Let’s be honest. This is not so much a classic contest of who makes the better American truck – Chevy or Ford – but a contest to see which redneck rig has the most superpower. Both of these impressive builds have a lot of mudding and off-road potential, but in this head-to-head challenge: only one can be king. The Chevy in question has a big block 454 style engine – so it’s definitely got the horsepower to deliver the goods.
Unfortunately, it was also designed with a pivot bar between the two independent axles. A great addition for someone looking to crawl over steep rocks and through treacherously deep mud but a poor choice for going head-to-head with a modified F-350 frame. A soft metal frame is what dropped this Goliath down to its knees – not engine power. Touting some heavy 64” mudding tires, it doesn’t have that low base of gravity necessary for a true contest of Ford vs. Chevy.
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And neither of the vehicles in question have anything Ford or Chevy stock on them except maybe the frame and upholstery. In multiple contests of commensurate trucks â such as
And neither of the vehicles in question have anything Ford or Chevy stock on them except maybe the frame and upholstery. In multiple contests of commensurate trucks – such as the F-350 vs. acclaimed Chevy V8 Duramax – the results are arguably very similar. These Romanians try out their diesels in a straight factory vs. factory setting. This is a better contest in terms of who has the better tow capacity.
Per factory default, the Ford F-350 Diesel has a 6.7 L Power-stroke V8 Diesel engine capable of generating upwards of 440 horsepower and a blistering 860 foot pounds of torque. Its tow capacity ranges upwards of 31,000 pounds. So, right out of the factory, the Diesel Ford F-350 has a decided lead over the competition.
But the Chevy Duramax is no lout. Standard models start with a 6.6L Turbo-Diesel V8 engine which draws 397 horsepower and 765 foot pounds of torque. That’s the standard 2WD version of the Chevy 3500 Duramax. If you opt for the Vortec® 6.0L Variable Valve Timing V8 SFI engine 4WD, you’re set to lose nearly 37 horsepower and halve your engine torque.
Already the math stacks in favor of the Ford…
Contest of Gods and Mortals of the Truck World
But we’re not discussing the latest specs or factory release capabilities of Ford and Chevy trucks. We are looking at two heavily modified, older models that have been outfitted with engines capable of generating up to 1,200 horsepower at optimum RPM. Rough calculus of this means that each truck is pulling nearly twice that – carrying the actual steel frame of each vehicle past its normal capacity for stress.
For this, however, you can’t blame Chevrolet engineers for designing a worse truck because no engineer in his right mind designs a truck to withstand those types of force. Plus, an older model truck with an older frame – who knows the condition? Regardless, Chevy fails to deliver in this competition.
So, Chevy fans? Keep on truckin’. The newer model Chevrolet diesel trucks have more than enough power under the hood and through the frame to get most jobs done. However, Ford still seems to repeatedly take the cake in these mud truck Goliath grudge matches. So, there is something to be said about American ingenuity in the art of truck wrestling.
