Would like honest suggestions about tow vehicle issues

[handirifle]

I have an '06 Tundra, and pull a light (5200# dry) 5th wheel. Coming home from this last trip confirmed my suspicions, it's not really something I want to count on for long hauls. Sooooo I am looking to upgrade my truck. New is out of the question, and it will be a diesel.

I believe a 3/4T will be more than sufficient, with the diesel, for my desires. Someday we might upgrade the trailer, but nothing the 3/4 would not handle.

I am not stuck on one brand, but would like honest opinions of the years 2005-2010 3/4T diesel trucks. I am kinda partial to the looks of the Ford or GM, but I know the Cummins has a great reputation for good fuel mileage and power.

Is there any year, of either of these three brands I should avoid? I know the Ford 6.0 had troubles, but those supposedly can be cured, but I really only would want one that was already "cured". Any Cummins or Duramax issues to be wary of? Since I will be buying used, is there a certain mileage that any of them start having big problems?

A lot of questions, I know, and appreciate any help I can get. I am just starting to do this research.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I would only get a 06 or later Ford. They had the issues solved on the 6.0 for the most part but still the bad reputation followed. They went to coil front suspension which rides much nicer and turns 18 deg sharper. Get one with the factory brake controller, hands down the best you will ever use. Dont rule out a F350 SRW. I have one, a 06, and love it.

In the GM get a late 06 LBZ or later. The big issue with GM trucks in my eyes is the low GVWR, either 8800 or 9200#. With a cab full it does not leave much. The fit and finish is also not as good in my eyes but they made progress in the 2012's and later.

Chris

 

[handirifle]

OK thanks. Very easy to switch to '06 and up. How is the ride on the 350 (3500) compared to the 250-3500? Not interested in dualies at all. What is the SRW?

 

[Sysop]

06 through 08 was when Ford was making a huge push for quality above all else. Their products from these years were among the best in my opinion. That being said, all the newer 2005+ diesel pickups have been pretty danged reliable...

 

[Diamondpilot]

OK thanks. Very easy to switch to '06 and up. How is the ride on the 350 (3500) compared to the 250-3500? Not interested in dualies at all. What is the SRW?

I have had 6 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. The SRW (single rear wheel) trucks ride the same. I had one dually, a GM and it was awful. One Dodge 2500, and a Ford F250. I have had two F350's that were SRW and a GM 3500 SRW.

By far the best trucks were the 99 and 06 F350 SRW trucks but the ride on the 06 is much better. The 05 3500 SRW Dmax had about the same ride.

Chris

 

[handirifle]

OK got the SRW (duh), yea no interest in duallies anyway.

Thanks on the ride info. When did GM go to the 6 spd Allison?

 

[mikehaugen]

Disclaimer... I do not have the experience that some on this board have, my knowledge of diesels comes from research and mostly opinions I have heard from others.

That said, I would try to find a lower mileage '06 or early '07 before the extra emissions crap was added. With it came lower fuel mileage and (potentially) reliability issues that may have not been worked out early in the game. It seems they may have gotten it together now though.

Personally, in those years I would be looking for a cummins, but the right deal from any of the three would not get turned down. I was actually contemplating a low mileage '05 ford with the dreaded 6.0 because it was a friend and could have gotten a great deal. Most of the "fixes" I have read about i could do myself, especially since the miles were low enough to hopefully catch it before anything happened. I was on the fence and another friend was quicker to jump on it.

Anyway good luck! Any truck you buy can turn out to be great... or terrible. I don't think any of the manufacturers are consistently one way or the other.

 

[Bird]

I would try to find a lower mileage '06 or early '07 before the extra emissions crap was added.

One of my brothers had an '08 F550 and I guess it was kind of like boat ownership where the two happiest days of your life are when you get it and when you get rid of it. He really liked that truck for awhile, but became thoroughly disgusted with it spending so much time at dealers. I think nearly all his troubles were related to the emissions stuff.

 

[Diamondpilot]

OK got the SRW (duh), yea no interest in duallies anyway.

Thanks on the ride info. When did GM go to the 6 spd Allison?

In mid 06 with the LBZ.

Chris

 

[dieselcrawler]

I have had great luck with my ford 7.3 powerstroke diesels... all have over 200k miles and perform well loaded or empty. Resonable fuel mileage in all situations and haul everything I ask them too. My f250 ext cab short bed is my favorite as it has a manual trans. Wife and I both like the excursion for hauling kids as her daily driver.

I would skip the 6.0 and look at the '08-later 6.4 powerstrokes. Most of the 6.0 issues are solved and they seem to have a good reputation. That's what I will be looking for in a few years.

 

[handirifle]

Well i guess i need to be on the look out. I hate this part, of "do I sell my truck first and hope I find one soon, or get the replacement first and hope mine sells". Decisions decisions

 

[sacmarata]

I'll try to not just give my opinion and stick to the facts (which support alot of my experience and opinions).
24 valve common rail cummins will need a fuel pressure guage A#1 first thing if you wanna avoid a potential $1,000 injector replacement. Talk to any cummins guys and they will confirm this.
Upgraded valve body Tranny and Triple disk, low stall Torque Converter. If yer gonna be hauling regularly ANY weight, not just heavier weights, get yourself an upgraded valve body so you can manually lock out your TC earlier (saves fuel, increases usable power, saves your TC, etc...). The triple disk will save you thousands down the road.

On a budget, I would get an older 12 valve cummins thats already had the free HP upgrades done and a built tranny and TC. If you wanna pull and not look back it's the only way to go fo me and a LOT of folks who actually work their trucks but are on a budget.

I've got a 94' 12 valve cummins that out hauls my 2003 common rail Cummins 2 to 1.

 

[dodge man]

If your looking for Cummins, the 03 to 07 trucks all carry the 5.9 common rail Cummins. There are some slight differences between years but you can find all sorts of reading on some of the Cummins sights. The earlier 12 valve and 24 valve Cummins are also really good but they are the older body style and don't have the power of the common rails. The earlier ones are also cheaper to work on, you can probably put 6 new injectors in a 12 valve for the cost of 1 or 2 common rail injectors. The 6.7 in the newer Cummins are also really nice but then you have to deal with the DPF and egr stuff that weren't on the 5.9 engines.

I have a co-worker with a 2006 D-max. The 06 and 07 D-Maxs are kind of the holy grail for D-maxes. His is a nice truck and if I didn't own a Cummins, I look for and 06 or 07 D-max.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I've got a buddy that bought new an older 12 valve Cummins new years ago...
He is an independent mechanic and has had excellent service out of it...
Clutch replaced and that is about it...
They are very reliable...
I have an 03 F350 with the 7.3 modded to 330 HP...
It will be the last diesel I ever buy in a personal daily driver truck...
It will pull anything that I need and it is paid for...
The advise given here is spot on...
The truck before my 03 was a 92 F250...
I don't trade often but I always felt you were better off getting more truck than you needed for the occasional towing duties...
My 350 is overkill but that is ok...

 

[handirifle]

With the 94, does it have overdrive? What kind of mileage do you get? I'm pretty sure the wife wouldn't go for one that old though, unfortunately. When did they stop production on the 12 valve?

 

[mikehaugen]

Early '98 I believe... the '98-1/2 had the 24 valve.

 

[handirifle]

On the Cummins line, or any for that matter, I should have said, I want auto trannie. I know that might change things up a bit, especially on the early Dodges, so what say you folks with the real world experience?

 

[Diamondpilot]

All 4 6 of my HD trucks had auto trannys. 3 Fords and 2 GM's never had a issue. The Dodge had 3 trannys in 70,000 miles. 2003 model year. One under warranty, then a Jasper, and traded off with a bad one.

Chris

 

[wcampbell47]

Disclaimer... I do not have the experience that some on this board have, my knowledge of diesels comes from research and mostly opinions I have heard from others.

That said, I would try to find a lower mileage '06 or early '07 before the extra emissions crap was added. With it came lower fuel mileage and (potentially) reliability issues that may have not been worked out early in the game. It seems they may have gotten it together now though.

Personally, in those years I would be looking for a cummins, but the right deal from any of the three would not get turned down. I was actually contemplating a low mileage '05 ford with the dreaded 6.0 because it was a friend and could have gotten a great deal. Most of the "fixes" I have read about i could do myself, especially since the miles were low enough to hopefully catch it before anything happened. I was on the fence and another friend was quicker to jump on it.

Anyway good luck! Any truck you buy can turn out to be great... or terrible. I don't think any of the manufacturers are consistently one way or the other.

My son has an 08 Dodge 2500 with Cummins. Loves the truck, hates the factory emission controls.

I recently purchased an 01 F350 SRW Super Duty Crew Cab. To my surprise it rides better than my 07 F150. The 350 has a V10 which I preferred. I often tow a dump trailer with 3 to 4 yards of sand on board. Has not failed to come out of the sand pit yet. A bit heavy on the gas.

 

[RobertN]

I have 165k on my '01 2500 Ram; no tranny problems. Heaviest I tow though, is a relatively light 7000lb 5th wheel. I like the Cummins; the powerband reminds me of driving the fire engines and water tenders at our fire station. I like the "feel" of the inline motor better.

I would like to have a newer Ford or Dodge for the newer interiors, features, and ride. But my truck is payed for, no payments... And my replacement would be $45,000++

In my case, and the OP's, I would seriously consider a gas engine if were to get a different pickup. Unless you are hauling heavy, and frequently, diesel does not make sense like it did for me in '01. Diesel was cheap(10 cents cheaper than regular in Sacramento area in '01), it was not as expensive of an option back then either. Now diesel runs 30-65 cents more per gallon, and is an uber-expensive option; even the used trucks reflect that.

I would still want a 3/4 ton for the various other stuff I do around the property, fire wood, gravel etc. My 5th wheel gross loaded is listed as 7500. I think that would make a heavy pin weight for a 1/2 ton.