Hello! I'm so glad I found this forum and I thank any in advance for your input!

We are shopping for our first truck and have narrowed it down to a Ford F250 or Chevy 2500. We need crewcab, and 'short bed' since it will also be my "Mom around Town  truck". I will primarily haul 2 small horses or ponies plus a carriage, and it will be a gooseneck trailer (haven't bought that yet...more questions to come regarding that!)

I believe the V-8 will suffice for us, and so have moved away from a V-10. I've ruled out diesels, too. I hate to sound like a wimp, but I just can't handle the noise and I just don't think I need that much power.

Now, I know there are die hard fans of either Ford or Chevy, but I would appreciate any feedback any would offer for either. Or anything I should be researching further.

I'm leaning towards the Chevy, since it just drove a bit 'smaller'--I'm in a Tahoe now and love it, and really didn't notice much difference. But am I trading that convenience with less power from a Ford and will this affect my towing?

Thanks again!

melissa!

Hey not a wimp at all. Some people just don't like the diesel sound or their smell.

How far do you plan to travel with your trailer and horses? If you are going to be doing alot of hauling and long distance then you should double check into a diesel truck. This is what they are built for and while a V8 gasser can do the job, gas mileage will just make you cry. If you have mainly short distance hauls, then either the F250 or GM2500 will work.

Coming from a girl's standpoint here, I own a Duramax diesel and love it. The noise, the smell, gives me a testosterone rush. LOL!! I love my crew cab and have the LT package and with leather heated seats, Bose stereo system, Onstar, drives like a cadillac, it's a woman's dream! I also do alot of around town driving and have two kids and I'm not complaining.

Good luck with your truck hunt!! Come to Michigan to find one, thousands to pick from!

Hello Melissa .. Welcome to our group.  I'll lean with Reg on advice.

Since you are looking for a GN WITH space for a CARRIAGE!  You are not looking at the typical 2H GN trailer.  Decide on the trailer First.  Trailer weights and nose shape will set the truck's specs.  Don't put any money into the deal until you understand what the trailer and the truck requires.  The truck bed height will require a certain neck over height on the trailer.  You want the trailer to travel level when hitched to the truck.   You'll have noticed horse trailers on the road with their nose high.  This is putting the rear axles/tires of the trailer at risk of failure.  As for diesel... My decision was made on value/cost.  The diesel purchase costs will buy a lot of gasoline, while the maintenance & fuel is more expensive.  One has to travel a lot of miles quickly to make it pay.

"Since you are looking for a GN WITH space for a CARRIAGE!  You are not looking at the typical 2H GN trailer.  Decide on the trailer First.  Trailer weights and nose shape will set the truck's specs. "

Excellent point, Hoss.

"The diesel purchase costs will buy a lot of gasoline, while the maintenance & fuel is more expensive.  One has to travel a lot of miles quickly to make it pay."

This is such wish-wash. I've heard this so many times and while it may be true,  I would rather spend the extra money on a diesel and  get a more efficient machine and have an engine and tranny that will keep going. How does one make a $30-40K living quarter trailer pay for itself? Do you have to use it so many times through out the year to make it worth the extra you paid for it vs. just pulling a plain ole' stock trailer?

How does one make a $30-40K living quarter trailer pay for itself? Do you have to use it so many times through out the year to make it worth the extra you paid for it vs. just pulling a plain ole' stock trailer?

Yes! I just bought a 2005 GMC 2500 and it's a gasser.  Yes the gas mileage isn't as good as my 1500 but I could not justify the diesel, short of living in my truck year round.  Diesel is higher and my frined who has a F350 diesel still only gets about 10 mpg pulling her trailer. Even as an option one buyer and peak discounts at the dealer I got just what I could afford and use.  Sure someday I'd like to have a nice dually diesel that doesn't do anything put pull a 4 star loaded out trailer! But until I marry rich or make my million I'll settle for my "gasser" with GN homemade LQ stock trailer.  Driving with my head up and enough money to at least feed the horses is worth it! 

MIFB... I'll say you bought what you wanted regardless of the economics.

It is not as you said, "wish-wash"   

The facts are: The transmission for the GM 3/4 & 1 ton diesel p/u's is the allison 1000  The same unit is used with the 8.1l gas engine. Here's the point: the diesel truck will not last any longer in the same service.  18 wheelers are not the same trucks so their longevity can't be applied to a 1 ton truck

Diesel fuel has about 15% more energy per gallon than gasoline.  If diesel cost more than 15% over gasoline, the diesel user is in the financial hole.  Regardless of the higher diesel mileage.  The last few months, diesel in my area has been more than 15% higher cost.

I do a fair amount of field trialing and see upwards of 100 truck and trailer combinations a year. I can count the number of gas trucks on one hand if that gives you any indication. I personally prefer Fords but don't like the 6.L diesels....the 7.3L Powerstrokes they used up till around 2002 are solid performers.

kp

Hey KP ...I understand that in your area, diesels are very popular.  Besides their popularity, what is the indication? The auto companies have an effective advertising program? The dealers sell the fire out of the diesel option? 

I rarely buy anything, just because of their market share.

I'd like to know why people buy their diesel truck. 

I started buying diesels because:

the fuel mileage is much better, they tow better, they are more reliable, and they last longer. 

When we bought our diesel, it was $1.74/gal and gas was going up to $2, but that was not the reason I bought a diesel and obviously now, with it being .25cents more in my area. I would still buy a diesel, even though fuel costs more than gas. From an economic standpoint, yes we can afford a diesel, but for economics sake, it was the better thing to do for our lifestyle.

Hav2ride stated his reasons for buying them, and I have to agree:

"I started buying diesels because:

the fuel mileage is much better, they tow better, they are more reliable, and they last longer. "

We currently own both, a Dmax and a Silverado 3/4 ton gasser. The gasser gets awful gas mileage pulling trailers, but it isn't just that, it's the transmission and overall power. The Allison transmission in the Dmax is so nice for pulling trailers, that is what I like best when I am towing my trailer. Without that transmission in our gasser, you can tell the big  difference. When you are pulling all that weight behind you, it sure is nice to be behind the wheel of a truck that can handle it.

I think what brand of truck you buy is really about personal preferences and the needs of the the person(s) driving and hauling with it.  I've always been a Ford person but recently drove a Duramax Dually (hauling our trailer). There were things about the Chevy I liked better than the Fords and things I liked better about the Fords than the Chevy.  I wish it were possible to combine the best parts of the big three trucks into one truck, that truck might be pretty close to perfect.

Our Diesel truck purchase had nothing to do with market share.  We bought the diesels for their power, fuel mileage, longevity and resale.  In fact, we liked the first one so much, we bought the second one.

We had a Ford F250 with the 460 gas engine before our diesels.  It had a lot of power, but after pulling with the diesels, we'd never go back to a gas engine. 

Then there's the fuel mileage difference between gas & diesel.  Before the spike in fuel prices a couple of years ago, we could run both of our diesel trucks, each month, for barely more than what it cost in fuel for the 460 for a month.  The 460 got 10mpg around town and 6mpg hauling a two horse BP trailer.  Our SRW Diesel truck gets 17 in town and 12 mpg hauling our trailer.  The DRW Diesel truck is 12 mpg and 10 mpg respectively.

Even with regular gas prices in our area being .60 cents cheaper than diesel, our 1 ton SRW truck is cheaper to drive than my sister-in-law's chevy 2500 6.0 gas engine.  

Diesels can run between 200,000 and 400,00 miles before a rebuild, most gas engines don't last anywhere near that long.

While the intial cost to purchase a diesel is substantial, you also get a better warranty 5yr/100k on the engine and many of the parts attached to it.  And... depending on how old the truck is, when re-selling you can usually get all or most of the additional diesel cost back. 

By now you've probably received more advice than you ever thought possible but I thought I would throw my 2 cents in because I recently went through the same thing. 

We were going to buy a 3 or 4 horse gooseneck (which is actually probably smaller than your two horse with room for a carraige would be!) and wanted a shiney new truck that would pull it well and also could be used for everyday driving.  Like you we wanted a crew cab and a short bed as the truck would be driven in Los Angeles, and that the 3/4 ton would do the job.  I'm an obsessive researcher and like to have all the info I can possibly get my hands on before making such a big decision.  I researched on the internet, asked on the forums, asked everyone I knew who hauled horses, and test drove the Ford, Chevy and Dodge each three times!  I also used Mr. Truck's paid advice service which was quite helpful since at the time I knew little about trucks.  Here's what I found and what we ended up with and why ( and BTW we're very, very happy with our choice).

1) If you are going with a shortbed, make sure the trailer you get has a tapered nose, or get one of those hitch extender thingies, or the nose of your trailer might take out your truck's back window on a sharp turn.

2) Pretty much everyone will recommend the truck they have.  i.e Dodge owners love Dodges, Chevy people love Chevys etc. 

3) The vast majority of new car/truck dealers don't know anything about their product, so don't believe anything they tell you, especially when it comes to towing.

4) Sorry, but diesel is the way to go.  Really.  You really, really will be happier with it in the long run.  a) There is no comparison in the power when towing a trailer, or even just driving around, and towing a trailer that big you are going to want the power to do the job, especially where you live with hills to climb  b) you will get waaay better gas mileage with a diesel, whether towing or not, but especially when towing, c) they are more reliable and d) there is no comparison when it comes time to trade in your truck - if you put any mileage on it at all, a gas truck's value will drop like a stone, whereas the diesel will hold it's value fairly well (just go on the used car sites like cars.com and autotrader.com to check it out for yourself)

5) Make sure you compare apples to apples when test driving. For example a regular cab long bed will not drive exactly the same as a crew cab short bed even if they are about the same length.  And a 4WD does not drive the same as a 2WD.  Even the tires can make a difference.  Even the interior can make a difference as it will affect your overall impression.  So if for example you are going to go with the higher end models, don't test drive the base model Chevy and compare it to the Ford Lariat.  If the dealer doesn't have the configuration you want (as far as cab size, drive, engine and bedlength) find one who does to make your test driving accurate.  Don't be shy about test driving several times, you are spending a lot of money.  Also if the dealer doesn't have the truck with the options you want, don't be afraid to order one - you will be living with it for a long time.

6a) Chevy:  My husband had a 2000 Yukon Denali (cousin to your Tahoe) and I found the Chevy 2500 truck felt a lot like the Yukon and it felt the most truck-like.  I hated my husbands Denali, so I hated the Chevy :-). The Chevy's back seat is midway in size between the Dodge and Ford.  (Stick the kids back there and see if it is big enough - now and for when they grow!). If I recall correctly the shortbed length is a little shorter than the Ford's but longer than Dodge.  So the truck's overall length will be longer than Dodge but shorter than Ford. Their higher end model's interior is not as nice as either Dodge or Ford.  My husband liked it at first because it drove like a truck and felt familiar to his Yukon Denali.  I hated it because it drove like a truck, the ride was rough, the brakes were vague and it drove like his Yukon Denali :-)

3b) Dodge 2500:  This is the quietest diesel.  We liked the way it handled, and the brakes and steering (the brakes were quite tight, which we liked but are a matter of personal preference).  It was far less truck-like in the way it felt than the Chevy.  It has the smallest back seat of the crew cabs and the shortest shortbed, so it has the shortest overall length.  (They do make a Mega Cab, with the biggest back seat of all, but I doubt you want that).  We thought it would be the easiest to park around town because of the shorter length, but we were concerned that the back seat was too small and that with the shortest shortbed we would need both a tapered nose on our trailer and a hitch extender thingy to avoid taking out the back window. Dodge has a reputation for a long lasting engine but shoddy "little things" like knobs and handles etc.  We heard from several people that the engine might last forever but the radio knobs, etc will be falling off in no time.  I have no idea if this is actually true or not.  Another thing that also concerned us was that they do not publish any towing capacity figures for gooseneck towing.  The 2500 diesel was rated to tow a little less than 13,000 lbs with a conventional hitch, and although trucks are usually rated to tow about 25% more with a gooseneck hitch, Dodge didn't actually say that anywhere.  Since ideally you want to be a couple thousand pounds below the maximum towing capacity, 13,000 lbs was cutting it close when you add up the weight of the trailer, horses, gear, hay, etc. (and in your case the carriage!).  The higher end interior, while nicer than the Chevy, was not as nice as the Ford's.

4) Ford F-250.  This is the one we ended up getting, (and I'll tell you what options below and why).  The back seat is the biggest of the three, and the shortbed is the longest, making it overall the longest shortbed crew cab of the three, which was a minus for us. It also has a louder diesel engine than the Dodge, though about the same as the Chevy, which really bothered my husband at first but now he doesn't notice it (and it's not that noticable once you are inside with the windows rolled up!).  The steering was a bit vague on the one we tested, though the options we added took care of that.  The brakes were midway between Chevy's vague ones and Dodge's tight ones.  The Lariat interior was the nicest of the three.  The main reasons we chose it were 1) highest towing capacity (15,500 lbs), 2) longest shortbed, so our rear window would be safer, c) the (optional) Tow Command integrated trailer brake controller and the tow/haul mode d) the relatively smooth ride and confident brakes.  So basically we found that of the three it was the best for towing, which after all was the reason we were buying a new truck and not an SUV, and was more pleasant to drive around in than the Chevy due to the smoother ride, more confident brakes and nicer interior with more options.  The options that we added that improved the steering and ride were 18" wheels and the camper package (basically beefed up suspension and stablizers bars, which help when towing but also generally improved the ride).  For towing we also got the Tow Command system (integrated trailer brake controller and towing mirrors) and limited slip diferential.  We of course got the diesel engine and automatic transmission.  And for comfort we got the Lariat package (leather seats, power everything) heated seats, power adjustable gas pedals, power sliding rear window (which is a trade off with a rear window defogger but a solid rear window), power moonroof, and for looks the chrome package (and it is one smokin looking truck if I do say so myself!).  My husband and I are both really happy with the truck and the decision we made.  He loves the power and I like the ride and comfort.  We recently bought a 4H Hart GN aluminum trailer and you can't even tell you are towing anything unless you look in your rearview mirror!  It even towed up big long hills like a dream.  And the combination of the integrated Tow Command system and tow/haul mode makes for no-hassle towing, sort of plug and play for towing! 

You will probably be happy with whichever truck you get as long as it's a diesel.  After all, you'll get used to the noise, you won't get used to struggling up hills and lousy gas mileage.  And if you don't get used to the noise you won't take a bath when you trade it in, whereas if you get a gas engine and trade it in because you hate towing with it, you will lose a lot of $$$.

Best of luck!

I have heard different things from different people regarding reliability (usually in favor of the one they own ) and don't have personal experience with it, so I really can't comment, except that I have heard that the the 2003 and 2004 models were the ones with the problems and that they have since been fixed. But again, that's just what I heard from people in the know.  One way I judged it was to look at the rates charged by Warranty Direct (an independant warranty company) for an extended warranty.  The extended warranty on the Ford was cheaper than the one for the Dodge (didn't check Chevy as we had already ruled it out). Thus I concluded that either the Ford had fewer problems overall, or they were cheaper to fix.  Either way we have an extended warranty, so if there is a problem, except for the inconvenience, it's Ford's and the warranty company's problem more than mine.  (also we've had both a ford and a gmc, non trucks, and had fewer problems with the ford - fewest with the Lexus and Acura, but they don't make diesel trucks - yet ) 

As for fuel consumption, there are no EPA ratings for these trucks, and I couldn't find any objective scientific comparisons, so again it's hard to say.  Our Ford started out at 16.5 mpg when we got it last month, and has climbed to over 18 mpg in combined city/hwy driving (which includes a lot of Los Angeles traffic) and is still in its break-in period and still climbing.  Which is a whole lot better than the Yukon Denali that we traded in for the truck!