Maybe a new truck Ford or Dodge?

[Too many Kubotas]

Everyone can buy what they want but I wouldn’t ever even briefly consider buying a new truck without power windows and an automatic transmission and AC.

I'd be fine with a crank for the driver's window, and an automatic can make it a little easier at times when towing. Although, I really liked the 18-speed in my Pete.

A/C? Yeah, there are times when I end up in places where it's nice to have, but I wouldn't call it essential. In the tractor it's a different story.

Per hour of (summer time) operation I use the A/C much more often than in the 3500, and that's with the tractor rarely seeing over 80 degrees.

 

[sea2summit]

Everyone can buy what they want but I wouldn’t ever even briefly consider buying a new truck without power windows and an automatic transmission and AC. I wouldn’t ever buy a new piece of equipment without a cab either.

My biggest heartburn is just the cost of all that crap. I need a truck to work and I want to do it as affordably as possible. When you look at how many stupid sensors there are, aside from stupid safety requirements, it should be very obvious why the prices are so high. Seriously, a door open sensor plus installation and programming is probably $100-150 added to the cost. That’s just one simple thing. Cut all those out and give me a $5-10k cheaper truck that occasionally I have to pull over and go close a rattling door or actually check the dipstick and air filter.

And cabs on equipment are awesome but are many situations where cabbed equipment isn’t the right answer.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

My biggest heartburn is just the cost of all that crap. I need a truck to work and I want to do it as affordably as possible.

That's why I generally order my vehicles.

Start with the least expensive version, then add a few options as desired. Unfortunately, most things are in packages these days which is why I don't have a heated steering wheel, which I really would've liked to have.

Freezing a bit at times is still preferable to having to pay for a touch screen - not to mention having to deal with one every time I drive, regardless of the temperature.

 

[4570Man]

My biggest heartburn is just the cost of all that crap. I need a truck to work and I want to do it as affordably as possible. When you look at how many stupid sensors there are, aside from stupid safety requirements, it should be very obvious why the prices are so high. Seriously, a door open sensor plus installation and programming is probably $100-150 added to the cost. That’s just one simple thing. Cut all those out and give me a $5-10k cheaper truck that occasionally I have to pull over and go close a rattling door or actually check the dipstick and air filter.

And cabs on equipment are awesome but are many situations where cabbed equipment isn’t the right answer.
View attachment 837426

I don’t need all the bells and whistles either but power windows, automatic transmission, and ac would be on my must have list. Power locks are nice too if you’re actually going to lock the door. I’ve had vehicles without any of that but I’d never spend the money on a new vehicle and not have that. I agree that cabs aren’t right for every job especially on a tractor. But I’d bushhog that brush with the skid steer mower without hurting the cab. I actually wouldn’t use the skid steer mower without a cab and really a demolition door vs just glass. It throws stuff bad.

 

[Tomtint]

..Whelp... oddly enough, I'm now on the hunt for a new truck. I have a Sprinter van that has honestly been nothing but problems since day 2, and this past Saturday left me on the side of the road pissing diesel fuel out of somewhere under the hood.. I'm done with that thing. My wants / needs are for certain a 6.5 bed. The 5.5 bed just won't work for my needs.

I have had very good luck overall with Fords, but I'm looking at the GMC Denali pick up (1500 series ) as it's going to be basically a commute work truck. I do want leather, heated and cooled seats.. all the comfort options. Given the bed length I want, unless it's a extra cab, most F150s will have the short box in that trim level.. GMCs appear to be more readily available..I'm also looking at used and not new. ..I post what I end up with later this week.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Come to think of it, the little pickup I drive by far the most often has manual windows, steering, brakes, and transmission. And no A/C.

 

[Hay Dude]

Ain no way I’m reaching over a seat to crank a passenger window and as far as manual shifting goes with todays Allisons & Aisins, well I’m done driving relics. The autos are faster, safer and get better traction in the snow and much better to plow with and off road while pulling a trailer.

 

[Hay Dude]

It sure seems like those with the derated engines generally use their Rams to pull more.

To have over 1,000 ft.-lbs. of torque is probably more of a bragging right than having an actual use for such power. Besides, how often are those foot pounds accessible in real life?
I'm guessing that the numbers are often closer to a derated engine's as the torque management does its best to keep the drive train alive.

Many times computer software ”manages“ torque to save the transmission and driveline from being destroyed.
Who the hell is going to stomp the pedal while towing 30,000lbs anyway?

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Many times computer software ”manages“ torque to save the transmission and driveline from being destroyed.
Who the hell is going to stomp the pedal while towing 30,000lbs anyway?

People do. That's how the infamous "dead pedal" discussions started. Apparently they can get it even with an empty pickup.

 

[deserteagle71]

Ain no way I’m reaching over a seat to crank a passenger window and as far as manual shifting goes with todays Allisons & Aisins, well I’m done driving relics. The autos are faster, safer and get better traction in the snow and much better to plow with and off road while pulling a trailer.

^This!

There's a reason, if you bought one of the Rams with the Cummins engines and a manual transmission, that the engine was derated by 200 lb-ft of torque versus the automatic. The automatic, though it can pull a lot more weight, is much more gentle on the drivetrain.

I've been driving a Dodge/Cummins dually with the 6 speed manual NV5600 transmission for many years now. It's not bad when driven when empty or with a light load behind it. But where you have to pull a heavy load up a hill from a stop, or if you are caught in a traffic jam, it is a pain. There is no way you can speed shift that transmission; with a heavy load behind it, it loses too much speed going from one gear to the next. An instant-shifting automatic will just leave it in the dust. But it's what I have; it is a very dependable drivetrain and since I no longer tow very heavy (nothing much over 16,000 lb) it works for me.