Every spring the same conversation happens at our heavy duty desk. Somebody is stepping up from a half tonne or replacing a tired one tonne, they have a gooseneck or a fifth wheel that is heavier than it used to be, and they have already been down the road to look at an F-350. They want to know whether the Ram is actually the better truck or whether we are just going to tell them it is because we sell it.

Shopping already? Browse our new Ram 3500 inventory in Portage la Prairie.

Here is the version we give across the desk. Both of these are serious one tonne trucks, the Ford wins some categories outright, and the right answer depends on what you actually hook up and where you drive it. If you want to see what is on the ground while you read, our new Ram 3500 inventory is online and updated as trucks move.

Key Takeaways

• The Ford wins the headline numbers. Ford rates the F-350 at a maximum available 40,000 lb of towing, and the 6.7 litre High Output Power Stroke V8 at 500 hp and 1,200 lb ft. That is more than the Ram on both counts and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
• The Ram 3500 tows up to 36,610 lb (16,606 kg) with the High Output 6.7 litre Cummins Turbo Diesel I6, which Ram rates at 430 hp and 1,075 lb ft. On the gas side the 6.4 litre HEMI V8 makes 405 hp and 429 lb ft and tows up to 18,150 lb (8,233 kg).
• Payload is closer than the tow ratings suggest. The Ram 3500 carries up to 7,590 lb (3,443 kg) with the 6.4 litre HEMI. Ford lists up to 8,000 lb, on an F-350 XL Regular Cab 4x2 dually with the gas heavy duty payload package, which is a very specific truck.
• The Ram's real edge is what you live with. Ram claims a class exclusive rear air suspension, a largest in class available 14.5 inch (36 cm) touchscreen, a class exclusive passenger interactive display, and a largest in class available 189 L (50 gal) fuel tank. On prairie distances and in a farmyard, those matter more often than the last 3,000 lb of tow rating.
• Every rating is configuration specific. Cab, bed, axle ratio, drive and single versus dual rear wheels all move the number. A maximum rating almost never belongs to the truck you are actually going to order, so build the truck first and read the rating second.

Where the F-350 Genuinely Wins

A comparison that hands every category to the truck on our own lot is worth nothing to you, so let us do the concessions first and properly.

Maximum towing. Ford publishes a maximum available towing figure of 40,000 lb for the F-350. The Ram 3500 tops out at 36,610 lb. If you are genuinely at the ceiling of a one tonne truck, hauling a heavy commercial gooseneck near the legal limit every week, the Ford has more headroom on paper and that is a real advantage.

Diesel output. The High Output Power Stroke V8 is rated at 500 hp and 1,200 lb ft, against the High Output Cummins at 430 hp and 1,075 lb ft. Ford calls it best in class and on the raw numbers it is. A 125 lb ft gap shows up as a little more effortless pull on a long grade with weight behind you.

A payload trim you can actually spec. Ford's 8,000 lb payload figure needs an F-350 XL Regular Cab 4x2 dually with the gas heavy duty payload package. That is a work truck, not a family truck, but if pure payload is the job, it exists and it beats our number.

If those three things are the whole decision for you, buy the Ford. We would rather tell you that than sell you the wrong truck and see it back here in a year.

Where the Ram 3500 Wins

Now the other half, and these are real, not stretched.

The rear air suspension. Ram claims a class exclusive rear air suspension on the 3500. Out here that is not a luxury item, it is a hitching tool. Backing onto a gooseneck ball alone in a farmyard, on ground that is never level in April, being able to raise and lower the back of the truck changes a ten minute job into a two minute one. It also settles the ride when the box is empty, which is most of the week for a lot of people.

The 189 L fuel tank. Ram lists a largest in class available 189 L (50 gal) tank. Portage to Brandon and back with a loaded trailer, or a run up to The Pas, is exactly the kind of distance where a bigger tank stops being a spec sheet line and starts being one less stop in a headwind at minus 20.

The cab you sit in all day. The available 14.5 inch (36 cm) touchscreen is the largest in the class by Ram's own measure, and the passenger interactive display is a class exclusive. If you are running a farm or a crew and the truck doubles as your office from seeding through harvest, that is the part of the truck you use every single hour.

The Cummins itself. The 6.7 litre Cummins Turbo Diesel is an inline six, and Ram rates the High Output at a best in class available base diesel torque of 1,075 lb ft. The inline six layout and the Cummins reputation for going a very long way are why a lot of our repeat one tonne buyers do not seriously cross shop at all. That is a preference, and an earned one, but it is a preference rather than a number, and we will say so.

One honest note on the class claims above. Those are Ram's own class comparisons against the competing three quarter tonne and one tonne pickups. We are quoting them as Ram states them rather than dressing them up as an independent award.

If you are not sure the one tonne is even the right truck, the new Ram 2500 lineup is worth a look first, and our post on Ram 2500 vs 3500 walks the step up in plain language.

The Configuration Trap, and How to Avoid It

This is where most cross shops go sideways, on both sides of the comparison.

Every maximum rating you have read so far belongs to one exact truck. The Ram's 36,610 lb needs the High Output Cummins and the right cab, bed, axle and dual rear wheels. Ford's 40,000 lb needs its own specific build. The truck you actually want, with the cab your family fits in, the box length you need and the axle you want to live with on the highway, will rate lower than both headline numbers.

So do it in this order. Weigh what you tow, loaded, on a real scale. Add the tongue or pin weight to your payload, because on a gooseneck that pin weight is often the number that runs you out of payload long before you run out of tow rating. Then pick the configuration that clears both with room to spare. We will build it with you on paper before you commit to anything, and our guide to Ram 3500 dually versus single rear wheel covers the choice that usually decides the rest.

If you are already comparing the three quarter tonnes instead, we did the same honest exercise on Ram 2500 vs Ford F-250, and the 2027 Ram heavy duty changes are worth reading before you order anything for next season.

What Actually Decides It Out Here

Strip out the spec sheet and the decision usually comes down to three things.

How close to the ceiling you really run. Most of the one tonne trucks we deliver spend their lives between 12,000 and 25,000 lb of trailer. In that band both trucks are comfortably capable and the tow rating gap never shows up. It only matters if you genuinely live near the limit.

How much of the year you drive it empty. A one tonne rides like a one tonne. If the truck is also the vehicle that goes to town, hauls kids to hockey in Portage and sits at the elevator, the rear air suspension and the cab do more for your quality of life than 3,390 lb of unused tow rating.

Where it gets fixed. This is the unglamorous one and it decides more repeat purchases than any number on this page. Parts availability, a service department that knows Cummins, and how fast you get back on the road in seeding season are worth real money. Ours is here in Portage, and you can book service with us whether you bought the truck from us or not.

FAQs

Which tows more, a Ram 3500 or a Ford F-350?

The Ford. Ford publishes a maximum available towing figure of 40,000 lb for the F-350, against 36,610 lb (16,606 kg) for a Ram 3500 with the High Output 6.7 litre Cummins Turbo Diesel. Both maximums require a specific configuration, so compare the trucks you would actually order rather than the two headline numbers.

How much torque does the Ram 3500 Cummins make?

Ram rates the High Output 6.7 litre Cummins Turbo Diesel I6 at 430 hp and 1,075 lb ft, which Ram calls a best in class available base diesel torque figure. The Ford High Output Power Stroke V8 is rated higher, at 500 hp and 1,200 lb ft.

What can a Ram 3500 carry?

Up to 7,590 lb (3,443 kg) of payload with the 6.4 litre HEMI V8, which Ram rates at 405 hp and 429 lb ft with towing up to 18,150 lb (8,233 kg). Remember that a gooseneck pin weight comes out of payload, not out of tow rating, so payload is often the number that actually limits your setup.

Is the Ram 3500 better for a farm?

It depends on the farm. For a truck that tows a gooseneck a few days a week and drives empty the rest of the time, the class exclusive rear air suspension, the 189 L fuel tank and the cab make a real difference to how the truck feels every day. For a truck that runs near the maximum trailer weight every week, the Ford's extra tow rating is the honest advantage.

Does the tow rating change with cab and axle?

Yes, significantly. Cab, box length, axle ratio, two wheel drive versus four wheel drive and single versus dual rear wheels all move both the towing and the payload rating. Ask us to build your exact configuration and read the rating for that truck rather than the brochure maximum.

The Bottom Line

If your trailer lives near the top of what a one tonne can legally pull, the F-350 has more capability on paper and we will tell you that to your face. For most of the one tonne buyers we deal with in Portage la Prairie and across central Manitoba, the trailer sits comfortably inside both trucks' ratings, and the decision moves to ride, hitching, fuel range, the cab and the service department. That is the ground the Ram 3500 is genuinely strong on.

The right next step is not more reading. Bring us your real trailer weight and your pin weight, look at the new Ram 3500 inventory, and we will spec the exact truck that clears your numbers. If you are trading something in, start with an instant cash offer on your trade, and when you are ready to talk money our finance application takes a couple of minutes.

Tyler Dunn, Dunn Ram Trucks, Portage la Prairie