We tow our goose-neck 40' race trailer with all 3, the dodge has lost 3 trannies the ford has quit twice en route due to sensor issues and the Duramax has never let us down. Walk through the pits regularly as I do and you will see the shift from Ford to Dodge to GM that has taken place over the last 5 years.

For the most part the people buying these haulers run the living chit out of them and know what works reliably

Here is the latest from trailer boats...3/4 tons, All had 3.73 gears, newest tranny offerings which were the 6 speeds from GM and Dodge vs 5 speed from Ford.

The Bayliner 246 Discovery was the test sled at 9300 pounds with 820 pounds of tongue weight.

Duramax 660@1600 Torque 365@3200
Dodge 650@1500 350@3013
Ford 650@2000 350@3000

All 3 trucks have plenty power, each would make a terrific tow vehicle, but there are some diff.

Comments concerning the Duramax, does not seem to be as powerful as Ford or Dodge to being a smart performer, not the best hill puller. The Duramax had the best towing acc. in our 40-60 but low end power came on slower than the other two.

The Dodge, felt powerful at all throttle positions, especially off the line, burned rubber off the line during our 1-mile hill climb, the only one to do so, and still acc. to top.

Impressions on Ford, positive, it has a Clark Kent personality, if U dont put your foot into it its true muscle is not immediatly apparent. The powerstroke has massive towing power but you can not be timid with the go pedal.

Mirrors and B pillar obscursions.. Ford and Dodge was larger and favored over Gm's, Ford won, liked the heated convex adj, vs other 2 and heated, and no unobstructed view over drivers left shoulder.

Trannies..Allison in Gm was the favorite, put in M position for manual mode locking the gear in place. They liked the Fords tranny as well for smooth shifting as the GM's , and tranny follows brake pedals lead, but did not lock gears on decent vs with speed of truck. Dodge improved on their tranny, no temp gauge offered, switch activated sometimes took longer to lock gears in place longer than we would have liked.

Ride and handling..We consider this to be the single most relavant catagory when judging a tow vehicle. The rig's ability to handle a load with security and maintain control.

GM..Test noted it had a softer suspension than other two trucks. The Gm felt a bit loose after induced sway, remember this is with only 9000 pounds. The Discovery Cruiser felt like it had an influence over the GM, and its towing ride was more spongier than we would have liked. It also was the least favorite during our tow braking tests. On the upside it had the best NON-Towing ride, handling and steering.

Dodge Test noted some skittish over rough roads, to tough on the tush. It was with out doubt the stiffest susp. when unladen-however smoothed out considerably when towing. The team noticed it did not offer the same level of control bring the boat back as promptly after induced sway as the Ford. The Dodges braking was deamed better than the GM but not as stable as the Ford.

Ford Test noted was the best at ride and handeling this large boat. Ford provides the best sway control, it was the quickest to bring the rig back in check after induced sway and secure handeling in all situations. Its nontowing ride could be a bit jolting over uneven payment.

Measuring up:
0-60T/NT 0-30 40-60 55-0 MPG Tow R
GM 18.6/9.4- 6.9/4.5- 8.6/5.3- 196/102- 9.4/16.8- 10k
Dodge 17.2/8.5- 6.2/3.4- 9.5/4.6- 185/112- 10.1/15.4- 10k
Ford 18.4/8.2- 6.7/3.4- 9.7/4.2- 182/106- 9.1/14.8- 12,5k


Ford won a narrow but convincing victory. It delivered awesome but well mannered towing muscle, and simply controlled the tow best in all tasks. It also garnered the most points from the test team in subjective catagories such as engine/tranny performance, ride and handeling, visability and interior comfort. This was enough to put it over the top.

Thanks Jeff...good info

Did you get that bada$$ Ford yet?

next week baby! ho red,loaded up! Let the mods begin

I know it doesnt mean
Chevys little centerbore 116mm. Fords Big centerbore 160mm
It means larger spindles, bearings, hubs, rotors and brakes. A bigger stonger frame. Plus nicer body style than the old big S 10 look. Chevy on left Ford on right. But you already knew witch one was the Fords.

Another picture

wow- - Nice visual. I didn't realize the difference.

Can you back up your info with sources? Fords lug pattern is 8-170mm, it used to be 8 x 6.5 inches, like dodge and chevy. They changed with the introduction of the superduty.

Chevys 8 lug pattern has ALWAYS been 8 on 6.5 inches. Has been on the 80's I've owned, is on my friends 06, and some quick looks online shows it is on the new ones to.

So, Chevy's lugs are smaller, and inferior? How about some simple conversion math. 6.5 inches to mm = 165 mm. Thats 5mm less than a ford,( incidentally more than what you claim ford at 160mm)

Now, none of this matters because ALL modern trucks are hub centric. That means the wheel is constrained by the hub, not the lugs. All of the loading acts directly on the hub, the lug nuts do nothing more than hold the wheel from rotating and leaving the hub.

I doubt that extra 5mm makes a difference.

Again please state your source on the 116mm lug pattern, giving out false information is the worst thing you can do. Someone who may like the chevy now things the lug pattern is inferior, when its not.

Please don't confuse the issue with facts, thank you