Long write up but here it goes...

Over the past few days I've done some truck testing that others may find informative and I'd be interested in hearing others experiences. What set in motion me renting both a 26 Ford 6.7 and 26 Ram 6.7 back to back is my current 22 7.3/4.30 truck will be out of warranty this year so why not kick some tires to see if there is anything better? For my use case of course.

I'll start by saying I absolutely love my current truck, drives smooth, never had a light on the dash it's been flawless in 30k miles. I tow a 11k toy hauler up and down mtns in the west for recreation, cold weather short around town, off road to back country locations, pull light fishing boat you name it. I already know it's the best gas truck but do I want to go back to diesel this year?

Here are my personal observations after towing up and down grades on same loop, same gas pump both trucks 85 miles in mtns. As well as driving around town loaded and empty not comparing mpg. All three 3/4 ton ccsb trucks. Mine has airbags with cradles, tremor springs/blocks, radius arm drops, 5100 shocks, 35x12.50 ko2's which I'll reference here and there.

My ratings are based on whichever was the best in that category and didn't leave me wanting more gets a 10. Of course 800hp/2k tq and 30mpg would be fantastic but I'm keeping it realistic.

Power up 7% grade 5k elevation 60-65mph 11k tall/wide body trailer.
Ford 10, Ram 8.5.
Ford is a beast held 8th gear, into 7th cresting top. Ram very strong stayed in 7th then held 6th. Unloaded Ram is much improved over old 6 spds and we all know Ford is a rocket. I did not test the 7.3 on this exact loop but I drive it often going camping. *Powerstroke just gets it. Low rpm torque, and pulls to redline it's impressive

Exhaust brake
Ram 10, Ford 6 7
25+ Cummins/ZF exhaust braking is next level, I was severely disappointed with the Powerstroke. It's marginally improved since I last had one. There is more of a gap between the Cummins and the Powerstroke than the Powerstroke to 7.3. Those two aren't "that" far off each other. Long straight descents on auto Ford is fine, scrubbing speed before a sharp turn on full? No, still have to manually shift just like the 7.3. Ram will damn near lock up the tires if you want it to. *Update to this is the Ford 6.7 really isn't that bad, the Cummins is just that good at exhaust braking.

Transmission Feel/quirks
ZF 10, Ford 9

Efficiency
Ford 9.6 mpg, Ram 9.0. From what I've seen the Ram is 20-25% over my 7.3, Ford 6.7 25-30% (over 7.3 with 4.30's and 35's)

Sound/Noise
Ram was quieter and more relaxing. Around town Ram is like a stiff passenger car with an exhaust brake rumble. Ford 6.7 was an XL but I've got to say the Powerstroke wore on me. Funny people talk about gassers screaming but the 7.3 sounds fantastic till after 4.5k then kind of a valvetrain noise but that's only needed up steep pulls or passing. It does shift much more often when towing grades. Driving around town in Ford 6.7 my wife said do we really want to listen to this all the time? Sounds like two typewriters fighting every second of driving. I've had diesels before so I get it. Having the 7.3 is like someone turning off a microwave/kitchen fan where you're like ahh I didn't realize that was annoying me. That's how I felt going from Ford 6.7 to 7.3.

Overall Notes
Ford cab/box is better and looks better imo, Ram is fine but at 6'1 it just feels a tad small everywhere. Plus I've had 4 of the current ford crew cabs. Ram has annoying hump in passenger foot well along with no flat rear floor. I will say sitting in rear of Ram is slightly better than Ford on the outer seats because the seat height is 1" taller, but I brush my head on the ceiling sitting up straight in Ram. Bed to Roof height I measured 4" advantage for Ford let alone 6'10 bed with 1" taller sides. Ram towed way better than I thought with it's rear coils, really similar to ford even with a shorter wheelbase.

Driving around town, cruising on highway, nimbleness unloaded 7.3 all the way. It is just a smooth, quick and responsive great sounding truck. Though the Ford 6.7 doesn't suffer from turbo lag much at all there is still a weird feeling compared to the 7.3 between shifts and building boost. Fantastic engine, it's a monster but along with the clatter it just wasn't as pleasing as I'd hoped to live with every day.

I really like the Ford 7.3/4.30 10 speed trucks as an overall do everything rig. It pulls a trailer from a stop effortlessly, inexpensive, cheap fuel, no after treatment, holds it's value. Although it does get a little breathless above 6-7k ft towing it really hit home just how good it is after driving the latest diesels. I didn't include GM because 1. I'm a "Ford guy" 2. IFS and 3. If the exhaust brake is behind Fords then no thank you. All three had pro's and con's and I was really hoping one would be head and shoulders over another.

For now keeping the 7.3 until they put a Cummins in a Ford tremor from the factory. All around for me 7.3 gas, towing in mountains Cummins, long interstate/lot's of overall towing Powerstroke.

Here are some pics. Ram boosting, Fords mediocre EB, 7.3 out camping. I'm sure some may get upset or feel strongly one way or another, this wasn't to start arguments just to say they are all good in their own ways. Good times to be a truck enthusiast... other than new prices.

 

Very nice write-up. One of the most unbiased I've read on here as well. I too am a "Ford guy", but have owned Ram, and will not even look at GM...
I haven't been in a current gen Ram yet.

 

Thanks, I figured I'd spend a few hundred bucks and two half days testing before buying my next one. Kind of left me back at square one and wanting a part of all 3

 

My 2016 RAM 2500 was a great truck. No complaints. I went Ford 450 this time for a few reasons - I wanted better turning for right campgrounds, the aluminum body was a plus living in Ohio where they over-season the roads all winter, and RAM keeps putting off the move to the 1500 cab year after year.

 

Isn't that how it goes! I went from a 2015 Ram 3500 cummins/CCSB as a work truck to a 2022 F550 CC/6.7... agreed on the Ford EB, it is severely lacking compared to the cummins, my 22 is an XL, but the seats are way better than the Ram. Even in an XL, I don't notice the engine noise at all, esp. compared to the Ram or my '02 7.3, I have never found it irritating, I'm actually surprised at how quiet the modern diesels are.

If Ford could/would improve the EB, that would be a game changer, I can't compare actual towing, as my '22 F550 is a ChasCab so it is detuned from the factory so up long/steep grades I'm at 50mph, same grades in the Ram was "pick a speed" and it was always over 55..

Great write up sir!

 

For grins I need to sit in a new Ram 1500 cab and imagine it with the cummins . Fords mirrors are still the best to me I forgot to mention and though interior looks are subjective Rams big screen isn't as clean as Fords. I dont have one but son has a 2025 F150 and Ford did it right. I saw the engine tear down with Cummins being cast in China now... probably fine but wish I hadn't seen that

 

Appreciate it! I usually stay off the interwebs with opinions but I had to share. Funny the Ford I tested was an xl with vinyl and I was pleasantly surprised on comfort they had. My 22 xlt with cloth are nice but a little stiff compared to 23+.

Yeah these new diesels are sweet compared to old where you had to turn them off to think.

 

In 2020 I was able to also rent both a Ram and a Ford. We rented them from Enterprise truck company and I put a few miles on each... both of which pulling our camper.

In June 2020 we rented a 2020 Ford XLT, CCSB, 4x4 with the 6.7. Surprisingly it had a whopping 52 miles on it when I drove it off. When I dropped it off 10 days later it had closer to 4300 miles on it! We drove through 11 states, from MS to WY and back. Granted our camper is small at only 6000 lbs, but we did hit some pretty good mountain climbs and descents once we got into CO and WY. And as expected, the Powerstroke handled it without breaking a sweat. This was also the first time driving a 10 speed transmission and boy was it nice! It shifted smooth and it always seemed to be in the right spot, no matter if we were going up or down or just cruising the flats. And I know that many say that the exhaust brake is better in the Ram, but with our smaller camper, even on 10% descents we never had to touch the brake! I was also taken back a bit when I realized how quiet these trucks were... I expected to hear the mighty grunt of a diesel... instead, it sounded like I was driving a car it was so quiet. Honestly, I wanted to hear the grunt a little more...

Aside from the sheer power, I was quickly drawn to the exterior appearance of the Super Duty. These mode years look very good IMO. We also found the interior to be pretty nice as well. Even being an XLT, we found the cloth seats comfortable and all the trim looked good. Nothing squeaked or felt flimsy. The best part though was the back seat. With the completely flat floorboard there was gobs of room, especially with the seats flipped up. This was important because we have our 2 dogs, a 90 lb Golden and a 60 lb rescue (cocker/lab). And while we didn't bring them on this trip, we were happy to see all the room. And we also liked that the back seat was split 60/40. This way we could leave a seat down for my son or daughter and still flip up the other side so there is room for the dogs. All in all, we really enjoyed our trip in the Super Duty. And the ironic part is that before I got the Ford, I was pretty certain I didn't want a Ford...



In fact, I was pretty sure I wanted a Ram. I honestly don't know why, other than the fact that most guys I knew with anything more than a half ton had a Ram...

So, in October of 2020 we rented another truck for another trip. Luckily when we showed up to pick it up, they pulled a silver Ram up front for us. I was excited about this!

Then I got in it....

So there were a few things about the Ram that automatically put it a step behind the Ford... First, the folks that rented it before me had to have been smokers... it was somewhat faint, but it was there and you just can't get that smell out. Besides this, even though it was also a 2020, it already had 20k miles put on it... and from the looks of it, it was hard miles... On the other hand, the next 2000+ miles I put on it pulling our camper through 3 states, MS, AL and FL didn't do much to dig it out of the hole it started in...

So, this truck was a 2020 Ram CCSB, 4X4 with the mighty Cummins and a 6 speed transmission... and 20k miles. Honestly, a measly 20k miles shouldn't mean a thing to a truck like this, and that is part of the problem, because while there are some hills between north MS and south FL, it is nothing compared to what we towed our camper through a couple of months before in the midwest. First off, it sounded like our seats were bolted onto a train.... you could hear and feel the motor and trans working and clanking loudly below us. Actually, that was kind of cool... I kept thinking to myself, this is simply raw, unadulterated power! But no way would that be cool as an owner. It was loud and after a while, quite annoying. Besides this, even on the small hills we were "climbing" the transmission had a tough time tying to figure out where it needed to be... and keep in mind, my trailer was only 6k lbs, so it shouldn't be much different from driving unloaded... lol! But it was constantly downshifting late up a hill, so all of a sudden the RPM's would shoot up. Sure, it had the power to easily get us back up to speed, but it just didn't know how to manage the shifting...

And while I understand that the Bighorn trim is one of their lower trim models (comparable to the XLT), it really did look plain and quite boring when standing outside and looking at it. Nothing seemed exciting about it. Inside wasn't really a different story either, at least not any better. When we turned the truck in I inquired about the cigarette smell, as well as the french fries we found under the seat and just the overall unclean feeling of the truck. We were told that construction companies often rent these trucks out and that their crews are usually hard on them... Saying all of that to say that we understood the inside had been used a bit harder than normal, but overall, it just felt cheap and chintzy! Everything about it just felt like it was already falling apart. Then we noticed the back seat... So on this trip we didn't take the kids, but we took the dogs. And we felt bad for them the whole time. The huge transmission hump made it feel small and there was no room for the dogs to lay down comfortably. We ended up just leaving the seat down so they could get on the seat and lay down (which was covered with blankets). On top of that, the back seat was not split, it was either all up or all down. Overall, it was not a good experience at all...



I was so thankful that not only did I get to rent these before actually deciding, but that I also got to spend some good time in them, and towing our camper over 6000 miles between the 2. So, before June 2020 I knew I wanted a Ram. After October 2020 I knew I wanted a Ford, so the next year we ordered the exact same Ford truck, but as a 2022 model. It's now been almost 5 years since I have taken delivery of it, and the only thing I wish I could go back and change is that I would have went with a long bed instead of a short bed. Otherwise, it has been an exciting truck to own and I am still completely sure I made the right decision for our use case!

 

Thats awesome you got to test both and I am right there with you on the backseat/flat floor! I use it all the time. Costco, camping coolers etc. I have 2 150qt coolers I take elk hunting sometimes that fit there stacked even. Funny enough one small detail I noticed was on the Ram the drivers side rear is the small seat, on the Ford its the big one so its easier to flip the big side up and use the floor which Ram has very little of.

Funny thing is I did this test 6 mo ago in a 24 ram 3500 s.o and was going to do a ford 6.7 this time. That Ram was all they had. Couldn't believe it the guy at enterprise as I dropped the Ford off said hey I just got a new 26 Ram in with 700 miles... I said I'll take it! I had my rzr still loaded in my trailer with the tire covers off so why not.

I'm not a fan of the cab but I will say that new powertrain is very very good. That s.o Ram I rented before gave a better on highway with grades experience than my 7.3 but the 7.3 can out accelerate that Ram anytime with my trailer. 0-30, 60-75, up grades etc. That ram got stuck at 64 on big grade and couldn't downshift do to over rev. Ford 7.3 can do 70 and still gain! Around town ford 7.3 was zippier and felt better with trailer let alone unloaded. 370hp/6sp vs 430/10sp and 4.30 was big difference.

No dig on Ram at all but how they sold those with the monster powerstroke on the market is bewildering. More power and efficiency and all that...

Still wonder how Ford can make the same low rpm torque but cant get as much braking out of it?

 

Very well done comparison and write up. I'm hoping to enjoy my new 7.3/4.30 as much as you do yours. Should be built and hopefully delivered next month. It'll be an all-around truck, but I plan to tow a 16k fifth wheel for vacation trips in the near future.

 

Nice post, enjoyed the read.

Hard to beat a 7.3 for all rounding and occasional towing.

 

Just learned this week that the 2026 6.7 cummins engine blocks are casted in china which would make one a hard pass for me. Plus the cummins just ain't what they used to be and don't believe they fixed their lifter problems

 

I think the Power Stroke would have to have higher clamping force on the exhaust valves to improve engine braking. This clamping force is one of the reasons I believe cummins is having hydraulic lifter failures.

 

Now that Fiat/Stellantis/Chrysler/Peugeot or whatever they are called this week has finally put a decent transmission in their trucks, they were in the running on my latest truck purchase. Drove a buddies brand new 2026 3500. It pulls like freight train. Aside from the fact it's been in the shop for 3 of the 5 months he's owned it for electrical issues, it's a really nice truck. My main complaint is the size of the cab as you mentioned. It's just not well laid out and sized smaller in about every direction, especially the rear seating where I need to put the dogs when we head out for camping. It feels cramped. Ford has always had more roomier cabs. Add to all that the Ram is just higher priced on everything comparable, the Ford is still a win. I ended up going with a gasser for the maintenance costs and noise compared to the 6.7, and I don't tow heavy enough on a regular basis to justify an oil burner. Even using the mileage comparison wasn't enough to justify it.

 

Fantastic write up! Thanks for sharing.