The previous couple of years were quite good for pickup trucks. There weren’t any major redesigns done but still the automobiles sold really well. The gas prices were steady and this helped in improving the sales figures. It is estimated that the sales of big lifted trucks in the market will only rise in the coming years.
There was some economic downturn and had it not been for this, the sale would have grown further. A lot of light duty trucks maker such as GMC, Ford, Dodge, and Chevrolet had abandoned their plans for adding light duty diesel engines in their lineups of powertrains. We hope that all these projects are simply put on hold and we will see them back in action in the near future.
You should note here that the Dodge pick ups will be badged as the Rams. Name of Dodge will stay reserved for just the crossovers and cars & new brand of Ram will be dedicated for pick ups and the commercial vans which will soon be announced.
There are other changes done but they are largely minimal; there are tweaks about powertrain on few models and they are the biggest news. All 3 domestic light duty trucks offer 3 quarter, heavy duty & 1 ton pick ups. But here, we will only discuss about half ton popular big pick ups. The capacity of payload mostly starts at around 1,300 pounds however in most of the cases, things can be significantly increased through heavy duty optional suspensions. The standard capacity of towing ranges from around 4,500 pounds to about 8,700 pounds. But it can also be increased in few models along with trailer towing optional package. You should be warned that raising rating of payload needs some stiffer springs in the rear and they result in rough ride & more of lateral skipping in the bumpy corners, the traits which are already problem in loaded light pick ups.
All the big lifted trucks are offered in rear or the four wheel drive. However, not all systems are made equally. The rear drive models benefit from the traction control; it limits slip of tire while accelerating on the surfaces which are slippery. It is offered for all the big pick ups but perhaps not for all the model. Most of the standard systems of four wheel drive are required to be switched off for dry pavement for avoiding drive line binding & any excessive wear.
However, Autotrac four wheel drive from GM which is available only on GMC Sierra, Silverado, and Chevy Avalanche. It can be kept engaged for dry pavement just like Dodge Ram’s system of all wheel drive. But it is a bit odd to see that Ford had dropped the AWD system here which was previously available.
If you are planning to buy any light duty trucks or big lifted trucks, then it is necessary to do a lot of research on the Internet. Some good research will tell you which ones are good and which ones should you avoid.