Truck advice needed. What would you buy?

[Builder]

Does Dodge offer Cab & Chassis in any thing other than 4500 and 5500 or is it a bed delete like in the F250 and F350 Fords. If it is a bed delete it would probably have the 68RE.

My Uncle has 6.7 with the 68RE and he likes it a lot. I sold him a few loads of hay, he used my trailer to haul it, and I rode with him on one of the trips, the shifts were good and I liked it a lot. I might look at them if the if the new Power Stroke is a flop. But that will be a few more years.

I was under the impression the 3500 DRW chassis could get an Aisin, but ICBW.....

The way the 68RE and the exhaust brake are looking, I might just be driving one unless GM offers a ex brake or Ford comes up with a world beater with the Taco. I wouldn't bet the farm on that happening. Ford isn't exactly known for building truck diesels. Last 2 they built 9about 25 yrs ago) were built in Brazil. They were OK, nothing to get excited about.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I have always liked GMC trucks but after the problems I had with my first Duramax Allison I went to a 2003 Ford 6.0 and had almost no trouble with it and the Torqshift was flawless for 160K+ miles. I then tried another Duramax Allison in 2005 and the Allison limped on me almost every time I pulled my 35 gooseneck loaded with hay. I am now in a 2008 SRW F350 with 30,000 miles with 210 hp program in it for 25,000 miles and it has not missed a beat. Maybe I was just unlucky with my two D/A and maybe I have been lucky with both of my Fords, I don稚 know but unless my 08 Ford starts giving me problems my next one will be another Ford.

Glad I am not the only one who had trouble with the Dura Joke. I only had one and it was nothing but problems along with the truck. The Allison was the only thing that did not break in my 9 months or so of ownership. 2 Ford 6.0's and over 100,000 miles combined and only one trip to the shop for a replacement dash cluster due to a faulty fuel gauge.

Chris

 

[Builder]

Glad I am not the only one who had trouble with the Dura Joke. I only had one and it was nothing but problems along with the truck. The Allison was the only thing that did not break in my 9 months or so of ownership. 2 Ford 6.0's and over 100,000 miles combined and only one trip to the shop for a replacement dash cluster due to a faulty fuel gauge.

Chris

Why would you be "glad" you weren't the only one?

Got any pictures of your old duramax? Wouldn't mind seeing it just to get an idea what it looked like......

Hope you won't get all offended or throw a fit for me asking!

 

[Diamondpilot]

Why would you be "glad" you weren't the only one?

Got any pictures of your old duramax? Wouldn't mind seeing it just to get an idea what it looked like......

Hope you won't get all offended or throw a fit for me asking!

I feel like you and others think there is no way someone could have so much trouble with your beloved Dmax. Here is a guy that has worse luck with them than I did.

I will send you a picture as soon as I get back my laptop. Needs a new hard drive but the computer guy said he was able to get all documents, pictures, and my pilot log book off using a cradle with my hard drive hooked to his computer. It was a Plain Jane Short bed 4x4 extended cab. No chip or anything special. Just drivers and passengers windows tinted.

Chris

 

[Builder]

I feel like you and others think there is no way someone could have so much trouble with your beloved Dmax. Here is a guy that has worse luck with them than I did.

Chris

I guess I just have trouble understanding why that makes you "glad". If I owned something that was junk, it never made me happy to see another guy suffer the same problems.

Maybe it's because "misery loves company" ??

 

[Dargo]

...this advantage is offset by the fact that my chevy currently has no backlighting on the speedometer, gear indicator, oil pressure gauge, voltage gauge, or the left and right temp selectors on the heater control. Ford may build lots of stuff in mexico, but I swear that half of GM's electrical design team are interns straight out of amish country.

I don't know if I'd give Ford higher marks on electrical components that year. The only 7.3 PSD I had was a '99 F350 4X4 quad cab dually. In about 4 years of ownership I replaced each power door lock twice. Seriously! Every power door lock actuator failed two times! When I bought my '00 Excursion it not only had all 4 door lock actuators out, but also the lock actuator in the liftgate! At least when I replaced those (in '06...I think) the Ford dealer told me that Ford had changed them and they were completely different than the original ones. I'm afraid to jinx them, but so far, so good with them. The Excursion is a V10 and I'm really impressed with it's engine. I don't tow anything heavier than a couple of Jet Skis, but it is really smooth. I'd have to defer to others to give any advice on how the Ford V10 tows in a Super Duty.

 

[Dargo]

I feel like you and others think there is no way someone could have so much trouble with your beloved Dmax. Here is a guy that has worse luck with them than I did.

I will send you a picture as soon as I get back my laptop. Needs a new hard drive but the computer guy said he was able to get all documents, pictures, and my pilot log book off using a cradle with my hard drive hooked to his computer. It was a Plain Jane Short bed 4x4 extended cab. No chip or anything special. Just drivers and passengers windows tinted.

Chris

And, for the record, that is not me posting under a different name!

 

[Ryan03]

I don't know if I'd give Ford higher marks on electrical components that year. The only 7.3 PSD I had was a '99 F350 4X4 quad cab dually. In about 4 years of ownership I replaced each power door lock twice. Seriously! Every power door lock actuator failed two times! When I bought my '00 Excursion it not only had all 4 door lock actuators out, but also the lock actuator in the liftgate! At least when I replaced those (in '06...I think) the Ford dealer told me that Ford had changed them and they were completely different than the original ones. I'm afraid to jinx them, but so far, so good with them. The Excursion is a V10 and I'm really impressed with it's engine. I don't tow anything heavier than a couple of Jet Skis, but it is really smooth. I'd have to defer to others to give any advice on how the Ford V10 tows in a Super Duty.

I realy liked my V10 as well. Mine was a 99 reg cab xlt 4x4 dually, all black with the polished Alcoa wheels, and gray cloth interior, pwr everything. I think it was about the prettiest Super Duty I have ever seen, love at first site if you will.

I have seen lots of Ford lock solenoid issues on our fleet. Most could be traced to the boot on the actuator shaft failing, water finding its way in, then seizing the cylinder due to corrosion. Never had this issue on the 99 though.

My V10 had the 4r100 with 4.30 gears behind it, I hated that trans. Although I never burned it up, it had some of the worst shifting charactaristics of any auto trans I have ever driven, And I have driven LOTS !!!! It would get confused after hard acceleration when you would lift off the throttle, causing it to hang between gears, free rev, then slam into the next higher gear. Despite 2 reflashes under warranty, they never could sort it out.

Power wise, I liked the way it pulled better than my Dmax when in stock form. Once I chipped the Dmax, there obviosly no comparison whatsoever. I don,t care if your truck has a blue oval, bowtie, or mamal on the grill, once you chip a late model diesel and tow some weight, you are hooked forever.

 

[Builder]

I. I don,t care if your truck has a blue oval, bowtie, or mamal on the grill, once you chip a late model diesel and tow some weight, you are hooked forever.

I disagree with ya bud. I spent over $10K modding my last 2 Fords and promised myself that my next truck, no matter what brand, would be powerful enough stock and have a properly built transmission to handle it, or I wouldn't buy another new truck.

I won't go back to mods for engines, and there's no need to with 360 stock HP....Geeze, my HD dumptruck only has 250HP and it pulls a 24K trailer & backhoe. How the heck anyone could need more than 365 unless they drag race or truck pull is beyond my imagination.

 

[Ryan03]

I disagree with ya bud. I spent over $10K modding my last 2 Fords and promised myself that my next truck, no matter what brand, would be powerful enough stock and have a properly built transmission to handle it, or I wouldn't buy another new truck.

I won't go back to mods for engines, and there's no need to with 360 stock HP....Geeze, my HD dumptruck only has 250HP and it pulls a 24K trailer & backhoe. How the heck anyone could need more than 365 unless they drag race or truck pull is beyond my imagination.

Late model to me is 2002 and up. My Dmax was kinda lazy in stock form, I would get whipped on at stop lights by 4 cylinder stick shift Dakotas. After 7k mi of this, I installed a mild fueling box, run on level 2 60 hp most of the time, and have been happy ever since.