From Popular Mechanics.com:

"In a weeklong test of the Big Three of heavy-duty—Ford's F-350 King Ranch, GMC's Sierra 3500 SLT and Dodge's RAM 3500 SLT—we hauled a 9120-pound load up steep grades, over rough roads, even through the streets of L.A. to crown the towing king."

http://www.popularmechanics.com/auto...17.html?page=1

 

Did you happen to notice the winner was a much lighter single rear wheel truck against two much heavier dually's. I say one more round this time with a 15,000 lb fifth wheel trailer! And maybe some weight in the bed of the Chevy to make things equal! Bogus test!

 

Thanks for the link!

Ford F-350 King Ranch 4x4 | Second Place

The Ford was very much the Swiss army knife of the test. No matter what the job, it seemed to make our lives easier. Ford’s TowCommand brake controller made dialing in the trailer brakes a breeze. Later, when we needed to unload our supplies, the optional tailgate stepladder saved our lower backs. But among the handiest features for everyday use were the PowerScope towing mirrors that extend and retract at the push of a button. They were the best mirrors of the test. Problem was, our loaded $58,648 King Ranch tipped the scales at a pavement-crumbling 8700 pounds. About 200 pounds of that came from the optional fifth-wheel hitch. But still, it’s heavy with a capital H and the slowest truck here, with the worst fuel economy. Under the hood sits the all-new twin-turbo, 6.4-liter Power Stroke V8 mated to the five-speed TorqShift transmission. It’s a strong powertrain, and it should have made this truck feel livelier than it did.

Ford has been making trucks for quite a few decades. It’s expertise you can feel. When towing, the Ford was the most composed and had excellent braking power. It was stable and smooth-riding, too. Though the Ford was pokey and had the fewest gears, the transmission kept the power flowing in a seamless stream of quick, buttery-smooth shifts. The calibration of this gearbox is spot on. Inside, the F-350 was the most luxurious of the three and the quietest at any engine speed. By our calculations, there’s at least three cows’ worth of leather inside this truck, adorning every possible place your hand falls. Our cab had heated quad captain’s chairs with a deep center console for each pair. While comfy and upscale, bucket back seats don’t allow you to carry much gear. Still, everyone praised the interior ergonomics. It’s like a rugged, purposeful command center. The Super Duty is a great truck. It was the lackluster performance underhood that just nudged it out of the winner’s circle.

 

One one hand, Popular Mechanics states "These trucks are built specifically—and unapologetically—for work" then they applaud the GMC because "the GMC was the smoothest and most carlike. It was the only 4x4 here with an independent front suspension". I guess it didn't matter that "The Ford was very much the Swiss army knife of the test. No matter what the job, it seemed to make our lives easier" and "Ford has been making trucks for quite a few decades. It’s expertise you can feel. When towing, the Ford was the most composed and had excellent braking power. It was stable and smooth-riding, too". It seems like the only thing that they based their choices on were the facts that the GMC drove more "car-like" and the GMC "could smoke the rear tires even with the trailer’s 1100-pound tongue weight pressing down on the rear suspension" and "the Sierra had the best air-conditioning system—by far". This is a truck comparo done by a magazine that knows nothing about trucks...and based their ratings on things that the people who buy these trucks wouldn't even care about.

 

I am pretty sure the 6.7 liter cummins is rated at 325 HP and 650 TQ. It says all of these trucks have atleast 350 HP and 650TQ. Thats when I knew this wasn't legit. If your going to do a test atleast get your numbers right and get trucks that are equal(GMC wasn't even a dually).

 

I would take a Ford for hauling anyday over a GM or Dodge...

 

Of course the SRW is going to be smoother and quicker than a DRW.

A little bit of a nonsense test. Apples need to be compared to apples!

Although it is nice to see that my 2006 SRW F250 3V V10 can beat the Chevy/GMC SRW 3500 diesel in both 0-60 and the 1/4 mile

 

Did you notice the axle ratios on these trucks. The GMC which returned the best mileage was 3.73, the Dodge was 4.10 and the Ford was 4.30. When are these so called car writers and their magazines going to do a real honest test with the same engine, transmission, axle ratio and driveline SRW or DRW? The GMC was SRW, and I would bet that a DRW GMC would be pretty close in weight to the Dodge and Ford. I thought the automotive magazine industry learned after the fiasco with Consumers Reports. Go figure.

 

I agree. It will be interesting to see the half-ton comparison next year.