Newer 3/4 ton advice?

[Fallon]

A co-worker just agreed to buy my 2009 Tacoma & I'm finally ready to get a nicer, newer 3/4 ton pickup. I'm debating weather or not I'll sell the old beater F250 or trade it in. It's a bare bones work truck with a utility box & 250k. The Tacoma wouldn't pull 14k of trailer so I got the old F250. Now that the side gig doing tractor stuff is making a couple bucks I'm looking to consolidate down to 1 nicer truck. Maybe a beater econobox commuter car at some point as well, but I work from home most of the time so that's not important for now.

I'm looking for a relatively recent 3/4 ton double cab short bed with under 60k or so on the odometer. I'm kind of assuming a '16-'17. I want a diesel but that's not an absolute requirement. I'm aware what the price premium of the diesels is & the potential downsides of the emissions stuff (is it called tier 4 final like on the tractors?).*I'd like to be around $40k, but could swing a decent bit more if something with a diesel & nicer trim level tickled my fancy. I'd like adaptive cruise control & some of the other new safety features, but those only seem to be an option on the top trim level on 2018 or newer trucks, beyond my budget. Everybody has a backup camera now though with a nice sized screen which is so nice when hitching up.

I'm not looking forward to parking, but know what I'm getting into, hence wanting a shortbed. 260" to the shelf in the front of the garage & 280" to the wall, most shortbeds seem to be about 250" long & everything will be really close to the high 82" garage door. So I may or may not be fitting it in the garage, mostly due to height. I made the mistake of getting the access cab on the Tacoma instead of the double cab as I occasionally but not often need room for 4. I use the bed on the Tacoma a bit, but don't expect to use the payload of a 3/4 ton pickup, only the towing. If I need to haul more than fits in the bed, I have the 14k 22' trailer. No desire to go up to a 1 ton or dualy due to the potential CDL type ramifications over 26,001.

I went and looked at some trucks from the big 3 recently & came away not seeing to much different between them from just sitting & looking at options. Haven't gotten around to taking any for a test drive yet. I'm reasonably brand agnostic & sure I could get a lemon with any of them. I have little interest about the politics of any of them & what they have or haven't done in the past with bailouts or what not.

The 2005 V8 is barely adequate for my power needs up here at 7,000' in Colorado. Frustratingly slow on some hills at times with a full load on the trailer, but usually adequate. I'm guessing any of the current gassers would get the job done even better, but I still want a diesel even though I don't necessarily need one. That may mean ride quality may end up being more important to me, reliability definitely is.

Are there any big gocchas on the current crop of trucks engine, transmission or suspension wise? The older For 6.0l PowerStrokes had a handful of issues & the similar vintage V8 or V10s were a bit touchy about spitting sparkplugs & camshaft advance. The newer Fords seem to be a bit better machines, but I'm less familiar with the Chevy or Doge/Ram options or problem spots.

Anything I should look out for pro or con on any of the manufacturers? Any recommendations or comparisons I should pay attention when taking things for a test drive?

 

[Snobdds]

They are all so similar these days. It really comes down to, do you want ifs or a solid axle on the front. If ifs , gmc is your horse. If solid front axle, Ford or ram.

I'm at altitude as well. Turbos are our friend.

I have had good luck with Powerstrokes. 2015+ 6.7s are hard to beat.

 

[4570Man]

How much tractor work work are you doing? As far as I’m concerned a ton or 1.5 ton dump truck is the handiest vehicle ever built. I sold my regular bed pickup 3 years ago and I have no plans of ever owning another one. A 3500 DRW and your current trailer both loaded to capacity wouldn’t exceed 26,000 pounds. Your trailer loaded to capacity and the truck mostly empty is well less than 26k.

 

[Roadworthy]

If I was shopping for another diesel, I'd go with the Cummins in a Ram again. If shopping for gas I'd get a big block Ford. Any new vehicle will have a few recalls - even out to several years old. I recently got a recall on my 2010 Ram pickup - something about the park gear. Picking a new truck is probably pretty much a crap shoot for which is really better. They all do well if properly maintained and they all have more gizmos than is right for a truck in my opinion, but then again so do tractors.

 

[bdeboer]

82" garage height might be the deciding factor, lol. My 2008 Diesel crew cab Silverado antenna hits the 7' ( about 82") door trim at my house

 

[seville009]

I have a 2011 F350 with the 6.2l gas engine. Very capable engine; no issues with about 105,000 miles. Pulls 10,000 lbs easily (that’s the max limit on my trailer).

Don’t rule out the gas engine; less expensive and less maintenance than a diesel.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

If you're set on the diesel engine, I wouldn't even look at a 3/4 ton truck. The extra weight of the diesel takes 700-900 pounds right off of the truck's rated payload sticker. I frequently see diesel 3/4 ton crew cab trucks with a payload rating of 2000 pounds or less. That is a joke for a work truck. Go 1 ton for diesel or you'll run out of payload way before you run out of pulling power.

The payload rating is what your hitch pin weight, or trailer tongue weight goes against. It's not just tow ratings you need to look at, but also payload ratings.

Go read a few door jamb stickers on diesel 3/4 ton trucks, especially crew cabs, it will be an eye opener.

I have a gas engine extended cab 3/4 ton, and my payload sticker is 3156. There's not a diesel 3/4 ton that can touch that number, especially in a crew cab.

 

[oosik]

An awful lot depends upon how the trailer will hook up to the new truck. Bumper hitch - frame hitch - gooseneck hitch.

 

[Fallon]

Trailer is a 22' deckover power tilt bumper pull. It's only a couple years old & works well so not high on my list to replace. A gooseneck would be nice, but the old F250 wasnt really setup to take one. I may upgrade to a gooseneck at some point, but it will be a while after the wallet takes the hit for the new truck.

 

[nikerret]

How much tractor work work are you doing? As far as I’m concerned a ton or 1.5 ton dump truck is the handiest vehicle ever built. I sold my regular bed pickup 3 years ago and I have no plans of ever owning another one. A 3500 DRW and your current trailer both loaded to capacity wouldn’t exceed 26,000 pounds. Your trailer loaded to capacity and the truck mostly empty is well less than 26k.

With any DRW, he still needs a CDL and all the DOT crap. Trailer rated at 14k and a 3500 DRW is rated at 13k or 14k. To require CDL, it can be actual weight or combination of GVWR’s. I’m not sure where you got your information from, but it is incorrect. Loaded to capacity, he would be way over. He can get a SRW F-350/3500 with a GVWR of up to 12k and avoid the CDL, but no matter what he gets, he needs the rest of the DOT crap.

If you're set on the diesel engine, I wouldn't even look at a 3/4 ton truck. The extra weight of the diesel takes 700-900 pounds right off of the truck's rated payload sticker. I frequently see diesel 3/4 ton crew cab trucks with a payload rating of 2000 pounds or less. That is a joke for a work truck. Go 1 ton for diesel or you'll run out of payload way before you run out of pulling power.

The payload rating is what your hitch pin weight, or trailer tongue weight goes against. It's not just tow ratings you need to look at, but also payload ratings.

Go read a few door jamb stickers on diesel 3/4 ton trucks, especially crew cabs, it will be an eye opener.

I have a gas engine extended cab 3/4 ton, and my payload sticker is 3156. There's not a diesel 3/4 ton that can touch that number, especially in a crew cab.

This is a good post.

Most trucks run out of payload long before their rated towing capacity, especially, with goosenecks.

The Ford. 6.2L gas is a great engine, but at 7,000 feet, the turbo might be the better choice. Generally, I recommend the gas for all towing at 15k and under (too many modern diesel issues) for everything except over-the-road trucking. Elevation being a constant issue as well as increased ability to pull and stop favors the diesel, in this case.

Your trailer is rated at 14k. That means you’ll need payload around 1,400-2,100 (tag or bumper pull) plus what you and other occupants and tools weigh. For a gooseneck you need the weight of occupants and gear plus 2,800-3,500 lbs.
in other words, having a payload over 3,000 lbs would be a good place to be, with a bumper pull and payload over 4,000 lbs, for a gooseneck. I would like to see close to 4,500, for the gooseneck.