I am looking for a truck to pull a 2200lb, 24ft center console boat. I want something comparable to either a diesel F250 or a Ram diesel 2500. Do any of you guys with bigger boats have any suggestions on which may be the better choice, and why?

I'm not looking to start a Ford vs. Chevy argument, I am looking for some help making a calculated decision, as I have never bought a truck like this before, and plan on pulling a big 'ol boat on a daily basis.

I appreciate it guys!

Here we go again. Superduty rules.

I appreciate the input, Cast. Any reason as to why?

Mostly because I like mine.

Dodge has the Cummins. Can't beat that but the Dodge is the Harley of the truck world. You can follow them by the trail of parts falling off. The interiors are not as comfy as my F250.

I like GMC, but my GMC is a '99 and still running. I won't touch a GM product these days.

I don't think Tundra has a big truck.

You might not need a big truck. Towing 2200 pounds is not a tall order. Look up the weight of a JD 4720 with FEL and MX6. Add 2000 pounds for a HD trailer it sits on.

My '99 GMC towed that rig for 250k. It has a towing package and a 5.3 gas engine. Trailer brakes are the key. Dual axles, brakes all around. Don't let them talk you into just one axle needs brakes.

You can find a lot of useful info in the "tow vehicle nd auto"section

I very much appreciate it gentlemen.

I have 150 Ford with ecoboost motor I am very impressed with it .It came with a towing package and has more power than I ever need plus it gets 18 to 20 miles a gallion

I think it really depends on what else you need the truck for. You certainly don't need a 3/4 ton to pull that. A half ton will do. I also think it depends on how much, how far, and where you do most of your towing. If you are pulling constantly from coast to coast you can justify a 3/4 or even a 1 ton diesel. If just pulling to the local lakes and maybe a few times a year to the coast, a 1/2 ton gas will work fine. Like cast said, 2200 lbs isn't a big deal to tow.

As far as engine goes I would stay away from diesel unless all the truck does is tow. Maintenance costs are way higher, purchase price way higher, plus you have to deal with diesel exhaust systems. The day of getting more miles out of a diesel than a gas in a pickup is over. You take care of them and they will both last. My daily driver is a 3/4ton chevy 2500. I have 2 diesel trucks we use on the farm (1 ford, 1 chevy). Most of the time when we go to the lake we pull the boat with my wife's 1/2 ton suburban. If you compare maintenance costs on those 4 vehicles the gas vehicles are at least 50% cheaper to maintain. Almost anything that breaks down on a diesel pickup is going to cost you $1000.

Seems to me that all of the major brands make a pretty good pickup these days. The brand really comes down to not much more than personal preference.

I simply need the truck for towing. When I was guiding on Cedar Creek, there would be about three months of the year we would keep the boats on trailers for running down to the south end of the lake. I really didn't like towing a 24ft Skeeter bay boat with my single cab F150, which lead me to looking for something with more power.

I plan on towing a boat up to thirty miles (60 miles round trip) on a daily basis, depending on the lake I choose to fish. I am not looking for bells and whistles (I have a little car for that) I'm just looking for a work horse that won't leave me on the side of the road.

It doesn't have to be a diesel, that's just the type of engine I've always associated with longevity.

Just take look at the Ford Ecoboost I got a 19 foot and I don't even know its back there

I'm not going to tell you a 1/2 ton would work, others have already. You asked about a specific type vehicle, so I will give you real world experiences I have. At work, we have a fleet of F350 diesels, and also a few Dodge diesels. We have 93 F 350's from 2011 to 2015 year models, and 17 Dodges of the same vintage. We also have 13 f 150 Eco boosts. In that fleet, we have had very minimal repairs on the Powerstroke engines, a few vacuum pumps, exhaust temp sensors and maybe 3 radiators. There were no major problems with the engine. As for the chassis, we have had to rebuild the front ends on about 25% of them around the 130,000 mile mark. These pickups are heavily loaded in the bed, pull 7k-8k on trailers daily, and run up and down oilfield roads and take a beating. We have some units near the 220,000 mile mark that run great, don't burn oil and the bodies have no problems. I have been more than impressed with them.

The Dodges- the engines have been great, the beds are cracked, the interior rattles, and we have put in a few transmissions, one transfer case and 6 differentials. These units run in a different division, and are not loaded as heavy but do pull trailers daily. The good thing about them, they get better fuel milage than the Fords, 18 mph compared to 14-15 in the Fords.

The Eco boost 1/2 tons have not been in the shop yet, and vary between 80k miles and 200k miles. They don't pull trailers often and get less abuse.

I will leave it at that, and let you deduce what you want from my experience with them.

I tow with my double cab 4WD Tundra a lot, either 19' bass boat or 20' gooseneck flatbed loaded heavy. That's with the little V8, no problems so far...... but I only have 165,000 on it.

Heavier loads, 10,000lb backhoe or 13,500lb track loader, get pulled behind my F450 w/7.3L power stroke.

This is absolutely priceless information guys. I like hearing real world experiences because when I'm crunching numbers, I like to play "worse case scenario." You have been a huge help today.

I had a Dodge 5.9 diesel and pulled a 22' bay boat,traded it for a F150 3.5 eco boost and love the Ford. Fuel usage is about the same,ride is smoother and quiet. Service on the Dodge was $100,Ford is 50. Could also look at the Nisson with the Cummins V8 diesel in a 1/2 ton truck.

Dad has a 2013 Dodge 2500 with 160k that has been a really good truck with minimal required repairs. Water pump went around 110k and he recently rebuilt the front end and feels it is tighter now than when it was new. Plenty of power towing but milage falls pretty significantly to around 10-11mpg but that is towing 7,500Lbs maybe a little more.