test was setup.

 

Thanks for the input. I truly appreciate it. I drive conservatively when towing so the information helps a lot

 

Considering you live in Maryland, you will need to drive 1500 miles west before you will see the first hill that even matters. Edmunds did a similar comparison test as the "Rumble" at more realistic elevations. There was a very different outcome. Here is a link:

2011 Heavy-Duty Truck Comparison Test

Although the GM still was 8 seconds faster up the 11.5 mile grade, that only equates to a 1% difference in performance. I would believe that the next 2 trucks off either manufacturers assembly line will have that much difference in performance.

Both trucks do a great job of towing heavy loads.

Regards

 

I 68 headed towards Cumberland Maryland has a real long 7% or so one. I will make it pant going up and it is an excellent test going down

Although it does not look impressive with a heavy load you know it.

YouTube - sliding hill

 

Scott

Point well taken...I have been up and down the 9% grades in Pennsylvania. The difference is the overall elevation level of the terrain. To really find the Ford's higher speed descent weakness, high altitude descents like the one in the "Rumble" are necessary.

 

That is a good point. Higher elvations would change it up considerably. I have been there and they are different.

 

That is exactly the direction we are heading. So why does the elevation make a difference?

 

...high altitude and higher summer temps create much thinner air for the truck to breathe. The turbo has less air density to compress and this results in diminished performance. The same thin air also decreases the EB performance. Keep in mind we are talking about sustained altitudes above 8000 feet. We are also talking about only a handful of high altitude freeway passes that would allow a descent faster than 50 mph.

I have had several PM's from regular travelers out West on another site that did not have the same real world experiences as found in the Rumble. I guess the question you need to answer is how much real world driving will you be doing that is above 8000 feet elevation? We do know that more than 3000 miles of your western trip will be spent at elevations below 8000 feet. The climb up to the Eisenhower Tunnel is 8 miles and the descent is about the same. Less than 20 miles on a very long trip. It might take you 5 minutes longer to negotiate the pass...only you can determine the value...

Good luck with whichever truck you choose