New to me, truck for towing

[Kioti guy]

Hi all, I am looking for a diesel truck for towing my tractor camper and Atv's . I have been looking at 2001 to 2005 Dodge dually diesels, 2003 to 2005 ford super duty's and 2002 to 2005 Chev duramax diesels.
In my fairly low price range I am looking at vehicles that have approximately 200 to 250,000 km's .
My question is for each maker what are the specific problems that I should be watching for, beyond the normal ,brakes,front end etc. Are there any vehicles that I have mentioned that should be avoided at all cost's?
I really like the look of the Dodge Dually trucks but other then that I am approaching this purchase with an open mind.
I am looking for a truck that is fairly loaded, leather, AC etc.
I don't want this to be about brand bashing ,more about vehicles that you own or have owned in the past and the things that came up for you.
Thank's in advance for any help you can give.......Craig

 

[jeffsw6]

There are a couple model years of Duramax where a lot of owners reported overheating problems that weren't dealt with very well by GM, might be 04-05. Spend some time on Google if you zero in on a truck in that range.

I would be afraid of the Ford diesels in those years, unless you happen across a 03 7.3.

How much are you towing, weight, distance of trips / terrain, and frequency?

 

[JimRB]

Dodges have a reputation for bad automatic transmissions in those years. I have a 2004 with an auto but it is primarily a hay getter only hauling a ton. Sometimes 5,000 pound moving the tractor or getting a load of hay. Nothing that really taxes the transmission.

 

[magicheater]

I have a 04.5 Dodge 2500. Couldn't be happier. A set of Timbren overloads solved the towing issue with big stuff. The 04.5 and above had the 4"exhaust from the turbo back, No need to upgrade the exhaust. I put a larger pan on the tranny(2 qts. extra) and have not had a problem yet with lots of 70mph towing on the interstate with max loads. Like the truck and the mileage just seems to get better and better.

 

[Kioti guy]

Jeffsw6, Probably the most I will be towing on a regular basis will be my camping trailer(5000lbs ish) and my two Atv's on a above the box rails carrier (1500 lbs) for a total of less then 7000 lbs,I will likely tow this amount of weight 5 or 6 times a year.
My tractor BB and bush hog on a tandem axle trailer would likely weigh a little less then that.
I forgot to mention in my origional post that I also commute an hour one way to work daily, so it would be nice if whichever truck I buy gets reasonable mileage .(I drive a gas suburban right now so the mileage thing is relative , I get about 10 miles to the gallon now)......... Craig

 

[Dmace]

Dodges have a reputation for bad automatic transmissions in those years.

No they don't, the bad rep is from the old mid-90's tranny's. The newer RFE transmissions are very good and much better than the RH-RE transmissions they replaced.

While dually's look nice, as a daily driver you probably won't be happy. You could look into 3/4 ton SRW trucks as well as 1 ton too.

Personally, you couldn't give me a Ford 6.0l but some (DP, Dargo, etc...) swear it's one of the best engines they had. Must be why they used it for so long... The Torqshift tranny (2003+) seems to be holding up well, it just needs a better engine in front of it.

GM Duramax's had a run of bad injectors (01-02?) then overheating problems (04+ ?) but the injector issue was solved with updated injectors and a longer warranty. Look to see it's been done.

For Dodge, I would look for a pre-2007.5 5.9l if you want better fuel mileage and less emissions crap to deal with. Louder and less poweful than the newer 6.7l but those are both easily solved.

On all trucks, watch for rust and heavily worn front ends. Also, if there is an engine hour meter look at that vs mileage to see if it spent it's life idling or driving.

 

[Sterff]

You forgot to mention how most Dodges start to rust/rot fairly quickly.

Take it from a guy that owns 4 diesels. Buy an F150. If you are only towing 7K then an F150 or 1500 would work nicely. With a diesel you will pay more for fuel and much more for maintenance.

 

[Dmace]

You forgot to mention how most Dodges start to rust/rot fairly quickly.

Take it from a guy that owns 4 diesels. Buy an F150. If you are only towing 7K then an F150 or 1500 would work nicely. With a diesel you will pay more for fuel and much more for maintenance.

If your referring to my post, read it again. Although, I stated to watch ALL trucks for rust as they all seem to rust quickly depending on the geographic area. Also, Dodge's tend to rust at the rear fenders (easy fix) where Fords rot at the cab corners (much harder to fix).
Also, he wants to haul 1500 lbs +/- in the bed PLUS a camper. That's a little much for most half tons.

 

[dodge man]

For all years and models, injectors can be a problem. Look for too much smoke on start up and they won't run quite right with injector problems.

I recently bought a 2004 Dodge with a Cummins, and so far mechanically, its been good, but I did have to have rust repaired. Just check them underneath and the rocker area and over the rear wheels. If your not towing heavy, try to find a truck with the rear gears around a 3.73 ratio. Mine has a 4.10 and its a little too steep.

 

[Diamondpilot]

For the weights you are going to tow I would look at a 1/2 ton truck or a Ford V10/GM 3/4 ton with the 6.0L gas.

Diesel is not needed till over 12,000# in my opionion, but what do I know, I only tow about 10,000 miles a year with loads from 7,000# to 25,000#

Chris