The Heavy Duty pickup trucks are becoming more capable and ever more luxurious. What are the choices of HD pickups you may see at the 2015 Kentucky Derby on May 2nd, 2015? There are really three, and TFLtruck tested them on the Ike Gauntlet extreme towing to see what’s what.
Here they are in alphabetical order.
2015 Chevrolet 3500 HD Dually
The Chevy 3500 HD Crew Cab Dually with the LTZ package is not the most fancy GM truck for the job. That title would go to the 2015 GMC Sierra 3500 HD Denali. However, the running gear is the same between the Chevy and the GMC, and the LTZ still has nice amenities. Power comes from the 6.6L Duramax V8 turbo-diesel with 397 horsepower and 765 lb-ft of torque.
Watch how the Chevy tackled the extreme Ike Gauntlet towing test with two trailers.
2015 Ford F-350 SD Dually
The next choice is the Ford F-350 Super Duty. TFLtruck tested the King Ranch model. If this is not luxurious enough, then you can step up to the Platinum model. The 2015 model year gets an upgraded 6.7L Power Stroke V8 turbo-diesel. It makes 440 horsepower and 860 lb-ft of torque. This is the highest horsepower output of all three.
Watch how the F-350 King Ranch handles the Ike Gauntlet with 1942 M2 Halftrack in tow.
2015 Ram 3500 HD Dually
Finally, there is the Ram 3500 HD Crew Cab in the Laramie Longhorn trim. You can also explore the Laramie Limited trim, if the Longhorn theme is not for you. This dually comes with the uprated high-output 6.7L Cummins I6 turbo-diesel that is good for 385 horsepower and 865 lb-ft of torque. This is the most torque of all three.
Here is the Ram 3500 HD Crew Cab tackling the Ike Gauntlet with the 1942 M2 Halftrack.
Any of these would make a fine choice to be seen in at the 2015 Kentucky Derby and for towing the prize racing horses. However, TFLtruck voted the 2015 Ram 3500 HD for as the 2015 Gold Hitch award recipient in the HD Diesel category.
