Wanting to upgrade my truck

[larneal]

Gentlemen I am going to upgrade my truck soon and I need some help. I am presently pulling with an 02 F250 7.3 PS, which is the best engine Ford ever made (my opinion of course) The truck is a great truck but not enough truck to pull the 09 3385 BH. I need a dually and I plan on buying about an 06. Well the engine in the 06 Ford is the 6.0 which has had a lot of problems, so I was thinking about going with the Duramax in the GMC or Chevrolet. I have heard some good things about the Duramax/Allison. I wish I knew more about trucks but I don't. Just like to hear some comments that might help me make this decision.

Larry Neal
2009 3385 Big Horn
Ford F250 7.3 PS

 

[ricatic]

The 6.0 Ford diesel engine is a controversial one at best. The early models had some issues. Not all owners had these problems but they do exist. After 2006 model year introduction, warranty claims dropped considerably. There have been reports that the 06 and 07 engines had fewer warranty claims than any other Ford engine, including the venerable 7.3. Your plans to get a 2006 or 2007 put you in a better position. The reputation of the 6.0 has driven prices down on the trucks. There are some good buys out there if you look carefully. You can save 4 to 5 thousand on these trucks. BUT..buying one of these requires some forethought. You need to realize that you may need some of that savings to make some upgrades to your truck and engine. If you can live with that caveat, you can get a real nice truck for a great deal. If you do not fit that scenario, you should look elsewhere.

Regards

 

[TGLBWH]

The reputation of the Duramax/Allison in the GM's is the biggest reason I own one (08). Have heard of relatively few problems with them although I wouldn't discount the Dodge's. The GM's are also very quiet compared to the others. I would be wary of Ford's new one for a year or two since they seem to always have problems with diesels with the 7.3 being somewhat of an exception. Good luck on your shopping

 

[kakampers]

You cannot go wrong with either the Dodge or the GM...we owned a 3500 Dodge Cummins for ten years, not one problem with that truck...had tears in my eyes when we traded it for the Chevy C4500 with the Duramax/Allison. The Bighorn was more than I wanted to handle with a ten year old truck, that it outweighed by almost 10,000 pounds...

The C4500 has the same engine and tranny as the GM 2500 and 3500 Light Duty trucks but it weighs almost 12,000lbs by itself, and the Bighorn couldn't "push" it around...has been a great combination for over three years...

 

[DMitch]

I have an 08 3500 Duramax and pull a 2010 3580 with it. That is all the truck does, it now has 32,000 miles on it and has been all up and down the east coast and mid west. I have had only one small problem and that was a power steering fluid leak. Power wise I think the truck is fantastic. I set the cruise at 65 MPH and the truck just runs. I routinely pull a very long 5% grade, I hold the truck in fourth gear at around 2900 RPM and it just performs flawlessly. All that said I have'nt driven the Dodge trucks or the Fords. I am very happy how the truck has performed so far, I would reecommend the Duramax/Allison combination. I have no idea why someone would chip one of these trucks, mine seems to have all the power that is required to do what I purchased it for. Good luck with your search and decision.

 

[Bob&Patty]

I have owned 2 D/A Chevy trucks. If you decide to go Chevy/GMC make sure you get a 06 or newer. They have the 6 sp Allison. We just took a trip from Calif. to Montana. There is not any down hill from here. We averaged 11.7 MPG. I locked the trans in 5th gear at 70mph...cruise on...and just let 'er run. Truck has more power than you need. BTW, we are grossing about 22K.

 

[ricatic]

The new Ford 6.7 is a Ford designed, Ford tested and Ford built diesel engine. It has undergone over 10 million miles of drive testing during its 5 year design period. It has gone untold but countless hours of dyno testing. The previous 2 diesels were joint ventures with IH/Navistar. The problems there are legend. The new Duramax is 60% changed according to GM. They have just as big a potential for problems as the new Ford. The new Ford has been bulletproof so far. The problems have been very few and varied. I did have a fan clutch failure. The Ford tech hot line has been virtually silent. I know it is early still but it looks like a winner.

Regards

 

[Doubleringer]

What other fluids do you have to change, besides the oil, on a regular schedule?

 

[newbie]

The only regular maitainence items on my GMC Duramax are oil & lube (about every 7000 miles), fuel filter (about every 15,000) and transmission fluid & filter (about every 20,000).

John

 

[rvn4fun]

Might look at a business class Freightliner, used, we had a 97 Ford powerstroke before, we bought the Heartland. It was a great puller but very, if any pickups really have the credentials to pull these big fifth wheels legally and safely.