Thinking I might be buying a Duramax soon

[Dmace]

You are right. The Hemi is a great engine but not really the best match for truck duties. I had a 2500 4x4 and was not impressed. They still use it today.

This from the guy who thought the Ford 5.4 was a perfectly capable truck engine.
Obviously, you've changed that opinion with Ford's 6.2l now available.

Speaking of the huge 6.2l, wierd that even with that size they limit it to 385 hp / 405 lb.ft. (max torque at 4,500 rpms)
Where as that old technology HEMI 5.7l that you weren't impressed with makes 383hp / 400 lb ft. (max torque at 4,000 rpms)
Also, if I remember correctly you had the older 345/375 HEMI and not the newer "Eagle" HEMI making 383/400.

And even with taller gearing (4.10 vs. Ford's 4.30), PickupTrucks.com was

very impressed by the Hemi’s overall performance at Milan Dragway and on the 7-percent and 16-percent climbs.

http://special-reports.pickuptrucks....imb-test-.html

The RAM was not far off the pace with a much smaller engine, taller rear axle ratio AND the old 5 speed transmission. Obviosuly, your the only one "not impressed"...

[Diamondpilot]

This from the guy who thought the Ford 5.4 was a perfectly capable truck engine.
Obviously, you've changed that opinion with Ford's 6.2l now available.

Speaking of the huge 6.2l, wierd that even with that size they limit it to 385 hp / 405 lb.ft. (max torque at 4,500 rpms)
Where as that old technology HEMI 5.7l that you weren't impressed with makes 383hp / 400 lb ft. (max torque at 4,000 rpms)
Also, if I remember correctly you had the older 345/375 HEMI and not the newer "Eagle" HEMI making 383/400.

And even with taller gearing (4.10 vs. Ford's 4.30), PickupTrucks.com was
http://special-reports.pickuptrucks....imb-test-.html

The RAM was not far off the pace with a much smaller engine, taller rear axle ratio AND the old 5 speed transmission. Obviosuly, your the only one "not impressed"...

The 5.4 was fine in the F150 but was never enough motor for a 3/4 ton and up.

When will you get it? HP and TQ mean nothing at peak, its what it does at 2000 rpm, ect. The 6.2 Ford like many of the other offerings including the 5.4, eco boost, 5.0, ect make 80% or better.

Anyone who has ever owned a truck and really used it seems to know its about gearing and low end grunt. Big HP and TQ numbers sell trucks to the uninformed.

Chris

[PoorPlowboy]

I wouldn't put a Chevrolet with their independent front suspension and torsion bars into plow duty. The front end just isn't very robust. I would lean towards a Ford with a solid axle or a Dodge if they're still using a solid axle design. I also take exception to those that say the Chevrolet rides better. Use to be true, but not so much anymore. I just got rid of a 2011 2500HD 4x4 gasser (LWB regular cab) in favor of a 2012 F250 4x4 gasser (crew cab short bed) and believe it or not the Ford rides magnitudes more smoothly on our rough roads. The longer wheelbase helps a bit, but it's only in the neighborhood of 8 or 10in longer.

[architect]

I have a client who is one of the largest BIG truck Dealers in US, he uses lots of vehicles for service and parts, I asked about the mercedes diesel vans, and his reply was did not keep over 250,000 miles because of repair costs, then he added that the GM 6.0l GAS engine seemed to last forever in their box trucks, also liked the Ford Courier, mini van with 4-cyl, said 30 mpg all day. So a 2500HD with 6.0l gas truck should last a long time.

[Dmace]

When will you get it? HP and TQ mean nothing at peak, its what it does at 2000 rpm, ect. The 6.2 Ford like many of the other offerings including the 5.4, eco boost, 5.0, ect make 80% or better.

350 lb.ft @ 2,000 rpms = 85% of peak
My point was to show how close they compare even with Ford's larger displacement. That's impressive and even "real" people that use trucks will agree...

[Diamondpilot]

I wouldn't put a Chevrolet with their independent front suspension and torsion bars into plow duty. The front end just isn't very robust. I would lean towards a Ford with a solid axle or a Dodge if they're still using a solid axle design. I also take exception to those that say the Chevrolet rides better. Use to be true, but not so much anymore. I just got rid of a 2011 2500HD 4x4 gasser (LWB regular cab) in favor of a 2012 F250 4x4 gasser (crew cab short bed) and believe it or not the Ford rides magnitudes more smoothly on our rough roads. The longer wheelbase helps a bit, but it's only in the neighborhood of 8 or 10in longer.

I agree. I have seen too many GM trucks with plow sag. Meyer's and others do make kits but the GM front end just ain't up to the task. Not to mention the 8,800# or 9,200# gcwr is pretty low on the 3/4 tons. Truck weighs 7,500# & add a 600# plow and you you are pushing the legal limits with two guys in the truck and nothing in the bed. Not to mention you are probably exceeding the front axle limits.

Chris

[Dmace]

I agree. I have seen too many GM trucks with plow sag. Meyer's and others do make kits but the GM front end just ain't up to the task. Not to mention the 8,800# or 9,200# gcwr is pretty low on the 3/4 tons. Truck weighs 7,500# & add a 600# plow and you you are pushing the legal limits with two guys in the truck and nothing in the bed. Not to mention you are probably exceeding the front axle limits.

Chris

Maybe if he was looking at a 10 year old truck this would be true. The new 2500HD's are up to 10k GVWR and front axles are 4400 (gas) or 5200 (diesel).
http://www.chevrolet.com/silverado-2...ndard_box.html

[puckgrinder85]

To be honest i've put more ball joints in straight axle fords than I have in 2500+ series chevy trucks as of the last 8 years or so. No bias here either, I could care less I make money on them all. With the fords any wear results in unwanted camber and is terribly evident in tire wear right away, typically the top joint fails. The Gm trucks are a little more forgiving with the wear. If this was 10 years ago, yea the 2500 trucks struggled with plow weight but they seem to be getting better. If they are taken care of i've seen many plow vehicles well over 100k with OE joints.


To the OP- If you can keep the truck in warranty for that little amount of money and a plow to boot that would be awesome. You're not going to hurt the truck with a plow unless you're really going overboard. Nice thing is usually those trucks come with towing packages with extra trans coolers and a temp gauge as well for them. If commericial guys have a hard time screwing them up im sure personal use isnt a huge deal, its all common sense.

[dhagood]

MUCH better resale!

this. used diesel trucks are in demand and sell for significantly more than their gas-powered counterparts.

[Lt CHEG]

I'm not worried about beating up the truck plowing. The DMax powered GM's have a 6,000 pound front axle rating with the snow plow prep package and can easily accommodate any of the plows I would consider putting on a truck. A 9 foot plow is almost useless here unless All you are doing is big parking lots, and since these trucks are built to accommodate 9 footers an 8 footer will definitely not be a problem. I'll only be plowing my driveway, my rental property and two others so its not going to be a hard core plow truck.

I buy a new vehicle every 4 to 5 years at most and in fact the Ford was the first truck I've owned out of warranty since college. Based upon that I won't own this truck long enough to really hurt it so I'm confident that it will perform reliably for the entire time I will own it. I do plan on having it treated at Ziebart initially and then touched up every year so I'm not too worried about corrosion either. My truck only gets about 5,000 to 6,000 miles per year anyway. Actually one of the selling features of re consolidating into one truck right now is that any problems will be paid for by GM under warranty instead of me opening up my wallet to fix the little things. Another plus is that the dealer is great, treats me right and I have no doubt that he will always do right by me in the case of any issues with the truck. At this point I'm really leaning towards the new DMax.