Husband vs. Wife: Can an artistic, creative woman select a boss truck, or is this a man’s job?

I am a lady, ok?  I have never in my life thought about what sort of truck I might want.  I have no idea what torque is, and I don’t feel I need to. But if you think I’m just going to turn this decision over to my husband without getting my vote heard, think again.  Now, he’s going to have his process for making the choice, and I’m going to have mine. 

The goal of this POST is to get those decisions in line, but also to explore how they differ.  I don’t want to say either one of us has a superior process, but I will say… Ladies, we know who will get their way.  

chevy vs dodge vs ford

Here’s how we’re going to do this: We’re going to first hear from Erik, he’ll let us know all the factors he’s considering, and ultimately what his choice would be.  Then I’ll do the same.  With any luck, they’ll just match up, and then we won’t have to go through the third part, which would be trying to find a compromise.  I doubt we’ll have to call the police, or get a mediator involved, or anything drastic.  It should be interesting though to see how my creative artistic mentality approaches this situation, versus his more calculating approach.  

Erik:

“Ok y’all, first of all let me say hello, I haven’t had the opportunity to meet you yet, but I’m really psyched to be along on this journey that Sena’s leading us through.  Great to have you with us.  And now, to business.  I’m looking at the three big manufacturers, Ford, Dodge, and Chevy, to find us an ideal truck. 

For me, this is strictly a numbers game.  I want objective, quantifiable statistics to work with.  There are three critical ones that I’m looking at to make this decision:  Towing capacity, payload capacity, and gross combined weight rating.  We’ve already got a pretty good idea of which 5th wheel we want to tow.  It has a gross vehicle weight of 15,000 lbs., and a hitch weight of 2,530.00.   

Paradigm - Alliance RV 310 RL

Now the hitch weight will probably end up a bit higher than this, as we’re planning to put a washer/dryer in the front of it.  So let’s work with a hitch weight of 3,000 pounds. The truck spec that corresponds to hitch weight is payload, this one will be pretty critical.

I’m assuming that we’ll want the full load-out on whichever truck we get.  All the electronics upgrades, safety packages, side steps, tonneau covers, etc.  Now all of those add weight to the truck, which decreases the payload.  It’s a bit of a challenge to find the specs for the exact truck you want, considering all the options.  I had to dig into all the websites pretty deeply to come up with what I think are pretty accurate numbers.  And in fact, it turns out that the payload capacities for the trim packages I want are fairly similar.  Dodge has a bit of an edge, but slight.  I’m assuming that I’ll have to reduce this number by a good thousand pounds though. The 5th wheel hitch alone weighs about a hundred pounds.  Another 280 or so for the humans.  I am considering adding a roof-top tent at some point, which is around 400 pounds, and then I’m guessing there will be 300-400 pounds of additional equipment from the factory.  So I’m down to about

• CHEVY: 5,088 - 1,000 - 3,000 = 1,088

• FORD: 5,530 - 1,000 - 3,000 = 1,530

• DODGE: 5,580 - 1,000 - 3,000 = 1,580

I like the higher numbers, as that just gives me more breathing space if the hitch weight ends up a bit higher, or if we end up carrying more gear, tools, etc. in the car.  So far Dodge is on top by 50 pounds, and 1 point. 

Now let’s go to towing capacity. 

This one isn’t really even close.  Dodge has it by a mile. With their high output diesel engine, I’ll be about 17,000 pounds over what I need to get the job done. 

• DODGE: 32,710 - 15,000 =17,710

• FORD: 19,000 - 15,000 = 4,000

• CHEVY: 21,040 - 15,000 = 6,040

Ford and Chevy are both cutting it a bit close.  They would pull it, but I have to assume that on a steep hill they would struggle a bit.  So if I ever did decide to upgrade, I’d really need to go dual rear wheel for either the Ford or Chevy.  I’d rather not do that if I can avoid it.  It’s very likely that we’ll end up on forest service roads, and even some trails.  We won’t need serious off-road capability,

but the dual rear wheels make it difficult to fit onto some of those tracks. 

A big point for Dodge!

Finally, Gross Combined Weight Rating

For this, the weight of the truck and trailer have to be less than the GCWR.  All of them are up to the task, but the Ford and the Chevy leave me with only about 2,000 pounds to spare.  With the Dodge, I’ll be in the neighborhood of 5,500 pounds under. 

DODGE : 32,710 - 15, 000 = 17,710

FORD: 19,000 - 15,000 = 4,000

CHEVY: 21,040 - 15,00 = 6,040

While all of them would work, only the Dodge gives me that room to upgrade.  So we’ve got to give that one to Dodge as well. 

So far, there’s only one conclusion to make.  I don’t really need to get to my tie-breakers of horsepower and torque even, although those are all pretty similar.  The only bummer at this point is that the Ram is the most costly of the bunch, by a fairly significant margin.  Still, I have to consider that this is an investment in our future safety and prosperity, so I’ll follow the numbers. 

Most likely, Sena will pick the most expensive one anyway, that’s the way it usually works.  It’s tough to have class, you know.  Let’s kick it back over to the lady of the house for her thoughts.”

Sena:

“Ok, my turn.  I suppose Erik did some analysis of engine size and all that.  Useful stuff  My approach is a bit more subjective. I will find a vibe, a certain atmosphere that will put me in my zone.  This comes down to comfort, style, and user experience.  So I’ll be judging on three basic criteria:  First is the color and appearance of the exterior.  Second is the comfort amenities of the cab.  Third is the infotainment system.

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