So I figure in the next 6 months I will probably upgrade my truck, I have only owned Ford up to this point, couple F-150s, a ranger, the 6.4, and now the 6.7/

1st Question, those that went from a 11-13, to a 15 or 16, was the power much different, and how do you like the engine brake when towing? I am more interested in the engine brake and how it works compared to just locking it into gear.

2nd question, If I could find a new 16, is it worth the extra cost to jump to the 17?

3rd, I have been researching the Ram and GMC, the Ram seems to have addressed their transmission concerns with the AISIN transmission, I still have to drive it but it sounds like it is fairly stout.

I also have been reading up on the GMC, their new engine redesign seems to be doing well and they have fixed the dead pedal issue of the slow turbo spooling, Again, I haven't driven one yet so don't know yet.

All the new trucks are getting so tall, that is my other concern, I primarily use my truck to pull my 5th wheel, and if I need to raise it anymore it will take fabrication on the frame. I am already at 13'-3" on the height so dont want to push that much further. We do a lot of camping off-road, so bed clearance is very important.

Give me some of your ideas if you don't mind.

 

Leon,

I went from a 2011 F350 to a 2016 F350, and I would say its slightly more powerful. The exhaust/engine brake works way better, especially when going down large hills.

I personally wanted the '16 over the '17. I was an early adopter of the '11's when they first came out, and decided I didn't want to do that again with a '17. The guys that have '17's seem pretty happy though.

As for your trailer, I have a 2017 Cardinal that I pull, that is 13' 6" clearance, and my rig is level with 6" between trailer and bed rails. However, I don't do any off road towing with such a large trailer.

 

Oh, and as for asking about Ram/GM. Hard to answer that, but my personal opinion would be Ram over GM. Mostly because Ram still has the solid front axle, (and of course the Cummins) where GM does not. again just a personal preference, but the solid front axle seems stronger to me, than the IFS of the GM.

 

I went from a 2011 6.7 to new 2016 6.7 F350. I actually intended to buy a new 2017 but when I brought it home it would not fit under my garage opening that is A normal 7 foot door. I also decided I would have a fifth wheel bed clearance problem. The bed itself is a little over an inch deeper and the truck sits higher also. I wound up buying my new 16 at the end of September 2016. The exhaust brake is much better on the 16 than the 11 was. The 16 has a little more power and my transmission seems to work much smoother. The downside is my 16 gets a mile or two less per gallon the the 11 did. The two trucks were exactly the same model and the same gearing. I'm glad that I bought a new 2016 rather than the 17. Everything I had for the 2011 switched over to the 2016. I only have about 10,000 miles on the 16 so the fuel mileage could improve.

 

The exhaust brake is a lot better on the 2015-2016 models vs the 2011-2014.

 

I have not looked at a 2017 in detail, but that is my understanding about the new ones. Could be important or not. I don't have much that ever needs to get switched over, but fitting in a garage is (or at least was) important to me. I say was, because my new place only has a 20' long garage. So the 8' high doors don't matter when you can't get it in all the way.

I too had a 2011 and I traded in almost 3 years ago on a 2015. I notice the same thing, slightly more power in the 2015, tranny shifts smoother, and I get 1-2 MPG less in it.

I really like a lot of the upgrades/changes in the 2017+ super duty... If I was in need of a new truck, a great deal on a 2016 would really tempt me, but if there wasn't one, I wouldn't hesitate on a 2017.

 

went and looked at a 17 F350 today, bed rails went from 54" on my current truck to 59.5". That's crazy, my 5th wheel is about 15,000 lbs, what kind of squat are you seeing when hooked up?

Went to measure my garage, new trucks won't fit, I was focused on the 5th wheel and missed the garage issue. Oh well, I may see if I can find a 16 around.

 

If the truck sits up that much higher that's a no sale for me. We won't be able to easily get in and out of it.

On Edit: My bedrails are close to 57" - 20" tires, FX4, 4X4.

 

Something to consider about the Ram and the transmission. You can only get the Aisin on a certain model. So you would probably have to order it.


If you get a '17 Ford I would get it with the bed sprayed in right away. That seems to help it resist penetrations. I don't know how beefy the SD is over the F150 bed, but I think that is the fix for the F150's.

 

You just need a 3500 Ram to get the Aisin.

 

Are all the 3500's coming with the max hp and Aisin trans or do you need to really pay attention to the window sticker to ensure the right one?

 

Scott, it's an option, just as the Cummins is an option, but they are not hard to find around here.

To the OP, if you buy a new truck and don't test drive all trucks that appeal to you, you are cheating yourself. Don't drive it if it doesn't catch your eye. You have to like the the truck and it has to make you turn around for a second look when you walk away. If a truck does that, you better drive it. I know I've been pleasantly surprised with how much I like my Fiat. I've had about 7 different Ford trucks too.

 

Most of the 3500's around here have the Aisin transmission, but it is something to make sure if beforehand. There is quite a few manual transmission trucks locally too, that surprised me.

So with the 2017 not fitting in my garage I found a 2015 private party here in Las Vegas that I am going to look at today, from the pictures it is the same as my truck, just an F-350 and 2015 with exhaust brake. I could move over all of my upgrades which would be good, private party, so no sales tax, and still under 36,000 miles so I could extend the factory warranty.

I think some of you have run an Oasis report?? to see what service work was done, how do I do that?