Ford F-150 Raptor vs. Chevrolet Silverado 1500 vs. Ram HD Tug of War Is One Muddy Affair

Instead of a drag race, these pickups were tested in a good ol’ tug of war that isn’t particularly fair. For starters, the pulling power of a half-ton pickup leaves much to be desired compared to a full-ton pickup. Secondly, the Raptor is rocking a 3.5-liter EcoBoost with two spinny boys, while the previous-gen Silverado 1500 features a small block that breathes in freely.

Also worthy of note, the Raptor is rocking Nitto Ridge Grappler all-terrain tires while the ‘Rado is fitted with Falken Wildpeak M/T rubber. The Ram 3500 HD is wearing 35-inch General Grabbers, most likely the X3 mud-terrains that deliver extreme performance in muddy and rocky situations.

And finally, the heavy-duty challenger tips the scales at a whopping 3.4 tons (7,495 pounds). It also produces a simply ridiculous 1,075 pound-feet (1,457 Nm) of torque at 1,800 revolutions per minute, figures that make the EcoBoost and pushrod V8 seem weak although, they certainly are not so.

In the three-way tug of war, the Raptor and ‘Rado make easy work of the Ram due to their combined eight-wheel drive, torque rating, and curb weight. But the question is, which of these pickups would you take home?

Redesigned for the 2021 model year, the F-150 in Raptor flavor is the most expensive of the lot at $65,375 excluding destination charge. Next up, a Silverado 1500 with the crew cab and 6.2-liter V8 costs just under $48k.

As for the Ram 3500 with the high-output Cummins turbo diesel, a Tradesman crew cab will set you back in the ballpark of $60,000. Of course, the most expensive option is the H.O. straight-six mill which costs $2,795 over the regular-output Cummins and $12,195 over the base 6.4-liter HEMI.