There are certainly things about the Dodge that I
loved: great mirrors and the quad cab was truly useful. And I was in love
with the Cummins engine. I bought the Ford because it was the only pickup
that could accommodate the pin weight on my gooseneck (2100#). I would,
however, have been way better off with a truck that was lower to the
ground. This Ford (F350 4X4 SRW) is too high to work with either the
gooseneck or the bumper pull without some kind of modification.
Barbara, does Lud use a ramp to get your quad into
the back of the truck? I have one and have used it on my old 4x2, but
this 4x4 is skyscraper high, very heartstopping.
Also, does Lud think the aluminum is enough better
to justify the expense if you don't have a working cattle ranch?
I will repeat....my husband loves
his 2004 Dodge Ram diesel. It gets 18 mpg on the highway pulling our 20'
gooseneck fully loaded for a ride. It has a 6-speed stick shift and
dual-range 4WD. Tons of power....it walks away from just about anything
else on the highway going over Donner Pass. He had another Ram that has
been recycled into our company.....low mileage but hard use, and the bed was
rusting away. His new one has an all-aluminum custom designed (made wide
enough to take four bales of hay side by side and wide enough to load our JD
Gator onto it) bed which should last him for a LONG time. The one thing
he has to watch out for is the cows jostling his truck while trying to get hay
off it. He has developed creative techniques for avoiding this
problem. His previous Dodge had dents in both front doors before he
realized the problems. Boy, was he upset! Lud studied diesel
mechanics when a teen and spent time on board merchant ships (in the engine
room) and lots of bulldozers and tractors with diesel engines. He knows
his diesels and really likes the Cummins.
