Sold my last Ford diesel today. Replace with........?

[5030]

Have it painted.... Issue solved. Again, I have a reliability issue with any T4 final diesel engine. At least with gas engines, the bugs have been addressed and the end user is not the first article test dummy.

Don't you just love Biden and his EO's?

 

[ovrszd]

Re: Sold my last Ford diesel today. Replace with GM?



I’m sure people will come on here hating on the IFS on GM trucks but the bottom line is they ride and drive better and hold up to anything that class truck is fit to handle.

My Son is a mechanic. He loves the GM IFS. Makes a lot of money working on them. No flame intended.

 

[5030]

.... especially the plastic ball joints. They have no place on a working truck. Soccer mom buggy, no issue.

 

[4570Man]

My Son is a mechanic. He loves the GM IFS. Makes a lot of money working on them. No flame intended.

I live where the roads are pretty good which probably has a lot to do with it but I hardly ever see Chevys with bad front ends. The old Fords prior to 2004 or so had leaf springs in the front end. Maybe they’re stronger but at a huge expensive in ride and turning radius. The newer ones with coils turned better but the 6.0 and 6.4 did enough to ruin those trucks the front end didn’t really matter. I stick with my previous assessment that a IFS front end holds up good enough for 3500 or less service. If you want something that’s tough and rides like a log wagon buy a 450 or heavier and if you want something thar doesn’t ride terrible buy a IFS 3500. My ton dump is 30 years old and has had nothing but abuse ever and it still has a perfect front end. The springs are worn out but that’s kinda beside the point.

 

[4570Man]

.... especially the plastic ball joints. They have no place on a working truck. Soccer mom buggy, no issue.

My 3500 dump has lived a far cry from a soccer mom life and the front end is still good. I see newer models 3500s with a duramax for sale with 500,000 miles all the time. They couldn’t be that junk. It’s not like 3500/350 is built for heavy hauling anyway. The newest 3500 trucks are advertising like 7500 pounds payload minus the bed. What is your single wheeler rated for? I bet it’s not over half that.

 

[ovrszd]

Truck use is different wherever you are. Here, 3/4T and 1T trucks are mostly used to haul big bales and/or pull a GN. Our country roads are all gravel. Our paved State roads are minimal because of our distance from the "money". Very common to see trucks here hauling two big bales, one on the flatbed and the other on the roller.

IFS front suspension simply doesn't hold up well. Second in line is Dodge. They eat trackbars. The most durable are the Fords.

As for drivability in the Fords, the older leaf spring models are the best. The newer coil spring trucks ride worse and wander more.

Personal use may vary.

 

[4570Man]

Truck use is different wherever you are. Here, 3/4T and 1T trucks are mostly used to haul big bales and/or pull a GN. Our country roads are all gravel. Our paved State roads are minimal because of our distance from the "money". Very common to see trucks here hauling two big bales, one on the flatbed and the other on the roller.

IFS front suspension simply doesn't hold up well. Second in line is Dodge. They eat trackbars. The most durable are the Fords.

As for drivability in the Fords, the older leaf spring models are the best. The newer coil spring trucks ride worse and wander more.

Personal use may vary.

You know I’m not afraid of putting a load on a ton truck. But they’re not even close to being in the same league of medium duties. I’d take the service over a duramax powered 3500 over a Ford any day. Ball joints are a lot easier to fix than the motor spilling parts on the ground.View attachment 688159View attachment 688160

 

[Cat385B]

My next 1 ton will have the Ford 7.3 gasser in it. Probably a standard trans too. Not all the fond of Ford slush boxes.

I think you have to go up to the 450 level to get a manual tranny now.

 

[Hay Dude]

You know I’m not afraid of putting a load on a ton truck. But they’re not even close to being in the same league of medium duties. I’d take the service over a duramax powered 3500 over a Ford any day. Ball joints are a lot easier to fix than the motor spilling parts on the ground.View attachment 688159View attachment 688160

Thats kind of where I arrived. I'm looking at all trucks, but if an 06-07 3500 comes around with Duramax diesel, Im on it. No pollution aftertreatment nonsense.
Also, I finally found someone who does a nice job fixing rocker rust and cab corners, which from what I see, is the most common problem with the older HDs. You can buy kits to beef up the IFS if needed on the older trucks. The newer ones > '11 seem to be built tougher up front.
IFS or rust issues, the truck can still run & work. Fords just have too many engine issues and their reliability, after owning a lot of them has been terrible to me.
I will look at anything but 6 & 6.4 Fords. Too many repair bills-otherwise a good truck.

 

[Hay Dude]

My Son is a mechanic. He loves the GM IFS. Makes a lot of money working on them. No flame intended.

None taken. They arent too bad to fix and even upgrade. I cant take doing head studs, rocker arms, etc at $2,000 + per clip.
Aint one of em made thats perfect. They all pretty much suck for what you pay for them.