Ram 2500 6.4 vs. F-250 7.3 Gas

The Critic

The Critic

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One of my good friends purchased a horse trailer and needs a "semi-dedicated" tow vehicle. Loaded, the horse trailer supposedly weights 5-6K lbs. They do plan to use this as their around-town vehicle as well so a diesel may not be the best choice.

These are two vehicles that are currently being considered:

Ram 2500 6.4:

Pros:
- Better interior quality
- Better ride quality due to rear coils
- Arguably better driving experience due to ZF 8-speed

Cons:
- Expensive Oil Changes (special 0W-40 oil required)
- Dated, smaller cab - plus a refresh is coming soon
- Overall FCA quality is a hit/miss, more so than some other brands

F-250 7.3 gas:

Pros:
- Newer chassis than Ram, better interior room
- 7.3 engine is arguably best-in-class
- Lower oil change costs

Cons:
- Higher cost; these are not being discounted as heavily as the Rams
- Worse ride quality due to suspension design being favored towards hauling

MSRP's are similar, but I know the Ram is being sold for $3k off MSRP plus any rebates. Payload and tow ratings are similar between the two.

Which one is the better option for a tow-vehicle/semi-regular daily driver?
 
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The important thing: It's not a diesel.

If you're dealing with a lot of hills, that 10 speed is awesome in the hills! You always have the right gear. A 6 speed may kinda hunt and peck until it finds the right gear.

I'm also partial to leaf springs in something that's going to be towing a lot.
 
I drove a Class C Motorhome with a E450 chassis and the 7.3L V8 for 5 hours in Wyoming. Anywhere from 6000' up to 9000' of elevation and spent about 2 hours on I-80 doing 75 mph. The was with the older 6 speed transmission vs the 10 speed in the F250, and also derated to 350hp/364 tq vs the 430hp/470 or whatever torque of the Superduty.

I can tell you that motor is a beast. We were pushing 14,000 lbs and it had zero issue lugging that behemoth around.
 
ATex7239 said:
Ford.

Side note: 1/2 ton can handle a 5000lbs horse trailer, will be cheaper all around, and be a much better daily driver.

Side, side note: Ford 6.2 (gas) is a great engine, too.
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Id be looking at the Ford 6.2 for OP’s stated use.
 
I'm a ram fan so will get that caveat put of the way. I have no experience with the new 7.3 Ford but have plenty of seat time behind 2018 and older Ford F150's. I cannot stand their interior layout and tech that and I have yet to run a Ford that does not lose the license plate lights on a gravel road, which has taken out electric e brakes and reverse cameras alike.

That all being said, this weight is perfect for a half ton. Its my experience half tons have better discounts, better ride and meneuverabilty. We regularly towed 10k with our 2011 ram 1500. Properly set up, it was a beast.
 
Between what I’ve seen of Ford dealers marking up their F250’s, and RAM dealers still taking several thousand off of MSRP, they may find that they can get a RAM 2500 with the Cummins for very close to what they can get a Ford 7.3 for. That was what I ended up with for that reason. I know this forum is typically anti-diesel for this type of application, but that seems to be more cultural than anything else.
 
Spoke with a local Ford dealer. Any inbound F-250's are $6K over MSRP. If I wanted to order one, 24-26 weeks is the ETA and the price is MSRP.

Another Ford dealer is listing their few inbound units at $6K over MSRP.
 
Today you just buy whatever you can get your grubby hands on, but lets pretend there is plenty of trucks around and they all sell for MSRP or an equal discount:

I would take a hard look at the GMC Sierra 6.6 gas, the IFS front end will ride better, and the direct injection will provide a little bit more fuel economy than Godzilla. These GM trucks are a bit uglier in many configurations, there was a white Silverado Custom behind me and the dang thing looked like a storm trooper more than a truck. 6L90E is only 6 gears but its a proven transmission and should be cheaper to replace if you still have the truck 10+ years later and it goes out.

Reasons to get the Ford: Highest capability in a gas HD, 48 gallon tank in a long bed, aluminum sheet metal is thick and more dent resistant. Some people have claimed the GM trucks are a little easy to dent. 2022 Ford will have a slight refresh interior on some trims.

Only reason i would not buy the 6.4 Ram is you can get the standard Cummins for 'only' $9400 more. That is money in the bank for resale. Cummins is the best diesel and typically drinks less DEF fluid. Inline 6 package makes it a little less of a nightmare to work on.

Yes, you can get the 6.7 Powerstroke for only $8450 on top of the 7.3L, but i predict the future resale value of a 7.3 Ford will beat a 6.4 Ram. It just seems like an indestructible engine and will probably build a reputation as such. The 6.4 you do see people needing replacements here and there. I'd take a 100k 7.3 Ford over the GM or Stellantis product all day long.

When i do buy a new truck, it will probably be the market (discounts) making the decision for me between the Ford and the GM. Or if RAM offers a 4500 with a bed on it like the F450 i would have to do that. If i go Diesel, might as well get the dually, might as well get the F450 because it can turn sharp, and bye bye lots of money. Buying gas HD is really compelling these days though. Until they put these things bigly on sale again i will truck around in my 95 Ram thank you very much.
 
I had a 2017 2500 Ram with the 6.4L and the 3.73's. Towing in the CO mountains it was not good at all. Traded for a 2018 Ford F350 with the 6.2L and the 4.30's. Night and day difference between the two. Gears I'm sure helped but the Ford just wanted to work. What killed me was the constant need for the high rpm's in the gassers at high altitude. I went back to the diesel in 2019. IF I ever looked at a gasser again it would be the 7.3L. Sounds like they left a lot of room in it for hp/torque increases in the future.
 
Nick1994 said:
Sounds like a lot of engine, a lot of truck, and a lot of money to pull a trailer that a Ford Ranger could.

I'd go 1/2 ton.
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You can do well with a max tow half ton. You will still be handicapped by payload and maybe they want to upgrade in trailer size later. Half ton resale (in normal, non-insane markets) is worse than HD. The GM 6.2 NHT equipped max tow half ton might better for them. It would drive the nicest unloaded.
 
Are they towing horses? If so a F350 type is the much better choice when towing a live load . My wife/ daughter have 5,000 lb 3 horse trailer and 2 Warm bloods that weigh 1,500 lbs and 1,400 lbs and has a 4x4 2018 F350 with the 6.2 and is very happy with the power. Before we had a 2002 F250 with the 7.3 Powerstroke diesel and manual trans,Fords are much better vehicles.
 
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sw99 said:
I had a 2017 2500 Ram with the 6.4L and the 3.73's. Towing in the CO mountains it was not good at all. Traded for a 2018 Ford F350 with the 6.2L and the 4.30's. Night and day difference between the two. Gears I'm sure helped but the Ford just wanted to work. What killed me was the constant need for the high rpm's in the gassers at high altitude. I went back to the diesel in 2019. IF I ever looked at a gasser again it would be the 7.3L. Sounds like they left a lot of room in it for hp/torque increases in the future.
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I drove a 2017 and for the power it is no where near as good as my 2017 6.0, but Ram has fixed the gearing with the 8 speed and in it really isn't even the same truck, they do really well
 
I really want a 7.3 gasser. Maybe in a few years after I get some more use out of the 250. I wish they had that engine when I was buying.
 
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