Went to east Texas to pick up a load of lumber last yesterday afternoon late for the barn. Had about 6k with trailer. Now I know that's not a huge load by any means, but...... crazy!
Loaded it wood still pull away from traffic at a light and I didn't even have to try very hard to do it and on the toll roads I'd find myself soon going 85 or better, so had to set the cruise or it'd be ticket time for me. Coming over the mountains it never got below 80 mph. I'm so happy me bride got it for me..... smiley_heart smiley_heart smiley_heart
After having my Cummins I'll never go back to gas.
I love both my diesel trucks especially when towing. When I hate them is when it comes time for injectors or a turbo or when its -30°F out.
420+K on my LBZ. Never plan to get rid of it.
You may want to check the speed rating of your trailer tires. Most st tires are not rated for those speeds.
Still loving mine too, since I bought it new in Nov. 2000. I ordered it before the dealer knew how much they were going to cost, after following the development of that motor in Popular Science, for several years. I knew I wanted a diesel, but didn't want a loud one. It's no. 38 off the Duramax assembly line, and only that late because the dealer didn't really have an allocation for one.
Mine is the first model, LB7, that is supposed to be so terrible. Injectors, that were the worst thing about the first model, lasted 13 years, and 230,000 miles.
I'll get another one when I'm tired of this one. It has never said anything about what I had behind it, but "come on, let's go".
I suggest keeping the speed down, things could get bad at 80 with that load behind you. My miledge goes south at much over 60, I don't have cruise so have to watch myself.
Trailer weighed about the same as the truck. Brakes on both axles. Stopping ability not much different then the truck by itself. I wasn't racing. With that said, going with traffic is safer overall then going slower then traffic
Speed rating is 'm' i think, that's 81 mph
I'm not sure I could ever go back to having a gas truck either. I drive an F350 with 6.2 gas and today i was pulling our fire safety trailer that weighs maybe 8,000 lbs. I could not go over 60 going up one of our big hills. My F350 with 6.7 would not even notice there was a load back there and I could go whatever speed I wanted. The new generations of turbo diesels are amazing.
We calculated our first roadtrip from mass to tennessee back when diesel was crazy high, to be around $3 in fuel. Just enough diesel to start and get up to switchover temp on a freshly built wvo system.
I need to get that truck down here and go through it. My 5.4 triton is a gutless pig and drinks gas.
Theyll still be making everything for a 6BT, P7100 and 47RE long after im gone. My favorite engine by far.
Quote from: sawguy21 on May 30, 2021, 03:10:37 PM
After having my Cummins I'll never go back to gas.
With a little tweaking , twin turbos and your ready to spank a new Vette. Think not go watch U tube. You can have a serious work truck and sports car all in one 😂
If you really want to get wild you can run triple turbos and run a 9 second 1/4 mile. https://youtu.be/BW4UVszAIHQ (https://youtu.be/BW4UVszAIHQ)
IF you can keep all of that pressure in your hoses, sooner or later, you'll blow a head gasket. About (last I heard) 70-80psi was all that you could cram in your intake and not have that problem, although I've been out of that part of the game 10+yrs. Someone along the way might have come up with a better way, I just don't know. I don't have one so that probably explains the lack of knowledge on my part.
But, a man can always dream! 🤔 🤫
I have an 01 Duramax. It runs good and has pretty good power. I bought it used, over 300K miles. Motor was supposedly changed at some point, all that to say the motor is a little sick with a bit of blow by and what I think is an exhaust side turbo seal that leaks a bit of oil, which has earned the truck the name "Ol' Smoky"😁 But even being a touch sick it still runs and pulls really good, and decent fuel mileage (15-16mpg). I really like the Allison tranny too. I know the newer ones are quiet, but it is a rattling son of a gun, makes me think I'm back in the old Ford 9000 tandem end dumps, 3208 Cat powered, I used to run😬 I would also add that I curse that Duramax every time I have to work on something under the hood, they are stuffed under there and most everything is a real chore. I'd way rather be working on my 5.9 Cummins.
Change the water pump on a 5.9 then come back and talk to us. What a pain in the you know what! >:(
I drive a 2016 Chevy 3500 crew cab 4x4 Duramax every day for work. Tow a 289d cat skidsteer loader at least twice a week. The Duramax is a beast of a motor. What will probably surprise some of you is my personal truck is a 2020 Ram 2500 6.4 gas and it will pull anything the Duramax does with no problem. I can get 21 mpg hwy empty at 70 mph. Average 15.8 mpg around town. The last time I pulled a trailer load of logs ( estimate 12000#) I got 12 mpg. Not a whole lot different than the Duramax. Not trying to take anything away from the diesels, but I get along just fine without paying the extra $10000 for the diesel engine and double each time I change the oil. Also not a big fan of DEF and the problems associated with it. My Duramax has been in the shop 6 times in 127,000 miles with DEF system problems.
Diesels are King when it comes to pulling heavy loads........ Torque baby
DEF and its associated parts are such a pain that I'm really not surprised that so many people "delete" such devices. Just saying ;)
Deleting them isn't as easy or cheap as it once was. When the government started cracking down on those who produce the parts needed for such work a lot of parts sources dried up as well as the tuners to make it all possible.
While it's still possible to delete a diesel it isn't as easy as it once was.
Quote from: chevytaHOE5674 on May 31, 2021, 06:54:14 AM
Deleting them isn't as easy or cheap as it once was. When the government started cracking down on those who produce the parts needed for such work a lot of parts sources dried up as well as the tuners to make it all possible.
While it's still possible to delete a diesel it isn't as easy as it once was.
Exactly!! TST made a plug in module that had 5 levels and I had it on a 2003 Cummins and it was incredible. Talked to the owner 4 years ago and he said the government fined him a couple million and really cracked down and he couldn't build anything anymore
My '01 Duramax not only does not require DEF, but it doesn't even have an EGR system.
Maybe I should feel guilty about the extra pollution, but at 18.8 mpg, at least it's spread out farther.
@Tom King (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=25437) I wouldn't feel guilty about it at all. Although I have no problem with my Ford 6.7 with DEF, I would prefer it without. EPA does things like require diesel with ultra low sulphur, but where does that extracted sulphur go? It's somewhere and its likely still being burned somewhere and still polluting the atmosphere. They pretend they're helping the atmosphere, but its just being deferred. As far as DEF goes, you've probably heard the phrase "DEF, saving the atmosphere one 2.5 gallon plastic jug at a time".
If it was about saving the atmosphere they wood require manufactures to build the most efficient engine possible even if with some pollutants. That spread over every aspect of industry wood reduce pollutants to a greater extent then less efficient engines that spread fewer pollutants, as they burn more fuel to produce the same amount of used energy
What kind of problems are you having with DEF? Of course my 05 Cummins doesn't have it but I am curious, it seems simple enough.
Sawguy, I've done several water pumps on 5.9 Cummins and I thought the hardest part of the job was draining and refilling the coolant 🤷🏽♂️
If anyone here needs to work on a Duramax, I have accumulated a lot of specialized tools. I even have the puller, and installer for a front main seal.
And yes, the water pump is a pretty big job, but not really That bad. I have always kept a spare water pump in the Git Home kit for every truck I've ever owned. When I bought the Duramax dually, I kept one in the tool box. I didn't need it for 20 years, but it wouldn't have been a side of the road job anyway.
I've also replaced every moving part in the steering assembly.
My first alternator stopped charging at 115,000 miles. I was on the way home when I noticed it wasn't charging, by the gauge on the dash. I stopped at NAPA, without turning off the engine, and bought one. I put it in the shop, and sure enough, it wouldn't start, so I put the charger on the batteries, and changed the alternator the next morning.
Last truck payment made was Nov. 2000. I like to make one payment, and see how long one will last. So far, haven't spent much more than one payment on a new one, every other year, or three, for the past several years.
Ordered a 2022 Silverado 2500HD with the Duramax in it last week. Finally time to get a diesel. Around here they say "you have to really hate your money if you want a new truck" I guess I hate money, truck costs more than my house! Now the wait begins.....
Quote from: lazyflee on July 21, 2021, 08:56:49 AM
Ordered a 2022 Silverado 2500HD with the Duramax in it last week. Finally time to get a diesel. Around here they say "you have to really hate your money if you want a new truck" I guess I hate money, truck costs more than my house! Now the wait begins.....
Yes and no on the 'hate'. If you need a truck for work, you have little choice. If you have real amounts of money, then why not. I have a really good friend that sold his company in 08 for 54 million. He buys a new half ton every 3 years and a new 1 ton every 4 years. He's 65. He said, why not
Quote from: sawguy21 on May 31, 2021, 02:39:11 PM
What kind of problems are you having with DEF? Of course my 05 Cummins doesn't have it but I am curious, it seems simple enough.
11 duramax bought used in 13 with 35k. 1st def pump at 45k, next at 60k 3rd at 75k needed another at 95k 5 year 100k warranty was out and was cheaper to delete. If memory serves pump replacement was around $2800. I was looking at new trucks and now wonder if the new ones are better now, forgot all about the pump failures.
Back to the question of what kind of problems DEF systems can have - I've had my entire emissions system replaced at 82k miles on my 15 RAM 2500 Cummins. It's been an expensive nightmare. DEF pump, injector, sensors, EGR, etc. all had to be replaced (some of which was already replaced ~30k miles ago!). Truck was in the shop for two months and cost me thousands. Emissions warranty just ran out prior to all these failures. Truck went into 'limp mode' due to DEF issues at ~30k miles, 50k miles and most recently 80k miles.
Tried to delete system, but can't get the DPF delete tuner in the US anymore and EPA has cracked down. Was told that if caught with modified emissions, you get $2500+ fine on the spot as well.
I've heard that Ford and GM all have troubles with DEF systems as well, particularly the earlier models made shortly after the EPA mandated all this crap. Not sure any of the manufacturers have addressed the reliability issues with these complicated, troublesome diesel emissions systems yet - if anyone has insight I'd be interested in hearing about it.