I had the opportunity to spend about 16 hours towing a 40' 7 horse trailer in an F450 a week or so ago and thought I'd post my impressions of it vs our Ram 3500 HO DRW.
The Trucks: 2019 Ford F450 crew cab Lariat Western Hauler w/ airbags and 87K miles. 2021 Ram 3500 Longhorn Mega Cab DRW with Cummins HO / Aisin and 12K miles. Trailers I've towed as basis for comparison are 40-42' horse trailers that weigh in at about 35K lbs loaded. One is 4 horse with living quarters and one is a 7 horse with large tack and triple axels.
Motor/Power: Power felt very similar. Both trucks have plenty of go in them. The Ram feels like it has more torque low in the rev range - it digs in and scoots off the line with a heavy tow load better than the Ford. The Ford felt like it had more power higher in the rev range. Passing acceleration from 60-80with the trailer felt better in the Ford. I'd give a slight edge to the Ram as the torque just feels easier to access. The Ford made a bit less engine noise, but it was a very slight difference.
Transmission: The Ford was a much smoother shifting transmission. There were times that I couldn't even tell that it shifted. This is the old 6spd Allison box, not the newer 10spd that came out in 2020. The Aisin in the Ram does it's job but it has a lot more 'kick' to it when moving through the gears, especially on downshifts.
Brakes: Stopping power felt about equal but the pedal feel was very different. The Ram has more travel in it and better feedback imo - easier to tell how far into the brakes you are. The Ford was short on travel, very stiff at the pedal and provided very little feedback. Felt like pressing on a 2x4. Both do the job, but the Ram was far more confidence inspiring. The exhaust brake on the Ram is far better than the Ford. The Ford exhaust brake really doesn't do a whole lot while the Ram is a considerable help.
Ride and Handling: This Ford had airbags on it and the Ram does not. The Ford was considerably stiffer under the trailer load that the Ram. I felt less bed bob with the Ford, but the compromise was a higher level of overall harshness. The steering feel in the Ram was better than in the Ford. The Ford had lighter feel to it with less feedback. This is probably more of a personal preference, but I like the more direct, more connected feel in the Ram. The Ford pulled all over the road and wandered around in the lane quite a bit. The tires on it were very square in profile and I think this coupled with the wider front track that found the semi grooves in the road made it feel less stable. It was a two hands on the wheel drive for most of it, while the Ram trucks along straight and true.
Interior materials, fit and finish: No doubt about the winner here. The Ram comes out way ahead even with the upgrades tacked on by the aftermarket Western Hauler package. The quality of the materials and the overall fit and finish was far better in the Ram. Lots of rattles, especially over rough roads, in the Ford. No rattles in the Ram. Ram just felt put together better in every way. One glaring example was the steering wheel. In the Ford that stickered out over $100K, the steering wheel was a thin, vinyl (at least it didn't feel like leather to me) wrapped, un-heated steering wheel that looked like it would be right at home on a $35K F150 work truck. No comparison to the thicker, leather/wood wrapped and heated wheel on the Ram. It's a small thing, but since you touch the wheel more than anything else, it makes a difference.
Comfort: The one edge the Ford had on the interior was the front leg room and telescoping wheel. I'm only 6' tall and the Ram feels a bit cramped in the front compared to the Ford. For the life of me, I don't understand why a $90K Ram doesn't get a telescoping wheel. The adjustable pedals help some, but don't beat the ability to adjust the steering well. All of that said, the Ram is much more comfortable place to be. I was much more fatigued steeping out of the Ford after 8 hours on the road than I am when driving the Ram. The Ram feels like you are towing at 35,000lbs trailer with a luxury car. The Ford felt like a big diesel truck - did the job, but not as refined as the Ram. Back seat room looked to be pretty much the same, but the Ford seats don't recline and there's really no room for storage back there.
Tech: Not really a fair comparison as the Ford is from 2019 and the Ram 2022, but the Ram wins here. The Ford Sync system worked well and I had no complaints about it. The ergonomics of the Ford weren't as snazzy as in the Ram, but I think they were easier to jump in and intuitively understand due to the use of more old school buttons and switches. The B&O stereo in the Ford was much more crisp than the Harmon Kardon unit in the Ram. The cameras in the Ram are far superior, but again, I'm sure the newer Fords are right on par.
Misc stuff: I love the look of the 19' wheels on the Ford, as well as the look of the wide front track. That wider axel also made the Ford more maneuverable. But, they came with a compromise noted above in the ride/handling section. The pearl white on the Ford was a nice color with more flash to it than the bright white on the Ram. The Mega Cab on the Ram with the short bed dually just looks tough imo - built like a bulldog. The great thing about the long bed on the Ford was that it allowed space for a 94 gallon transfer tank. Made it from Denver to Lincoln NE without needing a fill up. We put a 50 gallon Titan tank on the Mega Cab so that helps a lot, and we typically need a bio break every few hours anyway, but it would be nice to fit a big tank in the bed of a Mega Cab.
Those are my impressions. Both trucks are impressive in their capabilities. Granted the Ram is newer, so I can't say how it would compare to the same model year Ford, but overall, the Ram offers a more enjoyable driver experience while getting the job done imo. The fatigue factor alone makes the Ram a winner for me as the truck is used exclusively for long trips towing a heavy trailer.
The Trucks: 2019 Ford F450 crew cab Lariat Western Hauler w/ airbags and 87K miles. 2021 Ram 3500 Longhorn Mega Cab DRW with Cummins HO / Aisin and 12K miles. Trailers I've towed as basis for comparison are 40-42' horse trailers that weigh in at about 35K lbs loaded. One is 4 horse with living quarters and one is a 7 horse with large tack and triple axels.
Motor/Power: Power felt very similar. Both trucks have plenty of go in them. The Ram feels like it has more torque low in the rev range - it digs in and scoots off the line with a heavy tow load better than the Ford. The Ford felt like it had more power higher in the rev range. Passing acceleration from 60-80with the trailer felt better in the Ford. I'd give a slight edge to the Ram as the torque just feels easier to access. The Ford made a bit less engine noise, but it was a very slight difference.
Transmission: The Ford was a much smoother shifting transmission. There were times that I couldn't even tell that it shifted. This is the old 6spd Allison box, not the newer 10spd that came out in 2020. The Aisin in the Ram does it's job but it has a lot more 'kick' to it when moving through the gears, especially on downshifts.
Brakes: Stopping power felt about equal but the pedal feel was very different. The Ram has more travel in it and better feedback imo - easier to tell how far into the brakes you are. The Ford was short on travel, very stiff at the pedal and provided very little feedback. Felt like pressing on a 2x4. Both do the job, but the Ram was far more confidence inspiring. The exhaust brake on the Ram is far better than the Ford. The Ford exhaust brake really doesn't do a whole lot while the Ram is a considerable help.
Ride and Handling: This Ford had airbags on it and the Ram does not. The Ford was considerably stiffer under the trailer load that the Ram. I felt less bed bob with the Ford, but the compromise was a higher level of overall harshness. The steering feel in the Ram was better than in the Ford. The Ford had lighter feel to it with less feedback. This is probably more of a personal preference, but I like the more direct, more connected feel in the Ram. The Ford pulled all over the road and wandered around in the lane quite a bit. The tires on it were very square in profile and I think this coupled with the wider front track that found the semi grooves in the road made it feel less stable. It was a two hands on the wheel drive for most of it, while the Ram trucks along straight and true.
Interior materials, fit and finish: No doubt about the winner here. The Ram comes out way ahead even with the upgrades tacked on by the aftermarket Western Hauler package. The quality of the materials and the overall fit and finish was far better in the Ram. Lots of rattles, especially over rough roads, in the Ford. No rattles in the Ram. Ram just felt put together better in every way. One glaring example was the steering wheel. In the Ford that stickered out over $100K, the steering wheel was a thin, vinyl (at least it didn't feel like leather to me) wrapped, un-heated steering wheel that looked like it would be right at home on a $35K F150 work truck. No comparison to the thicker, leather/wood wrapped and heated wheel on the Ram. It's a small thing, but since you touch the wheel more than anything else, it makes a difference.
Comfort: The one edge the Ford had on the interior was the front leg room and telescoping wheel. I'm only 6' tall and the Ram feels a bit cramped in the front compared to the Ford. For the life of me, I don't understand why a $90K Ram doesn't get a telescoping wheel. The adjustable pedals help some, but don't beat the ability to adjust the steering well. All of that said, the Ram is much more comfortable place to be. I was much more fatigued steeping out of the Ford after 8 hours on the road than I am when driving the Ram. The Ram feels like you are towing at 35,000lbs trailer with a luxury car. The Ford felt like a big diesel truck - did the job, but not as refined as the Ram. Back seat room looked to be pretty much the same, but the Ford seats don't recline and there's really no room for storage back there.
Tech: Not really a fair comparison as the Ford is from 2019 and the Ram 2022, but the Ram wins here. The Ford Sync system worked well and I had no complaints about it. The ergonomics of the Ford weren't as snazzy as in the Ram, but I think they were easier to jump in and intuitively understand due to the use of more old school buttons and switches. The B&O stereo in the Ford was much more crisp than the Harmon Kardon unit in the Ram. The cameras in the Ram are far superior, but again, I'm sure the newer Fords are right on par.
Misc stuff: I love the look of the 19' wheels on the Ford, as well as the look of the wide front track. That wider axel also made the Ford more maneuverable. But, they came with a compromise noted above in the ride/handling section. The pearl white on the Ford was a nice color with more flash to it than the bright white on the Ram. The Mega Cab on the Ram with the short bed dually just looks tough imo - built like a bulldog. The great thing about the long bed on the Ford was that it allowed space for a 94 gallon transfer tank. Made it from Denver to Lincoln NE without needing a fill up. We put a 50 gallon Titan tank on the Mega Cab so that helps a lot, and we typically need a bio break every few hours anyway, but it would be nice to fit a big tank in the bed of a Mega Cab.
Those are my impressions. Both trucks are impressive in their capabilities. Granted the Ram is newer, so I can't say how it would compare to the same model year Ford, but overall, the Ram offers a more enjoyable driver experience while getting the job done imo. The fatigue factor alone makes the Ram a winner for me as the truck is used exclusively for long trips towing a heavy trailer.
