Diesel Poll

[WL74]

316,

Obviously you know the problems with Ford fuel pumps and how they interfere with CB. Unfortunately, the 3 trucks each stand out in different ways. Ford rear ends, Dodge (Cummins) engines, and Chevy (Allison) transmissions.

My brother has a 2000 Dodge 2500. He is very heavily biased towards the Dodge, but says that he would buy a Ford over a Chevy. And I know that's not a Ford Vs. Chevy thing because we were raised on the Chevy side of it. The problems I've heard with the Duramax (which is made by Isuzu) is that it use aluminum heads, which warp under high heat and a diesel will generate that.

Now don't take my word for it because I know you're gonna hear "I've had my Duramax ever since it came out and I've never had a problem".

As far as half tons are concerned, stick with GM. I think the styling of the GM trucks is the best, but most important is the fuel mileage. My GMC crew cab with a 5.3 V8 gets almost the same mileage as my Chrysler Pacifica with a V6. On a good road trip I can get 21 MPG.

Do your research on what you want to get. I too want to get a larger truck like that, but I can't decide on which one. Fortunately the limitation of fund has made that decision easy for me so I could vote NONE OF THE ABOVE!

So... why dont they make a Fordgachevy

[Peter Pan]

This is a really tough one. I really like both. If you're going new, I would do the Dmax. If you're going pre-DPF, I'd do a Cummins, but make sure you upgrade the lift pump with a more reliable one. When the lift pump on the 24v cummins starts to go, it doesn't take long to fry the injection pump.

I have two Dmaxes, an 04 and an 08. I love them both. The 08 is wicked powerful, but MPGs are way down due to the DPF. I can get 22 mpg in the 04, but I'm only getting 16 in the 08. I've owned one 24v cummins, an 03, and one 12v cummins, a 97. Great engine, but after using the Allison its tough to go back to 4 speeds. The Allison is just so nicely spread over the ratios. My only complaints about the Allison are that the reverse ratio is too low. It does help when backing a 10,000 lb trailer, but its hard to modulate torque when backing out of a parking space. The Allison is also a little crippled by GM's tune. I've had two Powerstrokes, a 95 and an 01. Nothing bad to say about the truck or the engine. Reliable, powerful, decent aftermarket support, and I really like Ford trucks.

Dodge: Love the 5.9 Cummins, luke warm on the 6.7, love the reliability from the 48RE tranny, don't like the ratios, strongly dislike the truck.
Chevy: Love the Dmax, love the Allison's ratios, but it could use a little more beef than the stock tune provides, love the truck, dislike the little reliability stuff that keeps failing.
Ford: Love the 7.3, especially the 99-03 intercooled versions. 6.0 and 6.4 are kinda poopy. Ford trannys are a little on the hit-or-miss side of the fence. Love the truck, love the build quality/reliability.

My dream truck is a 99-03 F250 with a 12v cummins, a beefed up Allison or an NV5600, and the AAR 11.5" axle.

[316]

WOW, this thread is old!

Got a Cummins by the like 10 months ago

[385]

Don't laugh... It's paid for

I voted for a dodge cause my dad had one, my brother has one and I'd love to have one. This is my 1990 chevy 4 door dually, 6.2L diesel, 4 spd tranny 4.10 rearend, bone stock, 112k+ miles. Had it 4 years and put 1 set of rear tires on, one set of brakes, master cylinder, slave cylinder and the A/C stuff will be here monday to put on. IMO not bad for a 19 yo truck. I haul hay on it during the summer with no problems, 12 6x6 round bales. Not fast but dependable.........385
PS planning on putting in a 5.9 cummins when the 6.2 goes.

[Hazelnut 7201]

Get your Dodge Cummins now, Fiat says "Bye, Bye Cummins".

[HorseFeather]

If you wanna go fast, Duramax.

If you wanna pull, 12V Cummins. The dirty dozen baby!

[AeroRam]

I'd have to stick with proven and made in the US not Izuzawho (DuraMax) J/M
Other than the NEED for a better trans I love everything about the Cummins. If you wanting to do any serious towing or power you may as well spend $6k on the transmission right away, after that your golden. I love mine

Few pics

[dragline]

looks like im a little late on this topic but o well here goes,

exterior looks-ford
ride-ford/chevy
interior comfort-ford/chevy
engine-dodge/cummins
trans-dodge/iason or 6 speed manual is good
drivetrain-dodge/ford.. if dodge fixed the wheel bearing problem

i have a 2000 ford with 7.3 and 6 speed manual 2 wheel drive 150,000 miles... have several mods done to it... with 315/75/16 tires and the cruise set at 70 i get 19-20 mpg. if i hook up to the 38' bighorn travel trailer and pull it at 70 mph i get anywhere from 8-10 mpg. My other tow vehicle is a bone stock 1999 dodge 2500 long wheel base 2 wheel drive with 270,000 miles. with the cruise set at 80-85 mph i get 21-23 mpg. pulling the trailer i get 15-17 mpg. No doubt in my mind as a daily driver i like my ford best. If i have any hauling/pulling the dodge is the way to go. Longevity dodge is my choice, the deciding factor is a really good friend of mine just recently traded his 03 dodge 3500 in with 647,852 miles on it. Replaced 1 injector and the lift pump and injector pump on it. Other than that it was tires/brakes/oil changes and re pack the bearings. the only other truck i have ever seen even close to that many miles was a 1999 f350 with 457,324 miles on the clicker and it was on its second engine.

Enjoy your new truck,
Drag

[dizy-devil]

my 2 cents.........I had a 2002 f250 7.3 psd with a superchip and a auto trany it had a galaxy 48t and a sweat 1600 and a 102" whip it had no engine noise it got 20-22 mpg it would pull anything i hooked up to it..I had a 16x8 inclosed tool trailer i would pull from atlanta to new york and it still got 20mph the trailer was loaded.. and allso that truck was scary fast with that chip...it was a swd lwb reg cab.. it the same time I had a 2005 f250 6.0 with a ranger 63ffc4 and a monkey made antena again no engine noise.. it had a max energy chip it was a 4door longbed 4x4.. it was pretyr more comfy and was great pulling the trailer it got the same fuel mpg.. had a ton more turbo lag.. the 02 7.3 would have ran off and hid from it and drug it around allday.. i would buy either one again in a minute.. next time i would go back to the 7.3 but i loved em both.. i allso like the cummings allthoe ive never owned on but drove a few as well as the duramax i say all three are great and you can not go wrong!

[ny221 8pill]

i have been driving trucks for 11 years now, mostly pickups, i own a small trucking comp.. and i run all fords now, i only by fords with the 7.3 turbo,2000 - 2002 when they stopped producing them and went to that junk 6.0.. the reson i run the 7.3 is that they dont die!!! i pull 3 car trailers with them loaded heavy all the time, they are so dependable but are getting hard to find to buy them without crazy miles on them. ONE of my trucks and i have 4 of them has over 425 thousand yes thousand origanal miles on it, NEVER touched the motor or tranny yet, i bought it in 2002 its a 2000 it had exacly 100,000 miles on it, it has been working hard since the day i bought it with no major brake downs not even any fuel injectors.. just alot of normal wear n tear. the other 3 have around 200,000 miles on them and none of them have ever broke bown yet ether, the only thing is the one with 425,000 the rear end is been getting sloppy for the last 100,000 miles but,, what can i ask for it dont o me a dime.. all the rear ends are dania's and the trannys are all auto's so the drivers dont burn out the cluthes on me all the time.i know the truck with 425,000 is gunna go soon but i have been saying that for the last 2 years haha, the dodges are nice but im not a fan of the inside of the cabs for long pierods of time over the road, and i hate chevrolets for working, they ride nice but they dont seam to hold the wieght we have to put on there backs to well. and i am seeing alot of trouble with the duramax after you work them hard for a while. like heads, computer probs, EGR, and injector pump probs, when they run good they got power but pulling a heavy load for a new motor the fuel mialage aint that great. and if dodge could keep there trannys in the truck and make there cabs a little more comforable, maybe i would try one, but for the new ford motors 6.0 and 6.4 or whatever, get it togetter and keep them togetter,maybe huh, lets start with that maybe, enough said with that, maybe bite the bullet and maybe bring the 7.3 back please.. most of us ford guys will take the lower fuel mileage for a truck we can drive and keep out of the shop.. ny 221 click click

[dragline]

AMEN!! its either the ford with the 7.3 or the dodge with the 5.9 for me...

[Buck Shot]

I wouldent go with any of them, i would go with a Detroit... in an old gm pick up...

[Dimitri]

Personally I went with a PowerStroke F-250. 355 Horsepower and 650ft-lbs of torque and I am getting 16mpg. You can sink 2 and a half feet into the mud, at the clay level in a swamp, and still drive out of it without over stressing the motor.

There is enough room to fit 6 average sized men in a crew cab. Its much more wider then you'd expect it to be in the inside. Compared to my dads Ford Expedition there has to be around 8-10" of extra room. Which is good, cause in my family I got 2 brothers, my grandfather, and my dad. So I can fit my family into the truck without it being too tight no problem. 3 people actually fit without needing to press each other in to close the doors.

Dimitri

[AeroRam]

355 Horsepower and 650ft-lbs of torque and I am getting 16mpg.
Dimitri

Well your halfway caught up with me then on the hp/tq :r&r: but I only get 17mpg.... round town

If I worked as efficently as my truck I'd be in pretty good shape

[Dimitri]

Well your halfway caught up with me then on the hp/tq :r&r: but I only get 17mpg.... round town

Well I know your not pushing double my HP and torque keeping that Cummins stock, I am going to use my physic ability and state you got propane or NOS running too.

My truck still has a couple more years of warranty (bought it new Aug 2009) so I need to wait before I do anything too drastic on the motor.

Dimitri

[AeroRam]

lol ok so I was having a little fun there, well she's bout 575/1100 does 19.3 hwy in kill mode but I can't complain

Performance wise: ATS 3000, DDP 90s, Smarty TNT Tunes, II Modified CP3, SunCoast Trans, Hammilton Springs, ARP Studs, Quadzilla boost fooler, BD CDT, K&N Intake, S&B Filter, 4" Straight Pipe, no sprays

Awaiting trans rebuild, ATS 5000 (goin to twins... EGTs are INSANE).... maybe up the injectors to 160s and the right lotto ticket lol

[Dimitri]

See your truck at that point ain't even street legal at that point here.

Dimitri

[AeroRam]

Legal left along with the warranty... bout 2 weeks after layin hands on it

[Dimitri]

Legal left along with the warranty... bout 2 weeks after layin hands on it

I need to keep my truck street legal, however my need to keep the warranty is based on money. New truck + College student = let the warranty do its work for major repairs.

Dimitri

[443 Arizona]

warrantee, smoorantee,, jeez you guys kill me with this,,, "ohhh,, i can't, i want to remain a virgin" type attitude.
i suppose if you prefer a GM product , it would pay to keep it "in warrantee".
i have owned more fords than i care to count,,
i have driven,used, worked several brands.
the pickups and trucks get put to the test once in awhile,,, only the fords make it home.
now i know that comment pisses off every other brand owner ,,, but its true.
as for diesel engines,, the 7.3 chipped is too tough to die,,, but when it does(if ever) i would consider a cummings transplant.
my 350supercrew4x4larriet is an old workhorse,almost 280,000 miles.
i grew up using fords ,chev's on heavy construction sites,,,
well, i could go on and on,, cummings and intersmashibles(ford's international 7.3), will go on forever.

[359cummins]

lol ok so I was having a little fun there, well she's bout 575/1100 does 19.3 hwy in kill mode but I can't complain

Performance wise: ATS 3000, DDP 90s, Smarty TNT Tunes, II Modified CP3, SunCoast Trans, Hammilton Springs, ARP Studs, Quadzilla boost fooler, BD CDT, K&N Intake, S&B Filter, 4" Straight Pipe, no sprays

Awaiting trans rebuild, ATS 5000 (goin to twins... EGTs are INSANE).... maybe up the injectors to 160s and the right lotto ticket lol

lol i guess there is someone on here with a more powerful cummins then me runnin a little over 900 ft lb with a 6 speed standard but i got a bad injector now. oh well ttime for some 90s or 120s not sure which yet. just waitin on the money

[443 Arizona]

yaa , now thats what i'm talkin about,,, jack it up, pump it up, blow it up , GTO, we can keep the mfg.er's in business, keeping the cost of parts $ affordable(try not to laugh)

[dmcgathy]

I dont know much about duramax but have done routine maintance on cummins and powerstroke cummins about$150 cheaper per before you buy price check the maintance pf the vehicle that might help in final decision

[Joker-Dave]

LET'S REVIVE THIS OLD THREAD!!!

When they cam out with the new Dodge 2500/3500 series I test drove the only Mega cab they had on the lot. It had the full size bed, so that problem is solved! I drove it straight home to see if it would fit in my garage, and it did! barely, but it fit! I wasn't too keen on the color (brown), and it had a manual tranny which I didn't think I would like driving to work every day. It also didn't have all the options I wanted. So that wasn't the truck for me. The dealer said he could order me whatever I wanted but they just don't get too many Megacab trucks in. I decided to wait a while since it was a new model and hopefully the price would drop or they would work out any bugs in the first year. I still prefer the old body style and that megacab is the way to go for sure! I haven't been back by the stealership in a while, but maybe this thread just re-sparked my interest a little.

[af1cummins]

Well I'm a Ford man, but I drive a Cummins. LOL, I don't even tell people I own a Dodge. There's a long running joke about a Dodge bein a 50,000 mile truck built around a million mile motor. Don't know how long it's going to take but I'll eventually have a Ford with a Cummins swapped into it with the Dodge 6spd. To me, I don't think a pickup truck could get much better.

[MDYoungblood]

I just bought my 3rd Dodge with a Cummins, never had a problem with the motor or trans, the axles are another story and af1cummins you are right about your comment. now with fuel prices skyrocketing I am looking into biofuel(making my own). Greg

[str8stroke]

I owned both, a 04 Chevy Duramax, and 03 Dodge with the Cummins. I like things about each. But at the end of the day, prefer the Cummins. I swapped the Chevy for the Dodge, cause I wanted a Dually. I made sure when I got the Chevy that It had the Second Gen motor!!!!! If you buy a 04 chevy be super super careful which engine code you get!!!!!! I can't stress this enough. It was a mid year change. Otherwise you will have INJECTOR ISSUES for life! There is a major difference in price too.

What I liked about the Chevy:
11.4 mpg pulling wet camper 9K lbs plus, 19-20 mpg unloaded
Power mirrors that slide out
Larger full 4 door interior
Higher quality interior fit & finish
Smoother ride
Driver information center
Good smelling diesel lol
5 speed trans

Didn't like:
pwr steering pump noise
expensive front end repairs @ 200K
mine had a SWB 6 ft box (may be a 6.5??)
No plug & play elec brakes
No under seat storage compartments

What I liked about the dodge:
Looks
torque for days
about the same fuel mpg with a 1 ton and extra tires
Under seat rear storage and fold out metal tray
Larger console up front
Storage under center front seat
plug & play elec brake controller


Don't like:
Expensive front end repairs @ 175K
4 speed trans
Cheap plastic interior Dash all cracked up
Smaller interior still 4 full doors
no driver info center
Manual fold out mirrors

Kinda sums it up for me. I USE my trucks to tow my camper. So I have spent several hours and 1000's of miles driving them in all kinds of conditions. I have to also disclaim that I sold Dodge trucks for 6 years. I am partial to dodge for that reason. I bought the Chevy in a hurry cause I got a new camper and was forced to sell my Dodge 1500 in a hurry and all I could find was the Chevy. It is a GOOD solid truck for sure. The Chevy feels quicker, but it was a 2500. So not a fair comparison. Each has its pros and cons. At the end of the day, I like having the cummins. Also, having a dually 1 ton 8 foot bed that gets the same MPG as the Chevy 2500 with a 6 foot box.

Later.

[Pitbull 1]

I voted cummins, I have owned one of the first gens and have worked on dura, powerst, and cummins and love the tried and true. my cummins currently is still family owned and 500,000 miles + Is still stock minus couple upgrades and a vacuum pump. Also toyota and nisson are going with the 4bt cummins. Ive run skidders with that motor and you cannot kill it.

[543FtWorth]

I was never a dodge man but I like my cummins engines. Almost 300k, no ignition noise on the CB, pulls my off road rig like a little red wagon and has embarrassed a few guys in rice burners and mustangs...not stock BTW

[443 Arizona]

6 yr old post and nothing is changed .ford#1, dodge#2, chev,,, not placing?

[543FtWorth]

If ford had the cummins engines in their f250 and f350 they'd have put dodge out of the truck business long ago. The 7.3 powerstroke wasn't a bad engine but I'm not a fan of the HEUI injection system...especially when they get some wear and the weather is cold. They always seem to slobber oil into the intake pipes and I've yet to drive one that pulls like a cummins. The 6.9 and 7.3 non turbo predecessors were very reliable but had no guts. Even hardcover ford guys will tell you the 6.0 and the 6.4 used later was junk unless you want to do an egr delete and pull the cab to install a set of head studs. I don't know anything about ford's current diesel engine.

The duramax was the new kid on the block in the early 2000s and they built a reputation for cracking injector tips. I believe they corrected the problem long ago but is still an isuzu.

The first cummins engines put in dodge trucks were nearly bulletproof. Later (1998.5 to 2002) they had alot of injection pump failures. There were some manufacturing defects in some pumps but most failures were caused by a transfer pump failure. The 2003-2007 common rail engines are pretty reliable. The best thing one can do is install a better fuel filter to protect the injectors. The stock filter is something like a 10-12 micron and with the high pressure a common rail system runs something around 3 microns makes me feel better.

Dodge could have really had something if the chassis and interior was as solid as the engine