I disagree. It doesn't have the chassis that the older cummins or powerstroke has.

Only an idiot would tow 11-15k with an ecoboost, too. Though it'd do a better job than the ED.

Sure, throw a set of air bags on the rear and there you go. No I wouldn't want to do it all the time or long distance either. I put 2000 lbs of feed in the back of my ecodiesel then put 6 adults and 3 kids in it and drove around with no problems... that's only 3x the rated payload

I didn't say it was smart. I think the ED and EB are about equally capable of handling heavy loads, but the ED will get much much better mpg while doing it.

No...they aren't. 240hp is no where close to 365hp. On flat ground at constant speed maybe. But in Colorado or passing, it isn't anywhere close.

Heck, I'd take the hemi for anything over 6-7k lbs.

I think its worth noting that the standard (non high output cummins) didn't surpass the ecodiesel performance numbers till 2004. Its more motor than you give it credit for. No 240 hp isn't a bunch. 420 ft lb torque is pretty good.

Are we talking speed or mpg?

I don't care about horsepower. It tows my 4000 lb boat just fine and as fast as I could possibly want to go. It will tow my 7k-8k lb trailer fine, but maybe not as fast as the hemi or EB. But they need that extra speed because they'll be stopping at a lot more gas stations along the way.

Stock the 2000 Dodge had 235 hp @ 2500 rpm, 460ft/lbs torque @ 1600 rpm.
The Ecodiesel makes 240 hp @ 3600 rpm, 420ft/lbs torque @ 2000 rpms.

Also the torque on the 5.9 stays flat for most of its useful power range where the 3.0 drops off as soon as it reaches its peak.

Which would be more powerful? The newer truck by far is more refined and it can do more with the little engine but the two engines are two different animals.

I was going on the ratings with the automatic transmission. Up till 2000 the auto trans only had 215 hp and 420 ftlb torque. It depends on what transmission you look at and hi output or not.

No its not a straight up dead on comparison, but the point being its not a huge difference and plenty of people pull a boatload more around with unmodified early model cummins powered trucks. Add to that the 2 extra gears and it makes it a pretty capable truck.

Undoubtedly the 5.9 will work harder longer, but that doesn't mean the ecoD cant do squat. Ive pulled 6k with the ecodiesel and it does it rather effortlessly and I have 3.55 gears the 3.92's would only make it better. I have talked to a man who uses his ecodiesel to deliver travel trailers, he has 240k+ miles on his and says over 1/2 of them are towing travel trailers in the 6-7k lb range.

I'm saying there are circumstances where more power at higher rpm's or more torque would be coveted. But maybe you guys have never been stuck behind a slow truck on a single lane highway.

Passing Test, 2.7lEB vs 3.0lED, towing 7,000lbs, 45 to 65mph, 9.4 vs 21.2 seconds.

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/ram/1500/...olet-silverado/

I can say I would probably never put the 45-65 passing time to the test in the real world, weather it was in the ecoD or a one ton cummins. I have patience. If I did put it to the test there would be ample time even with a 30 second passing time.

I surely know that the ecodiesel is not a speed demon and have said it from the get go, but it has a lot of get up and go in the 40-60 mph range. I would have thought it would have done better than 20+ seconds.

I would tow 7k without thinking about it. I also got 27.6 and 27.2 mpg (hand calculated filled at the same pump at the same station the same way I always do set on the slowest setting and stop at the first click) on my last two tanks of commuting mileage. Lets see the ecoboost do that.

I concede, if all you care about is having the half ton you can absolutely tow the most with, then the ecoboost is your winner, it has gobs of HP and torque and pulls very strong. Its average empty and thirsty loaded. I think the ecodiesel provides for everything that a half ton should be doing and gets the fuel mileage of a 4 cylinder cross over and is an out and out winner to me. Lord I hope I don't have emissions issues.

The EB can tow as much as any half ton and gets average mpg if you intend to use any of the speed advantages. The ED can tow as much as 95% of half-ton owners would ever need and gets 30%-50% better gas mileage. And for the most part, it's cheaper up front too.

Is it the perfect truck? No, there's no such thing. If you're willing to drive it sanely and you're towing less than 9k lbs, then it's a huge money-saver over the EB. I love mine.

Just an FYI, the transmission gearing is different on the Tundra versus the Big 3. The 4.30 in the Tundra puts the final drive ratio almost exactly on par with the F150 with the 3.73 gears. IIRC, the F150 actually has a lower 1st and 2nd final drive ratio.

My dad owns a Tundra. I've used it to tow the same stuff as my ED. I think the ED tows at least as well, if not better. Both downshift up hills, but it's clear that the low-RPM torque on the ED is really a big plus for towing.

Haven't towed anything really, really heavy with either one though. Heaviest was a travel trailer that weighed about 6k lbs. Lots of wind resistance to go along with it, but not a really heavy load. Both tow my bass boat with ease and zero down-shifting. The Ram integrates the trailer brake controller status into the instrument display, which is really helpful.

You tow your boat in 8th gear patriot? Mine won't tow ours in 8th. Although I have heard several say with 3.92 gears you can tow some TT's in 8th.