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You both were very fair in comparing the trucks. It made me happy to see unbiased opinions on 2 amazing trucks, personally as a cummins owner I’d take the 5.9 but definitely love the ford as well and would not mind owning one.

I own a 2001 24v dually I've been restoring/building up. I cant get over how CLEAN your 99 is, and both trucks really. Especially the engine bays, gorgeous

I think you can’t go wrong with either truck if they’re both cherry, personally I love the look of both of them the Ford is huge and demand respect on the road, but I love the sound of that 5.9 and the ease of working on it. i’m a little biased towards Ram/Cummins. I own a late model 2018 2500 Ram, and I absolutely love it.

I had a 02 24v 5 speed that looked exactly like the one in the video, and currently own a 99 7.3. I love each truck I still wish I had the Cummins yet also. There’s pros and cons in each but at this point with newer diesels being so silent, there’s nothing like coming down the road in a chattering 7.3 or 5.9.

I think they are the best looking trucks, and If I ever found a clean one itd be hard to choose. I'm a big Ford guy but for ease of working on them it has to be the Dodge

Thumbed up immediately after clicking on the video. Don’t care if I disagree in the end after I finish watching this. Just glad that there’s content still coming out on these old trucks.

I love my 00 7.3! Wouldn’t trade it for anything! Great video, very thorough, very fair comparison. That’s what pushed our trucks to get better is that very close competition, if they did have that, we wouldn’t have the trucks we have today.

It’s worth noting the 99+ superduty can be retrofitted with pretty much any superduty body parts, interiors, and axles up to 2016. So you could have a 99 that looks like a 2016. The dodge is stuck with what you got.

I feel like the 7.3 is a little more of an all a round truck. On the 5.9, there were a lot of good things, but there were some bad things that can be a problem, like the transmissions and interior. On things that were bad, the 7.3 was better in those areas. And on things that were good about the 5.9, well the 7.3 wasn't too far behind, besides repairs.

I think maintenance and upkeep has to include other stuff like the front end. Although the Super Duty's leaf sprung front end isn't all that comfortable it is remarkably durable and straight. For a construction or rig truck they take a lickin and keep on tickin. The stock track bar on the 2nd gens tweaks itself over speed bumps.

I’m am so happy to see the honesty here and unbiased explanations. I’ve been a self employed contractor since 99 and still have both my 99 crew cab dually 7.3 lariat (580,000 miles and my 01 Dodge Ram 24 valve 2500 extra cab 5 sp (506,000), love both trucks. I’ll be pulling out the 7.3 and swapping a Ford 7.8 straight 6

Love how you explain things in simple terms😂keep going bro!

Dude I own a 12v today, I used to run a power stroke for work. Hard to say. I literally loved both of these machines

My grandpa owned two bone stock 2nd gen 12 valve Cummins with a 5 speed manual and they both got over 500k miles

Great honest review of two great trucks! I agree on many of the points addressed in the review. On transmissions pertaining to Dodge 47RE/47RH...that transmission is actually a torqflite 727 with an extra gear. One of the best transmissions ever built by Mopar. Problem is however, the torque Cummins makes is substantial and might run into issues. Changing transmission fluid/filter every couple years, deep transmission pan, proper band adjustment and not driving with your foot to the floor from every stoplight would be beneficial. Unfortunately, many people drive diesels like they’re race cars, but they are built for endurance not speed. Keeping that in mind will spare any diesel from costly drivetrain repairs.

I have an 02 7.3 crew cab so I gotta go with the Ford. Great truck interior is just amazing on these trucks. They pull great. I have a light tune on mine and it’s impressive for an 02. I think all the points that were made were very fair and true. Much respect for the 5.9 but the 7.3 all day for me. Great video guys

That is the most complete 2nd gen dash I've ever seen! My pops owned an 01 and if you looked at the dash wrong it cracked.

If Cummins had partnered with Ford these discussions wouldn't be happening. JMO

"Both of the trucks are legendary for their reliability." Dodge transmission has left the chat.

Both legendary trucks. Styling points for me for the Ram and daily driving coils. So that would be the tie breaker.

I grew up with my Dad owning both. His 5.9 was the newer body style though, and both were duallys. 5.9 had way more power and sounded so freaking good. Lot of transmission issues though. 7.3 was a dog for power, but I still preferred it for some reason. I would LOVE to own a mint 7.3 crew cab. Hard to come by these days.

Andrew needs to find a set of old mechanical diesels and compare them too each other, I think a sick show down would be a 7.3idi, 12v, and a 6.5 Detroit like if you agree

owned both of them to and you guys did a great unbiased video on them. Spot on with the details

as someone who lives in the rustbelt, you guys have it so nice. The amount of time and money it takes to keep anything that clean is insane, I'm so jealous.

The construction company I work for had both trucks. Cummins is a great engine but the rest of the truck falls apart. Ford super duty’s hold up way better. Both good looking trucks though.

I have a 99 Crew Cab 7.3 with the 6 speed manual. I’m partial to the look and stance more than the Dodge. I think the Super Duty looks more modern. But I’ve had two 2nd gens, and I loved them both. So it’s a tough call, but I lean Ford.

I went the 7.3 way for my first diesel truck, but a 2G 5.9 was neck and neck and if I get another truck that isn't a 7.3 it'd be a 5.9. The simplicity of the Cummins definitely has appeal. I was surprised at how well the 7.3 interior has held up. Mine is an ex-work truck and pretty well worn but with a couple weekends of replacing lock actuators, fixing minor wiring hackery from the last guy, doing the shifter bushings, finding various missing small trim bits, and giving it a good cleaning it came right back to almost like new and is surprisingly comfy. Just wish the last guy and his crew didn't drop their ciggies on everything.

I'm looking at an 03 7.3 F450 right now. I'm beyond excited to go check it out.

As a person that’s owned and spent many miles in each I’d say you nailed it. Great comparison!

Great video guys. I'm a big ford guy but as a tech I prefer to work on an inline 6 diesel rather than a v8, especially one as simple as a 5.9 Cummins. Most things are easier and less labor to repair or replace on a 5.9. cost of parts is generally cheaper as well. The truck itself i would rather a ford any day. i guess a dream truck could be a 06 F-250 with a 5.9 swap? best of both worlds

Both are very nice clean rigs! Toss a grip of Thuren or Carli stuff on em for even more awesomeness. Great intel and love the Moorpark footage!

Awesome vid as usual dude. As a 🇨🇦 who loves the old diesels, and I’ve owned almost all of them, it warms my heart to see rust free examples of these legends. My dream ride I owned early ‘98, 12 valve, 6 spd swapped, with suicide doors, rust was a killer. As it has been with all my rides. Love the content brother 👍

I’ve owned both and in the long run I’ll take the 7.3

Granddad had a 1995 F350 work truck. We used to use it to pull big articulated AWD tractors out of the mud when they got stuck. Put it in 4L, lock in the hubs, first gear, and it could idle to pull anything. It had a habit of kicking itself out of gear and rolling away when it was on a hill, but only when there was something dangerous for it to roll toward. Granddad had to run after it several times to stop it rolling into a fuel or fertilizer tank. It's still around, with a friend of his, just ticked over 300k miles. Only ever needed water pumps.

Great video guys. I love my 01 E-350 it has 570,000 km on it but it's rusting out on me. Joys of living in the rust belt.

I’ve always said, Ford body frame, 5.9 engine, Allison transmission. Perfect truck

7.🌲, Build quality and over all looks are just so much better

Can confirm when towing my old bosses massive mower trailer the 7.3 was always always happy revving high. I can’t remember what he had done to the truck but it was falling apart on the outside but ran like a dream.

I’ve owned and daily driven both and still have the 7.3. They are both incredible trucks but I will say not only on the 2nd gen is the interior by far worse, so is the general truck itself aside from the motor. They look immaculate but the components like steering, ac, paint quality, etc are all marginally cheaper and not as quality as those on the ford. I loved my 24 valve though. The ride quality and ease of accessibility in the engine bay were huge perks. But I gotta say, if I had to chose one to take with me to work or tow across the country, I’m taking the 7.3 in a heart beat. Great Video!! Personally I think the two greatest diesel trucks ever made easily!

Dudes, loved this! I’ve got a ton of experience with the 7.3 and that thing was a beast, I’d tow way more weight with that truck than I should have been and it handled it great! It did have small little issues that bothered me but it’d always start right up, push snow, pull a trailer and go off-road. I currently own a Cummins and the power delivery is a completely different animal, interior is cheap and I do agree the transmission is holding back the engine. But it does things better. I couldn’t choose between the two if I had to I like them both for there own reasons

The Cummins is the better engine, the Ford is the better truck.

Awesome vid! Just confirms my dream to do a Fummins build!😎

I’m a Cummins fanboy but they’re both awesome. I wouldn’t be able to choose. My dad had a few of the dodges from this era growing up so I would probably lean that way strictly because of the sentimental value. They’re both great and if I was asked while driving them I would probably choose whichever one I was driving at that particular point.

I know with my 12 valve its easy to work on with tons of room in engine bay and you can build a ton of power cost effectively vs the Ford. Lot less parts but the weak point is the trans. Always liked the sound of the Cummins. Good vid thanks for the comparison

I have a 7.3 and the only down fall is the trans. It needs a bigger trans cooler which isn’t that big of a deal just installed the 6.0 cooler

Loved this review. Thank you for making it.

The comparability of these trucks is on point. I love diesel engines!! I went with the power stroke. I own a 2001 Ford excursion with a 7.3l engine and I love it. But the sound that comes out of the Cummins is from another world, it sounds like a beast!

Great video guys!! I'd take the 2nd gen- love the engine, love the looks, and I've owned a leaf-sprung Super Duty before and they ride like ox carts...

something that wasn't talked about is how ford has kept the same platform for 16 years almost. How you can swap newer model ford parts to the 7.3 to make the comfort of the interior and ride quality a lot better.

Definitely think u guys nailed it just sold my 01 5.9 this year with a 5 speed and bought a 2000 7.3.

Original owner of an E350 super duty 7.3 van , with many up grades including OEM injectors , much bigger Turbo and roadmaster suspension, plus a HYDRA. Training done sift kit with a billet Converter and Edge2 system for Gauges. Note it is the limited Explorer Edition modification Van. Tow’s great with great mileage 15 all day towing, 10,000 all day.

Gotta hand it to the 7.3 over the 5.9 by just a little for my personal preference. Both badass trucks.

7.3 all day We have had one for 10 years any only ever done maintenance and the transmission bug from 2001 that ford had. It has been a great truck

Great content guys!

Good stuff. Thanks guys.

I'm a 1st gen SD 7.3 fan - own an 01 350 CCLB with a 6 speed. Definitely considered an early-2000s Cummins, but couldn't stand getting another extended cab rather than a full 4-door. But either way, both of these trucks are awesome. Inline 6 Cummins is soooo hard to beat.

Upgrade the 7.3 to the radius arms and coil springs from the 04-16 Super Duties. You get better ride and turning radius. I did it and it makes a huge difference.

Great video!

Yo I appreciate the video. Literally comparing these 2 exact years and engines. Im selling my house and going with the camper life and these 2 absolutely workhorses are both so good, dependable, easy to work on and easy to tune for more power. It's a tough one to decide.

Me and my wife daily drive 7.3s as soon as the engines drop out they are getting 5.9s... ive been around the truck 20 years sofar so good and I still have my stock Trans never rebuilt... the 5.9 shure is easy to work on lots of room...

I have always loved the look of both these rigs. But to me the Ford reigns supreme. The 7.3 Powerstroke was what got me into trucks.. the sound they make is incredible. And honestly, I think this gen Ford is the best looking truck ever built

Just picked up an 02 Dodge 2500 5.9L Cummins 5spd 4x4 regular cab long bed and am loving it so far. Plan is to eventually turn it into a mechanics service rig with toolboxes, a welder and a crane on a flatbed.

Living in California, I absolutely love my '96 Dodge 12v with the 5 speed manual. She's not the prettiest, but I don't have to smog it, which is a win to me. I have the 4.10 rear end unfortunately, but I'm still able to squeeze 23 mpg highway. I've definitely had my ups and downs over the last five years of ownership, but overall she's been a decently reliable truck. Love the video, and to answer your question, I'd take either happily, but the Dodge has a special place in my heart for sure.

I own a '02 7.3L but originally shopped for a 5.9L and gave up after looking at what they wanted for the miles they had. I'm happy with my 7.3L but wish it had a manual. No problems but I love manuals. I'd jump at your 5.9L if it were for sale.

You can upgrade the 99 suspension to an 05 suspension and it will give it a remarkable amount of suspension in the front and doing away with the bouncing as you showed in the video

This was great! I have a second gen Ram standard cab 2500 6spd, I’ve been driving it every day for 15 years in New England for my home renovation business. I did rent a crew cab f350 while my truck needed a new head. That f350 road like a stone, empty it did this weird leaf spring hopping that made me nauseous after an hour of driving, however it felt superb when I hooked my portable workshop trailer to it or my dump trailer to it. I mean it’s really nice. Like it road better loaded than my ram did empty. My second gen can tow every day but it’s all over the place by comparison. I acknowledge that it’s not a fair comparison of a crew cab dually to reg cab single wheel and all but I didn’t realize that I didn’t have what I needed. The interior also was a far better place to sit in the ford, despite the fact it was missing a pedal on the left and a lever coming out of the floor. Made me realize when it’s time to replace that second gen a one ton is the way to go for as often as I tow.

Great honest review

I had a 2nd gen from 96 until just last year....loved the truck. My only complaint was the interior..as said here...cheap, flimsy materials. My dash essentially disintegrated, when driving all the panels squeaked constantly.. everything was really brittle inside.

If it’s a second gen 12 valve I’ll take the Cummins, now if it’s a 24 valve second gen I’ll take the 7.3, I grew up around both, both can reliable but something bout those 12 valves.

Would love to see a comparison of both those trucks but with six speed manual transmissions. Either way they are both beautiful looking rigs.

Very familiar with the roads you were videoing on. On the outskirts of Moorpark near Grimes Cyn. Nice comparison of the 2 trucks.

I definitely have to go with the 5.9 Cummins. The 2nd gen has its problems but they are justified in comparison to the 7.3. The mechanical injectors for the 5.9 is a huge win over the 7.3 The VP-44 holds it back only when it’s accompanied by a stock lift pump.

No power stroke lover would ever bat an eye in the direction of a Cummins

Love this. Unbiased reviews but at the end of the day it made me love my 7.3 even more 😏

I love my 7.3 and would take it over the Dodge any day. But I sure wish I had that Dodge suspension under my 7.3! Great video guys!!

Huge advantage of the 7.3, if you lose oil pressure, you lose your injectors and your truck dies, if you lose oil pressure on a Cummins, you’re doing damage. After owning both, I would not have another 24 valve. The weak lift pump, trash transmission, and the electrical problems galore.

I have had both. I loved the extra cab space of my 7.3 crew cab, but my 5.9 turned sharper and easier. After having a 01 7.3 and 02 5.9 I will go with the cummins every time. My cummins was by far cheaper to maintain and even though the body and interior does not compare to ford's, the pulling power and mechanical reliability was a lot better on the dodge. I have lost the transmission on both trucks but think ford's transmission is better. I'm starting to build my ideal truck now. It's an 03 dodge 2500 crew cab, already sold the gas hemi, transmission, and transfer case. I have a 12 valve going in it mated to a Ford 5r100 5 speed automatic and transfer case. Also uses a Ford starter and alternator. The only electronics on the engine are a tps for the transmission, a 12 volt fuel shut off, and tone ring with a pickup to tell the ecu the engine is running so my ac and dash work. I wish there was a chevy part I could use to say I used the best of all three manufacturers, but there was nothing I could replace that would be an improvement so I guess it's just a dodge ford combo for now.

Have both a 2500 4x4 Cummins 5.9 and an 02 Ford Excursion 7.3L 4x4. Both tanks and very dependable. Next on the list is swapping a 5.9 Cummins into an 05 Excursion with an NV5600!

The way the PS sounds under load with the auto is perfection which is literally the deciding factor for me

Both solids trucks and engines, interior definitely goes to the Ford. Treated right neither engine should have major issues for a long time. I’ve got a 2000 Ford (250k miles) and never thought it was rough, at least not for a truck. I’m sure the Dodge rides better with it’s front end but it may also develop a death wobble that the Ford won’t.

Both engines are excellent. Dodge trucks seem to have more issues with everything else. It used to be a common saying about Dodges that they have a million mile motor in a 50,000 mile truck. On Fords, the various sensors and engine harnesses seem to come up. And one has to be dedicated to repair the leaks the 7.3 gets. But if you get one that either has already gone past these issues, either truck will give very long life, good fuel economy and excellent resale value.

Can we get a video on the vp44. How to prevent failures, what the options are when they do fail. And what we can replace them with or substitute them with and what’s the best brand to go with when replacing

Having owned both, the 7.3 has a little more power, but the cummins wouldn't die, even with 450k miles in it. Both are great trucks. I got a 95 7.3 now, definitely looking to add another 01 3500 with the 5.9 like my last one to my fleet.

Coming from a FORMER Cummins owner. I now own 2, 7.3’s and wouldn’t trade them for any Cummins ever again.

Just bought a 99 7.3 6 speed manual and I'm in love! These trucks are impossible to find..

You could always tune the leaf spring front suspension for better drivability. But they are definitely harder to dial in than coils.

As someone who has owned both generations of each truck I will say the Ppump 12v is hands down my favorite truck of all four. The ease of maintenance and reliability is unmatched by the other 3 and the ability to build power for a lot cheaper is a huge factor as well. I preferred the 5 speed in my 97 7.3 the most of all of them and it was my favorite for comfort to drive. If I had my way I would have put the 12v in the 97 ford and had the best of everything but I didn’t own them at the same time. The worst truck of the four I owned was the 24v I went through 3 VP pumps in the time I owned it and had to get the NV5600 rebuilt when 3rd gear blew apart. I just didn’t love the power or price to gain it with either 7.3 when compared to the Cummins I had the 24v and a 02 7.3 at the same time and I hardly drove the 7.3 I didn’t love the ZF6 transmission or either of the NV compared to the ZF5 it shifted the best and seemed geared the best. I never owned an automatic so I can’t give an opinion on those. The dodges might ride smoother but the poorly designed suspension fails often I did 2-3 front ends in both my 2nd gens my 97 f350 never had a front end issue except one wheel bearing failure but it was at 290,000 miles and it appeared to be the original bearings.

My family has had both Cummins and power stroke and I’ve always liked driving Cummins better

Him: "What would you choose" Me: *cries in can't decide* These are my 2 favorite trucks ever with OBS ford's coming in 3rd.

I own a 02 Cummins and an 02 7.3 , you guys are spot on.

i just bought my first 2002 7.3 love the video wish me luck

I feel like these 2 trucks are beyond reasonable consumer prices, almost collectors trucks that don't have a list of issues with them.

Engine: Ram, barely Looks: Ram, barely (subjective I know) Interior: Ford, easily Other mechanical aspects and truck in general: Ford, pretty easily. Can’t go wrong with either, 2 absolute beasts and legends.

I'm a Cummins guy as well but even I can't deny the amazingness that is the 7.3. Best truck Ford ever made

Just hit 10,500 miles on my 2000 F250 7.3 superduty crew cab Lariat Longbed. Just had its 3rd oil change. Added Amsoil bypass filter system, adrenaline oil pump & a Banks Rear Diff Cover. Love My Truck!

I’m a hands on mechanic kind of guy that’s why I pick the Cummins so easy to work on also the way that engine sounds and puts the torque down it’s great. But the 7.3 is a great engine too.

After 2 transmission replacements in the 5.9 the 7.3 is better had both. The interior completely fell apart in the dodge

Just picked up a clean 02’ 7.3 with 192k for 12.5k . Super excited about it! But I also love the sound of a 5.9!

Great unbiased vid! I have a cng powered gas engine F-350 but thinking about doing a Cummins swap because it's a smaller simpler engine. Id lean towards a 12v because it's all mechanical.