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Message: [QUOTE="me2, post: 384188, member: 3825"] Why don't I just buy a Dodge truck and "be done with it" ? I don't want to start a debate on this issue, just share some insight into why I am doing the swap rather than buying a Dodge truck. Each to their own. I spent the weekend parked beside a 2012 Dodge 3500 Megacab dually. They are very nice. I can see why people like them. Here are some weights from our setup, loaded, full of fuel, some water in the tanks, me and our dog in the cab. Front axle 5,170 pounds Rear axle 5,852 pounds Truck Total 11,022 pounds Trailer axles 11,176 pounds Total combination weight 22,200 pounds. This doesn't include a second trailer that we might pull behind the 5er. 1) Payload [ATTACH=full]91112[/ATTACH] The 2012 Ram trucks have a maximum GVWR of 10,100 pounds as a SRW and 10,500 pounds in a Mega Cab DRW. The GVWR on my 08 F350 is 11,500 pounds and its SRW. The pin weight on my 5er is about 2500 pounds, depending on how its loaded. Depending on how you define empty, my F350 weighs about 8200 pounds, leaving a payload of 3300 pounds. Dodge advertises the SRW MegaCab as having a payload of 2530 pounds based on a 10,100 pound GVWR. That implies it has an empty weight of 7570 pounds, which I find hard to believe. If it does truly weigh that, my F350 has a lot more steel in it. I'm not sure what the limiting factor is when it comes to the Dodge GVWR, but I find it troubling that it is so much lower than the Ford GVWRs. Some people say that these are just numbers and they don't matter. If they don't really matter then I would like Dodge to put different numbers in their brochures and cab stickers. In any event, I'd have payload issues using even a DRW MegaCab 3500 to pull my trailer. 2) GCWR The highest GCWR available on a MegaCab with a 3.73 axle ratio is 21,000 pounds, leaving a maximum trailer tow weight of 12,950 pounds. Here they are saying the truck will weigh 8,000 pounds. The maximum GCWR on a MegaCab DRW with the 4.10 axle ratio is 24,000 pounds. [ATTACH=full]91113[/ATTACH] The stock GCWR on my '99 F250 7.3 ZF6 3.73 was 20,000 pounds ! It weighed 7,000 pounds empty, leaving a trailer weight of 13,000 pounds. The stock GCWR on my 08 F350 SRW 6.4 auto 3.73 with 20 inch tires is 23,500 pounds. Its rated to pull a 15K trailer. The stock GCWR on a 2012 F350 SRW 6.7 auto is 23,500 pounds with the 3.31 and 3.55 axles and 30,000 pounds (!) with the 3.73s. You can't even get 3.73s without going to a dually in a 2012 Ford. I am very happy my 08 has 3.73s. With a built Cummins 6.7 and the 6R140, it should be good, power wise anyway, for a GCWR of nearly 30K. I do not want a dually if I can avoid it and I certainly don't want a 4.10 axle. Again, I am not sure what the limiting factor is when it comes to the GCWRs of the Dodge trucks. It certainly isn't limited by the engine as the 6.7 is used in motorhomes with a GCWR of over 30,000 pounds as well as a rating of 30K in the regular cab LB DRW trucks with 4.10 axles. 3) Transmission Issues I do not believe the 68 RFE is as strong as the 6R140. I do not believe the 68RFE would withstand towing my trailer with a built Cummins 6.7. 4) Box length I really wanted a long box truck this time, for cargo capacity. You cannot get a Mega Cab with a long box. 5) Tires and Rims I am very partial to 20 inch tires on SRW trucks. You cannot get them on a factory Dodge truck. 6) Cost Dodge trucks sell at a premium to Ford trucks, similarly equipped. Furthermore, I don't care for the interiors on the pre 2010 Dodge trucks, so I would have been forced to find a used 2010+ Dodge 3500 MegaCab, which would have cost a lot more than my F350 did. 7) Towing Mirrors I love the Ford 08+ towing mirrors, especially the power folding mirrors on my F350. I'm not saying my F350 is a perfect truck. It just works better for me and my application than some other trucks do. [/QUOTE]