New guy here. Very seriously thinking about buying a Regular Cab Short Bed 4x4 Truck. Debating between the Ram and the F150.

I've had a mildly build Tacoma regular cab and a Wrangler rubicon in the past, and done all of the Colorado trails with those.

Reason is I am in the market for a truck. Most of the time here in Minnesota a full size truck is advantageous over a Tacoma, except for that one week a year I like to go to Colorado and do some Off-Roading.
I am just not sure a Full Size will fit, even a Regular cab Short Bed.

Mainly thinking:

• Engineer pass
• Imogene Pass
• Ophir Pas
• Lead king basin area above Marble.
• NOT Black Bear. Done it once in my Tacoma. Wouldn't want anything longer than the RCSB Taco

I'm thinking the scariest part would be the thin shelf roads up near the top of each pass. I remember it being very off-camber tippety towards the drop-off. Also Engineer on the Ouray side and Imogene on the Telluride side I remember as being fairly thin.

Now I've seen Hummer H1's and H2's up there in that area, and both are wider than a RCSB Full Size.
The regular cab short bed has a tighter turning radius than a Wrangler Unlimited, or a Tacoma Extended Cab. It's just wider.

I've been searching all over for pics. Any personal experience?

These are my choices really. Being a F150 forum, I would guess you guys lean more hevily towards the Ford side of things.

• Dodge Ram, Regular Cab 6'4" Bed (Express package)
  • 209" length
  • 120" wheelbase
  • 39.7' turning circle
  • 79.4" wide
  • off-road tires, mild lift, high clearnace front bumper and skid plates added to cure low approach and departure angles
  • factory limited slip rear end, and maybe an ARB or similar locker in the front
• Ford F150 5.0, Regular Cab 6'6" Bed (About $3000+ more expensive, feels slower, no Ram Box)
  • 213.2" length
  • 125.9" wheelbase
  • 41.7' turning circle
  • 79.2" wide
  • off-road tires and mild lift, high clearnace front bumper added to cure low approach and departure angles
  • factory selectable locker rear end, and factory skid plates
• Toyota Tacoma, Extended Cab, 6' Bed (About $2500 more expensive, but much smaller and more cramped inside!)
  • 208.1" length
  • 127.8" wheelbase
  • 40.7' turning circle
  • 74.6" wide
  • off-road tires and mild lift added to cure the angle thing
  • factory selectable locker rear end, and factory skid plates

Length and turning circles are very comparable. The interiors of the F150 and the Ram are also so much nicer and more comfortable than the Tacoma. I like the Ford seats better. Everything else about the Ram Interior I like better. The Ram sounds better, even versus the 5.0 .I feel like the engineering of the Ford is more solid, and I love the locking rear axle. But man the Ram is just more fun to drive.

And they're only 5" wider than the Tacoma.

Really close to pulling the trigger on a Ram with the Rambox. Just looking for more input. before I actually do it.

 

If you have run those trails then you should already know that a full size truck will fit just fine. The number one thing on your list of options to be looking for should be traction and vehicle control then ground clearance. The size (width) is only factored in by your skill level.

These pictures of a bulldozer on Imogene Pass and Cork Screw Pass the summer of 2010 really put the size of a pick-up in to perspective I think.





Then again, these trails are so well traveled these days.... you can pretty much do them in just about anything.... here is a video of a 92 Subaru Legacy doing Engineer Pass... oh BTW, there is an F150 in the video too.

Click To See Video


Going from a Subaru to some Really Big H1's going down Black Bear.... If they made it to that point on this trail, you know they made it down the stairs and past the ledge (8 feet wide) If they can run Black Bear in these, you can run the ones you mentioned in anything that's 4 wheel drive.


No matter what you take up there, know your limits, know you skill level and use good judgement. You can get dead fast.

 

Thanks for the pics.
I seem to remember a few spots on Engineer going up from Ouray, and on Imogene going up from Telluride where I folded in my mirrors, hugged the rock on the passenger side, and had just a couple of inches between my tires and the edge on the drivers side.

Then I remember later years it seemed like there was alot more room.

I haven't been back there in at least two years. From the pics and videos it looks like they have really smoothed out the trails. Maybe even widened them.

It's big business down there so there is some financial pressure to make the trails easy, so it makes sense they'd be getting easier. Hopefully the increase in people doesn't result in things getting trashed.

As far as traction and Vehicle comtrol. The Ford does have the lockable rear differential. That's a big plus in the F150 side of things.
I think I can add a locker to the front of the Dodge to supplement the rear limited slip. I dunno if I would start breaking things with a front locker though.