We lost one on 63 in MN and there were 3 on their side not an hour from my house on 39 in WI. Like I said, once it starts to hit 60, you're on borrowed time running empty or with an rv trailer.
Dodge trucks
- Thread starter riverwolf1
- Start date
I live in an area with lots of RV factories and so a lot of guys hauling them. I see many different makes of trucks being used and I will start to pay more attention to the brands. I know the factories were using Dodges when they first put Cummings in them but that has changed.You did see where he said he was keeping his v10 ford. Didn't you? I'm all for civil discussion about which truck a wants, and this has been more civil than just about any other truck thread that I've been involved in, but if you're trying to sway the guys opinion, I think it's a lost cause.
Today's 1/2 ton trucks are close to 3/4 ton trucks of 20 years ago, in towing capacity. I agree with that. Numbers don't lie.(not usually...) Throw a pallet of bricks in the back of each and it's an entirely different story.
I also agree with the fact that most guys get way more truck than they need. Most guys have way more guns that the need too. Nobody begrudges them that though!Truck threads are very seldom 100% need based and minimum anything is not where I want to be when it comes to towing things. You wreck one time and injure yourself or your family and you'll never forgive yourself for trying to get by with just enough. Over kill is never really over kill when you're on the highway with a load going 65+. In the winters I drive truck for a living. I see it way too often where a guy is towing a trailer that is within the trucks specs but isn't loaded right and is in my opinion unsafe. Sure they might not have a problem 99% of the time, but, if you're involved in the 1% the other 99 doesn't matter a bit. I can't count the number of avoidable accidents I've seen involving someone towing more than they should since I've been on the road. When I first started it was 3500-4000 miles a week most times and in ever type of traffic and weather.
That brings me to a point that was made that I don't agree with but don't have the numbers to back up so I'll say it as my opinion. While there are a large number of Dodge/Rams that are delivering trailers; it's far from 90%. Dodge had a good thing going with the Cummins for a lot of years, but, as someone else stated, when they stepped up to the plate to meet the newest emissions standards, they started having problems like the rest of them. One of the biggest draw for these guys wasn't actually the cummins in recent years. It was the fact that dodge was the last one to offer a standard transmission. When you're on the road for a living avoiding the potential problem of a blown transmission is a major part of a truck purchase. Sure all these autos put in these trucks and take a bit of hauling, some better than others. Not all of them fair well when they have all their life. That was the problem for all the manufacturers at one time or another.
Here is my take if anyone cares. I am a 20 year master tech running my own shop for the last 10 years now. I am in a very rural area in a ranching community so obviously work on tons of diesels. Hauling 9k lbs for any distance with anything but a diesel doesn't make much sense.....does it cost more? Depends. But sometimes you have to pay to play. Dodge is a tin can with a badass motor, they will need front end work and injectors just like the others, injectors in cummins are way less labor intensive to do. I can replace all six in less than 2 hrs. I'm talking about the newer common rail cummins. Ford... I love em! They pay my mortgage! Nice to drive, easier on steering suspension but absolute garbage as far as the 6.0 or 6.4. I smile when one shows up missin and smokin. If someone gave me one I would sell it the next day. Chevy.... I love the duramax, yes they have their issues. Injector replacement is not cheap, but with good maintenance they last pretty good. Best riding/driving truck on market in my opinion. Not to mention the Allison is the best auto trans ever built PERIOD! The duramax is gunna cost you more for sure. Only thing I hate about the duramax is ground clearance. A friggin Subaru has better clearance.
Anyways they all have their idiosyncrasies, but if money wasn't a big issue and it was just hauling over the road, the duramax is king.
Don't pay much attention to avg mpg. Put 9k lbs behind any diesel and it will be half, but I will say the cummins being an inline engine does really well with hauling weight. Torque is king.
Anyways they all have their idiosyncrasies, but if money wasn't a big issue and it was just hauling over the road, the duramax is king.
Don't pay much attention to avg mpg. Put 9k lbs behind any diesel and it will be half, but I will say the cummins being an inline engine does really well with hauling weight. Torque is king.
Ledd Slinger
Silver $$ Contributor
Yeah I drove Ford F-250 work trucks in the oilfield for 3 years before I went offshore. Years of trucks ranged from 2008 to 2013. Never in my life have I spent more time taking trucks to the mechanic. Of course they were company trucks so I didn't have to pay for it, but good lord there was always something wrong with them. Had cab ventilation fan motor go out, had to replace a faulty gas tank, 4x4 transfer case seized up, suspension failures, had BOTH exhaust manifolds crack one time, and the list goes on...I was well known at the local ford dealer maintenence department and provided that company with a LOT of money in repair costs. Wasn't that I had lemons either because all of the other guys i worked with in the company were having issues as well.
You know what the worst part was? I never once hauled any sort of load with those trucks. Just driving. Cant imagine the issues if id been hauling loads.
Fastest car ive ever actually rode in was a Ford Mustang Saleen with a twin turbo kit. Ridiculously fast. But after the first ride in it with my buddy, we pulled into a gas station to get some drinks and it broke down. Wouldnt start and he didnt want a tow truck hauling it or anyone hooking a tow strap to it, so we pushed that heavy pile of junk a mile back to his house.
Tho I will admit that I did like the Ford 7.3 diesel. I had a 1997 31ft motor home with the 7.3 diesel and that engine was great. But the junker transmission had to be rebuilt at only 42,000 miles
So from my experiences, I will NEVER own a Ford ANYTHING again, nor even drive one if I can help it.
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And once again, the Ford SuperDuty is "Truck of the year"
They continue to set the benchmark
I believe owners over most mechanics. When it comes to these new diesel motors and transmissions the vast majority of mechanics I've run into from one coast to the other and one border to the other couldn't tell if their a** was punched or bored!Motor Trend, Truck trend, J.D. Power .......... Who ya' gonna' believe ????? I'd believe the mechanics posting here before ANY magazine road test "eggspurt"
All the awards are a joke in my opinion. In my business I know plenty of guys who own their companies and can buy any truck they want to pull their heavy loads. Some get a GM, some a Ram and others a Ford. I'll say the biggest reason guys buy what they do is because that what they are used to. Others because they believe tv ads and the smallest percentage are the ones that picked a truck because it fit a specific on their want list.
When you turn up the power on an engine you reduce its life, all other things being equal. No way around it. Sure new technologies have helped some but it's just a fact of life. Guys that want a 500k motor with no problems are gonna be hard pressed to get it on a consistent basis from these new trucks. Even the Paccar engines they're putting in semis these days are pretty much junk at 500k. Between the new emissions stress and increased power, these things just done last.
riverwolf1
Silver $$ Contributor
I have had more Fords than any other vehicle and can honestly say I have never had any issues with them breaking down. 3 F-150's and 1 F-250 were work trucks, used daily 6-7 days a week on construction sites, and logged 150-200 miles a day. They were all leased and, I kept all fluids changed on schedule! My wife had 2 Explorers and 2 Expeditions and of those we had 1 maintenance issue but I think it was related to her driving! I have had an RV of some sort since retiring from the military in 1989, and have towed a fifth wheel that weighed 14,000 pounds, with both a 7.3 diesel, 6.0 diesel and my current V-10. The 7.3 and 6.0 towed best and I averaged 10 miles per gallon but diesel fuel was at or above $4.00 a gallon for a few years and its still more expensive than unleaded! Then add to that the expense of diesel maintenance and it doesn't take a mathematician to figure out how many shoots you can't go to, due to cost of fuel. The other side is I can put the gear in our SUV and then your paying for hotels, food, etc for anywhere from 3-4 days to 2 weeks if you attend shoots like the Nationals. That's why I am always looking for ways to increase towing milage. Have to change this cause I did have that major engine failure with the 6.0 diesel!
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LOL, Geno it sounds like what you really need is a Peterbilt powered by Caterpillar
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Fur master. Question for you since you are the mechanic. Is it just Ford diesels or do I get the impression that if something goes wrong on a diesel engine it often totals the whole engine. Friend had an injector get stuck open on a powerstroke destroyed the internals by cooking the piston first chunks followed everywhere.
Cooling system part failed heads warped everything is boned needs a rebuild.
Driven tiny little gas cars all my life most were literally pulled from a junk yard. In between all the issues I had all I had to do was replace some part and the engine was back to working order.
Cooling system part failed heads warped everything is boned needs a rebuild.
Driven tiny little gas cars all my life most were literally pulled from a junk yard. In between all the issues I had all I had to do was replace some part and the engine was back to working order.
Unless you have something to wrong with the fuel system! Then it might at we'll be a pos 6leaker... I love my 6.7 though!
I wonder why diesel is so high buy you, riverwolf? Gas is 2.29 here and diesel is 2.42. My fuel bill is always a lot less than any of my friends with gas trucks on the same trip, and my trailer is the biggest.
The average price for diesel fuel in PA. right now is $2.82 per gallon. Roughly 50-60 cents per gallon more than regular unleaded. $4.00 per gallon for diesel fuel had to be sometime around 2008.
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Dont forget to add the cost of that awful cat piss fluid too.
In averaging under .0008/mile in def expense. And once I'm out of warrantee that will be zero.
butchlambert
Site $$ Sponsor
I knew this thread was going to go this way. "MINE IS BIGGER THAN YOURS!" Mechanics know nothing, only the owners! HAHAHA chuckle chuckle, Mine gets 45mpg when I drove it off the cliff with a 40,000lb load, I put a chip in and gained 10mpg and 150HP. I live where the cowboys live and they know their trucks. At the truckstop I saw a bunch of Ferdes and that proves they are best.
You guys better get back to the range and shoot your whatever and leave the trucks alone, but that is another story. Jeez, 8 pages and about 160 post.
You guys better get back to the range and shoot your whatever and leave the trucks alone, but that is another story. Jeez, 8 pages and about 160 post.
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