Nobody buys a three quarter ton truck by accident. By the time you are shopping this class, you have a trailer, a camper, a stock rack or a job that made the decision for you, and the real question is which truck you want to live inside for the next three hundred thousand kilometres. In Manitoba that shootout is usually the Ram 2500 against the Ford F-250, and both are serious machines, so anyone who tells you one of them sweeps the board is selling you something. We sell the Ram, the black Big Horn in the photo above sat on our lot in Portage la Prairie, and you can see what we have right now in our new Ram 2500 inventory. Here is the comparison the way we would give it to you across the desk.

Key Takeaways

• On peak spec sheet numbers, the F-250 wins. Its available High Output 6.7 litre Power Stroke is rated at 500 horsepower and 1,200 lb ft, and Ford lists diesel towing up to 22,000 lb conventional and 23,000 lb gooseneck when properly equipped. Those are real numbers and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
• The Ram 2500's Cummins is the torque king of the standard diesels. The 6.7 litre Cummins turbo diesel inline six is rated at 430 horsepower and 1,075 lb ft, with maximum towing up to 20,000 lb when properly equipped. You do not step up to an extra cost high output engine to get that number.
• The ride is the Ram's quiet trump card. The Ram 2500 runs a five link coil spring rear suspension, with rear air suspension available, where the F-250 keeps traditional leaf springs. Unloaded on a rough Manitoba grid road, the difference is not subtle.
• Gas versions matter out here. Ram's 6.4 litre HEMI V8 makes 405 horsepower and 429 lb ft and tows up to 17,750 lb properly equipped. Ford answers with its own gas V8s. For a lot of prairie owners the gas truck is the smarter buy, and we will tell you when that is true.
• The honest summary: if your trailer genuinely needs the last few thousand pounds of rating, the Ford's high output diesel earns its case. For everything short of that, the Cummins pulls everything you will realistically hook up, and the Ram rides and wears its kilometres better.

The Diesel Question: Cummins vs Power Stroke

This is where most of the arguments start, so let us do the numbers first.

Ram 2500: the 6.7 litre Cummins turbo diesel, an inline six, rated at 430 horsepower and 1,075 lb ft, paired with a TorqueFlite HD eight speed automatic. Maximum towing runs up to 20,000 lb when properly equipped, with the highest ratings on Crew Cab configurations with the right axle ratio.

Ford F-250: the 6.7 litre Power Stroke, a V8, rated at 475 horsepower and 1,050 lb ft in standard form. The available High Output version raises that to 500 horsepower and 1,200 lb ft, and it is the engine behind Ford's biggest towing claims, up to 22,000 lb conventional and 23,000 lb gooseneck when properly equipped. Both Ford diesels run a ten speed automatic.

So the Ford's optional engine beats the Cummins on paper, and if you are regularly grossing near the top of the class, that matters. But notice what the standard engines say: the Cummins gives you 1,075 lb ft without stepping up to a premium engine option, and it does it with an inline six architecture that has been the backbone of Ram heavy duty trucks for decades. Fleet owners and farmers around here know exactly how long these engines run, and that reputation is a real part of the truck's resale story. There is a reason the Cummins badge on the fender is part of the deal for so many repeat HD buyers.

One more practical point: peak ratings only apply to specific configurations. Whichever brand you shop, the rating that matters is the one for the exact cab, box, axle and package on the truck in front of you, not the number in the headline. Ask us for the door sticker math on any unit and we will walk through it with you.

Towing in the Real World: Fifth Wheel, Gooseneck and the Long Pull

A 20,000 lb rating on the Ram 2500 covers a very large share of what actually gets pulled in this province: stock trailers to the auction mart, a big enclosed sled trailer, a triple axle fifth wheel camper headed for Clear Lake, a skid steer on a flat deck. If your trailer legitimately outruns that, the honest answer is that you are shopping a 3500 class truck anyway, ours or theirs, and we have covered that decision in Ram 2500 vs 3500.

What the spec sheets do not show is the four hour haul. Pulling a stock trailer to Winnipeg and back into a west wind, what you feel is the engine's torque delivery, the transmission's willingness to hold a gear, and how tired the cab makes you. The Cummins makes its torque low and pulls like a train, the eight speed shifts without hunting, and the exhaust brake takes real work off the service brakes on the long grade down into the valley. The F-250 does this work well too. We simply do not concede an inch on it, and the seat time is where the Ram makes its case.

The Ride and the Cab: Where You Live for 300,000 km

Here is the part of the comparison that surprises people on a test drive. The Ram 2500 runs a five link coil spring rear suspension, and rear air suspension is available. The F-250 keeps conventional leaf springs. Loaded to the hilt, both trucks squat down and do their job. Empty, which is how most HD trucks spend most of their lives, the coil sprung Ram tracks down a washboard grid road with a composure the leaf sprung truck cannot match. If your HD truck is also the family vehicle, drive both empty over the worst road you know before you decide. That one drive settles more of these comparisons than any spec sheet.

Inside, the Ram HD cabin has been the segment's benchmark conversation since the current generation landed: the big available Uconnect touchscreen, genuinely comfortable seats, and a Crew Cab back seat your crew will not complain about. Ford's upper trims are well finished too, and the F-250 offers clever work features of its own. But on a four hour haul, seat comfort and cabin quiet are capability, not luxury, and the Ram earns its reputation here.

For the buyer who wants an HD truck for rough country rather than maximum tow, the Ram side also fields two trucks Ford has no direct twin for in the F-250 lineup: the Power Wagon, the factory off road heavy duty with a winch and locking differentials, and the 2500 Rebel that borrows most of its hardware.

Gas Trucks and the Ownership Math

Not every three quarter ton needs a diesel. If your trailer lives under 15,000 lb and the truck spends winter plugged in outside the shop rather than idling on a job site, the gas engine saves you thousands up front and simplifies ownership. Ram's 6.4 litre HEMI V8 makes 405 horsepower and 429 lb ft and tows up to 17,750 lb properly equipped, and there is no DEF tank and no diesel fuel filter schedule to manage. Ford's gas V8s make the same basic argument for their side. We wrote up the full decision in Ram 2500 diesel vs gas, and if you do go Cummins, the DEF system explainer covers the habits that keep it happy at minus 30.

Whichever engine you land on, an HD truck rewards a dealer that knows it. Our shop services these trucks all winter, and you can book service with us online.

Pricing, and How to Decide From Here

Heavy duty pricing moves with configuration and with incentive programs, so a number printed today misleads you next month. Every truck in our new Ram 2500 inventory shows current pricing, less any applicable incentives. Check our current pricing here for the most up to date pricing information. If a trade is part of the deal, get your number first with our instant cash offer tool, and our finance application will have your approval sorted before you pick the truck.

FAQs

Which tows more, the Ram 2500 or the Ford F-250?

On maximum ratings, the F-250: Ford lists diesel towing up to 22,000 lb conventional and 23,000 lb gooseneck when properly equipped, against up to 20,000 lb for the Ram 2500 Cummins. Both are configuration dependent, and if your trailer actually lives at those weights, a one tonne truck is usually the better tool anyway.

Is the Cummins better than the Power Stroke?

Different, and both are proven. The Cummins is an inline six rated at 430 horsepower and 1,075 lb ft in the Ram 2500, with a decades long durability reputation. The standard Power Stroke V8 makes 475 horsepower and 1,050 lb ft, and Ford's extra cost High Output version reaches 500 horsepower and 1,200 lb ft. The Ford takes the peak numbers; the Cummins gives you class leading standard torque and the simplicity of one legendary engine.

Why does the Ram 2500 ride better than the F-250?

The Ram 2500 uses a five link coil spring rear suspension, with air suspension available, where the F-250 uses leaf springs. Empty on rough roads, the coil sprung truck is noticeably more settled. Loaded, the two trucks close the gap.

Should I buy the gas or the diesel Ram 2500?

If you regularly tow above roughly 15,000 lb, run long highway hauls loaded, or want the exhaust brake, buy the Cummins. If your loads are lighter and the truck mostly works around the yard and town, the 6.4 litre HEMI at 405 horsepower with up to 17,750 lb of towing saves real money up front. We will run your actual loads with you before recommending either.

Is the Ram 2500 good in a Manitoba winter?

Yes. Diesel or gas, these trucks are built for it: available 4x4, serious ground clearance, and a cab that keeps a crew comfortable at minus 30. Plug the diesel in overnight, run winter rated fuel, and it will start and pull all season.

The Bottom Line

The F-250 is a strong truck that wins the peak numbers, and if you gross near the top of the class, that is a legitimate reason to buy it. The Ram 2500 wins the drive: class leading standard diesel torque from the Cummins, the only coil spring rear end in the segment, and a cab built for the long haul. Most three quarter ton buyers never use the last 3,000 lb of a max tow rating, but they feel their truck's ride and seats every single day. Come drive the black Big Horn or any Cummins on our lot, browse the new Ram 2500 inventory, and settle it the right way, from the driver's seat.

Tyler Dunn, Dunn Ram Trucks, Portage la Prairie