FORD has been producing trucks for a little while and if they wanted to manufacture a frame that did not flex, i am sure they have the engineering resources to do so. from strictly an engineering standpoint, if a structure does not have some give, the result is cracking and ultimately failure. the most obvious analogy are sky scrapers, think about the what buildings fail during an earthquake, its the brick structures that do not deflect (or flex). same goes for aircraft, if the fuselage and wings did not deflect, they would crack under the extreme forces generated on them.

with that being said, good luck with whichever rig you go with, the dodge is not a bad vehicle, but its no FORD.

 

The Ram frame is fully boxed, its going to flex less than the Ford frame that is only boxed front of the cab. Ever watch a big truck ( heavy triaxle or tractor) on leaves go over something rough? The frames flex like crazy, because the springs don't. And that's what they are designed to do. I had a Dodge/Ram. I'll keep my Ford.

 

^^^^^ me too ^^^^^^^

Dan

 

I wonder if it will twist with a front hitch installed.

 

Thank you all for your thoughts and opinions. I appreciate that we managed to keep this an informative thread instead of a pissing contest.

As I mentioned before, I have owned Fords for the past 30 years and have a lot of confidence in them. Although, when I saw the videos I was very concerned. Maybe it was a shotgun reaction that I had and immediately said the Ford is out, but that is why I came here.

I will not be getting a Chevy because my opinion on those is not very high. I like the duramax/allison combination, but the truck does nothing for me. I like the techy/features side of Ram and of course the Cummins is always a good point.

I think I will take a few days and re-evaluate what I am expecting out of the truck and make a decision from there. Thank you everyone for your help and providing your opinions in the thread.

 

Drive them all. Decide which is best for you.


Just be informed.

 

I saw this thread the other day and started to jump in and thought better of it...

I mean really ?!? is this a valid real world test ?
We actually tested our Jeeps for articulation, but NEVER any vehicle intended for the road ...


Maybe if you were going to use your truck for rock crawling, but the most rock crawling I do is @ the storage lot to hook up my 5er (and that is just smoothed limestone rock about 2" max in diameter )

I really am disappointed that they didn't test the electronics for sunspot reaction, now THAT test would help me decide which truck to get !!! (just to make sure - I am kidding )

 

Good point, I don't have a disposable income and want to be sure about my next heavy duty consumer version truck I purchase. I agree that the frame twisting is a maximum threshold test, but a notable one at that.

I owned a 1992 F150 Custon with the 4.9 I6 for 200,000 and that thing was a beast up to the very last day I owned it. I pulled 2 ton of rock with it, would load 2 thousand pounds of firewood in the back of it. Of course it was not happy with my decision to do this, but it got the job done and kept right on going. I am now driving my 7.3 IH diesel and could never go back to a gas engine.

Thanks again for your thoughts on the matter and I think it will come down to which one my wife and I are happy with on the road when it comes time to buy.

Also, I like your avatar. I put Molon Labe spartan stickers on the rear quarter panel of my 7.3 and am a firm supporter of the 2nd amendment. For those that don't know, Molon Labe means come and take them when referring to personal firearms.

 

We use GMC EXPRESS 3500 chassis for most of the ambulances at my work. The ambulance bits are great, and I have no complaints about the drive train, but the gm interior parts and build quality is pathetic; and much of it crosses over to the trucks

 

Seriously though- how often do you have to worry about a dually getting into terrain that these ramps mimic? A dually spends 99.9% of its life with all six tires on relatively flat ground.

If you're worried about terrain like that, you probably shouldn't be considering a dually...

 

To be 100% honest I am not considering a DRW at all, but an F350/3500 SRW. I assume that the frame is the same whether the truck is a DRW or a SRW.

 

I think the test should be done with a load in the bed. Lets put a large load (not just what the rating is for) and see what happens then. Maybe one will fail before the other? Who gives a crap what an empty truck can do.

 

The OP intends on buying a diesel. The Ford 6.7 diesel engine is made in Mexico. The Ram's Cummins 6.7 diesel engine is made in the USA, at the Cummins Midrange Engine Plant in Indiana.

So either you get the Ford body "assembled" in USA with the power plant made in Mexico, or get the Cummins powerplant made in USA, with the truck "assembled" in Mexico. Either way, Ross Perot was right.

By the way, many Ford 250/350 pickups have been made in Mexico for many years. If the VIN begins with a "3", it was made in Mexico. My Ford with the VIN beginning with a "1" was "assembled" in USA. However, there are many parts that say Made in Mexico on the truck.

 

Well I still say that, for the purpose this truck was manufactured for, that ramp test really doesn't mean squat. These Super Duties aren't gonna break. If they were- trust me- I would have broken mine by now...

 

It is a marketing ploy to be different than the next truck in order to boost sales.

That is all.