Greenlight Dually Trucks: 2018 Chevrolet 3500HD, Ford F-350 Super Duty, and Ram 3500

Ever since the incarnation of the Hitch and Tow series Greenlight has been keeping up with more big trucks offered in their line from Ford, Chevrolet, and Ram Trucks.  In 2019 Greenlight took it into a whole new level with heavy duty, one ton dually pickup trucks designed to haul the heavy stuff; a good idea since recently the newest trailers in the Hitch and Tow and the campers have become more heavier than before requiring trucks to handle the extra power.  First releases of these trucks shown here were part of select hobby stores before becoming available to everyone in the new Dually Drivers series.  This time around the Ram truck, which was first in light and heavy duty released for Greenlight, enters last here with the Ram 3500 with the Laramie Longhorn trim and a chassis cab Laramie model in white with a utility bed in the back.  Ford was first with the 2018 F-350 Super Duty with King Ranch in tan with tonneau cover over the bed and the King Ranch Platinum in black; no chassis cab models here, but Greenlight will offer one at a later date.  This is also the only truck here with a metal base as the others go to plastic for weight savings.  The third one is the Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD in the High Country trim level along with a chassis cab LT with a flatbed for the cargo area.  All three trucks are loaded to the gills in options, totalling an eye-watering $70 grand for each on average, have dual rear wheels, large grilles, and large exterior mirrors.  All of them have trailer hitch for towing so I attached them to some Hitch and Tow trailers for testing, though the Chevy and Ram offer a fifth-wheel hitch for the bed but it must be glued on by owner.  Let’s see how these trucks fare out.

Exterior

The F350 looks the best here with a bold front-end, large chrome grille, and flared fenders that just go well with this truck.  The black platinum has a silver tailgate banner, while the tan truck has a tonneau cover though I wish it was body-colored, and even the front doors have the keyless unlock pad on the B-pillar.  The Chevrolet Silverado also looks just as bold, although it seems to be a bit too much in some areas.  The hood scoop is too gawdy, the running boards too large, and the wheelwells are too square and make the wheels look small.  The front-end with a grille that is starting to look dated (HD never received the 2016 light duty update) and the lower bumper is too flat and bland and doesn’t line up with the chrome grille.  The exterior mirrors are large, though too large for the truck, and the chassis cab model fares a bit better style-wise, but not by much.  The Ram 3500 is very sleek with a smooth tall hood, large chrome grille, and nice two-tone for the Laramie package.  Even the rear fenders are extra smooth compared to the nearly squared-off designs of the Chevy and Ford.  All seems good, but lacks the flair that the Ford has in looks and then finding out the bed area is plastic on the outside is not a good thing.

Interior

All three trucks offer a luxurious interior with seating for five and up-to-date infortainment systems.  The Ford has progressed from the plain-jane earlier Super Duty models of the 2000’s for a more modern look borrowed from the F-350.  Seating in the Ford is far better than the Greenlight 2015 F-150 with more room for rear passengers.  The Ram is the state-of-the-art with the light duty’s impressive dashboard design and touch screen infortainment system.  The Chevrolet also offers a good amount of room, but the dashboard is starting to look a bit dated and not as clean as the Ford or Ram.

Engine and Acceleration

All three trucks offer turbodiesel motors and 6-speed automatic transmissions with four-wheel drive.  The Chevy has a Duramax 6.6L V8 making 445 hp, while the Ford uses a 7.3L PowerStroke V8 making 440 hp, while the Ram still uses the tried-and-true Cummins 6.7L I-6 making 350 horsepower.  In acceleration runs all three trucks fared pretty well, even under heavy towing, with the Ram being the slowest despite a lighter weight and the Chevrolet fared much better than the 1500 last time I tested that casting, but the Ford was the winner with smooth and quick power delivery and that was with the most curb weight of the group!

Braking and Handling

These two categories are not the best for these heavy duty trucks to beat, but are nonetheless still of importance.  The Ram stopped the shortest, followed by the Ford and the Chevrolet.  For handling there was some noticeable differences as the Ram, despite feeling the longest of the group, handled the best of the bunch.  The Ford wasn’t as swift as the Ram, but at least was better controlled than the Silverado which felt large and crude.

Features and Price

All three trucks offer an incredible amount of details for a work truck that only it’s predecessors can dream of 20 years ago.  The Ram is the only truck here to feature two different front grilles for the Laramie Longhorn (RAM) and the Laramie (cross hatch), while the Ford offers two different tailgate designs for the regular and Platinum King Ranch versions.  Each truck has its own wheel design, exterior mirrors, running boards, and engine badges on the front fenders or doors.  So far only the Chevrolet and Ram offer chassis cab models with aftermarket beds that are interchangeable between the three.  The Chevrolet here in red has the flatbed design with rear window guard, storage panels ahead of the rear wheels, and LED taillights, though any cargo attached here will need to be tied down securely.  The Ram has the utility bed that while offers less bed space than the regular beds, makes up for it with many lockable storage panels along the sides and this utility bed also comes with more options like a ladder rack and a cherry picker.  As for prices, well don’t ask when it comes to all three’s top tier trim levels of King Ranch, Laramie Longhorn, and High Country with asking prices between $70,000 and $90,000 depending on what options are specified.  The work horse models like the Chevy LT and Ram Laramie would come in much less, but still expect to pay around $50,000 for one of them.  They aren’t cheap!

Verdict

All three are a welcome addition to the Greenlight line and will fit in nicely with the Hitch and Tow series, though at the moment none of these duallies have appeared in the recent Hitch and Tow series.  Third place goes to the Chevy Silverado 3500HD: it’s a great truck that is even better than the 2015 1500, but the big is better routine does not work well in some areas of the truck and it still looks and feels dated compared to the other two.  Second place goes to the Ram 3500: One of my favorite pickups in the Greenlight line and always first to the cut, it was late in the 3500 dually race yet still comes in with clean and stylish looks even though it took some cost-cutting hits to make it here.  The first-place winner is the Ford F-350 Super Duty: It looks bold and smooth with lots of power and practicality to get the job done.  Hopefully we can see more of these dually trucks in the future, possibly looking back and doing the original Ford, Chevy, and Dodge duallies from the 1970’s to the 1990’s.

Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Specifications:

· Engine: 6.6L turbodiesel V8, 445 hp.

· Transmission: 6 speed automatic

· 0-60 mph: 8.0 sec est.

· Real vehicle price: $70,000 est.

Rating:  4.7 out of 5 stars

Ford F-350 Super Duty Specifications:

· Engine: 6.7L turbodiesel V8, 440hp.

· Transmission: 6-speed automatic

· 0-60 mph: 8.7 sec. Est.

· Real vehicle price: $70,000 est.

Rating:  5 out of 5 stars

Ram 3500 Specifications:

· Engine: 6.7L turbodiesel I-6, 350 hp.

· Transmission: 6 speed automatic

· 0-60 mph: 9.0 sec. Est.

· Real vehicle price: $65,000 est.

Rating:  4.5 out of 5 stars