Surprisingly, Ford was the last to offer a heavy-duty off-road truck. It’s called the Tremor, and it shares the marketplace with the Ram Power Wagon and more recent GMC Sierra HD AT4. So now Ford has finally entered the off-road domicile with its Super Duty line. With what Ford has put together is the 2020 F-Series Tremor really worth the price?

What is the Tremor package?

What is the Tremor package? It’s a stand-alone grouping of options that can be added to F-250 or F-350 above a base XL. It can only be ordered with four-wheel-drive, only as a Crew Cab, and with a 6.75-foot bed. It can’t be ordered on duallys. Also, it can only be ordered with the 7.3-liter V8 gas engine. That adds $2,045 to the Tremor price of $4,000. 

If you opt for the diesel you can deduct the 7.3-liter’s extra $2,045 price from the standard diesel’s $10,000 price. So a diesel adds $6,000 to the Tremor price. Depending on the engine you prefer the Tremor can be a $10,000 or $6,000 option. 

Here’s a list of the Tremor options

That’s an expensive option. So, what comes with the package? Let’s take a look at the list: 

• Wrangler Duratrac 35-inch off-road tires
• Upgraded springs and twin-tube dampers with an internal hydraulic rebound to better control body motion
• A two-inch lift front and rear
• Front Dana limited-slip differential
• Locking rear differential with shift-on-the-fly engagement
• Skid plates to protect the transfer case and gas tank
• Shorter overhangs to improve the approach angle
• Extended-axle vent tubes
• A unique “rock crawl” driving mode with a 53:1 (gas) or 44:1 (diesel) crawl ratio
• Optional 12,000-pound integrated Warn winch

Think of the Tremor as almost a separate line like the Raptor. But it functions in a vastly different way. Where the Raptor is sort of a Prerunner for the street, the Tremor is more of a hauler in the woods. It functions like a Ram Power Wagon, but with much more towing capacity. The Tremor has an 18,100-lb capacity compared to the Power Wagon’s 10,350-lb capacity. And it falls only slightly under the Sierra 2500HD AT4’s class-leading 18,500-lb capacity. 

Everything Tremor is looking real good until we get to price

Everything Tremor is looking real good until we get to price. The F-250 Crew Cab with the Platinum trim package-which isn’t the top-of-the-line but still plenty nice, is almost $66,000. With the diesel and Tremor options added you’re looking at over $80,000. That’s right, over 80 big ones. 

A Ram Power Wagon starts at just under $55,000 with the 6.4-liter V8. Once you add a diesel engine and a few amenities you’re also looking at $80,000. So, in this segment, it looks like $80,000 is pretty much the standard if you want a diesel and don’t want a base truck. 

With the diesel comes those maintenance costs

With the diesel comes those maintenance costs for refilling additives and others associated with turbo-diesel power plants. There is also the cost of the diesel fuel itself. Right now it’s more expensive than gasoline. Will these added costs offset the mileage? It depends, and may not be something you can calculate before you purchase one.

Heavy-duty trucks are not required to post economy numbers. With the weight of the F-250 and four-wheel-drive, you can roughly figure close to 20 mpg for the diesel. Less if you opt for the gas burner. Looking at it another way you can buy an awful lot of gas for the $6,000 difference between diesel and the 7.3 gas V8.