Which Dually?

[Qweaver]

Most people in Texas either own a truck or wish they did.  Most don't actually need a truck, they just WANT one.
I've never really needed a truck, nor particularly wanted one. Trailers towed behind a van always made more sense to me.  But now that I have the TLB and a dozer, a heavy duty diesel truck pulling a gooseneck trailer seems like the only way to go. 
Since this truck will be an occasional use vehicle, spending 10s of thousands of dollars for a truck makes no sense at all.  So now comes the part that I hate most, trying to find a used dually that is cheap enough to justify the limited use that it will get and yet is reliable enough to make the occasional trip between Texas and WV. 

Then there's the Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge conundrum. I've been taking a survey of duallies that I see on the road and Ford F350s seem to far out-number the other brands.  I must have a crew cab and, again, Ford seems to have the edge.
Buying a vehicle should be fun...but this is not.  I'll bet there are some good opinions on the FF  ???
Quinton

[Raider Bill]

What you need is a dodge body with a ford motor and chevy transmission.

[slowzuki]

Owning a dually and trailer means your friends are going to know they can borrow your equipment.  Think of who your friends are for a bit.

Renting a vehicle or hiring this out is expensive, but check how often you want to do it, I've had some stuff floated for about 60$/hr.

As for an actual truck, there is a mix of all three brands around here.  The older Dodge 3500's seem to be the cheapest, especially gasers which are fine for low mileage use.  The Fords are popular as well.  
I don't like the GM's with their IFS 4wd and sealed unit parts that mean you need a new knuckle when the bearing goes.  Also most the affordable late 80's early 90's ones have those electronic heating controls that don't work now.

Bet on the tranny needing replacement if it is an auto (unless you know a lot about the truck).  Brakes are expensive on this size truck too, a set of rotors and drums is over 1000$ up here anyways.  Rear drum is like 100 lbs each.

If you are just towing get the 2wd model, the 4wd's are extra $ at every turn.

[BigTrev]

When in doubt, hail the blue oval.

Built Ford tough.

[Ga_Boy]

You will not regret getting a GMC/Chevy with the Duramax and Allision combo.  So far in the one ton class it is the best package out there.

[Burlkraft]

What you need is a dodge body with a ford motor and Chevy transmission.

Raider Bill is right...I can attest ta that Allison trans that Chevy uses. I've made several trips in da mountains with that thing and the retarder in there it acts like a Jake Brake....I just put brakes on my truck for the first time and it has 180,000 miles on it... ;D ;D ;D

[tcsmpsi]

I have personally never had a 'dually', as mentioned.  

There is an Escapee (full-time travelers) encampment (big enough they have their own post office/zipcode) down the road and I have had many of them as customers/trainees over the years.  Some of them pull some mighty fancy rigs.  From what I have gathered from them, overall, it has been predominant that most of them who have used different trucks, most have been more favorably impressed with the change to the newer Dodges (last 4 or 5 yrs, if memory serves proper).

[Dale Hatfield]

Qweaver.
I guess the first question is gas or diesel.
We have 2 dodge diesels that we both love.
Faults of the 2
The auto was  junk  4,500 to repair. 1995  club cab dually my every day driver.
( which now has  more power than it  cummins ever thought of making)
Front end needing rebuilt at this point 183,000 miles.
Next one will only have  4 tires 6 is a bit expensive  on the daily work truck.
Wifes truck 98 24 valve 5 speed.
Faults lift pumps on the 24 vales are all junk. new fuel system  1,000
Injection pumps are prone to failure because of junk lift pumps and weak  electronics inside.
5th gear  nut  might come lose.
Makes 4 trips a year to Texas at least.
Fuel milage dodge is hard to beat.
Dogde  dont have a  real 4 door well they do now. but it dont come in an 8 foot bed, Dummys.
I traded a  450 ford for  my dodge. too many clutch problems.
Wife had a ton dodge dually gas that we traded for hers.
Outside of the few know problems with the cummins if they could stuff it ito a Yugo id drive it,
Fact is most diesel power plants have more power than the trannys behind them.
Dale

[JimBuis]

...I can attest ta that Allison trans that Chevy uses. I've made several trips in da mountains with that thing and the retarder in there it acts like a Jake Brake....I just put brakes on my truck for the first time and it has 180,000 miles on it... ;D ;D ;D

I don't personally own a truck at the moment, or a car for that matter, but my brother owns a one ton GMC with the Duramax diesel and the Allison transmission and he assures me there's nothing better.  He often pulls an RV trailer from the St. Louis area east through the Smokies. He says that when it comes to pulling the trailer through the mountains he cannot tell the difference between that and no trailer.  He also often has conversations with other drivers at rest areas in the mountains who are openly disgusted with their rigs and who admire his.

I'd suggest you talk to a number of drivers pulling big trailers at mountain rest areas.  That is when the pros and cons are fresh in the minds of the drivers and I'd bet you'd get some candid feedback.

Jim

[DWM II]

Check out this site, www.thedieselstop.com. They are ford biased but they have forums for all makes, also you can get a good feel for whats breaking on what and when. Good Luck.

[Larry]

Since this truck will be an occasional use vehicle, spending 10s of thousands of dollars for a truck makes no sense at all.  So now comes the part that I hate most, trying to find a used dually that is cheap enough to justify the limited use that it will get and yet is reliable enough to make the occasional trip between Texas and WV. 
Quinton

Think we can rule out Chevys, as the Duramax is relativity new and going to be way up there in price.  My choice would be either a Ford with the 7.3 PSD or a Dodge with the Cummins.  Something with less than 150,000 and driven by the proverbial old spinster school teach.

[CLL]

The biggest thing to look at is not the initial cost, their all very close in price. Mileage(diesels) goes
to the Dodges. Chevy's retain more value, Fords cheaper used. Having had all three over the years pulling big horse trailers, I have found this to be mostly true. Dodges are good truck with good motors,(automatic transmissions junk). Fords, without chips lack power and repair costs are about twice what the other two are. Chevy's have high resale value and dependability, mileage not as good as dodges. If I was buting tomorrow, it would be Chevy, Dodge, Ford.

[Greg Cook]

Got an F-350 with the 7.3 Powerstroke, and love it. However, it's not a dually. And don't need a dually for what I'm doing. Assess what you will be doing most, see if you do. The towing capacity of single-wheel 350's is higher than with duals. Also, that's an extra set of 10 ply tires you'll have to buy. I have the Crew cab and long bed, so truck is over 24 feet long. I didn't want to add unnecessary width, too. Except in the coldest part of winter, I get 19 mpg consistently, and always have at least 900 pounds of tools in the bed.
On the truck forums, I have heard lots of negatives about the 6.0 litre Powerstrokes when they came out. May be better now...

Good Luck !
Greg

[onionman]

Ive had both the f350 and Dodge 3500 if you could put the 2 together
it would be a great truck...Most of the  miles I drive there is a trailer of some type behind me..Had to put a tranny in the Ford 1000 miles out of warranty..Front end a frame bolts kept breaking
Just had the Dodge  tranny fluid changed at 53000 and was told it looked ok.
Have been hauling the logs for my house from Atlanta to Geenville Tn.,The Dodge drops out of overdrive 1-2 times during the 300 mle trip. Using the calculator in the tool box for lumber I am hauling 13,800 to 14,200 including the trailer..
The dodge pulls it great better than my power stroke would have.
Have not owned A chevy so can't say any thing about them.
Onion

[sawdust]

Fords have style, Dodge has a Cummins and Allison tranny is the way to"go" I love my Dodge He is ugly but never quits. The cars have girl names.

sawdust

[Quartlow]

They all have good points and bad ones.
Nephew has a 1986 Chevy that they put a 89 6.5 liter diesel in. It's biggest drawback is gearing, it has the old style 4 speed in it. On the plus side. It starts easy. and with the low gearing it it pulls like a tank. He gets around 15 or 16 MPG just running around town.

The Dodge tranny problem. It's an easy fix, in fact its easy to prevent. Swap out the oil pan on the tranny for an after market aluminum pan, one of the finned ones. Friend of mine had one. tore up the tranny twice first time at 30,000 miles covered under warrenty second time at 75000 he did it himself. He added the new pan at that time. It also holds 6 more quarts of tranny fluid. Last time I saw it it had over 200,000 on it and was still going.


The fords, all I can say there is at  least they circle the problem  :D The E4od tranny is junk.
The 5 speed zepher is geared too high in reverse. On the plus side the zepher is eassy to work on and parts for them can be bought at most BIG truck parts houses. Ford parts are expensive to.

My sister just bought a new Dodge 3500 crew cab, They have had it about 2 months now and are extremely pleased with it. They just picked up their 5th wheel camper, a 34 footer. She said it drug it right down the road like it wasn't even back there. They had it down to a decision between the Chevy Dura max and the Dodge. The deciding factor was her husband got a deal through work where they got the dodge at 1% under invoice.

She said the only thing she didn't like about the Chevy was the visibility.   

[Fla._Deadheader]

Had a 97 Dodge Dually with Cummins-Allison. It pulled like you wouldn't believe, only, spun tires if you wasn't REAL: careful, on dirt or Mud. Never had the overdrive kick out, pulling 14,000# of logs or lumber. Crawled up hills in overdrive, IF ya call Florida bumps, hills.  : : :  Sold it to my Daughter and Husband. Wish it was paid off, I never wooda sold it. Got 20 MPG with a decent load, and less with a REAL load.

  Manual says to adjust the bands on every oil change, IF NEEDED.  : : 

[Corley5]

We like our Dodge Cummins.  Front wheel bearings with the four wheel drive are an expected replacement around 80-100,000 miles depending on usage. 

[scsmith42]

Quinton, I would stay away from the non-Duramax/Allison GM's - they are not in the same league as the Dodge/Cummins and Fords.

The Duramax - Allison is hard to beat - I would rank it as the number 2 motor (by a very slim margin to the Cummins) with the number one transmission.  The downside to the Cummins is that it's loud.  The Ford 7.3 and 6.0 would be closely following the Duramax.  However, I think that they are all solid engines.

The Ford chassis is tough, the interior is comfortable, and they last well.  I personally think that the transmission is the weak point though.

One benefit of a dually - when pulling a gooseneck trailer - is that you can put about 4000 lbs more tongue weight on it than a single wheel pickup.

[sawguy21]

A friend bought a used IH town tractor to pull his 5th wheel,. 466 with a 6+1 works very well for him and  no CDL needed. You can get a used 6 pack from the utility companies a lot cheaper than buying a late model dually pick um up truck.

[Robert R]

I have to go by my experience which in a dually is very limited.  I have borrowed a friends F350 dually diesel since I sold my truck.  I affectionally call it the "Big Red Pig" because it feels just like riding a fat sow (don't ask why but yes, I know what that feels like).  His is geared down (or is it up) specifically for hauling large horse trailers.  He takes 8 horses from Kansas City to Tennessee most weekends in the show season.  I much prefered by Dodge but it was 3/4 ton and not a dually.  It could pull circles around the Ford but my friend said that was because of the gearing for more low end torque.  I'll have to take his word for it cause I don't know squat it except that even with a full trailer, when I pushed the gas, the dodge accellerated.  I do know I much preferred my Dodge.  It was my second one.  The first was the big block V8 and it just didn't have what it took for a 27 foot horse trailer with 4 belgians on board and several hundred pounds of harness and equipment.

[LedlieLogs]

I agree with sawguy21. I own an older GMC 3500, 7.4, gas so I can't say as to the diesels. I do have 350,000 on the truck though. She ain't going to pasture anytime soon. Take a look at the day cab trucks. I have been looking and there pretty cheap.
Good luck either way, it can be taxing.
Ledlie

[ksu_chainsaw]

If you are mechanically inclined, there is an easy engine swap to improve the power of a chevy 1 ton.  Find a mid 80's frito lay truck- some of the gm trucks have a 3.9L 4cyl Cummings diesel bolted up to a gm auto tranny-700r4 I think.  This will easily drop into a chevy dually, and get better mileage than any of the other engines, and out torque the 6.2 or the 6.5 any day. 
Or another option is to find an older single axle day cab semi- think mid 80s international dump truck.  They have a good diesel engine, some of them have the allison auto tranny behind it, and with the cost of steel right now, you can sell the dump bed and buy a small sleeper to drop behind the cab if you need the extra room in the cab.

just my 2 cents

Charles

[red]

dollar for dollar I think you want a school bus
find a short one with the 6 cyl cummins

the dually pickups are big bucks and they definately need
an aux trans  like gear venders 

[Corley5]

I like my Cummins loud  ;D ;D 

[sprucebunny]

If you plan on hauling a trailer less than 10,000 pounds, I'd recomend a 1990-1993 F350 deisel 2wd. Should be able to get a real nice one in Texas for less than $7500.

This is a non turbo (one fewer expensive thing to break) gets about 16 mpg, rides real nice and if you treat it nice should go 400,000 miles with few problems.Change the transmission filter/fluid every 60,000 miles.

The newer a truck is, the harder it is to fix yourself.Ford Powerstrokes have a bunch of sensors that break and a less bulletproof fuel system. Just my experience...

[slowzuki]

As a side note, my buddy owns a pair of F350's, pre powerstroke, 6.9 and a 7.3 no turbo.  My stock Suzuki Samurai is faster than even the 7.3.  Of course the 7.3 is almost the same speed even when it has 15,000 lb of hay hooked on to it.

[Murf]

I've got a fleet of pickups, mostly crew-cab duallies.

Over the years we've had them all, my experience has been;

-don't buy a Ford with an automatic tranny,
-if you get a GM be prepared to fix lots of stupid little things like the alternator EVERYTIME the battery gets run down,
-if you buy a Dodge it will rattle like a 10 year old truck after the first year,
-if you get a Ford PSD find one with the taller (3.50) rear end, NOT the 'stock' 4.10's, it will run a LOT better on the highway and still have plenty of grunt, especially mated to the 6 speed manual.

Finally, if you get a Ford PSD, throw the stock exhaust and airbox in the scrap pile, and get the ECM reprogrammed, you will add BOTH 30% more horsepower, and about 5+ mpg to the factory numbers.

[scsmith42]

Methinks that Murf knows what he's talking about...

[Murf]

Thanks Steve, but me thinks you over-estimate my abilities just a tad.  :D

I do however remember that which costs or saves me money.....  ;D

[ScottAR]

All three domestics are pretty good trucks.  If'n I was getting...
I'd get a 2wd, manual trans, Diesel or gas will be your call.

I'd buy the biggest motor for that series truck.  You can always let off the throttle but it's harder to add fuel to the fire. 

The 2wds for the most part are still using tapered wheel bearings.  Most of the 4x4 trucks are using unit bearings or hub assemblies which run between $150 and $300 a piece. 

Manual trans besides an oil change are good to go for the life of the truck.  Clutch runs $500 to $800 and should last 100k more or less.  Auto rebuilds start around $1k and get worse from there. 

I'd probably try to find one with sealed beam headlights too but I'm weird like that.  Headlight housings are expensive.

Don't get a GM 6.2 or 6.5 if you ever plan to be in a hurry. 

[slowzuki]

As a note, reprograming the ECM will increase the stink and emissions and reduce the engine life.  Every psi of boost you let the engine make takes time off the engine life.  If the programming messes with the injection timing which I don't think the PSD computer can do it really cranks the NOx emissions up.  The injection is retarded stock to lower the peak temps at the start of the injection cycle.

t a Ford PSD, throw the stock exhaust and airbox in the scrap pile, and get the ECM reprogrammed, you will add BOTH 30% more horsepower, and about 5+ mpg to the factory numbers.

[flip]

Find a '00-2003 F350 2wd with the 7.3 and 4R100 (auto) trans.  Take to a dealer and have check for blow by, fuel leaks, and make sure glow plugs are working.  We have see dozens of guys come in here with smoking or low power complaints, raise the hood and find K&N and Bully Dog chip.  Engine is dusted because air filter never got cleaned.  If you pop the hood and see a dirty K&N or Airaid-run.  A chip will give you more power but you will loose fuel economy-facts of life.  I would steer clear of the 6.0.  If you can pony up get a new '08 6.4, it's about to make Chevy and Dodge extinct in the truck market.  I'm a little Ford biased ;D.  Maintenance records are a plus!

[Quartlow]

Chipping a truck only results in poor fuel economy if you drive it like you stole it.

I drove 444 cummins once that put 850 HP on the ground trough the old style drive line components. When it was stock it got 4.5 MPG after it was rebuilt and hopped up it got 6.5 MPG
Even if you went to racing it mileage only dropped to 5mpg
The longer you stay in high gear, and the less you shift the less fuel you use.

When you have HP you don't have to shove your foot through the firewall in an attempt to get moving

[sprucebunny]

The info I got says that the 2008 Fords are going to make the dealerships rich...you have to remove the cab of the truck to perform many engine repairs.

Another blow to do-it-yourselfers :

[rebocardo]

Gas or diesel?

For a crew cab I prefer the Ford, especially in a 4x4.

The Dodge with the Cummings (don't get the 98-99 ? that uses the Chrysler only sourced injector pump) is nice. I would recommend NOT buying a Dodge with an automatic, the standard is a good transmission though.

One thing going for the Dodge is it is easy to work on compared to the Fords. Easy enough to do standard things such as bleeding the fuel rail. Once you have the multi-point sockets for the Dodge, changing the starter is way easier then it is on the Ford and that is one of the most common things to change on a diesel that is a wear item besides the batteries.

[flip]

If you call getting paid 2 hours to do 4 hours worth of work getting rich, we are rolling in it ;)  DIYser do not buy new trucks to work on them, they buy to use and for the 5 years 100,000 mile warrantys.  Most people would be surprised how bad dealers get boned working on vehicles under warranty.  I did warranty work when I was a tech. now I'm the one billing Ford for the work, even our best and fastest techs. do not beat warranty times. All I know the new '08 are mean as heck, quiet and have loads more power than any diesel Ford has ever produced.

[tcsmpsi]

If you call getting paid 2 hours to do 4 hours worth of work getting rich, we are rolling in it ;)  All I know the new '08 are mean as heck, quiet and have loads more power than any diesel Ford has ever produced.

Yeah but, all that is of little use when the wheels fall off of it.   :D

[flip]

 :

[tcsmpsi]

 :D Aw now, flip.  You can't expect any better from an old east texas dodge owner.

I remember a while back, I scrimped and saved got all my earnings together, as I was determined to go ahead and spend the extra money and get me a good truck.

I wrestled and haggled and moaned and groaned at the car lot, but all I could do was get 5 bucks off the asking price.  But, it was such a prime specimen of a truck, that reckoned I could let go of the $85 for a clean, dentless, smooth running '49 Dodge.

Sky blue with a white top.  Was one hog haulin' little jewel. 

[Murf]

As a note, reprograming the ECM will increase the stink and emissions and reduce the engine life.  Every psi of boost you let the engine make takes time off the engine life. 

t a Ford PSD, throw the stock exhaust and airbox in the scrap pile, and get the ECM reprogrammed, you will add BOTH 30% more horsepower, and about 5+ mpg to the factory numbers.

I don't know 'bout dat, I've got several that were done a few years back, one rarely turns a wheel without a trailer out back, even just da empty trailer weighs 3k pounds, loaded it's about 10k pounds, been doin' dat fer some 300,000+ miles, way better dan stock mileage an' still purrs like a kitten on warm milk.

My own toy, err, umm truck, has all that done to it and more, and has about 200k miles on it, still pushes a 9.5' snowplow, and hauls anything I can hitch to it.   :

[junkyard]

When I had trucks I ran Dodge Ford Chevvy and International. In the Tandem I liked the Ford, The Dealer was 10 miles away and could almost build a truck from his parts room. In the two ton size it was a tye between International and Dodge even though the dealer didn't have that big of a parts department. One ton duallys Dodge was the best even had a homemade tag axle on one of the Dodges. It hauled as much as the two tonners. Being an old timer this was a quite a while ago, but I would still look at the Dodge before the others.
                           Junkyard

[flip]

I thought all you Texas guys drove Fords...didn't think they sold any other brands down there. ;)

[slowzuki]

I guarrantee if there was such thing as free mileage it would come that way from the factory.  Sounds like you drive yours right and don't have that engine putting out its full hp all the time.  But I'm telling ya the hours a given diesel engine model has in her is a function of how much hp per cubic inch she delivers in her life.

Fuel her to 700 hp like some of the cummins crowd loves and leave your foot in it all the time and you'll quickly see what I'm talking about  :D  A good indication an engine won't live very long is if you need exhaust pyrometers to daily drive the thing.

Anyways, back on topic!

Back on topic, a cheap hauler for not a lot of miles will have a gasser in it because we all want diesel.  If you are putting low miles the savings on oil changes and regular maintenance and the initial savings all point to gas.  If you are putting 100,000 a year on it all points to diesel.

I don't know 'bout dat, I've got several that were done a few years back, one rarely turns a wheel without a trailer out back, even just da empty trailer weighs 3k pounds, loaded it's about 10k pounds, been doin' dat fer some 300,000+ miles, way better dan stock mileage an' still purrs like a kitten on warm milk.

My own toy, err, umm truck, has all that done to it and more, and has about 200k miles on it, still pushes a 9.5' snowplow, and hauls anything I can hitch to it.   :

[tcsmpsi]

Ohhhh noooo....not down here around these parts.  This is just sho 'nuff plain ol' Dodge country.

Had a newspaper article just the other day where a couple of Fords were found out in the east side of the county, buried up in the mud.  By golly, you know, I believe that they mentioned Indiana plates.   :D

Dodge dually's as primary and secondary vehicles.   (sheeesh)   :D  Well, anyhow, a lot more folks with them than what need them.   But then too, a lot of need for the farmers and loggers.

DanG near every 4th vehicle is a silver Dodge dually.  

Not me.  I try to keep all my stuff toned down enough that my little ol' Dakota Quad (black) will handle it all just peachy keen.  

[Murf]

I thought all you Texas guys drove Fords...didn't think they sold any other brands down there. ;)

I thought they were all biased towards stuff wit horns on da front, steer, goat, don't matter much I suppose.  ;)

:D  :D  :D  :D  :D  :D  :D

As a buddy of mine puts it, "Real trucks work for a living, they don't wear bow ties!!"  ;D

[Qweaver]

Thanks for all the input everyone.  I'd like to have a low milage truck but it's really hard for me to justify it unless I give up one of my other vehicles...and my wife starts to pout as soon as I mention selling our custom van.  :  I may just stay on the lookout for a mid 90s dually in good shape but that's tough to find.
Quinton

[isawlogs]

  On a quiet evenin', out here in the country ,  ya can hear a Ford rust .

  Personnally partial to Dodge ..

[thurlow]

  Personnally partial to Dodge ..

You and me both;  about to get the Cummins broken in.  It's a '93 D350 with that oft maligned Getrag 5 speed.  The dealer ordered it to my specs and I took possession on Valentine's day, 1993.  Already, I've had to replace the tires, brakes, battery and starter.  "They just don't make 'em like they used to".  It rides like the proverbial log wagon;  since I retired, my wife's been hinting that we need to get a 4-door that she wouldn't be ashamed to be seen in.  Long's I've got that 7500# gooseneck and need to move a tractor or backhoe on occasion, it ain't gonna happen.  8)

[isawlogs]

  Mines the class of 91 4 X 4 cumins with helpers on the back . It's down to the frame , doing a little body work to it    ;D   Mine also is just getting broken in ... at 500,000 kilos  ;D  I did change the trany and the transfer case ... but then it is behind a plow so that aint all that bad . 

[barryinmn]

Well mine is older as well. 1993 C3500 cab & chassis dually LWB 6.5TD with a 5 speed. Has a 4 yard landscape elec hyd dump box on the back. Weighs 9K empty. In '94 the injector pump went electronic & thats when reliability problems started. Won't win any drag races and gets 10-14 mpg 4.10 rear locker. Paid $10K @ hobby farm auction back in '02 with 48K mi. Tags & insurance run less than $300/yr.

Here the Hwy dept has crew cab dumps that are very utilitarian but well maintained come up at auction.

[highpockets]

A fellow told me to never give a Dodge owner any trouble as he was already mad.

Just joking.  I bought a 2000 F250-7.3T with a 6 speed. I loved the truck but it did not have enough carrying capacity on the rear. I drove it for 34k and got a documented 19.9 m.p.g. After getting my backhoe and a 32 ft fifth wheeled camper I realized that I was short on rear tires. I bought a used (53K miles) 2000 F350-7.3T with a 6 speed.  We made a run from La to Penn and back this past summer.  The only place that I felt I was under powered was between (I-68) Hagerston, Maryland and Morgantown, West Virginia.  That is a pretty good hill.  We made 3668 miles and ran from 11.8 to 10.8 m.p.g. loaded.  I am not sure which readend I have but I call these trucks Texas Trucks. The reason is that they like 70 m.p.h. to perform best. 

I considered a Dodge when I first started looking for a new truck. A friend of mine who has been in the truck salvage business for 40 years told me that the body parts on a Dodge were twice that of a Ford or Chev.  I also talked to alot of hotshot (oilfield) drivers. The Dodge owners experienced frame and transmission problem.  As for the new Chev, they tell me the engine is a Jap design. As for Allison trans (General Motors owns Allison) I have run a lot of large 5860 and 6061 Allisons. They are god transmissions but I kind of think in small trucks they (Chev) are using a name to sell.  Me I'll stay with the old and proven for a while.

   

[sawguy21]

That 'jap' engine in the Chevy was designed by Isuzu which has a history of building very good engines and equipment. I hated the earlier 6.5 GM designed diesel. >:(

[Qweaver]

The plan has changed again.  I'm going to go with the duelly and have the trailer rated so that the rig will fall below the 26000 lb limit.  But I'm having a real problem justifying spending $34,000 and years of payments for a 1 ton truck.  Decisions, decisions

[Dave Shepard]

I didn't read all of the posts, and I won't say what I don't like about the other brands, only my opinion of what I've got. My 99 Cummins has done things no pickup was ever intended to do, like make a cobra mustang look real stupid up to 100 mph, or tow ten tons, and it has held up well to all of this abuse. Any problems I have had have been cuased either by me, or a mechanic I don't go to anymore. The new Cummins is very quiet, they now have an Aisin 6speed auto that is on par with the Alison, and they have an integral Jake, which is better than just holding the tranny in a lower gear. Dodge is offering 4500 and 5500 trucks this fall (2008 models) which is long overdue. Some may not like the looks of the Dodge, but the Cummins more than makes up for it. If you buy a used Cummins, put a fuel pressure guage in it and fix the lift pump before it eats the VP44.

Dave

[BigTrev]

Old Fords never die, they just go faster. ;D

[Dave Shepard]

BigTrev, you've opened up a can of worms now!

deleted!deleted!deleted!deleted!deleted!deleted!deleted!

Oh, I guess I'll be nice.


Dave

[Dan_Shade]

haha


I've got a cobra that'll give you a run for the money ;)



12.147@114.51mph in the 1/4 on a slipping clutch (N/A, never lifted a valve cover)

[BigTrev]

Thats one nice piece of work right there Dan  ;)

12 second pass NA is feat to be proud of 8)

[Dan_Shade]

yeah, it's a lot of work, and a trail of broken parts   I'm aiming for an 11, but I need a clutch and flywheel :(

since I bought a house, my car endeavors have kind of dropped off... besides, sawmilling is way more productive!

[Dale Hatfield]

Great launch Dan I love drag racing . Bult a mavrick in high school. 13 seconds with 351. What a blast. Went to college sold the car. 13 years later bought a dodge and now it goes 13 in the 1/4. I want faster but gotta be able to drive it. Thats still pretty fast for ton dually with a cummins

[Dave Shepard]

"but I need a clutch and flywheel"
" and a trail of broken parts"

When you find a clutch that'll handle 1200 ftlbs, let me know, the last one cost me $1700, and wouldn't do what it was supposed to. >:( It sucks when you roll on the throttle in sixth gear and things start smokin'.


Dave

[Dan_Shade]

go figure the first picture I got of the car with the wheels up, it was dirty  :D

it's amazing how fast the guys are getting the deisel pickups, but it's got to get a bit shaky up on the top side.

But speed doesn't make for a good tow vehicle, it's the brakes, the stability, then the power, in my opinion....

[Dave Shepard]

Dan, 120 is a bit squirrelly in a four-wheel drive truck.
It's better with a trailer though.


Dave

[Dan_Shade]

the problem with the high performance parts is that they aren't too much good for the day to day stuff.  my cousin is into 4x4 truck pulling stuff, talk about breaking stuff...  

I don't know anything about the manufacturers of the stuff for trucks, but a lot of the faster racing guys use sintered iron discs and some were using kevlar stuff a few years ago, but like I said, those things are on/off, not too good for street vehicles.  

I put a spool in my car a few years ago, wow, what a mistake, awesome at the track, but absolutely horrible on the street, borderline undriveable by my standards (at least with low profile tires, it's "better" with something with a tall sidewall).

the other thing with racing is to be competive, you're going to break things, because for it to be built to last, it will weigh too much :D

I ripped out an LCA bushing on my car, talk about a wild ride at 110!  the car was walking all over the place, i ended up feathering the gas to stay on the accelerating side of slowing down, if that makes any sense! 

[ScottAR]

Dan Shade....  Electrak or ARB locker.  ARB is air powered
by small electric compressor.
When on, Spool.... When off open differential.
Electrak... When on Spool... When off, limited slip.

Wanna see some neat video clips, go to Turbomustangs.com
Stockish looking mustangs racing sport bikes and winning... 8)

[Qweaver]

I don't know how we got from selecting a truck to drag racing but here we are.
Muscle cars and drag racing was big among my friends back in the 60s and 70s and I always had to chuckle at their talk about how fast they could get their lumbering leviathans to go thru' the quarter mile.  Here is the car that I raced back in the 70s.  We used standing starts back in those days and 1st gear was 60 mph at 8000 rpm and took 3 seconds.  These cars were not designed for the quarter mile, but one weekend our car club rented the local drag strip and we ran our cars all day.  With absolutely no changes to our setup, I was running sub 11s and I'm sure that with a final gear ratio change and some softer tires that I'd have been in the sub 10s.  After a few runs it got pretty boring.  Just as we were getting up to a good speed it was time to shut her down...no fast cornering...no one breathing down your neck at each corner trying to out brake you and sneak their nose in front... yawn, yawn : Now top fuel dragsters...that's a whole nurther thing. ;)
This car weighed less that 1000 lbs and was as twitchy as a fly covered horse.
Wanna get your blood pumping...get in one of these for a few laps.

[Dan_Shade]

those diffs may be ok in a 9", but they aren't so good in an 8.8, there's one locker that will hold up, but it's heavier, and I wanted to keep unsprung weight down.  I have a limited slip rear end sitting here ready to put it back in.

QWeaver, I always have to sorta yawn at a lot of the old school guys, a friend of mine's dad had a chrysler that "had so much torque it twisted the speedometer cable in half"...

I always figured the only turn I had to make was the one at the end of the track

top fuel cars are cool, jet cars are too

[Dave Shepard]

I know someone who is into jet cars, and now he is into jet firetrucks and ambulances. I got to help the pit crew once, standing at the first turn off and watching a jet funnycar go by at 280 is pretty cool. ;D


Dave

[BigTrev]

Saw a 7.6L 550hp diesel pick up engine on trade me the other day, pondered dropping it into my old 79 cortina ;D. Figure it would be hilarious showing up to the track, loading up diesel and blitzing away. With a couple of turbos I'm sure the thing would low fly..........if I could get the feet to stick to the tarmac :D