PickupTrucks.com is a review, research and pricing outfit dedicated to all things truck. This division of Cars.com is a leader in truck reviews and recently put the current generation heavy duty, dually pickup trucks against each other to find a winner. After the dust settled, the 2012 GMC 3500HD came out on top and with a trophy in hand.
To determine which heavy duty truck has the most guts to get things done, PickupTrucks.com created a comparison test named the “Heavy Duty Hurt Locker.” Pitting the Ford F-350, Ram 3500 and GMC Sierra 3500HD together, these all-American dually trucks went through a lot during their testing. Strapped to the ‘fifth wheel’ of each truck was a 19,400lb trailer which then was carried more than 2,200 miles and across four states. “We procured similarly equipped trucks from Ford, Ram and GMC and put them through the paces, towing up and down some of the toughest grades in the country covering a total of 2,200 miles,” said Mike Levine, editor of PickupTrucks.com
At the end of the trip, the GMC came out victorious due to it making the trip with the most ease. For the 2012 model year, the 3500HD has best-in-class towing, up to 23,000lbs. The Ford and Ram can only muster 22,700lbs and when it comes to serious hauling, those few hundred pounds really do matter. Also improved on for 2012 is the Sierra’s payload capacity, which now leads the other dually pickups at 7,215 lbs.
“When we analyzed the data, the GMC Sierra 3500HD simply outperformed the trucks from Ford and Ram,” said Levine. “Their (GMC’s) chassis and on-road performance should be in the crosshairs of Ram and Ford. The Sierra was the most comfortable rig over our long days. It was also the quickest for the driver to get comfortable with the trailer and load.”
Source: General Motors & PickupTrucks.com
