Tradesman vs Big Horn

[Christofo]

I was just about to pull the trigger on a loaded up Tradesman (Safety group, towing tech, level 2 equipment group, etc). I keep wondering if the jump up to a Big Horn is worth the extra money?

On the Big Horn, I noticed it lists "acoustic glass" - does this make a large difference in cabin noise? The Alpine 9-speaker system is available on the Big Horn, is it leagues better than the Tradesman 6 speaker system?

I'm planning to order my truck, there are no Tradesmans on the lots around me to check out in person.

What else will I be missing out on with the Tradesman? Thanks in advance!

EDIT - this is the truck I planned to order:

 

[suber81083]

Not sure about the acoustic glass but it may mean that the rear windows are tinted or smoked but not sure. Bighorn you can get rear sliding window, bins in the rear floor, and I’m not sure if you can get the center console in a tradesman or not but you can in the bighorn. The speakers are really good in my Bighorn and I don’t have the alpine system. That’s all I can think of right now


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[Crusty old shellback]

The acoustic glass helps with outside noise damping.

I guess it all depends on what you will use the truck for and what comfort level you want in the truck.
Then it's how much are you willing to spend.

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

when I was shopping trucks I Looked at both. Once I found a tradesman level 2 with 8.4” screen the difference was basically a center console, fog lights and body color bumpers for the extra $5k big horn. I like the bench seat better so it was a no brainer.

I bought the tradesman, added fog lights and painted some chrome and I’m happy as a clam.

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

FWIW, the level 2 “bench seat” is the same seats as the cloth big horn seats but with a jump seat in the middle .. as far as I can tell they aren’t any different

 

[BlueJoe]

I was just about to pull the trigger on a loaded up Tradesman (Safety group, towing tech, level 2 equipment group, etc). I keep wondering if the jump up to a Big Horn is worth the extra money?

On the Big Horn, I noticed it lists "acoustic glass" - does this make a large difference in cabin noise? The Alpine 9-speaker system is available on the Big Horn, is it leagues better than the Tradesman 6 speaker system?

I'm planning to order my truck, there are no Tradesmans on the lots around me to check out in person.

What else will I be missing out on with the Tradesman? Thanks in advance!

EDIT - this is the truck I planned to order:
View attachment 19204

Hey I have a 2019 Tradesman 6.4 , trailer Tow , 5th wheel supports, bed lights, spray in bed liner, 410s, and much more. I got a great deal on it when purchased. Another dealer swapped it for one of theirs. I was looking a BigHorn which really was much more money. Even if I order one BigHorn it was much more then what I payed. The optional equipment leather , NAV system, power folding mirrors are more many. You can add this after if you want cheaper. Every thing now is Plug & Play.

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

Pass on the nav. Get the 8.4” with apple/android car play and use google maps or whatever you use. You can get this on a tradesman or a bighorny

 

[Christofo]

when I was shopping trucks I Looked at both. Once I found a tradesman level 2 with 8.4” screen the difference was basically a center console, fog lights and body color bumpers for the extra $5k big horn. I like the bench seat better so it was a no brainer.

I bought the tradesman, added fog lights and painted some chrome and I’m happy as a clam.

That's what I was thinking - seems like $5k for a lot of cosmetics really. I am going to go ahead with my Tradesman order. Can't wait to get it!

Thanks everyone for the input.

 

[suber81083]

Can you get the LED lights and blind spot on a tradesman?


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[Christofo]

Can you get the LED lights and blind spot on a tradesman?


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LED tails and blind spot, yes. LED headlights, no. I planned on upgrading to the LED headlights if the halogens are crap.

 

[MtnRider]

I think a Big Horn will have better resale value down the road if that is a concern, rarely do people keep trucks "forever" despite what they think when they buy them. Well equipped or not tradesman's are considered beater work trucks by a lot of people. Most tradesman's I have looked at are pretty stripped down. I think there are other things that aren't necessarily listed in the packages like charging ports etc that you get moving up a trim level as well. Maybe not important to you but when I purchased I felt the Big Horn was a good step up from the tradesman's I looked at.

And if you plan on "upgrading" stuff it's a lot cheaper to just buy it at time of purchase then add it later.

.

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

I think a Big Horn will have better resale value down the road if that is a concern, rarely do people keep trucks "forever" despite what they think when they buy them. Well equipped or not tradesman's are considered beater work trucks by a lot of people. Most tradesman's I have looked at are pretty stripped down. I think there are other things that aren't necessarily listed in the packages like charging ports etc that you get moving up a trim level as well. Maybe not important to you but when I purchased I felt the Big Horn was a good step up from the tradesman's I looked at.

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It will but not $5k+ more.

 

[suber81083]

I think a Big Horn will have better resale value down the road if that is a concern, rarely do people keep trucks "forever" despite what they think when they buy them. Well equipped or not tradesman's are considered beater work trucks by a lot of people. Most tradesman's I have looked at are pretty stripped down. I think there are other things that aren't necessarily listed in the packages like charging ports etc that you get moving up a trim level as well. Maybe not important to you but when I purchased I felt the Big Horn was a good step up from the tradesman's I looked at.

And if you plan on "upgrading" stuff it's a lot cheaper to just buy it at time of purchase then add it later.

.

Yeah there are a lot of different cosmetic things the Bighorn has that the tradesman doesn’t. I compared the Bighorn to and XLT Ford and it blew the Ford out of the water. I liked the center console, led lights, and rear sliding window. Those were the selling points for me over the XLT and Tradesman.


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[jdefoe0424]

I think the acoustic glass makes a difference especially if traveling long distances frequently.
I prefer the Alpine system from my 1500 to the tradesman lvl 2 system.
I'd definitely spring for the 8.4, skip the nav as it leaves much to be desired. Already several years out of date and expensive to update.
The upgraded dash screen is definitely nicer than the tradesman one.
In floor bins can be added to tradesman as there is just a block off over the hole in the floor.
Quality of some interior pieces may be different too, soft vs hard plastic etc.

Remote start and remote tailgate release are not available on tradesman but purchasing the keyfob and having the dealer program can give you the capability
A significant amount of the addons can be added at a later date if you wish, it will just cost more.

 

[MtnRider]

OP what about the EVIC screen. Most (all?) tradesman's I have seen have the smaller one and I see a lot of people swapping that out for the 7" down the road. Just one small example to consider. I think the $5K gets you more then you think.

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[Christofo]

OP what about the EVIC screen. Most (all?) tradesman's I have seen have the smaller one and I see a lot of people swapping that out for the 7" down the road. Just one small example to consider. I think the $5K gets you more then you think.

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You get the 7" with the Safety group package even on the Tradesman

 

[Christofo]

I think the acoustic glass makes a difference especially if traveling long distances frequently.
I prefer the Alpine system from my 1500 to the tradesman lvl 2 system.
I'd definitely spring for the 8.4, skip the nav as it leaves much to be desired. Already several years out of date and expensive to update.
The upgraded dash screen is definitely nicer than the tradesman one.
In floor bins can be added to tradesman as there is just a block off over the hole in the floor.
Quality of some interior pieces may be different too, soft vs hard plastic etc.

Remote start and remote tailgate release are not available on tradesman but purchasing the keyfob and having the dealer program can give you the capability
A significant amount of the addons can be added at a later date if you wish, it will just cost more.

Nice to know about the in floor bins. I had planned on adding remote start/tailgate release as soon as I picked it up.

 

[gimmie11s]

I had a 2016 Tradesman 2500 and now have a 2021 Laramie 3500.

The acoustic glass makes the interior noticeably quieter and reduces road noise. Also the Alpine system is LEAGUES better than the base Tradesman system which is what was in my 2016. Absolutely no comparison.

To be honest, one of the things i like most about the Big Horn and higher packages is the soft touch door panels. The hard plastic on the 2016 Tradesman actually made my elbow sore on long trips. Yeah, call me a soy boy if you like, but those plastic door panels are a bit low-rent IMO.

 

[b307a1]

I was just about to pull the trigger on a loaded up Tradesman (Safety group, towing tech, level 2 equipment group, etc). I keep wondering if the jump up to a Big Horn is worth the extra money?

On the Big Horn, I noticed it lists "acoustic glass" - does this make a large difference in cabin noise? The Alpine 9-speaker system is available on the Big Horn, is it leagues better than the Tradesman 6 speaker system?

I'm planning to order my truck, there are no Tradesmans on the lots around me to check out in person.

What else will I be missing out on with the Tradesman? Thanks in advance!

EDIT - this is the truck I planned to order:
View attachment 19204

It's a nicely equipped Tradesman. My suggestion is to add wheel well liners.

 

[Crusty old shellback]

You can get the ALPHA OBD program and wiring needed and do the upgrades yourself. A fellow forum member posted where he upgraded even his keyfob so that he now has the remote tail gate.

Spend a little time searching the forums and you will probable safe yourself some money if you DIY the upgrades yourself.

While I am one of the biggest DIYers around, I opted for a 75th PW. I just wanted a new truck loaded the way I wanted it. I did however upgrade the tires at 250 miles and fixed the ugly exhaust.