Faster horses
Well-known member
We stopped at the rodeo in Sheridan, Wyoming last summer. Interesting
that the Dodge's outnumbered everything else.
that the Dodge's outnumbered everything else.
My daily driver is a 1984 Ford 3/4 ton I put a $1000 a year into it between maintenace and tire's and odd's and end's.This winter it will be getting a paint job on the cab and a bale bed.I can't see spending $25,000 to $45,000 on a money pit like a pickup maybe when I get older and have extra cash but as of now no thanks at new truck prices I could buy and pay for 40 acres of land every 60 month's.At the end of a 60 month payment plan all you have is a fixer upper anyhow might just as well start out there.I have a 1989 ford 3/4 ton that I am going to put a 59 ford body on that should be a sporty ranch truck.By the time I get it done my first grader will be driveing and need something COOL to chase girls with.
Northern Rancher
Well-known member
Chevy Diesel's are junk-I've only went hauling with them three times-all new but different trucks never made the trip without a breakdown-we hauled a studhorse the other day with a one ton Ford diesel and got a whopping ten miles to the gallon. I've been to Wyoming and back and all over here in Dodge's with Cummins in them and never had to find a garage yet. The loggers and outfitters and ranchers use mostly Dodge's so that's a pretty good testimonial to durability-this is in country where it actually gets cold lol.
Soapweed
Well-known member
Our main trailer-pulling pickup is a 1997 Ford F-350 crew cab. It has a little over 150,000 miles on it. Outside of tires and oil changes, the only thing that has gone wrong with it was a clutch master cylinder. This happened over a hundred thousand miles ago.
About a year ago, I let myself get talked into putting in a $400 "chip" to supposedly get better mileage and more horse-power. It helped with the "get up and go", but made the mileage worse. The chip was a three part adjustable deal, and the first setting was in the middle. Later, it was adjusted to the lowest level. Finally about a week ago, I had the chip taken out, and traded it back to the original seller of it. We had a horse trade on anyway, so we ended up trading horses straight across, and I sold him back the chip for a hundred dollars. My recommendation on a chip is, save your money and go with the factory setting.
About a year ago, I let myself get talked into putting in a $400 "chip" to supposedly get better mileage and more horse-power. It helped with the "get up and go", but made the mileage worse. The chip was a three part adjustable deal, and the first setting was in the middle. Later, it was adjusted to the lowest level. Finally about a week ago, I had the chip taken out, and traded it back to the original seller of it. We had a horse trade on anyway, so we ended up trading horses straight across, and I sold him back the chip for a hundred dollars. My recommendation on a chip is, save your money and go with the factory setting.
efb
Well-known member
If your grandma could get along with a 1/2 ton or heavy duty 1/2 and go with the 5.3 engine rather than the 6.0 it would probably save considerable on gas. The other problem with the 3/4 ton chev. is they only come with 4.10 axle unless they just changed it in the past year. We are on our 3rd Tahoe with the 5.3 engine and 3.73 axle and they all get 20-21 mpg on the hwy.
As far as trucks, Ford use to have the advertising line, " Have you driven a Ford lately". I think that now applies to Dodge. Since Daimlier has taken over Chrysler the quality has improved a bunch. I'm now on my 2nd Dodge Cummins, auto and wouldn't go back to Chevy if they sold me one for half price. I pull a 32 ft. hauling hay which is way too much for a 3/4 ton, plus it's my work truck on the ranch. It now has 70,000 miles on it an I have yet to spend a penny on it or my previous Dodge. I traded my '02 for an '04 to get 4 doors and the quieter engine. You can go to our sale barn on any sale day and out of 100 trucks , 70 will be Dodge. I don't know much about Fords, but the few guys I know with them say the 6.0 won't pull like the 7.3, and they are in the shop too much. I think mainly injector pumps. I think trucks are like women. It's a good thing we don't all like the same one.
As far as trucks, Ford use to have the advertising line, " Have you driven a Ford lately". I think that now applies to Dodge. Since Daimlier has taken over Chrysler the quality has improved a bunch. I'm now on my 2nd Dodge Cummins, auto and wouldn't go back to Chevy if they sold me one for half price. I pull a 32 ft. hauling hay which is way too much for a 3/4 ton, plus it's my work truck on the ranch. It now has 70,000 miles on it an I have yet to spend a penny on it or my previous Dodge. I traded my '02 for an '04 to get 4 doors and the quieter engine. You can go to our sale barn on any sale day and out of 100 trucks , 70 will be Dodge. I don't know much about Fords, but the few guys I know with them say the 6.0 won't pull like the 7.3, and they are in the shop too much. I think mainly injector pumps. I think trucks are like women. It's a good thing we don't all like the same one.
efb
Well-known member
One other quick point. Don't let your fuel level get low. Since the fuel pumps are in the gas tanks now the fuel pump must stay submerged or they will burn out in minutes. My neighbor was trying to get the last couple of loads of hay out of the field before fueling up. I guess the gas sloshing around in the tank was enough to burn up the pump. It was a Chevy and it's a $700 fix. 
Well I would be worried about GM going bankrupt. The trend now a days is for no government bail outs. Look at the airline industry.
Maybe some of this is just posturing for the unions but GM and Chevy do not look very healthy.
Last I heard they were talking about merging Chevy and GM to try to save the outfit?
The one thing I have noticed about the new trucks is that the GM trucks dont have the ground clearance that the Dodges do.
If I was going to buy a new truck I would look really hard at a Dodge.
GM would be a very close second choice.
Maybe some of this is just posturing for the unions but GM and Chevy do not look very healthy.
Last I heard they were talking about merging Chevy and GM to try to save the outfit?
The one thing I have noticed about the new trucks is that the GM trucks dont have the ground clearance that the Dodges do.
If I was going to buy a new truck I would look really hard at a Dodge.
GM would be a very close second choice.
Faster horses
Well-known member
Soapweed, I think there are chips and there are chips. Mr. FH
put a chip in the 2002 Dodge that worked great. It wasn't called a
chip it was called a Power Max I think and it was made by
Cummins, or by someone that was part of Cummins. It was highly
recommended.
There are a lot of chips out there and you have to be selective, it
sounds like to me. Our daughter had a chip in her 2002 Dodge and
it wasn't anything like ours and it didn't work nearly as well. It
caused her some problems too, and ours never did.
So far Mr. FH hasn't put anything like that in the new one. He probably
hasn't had time...he was in the middle of putting chrome stacks on it and had to stop to put up hay.
put a chip in the 2002 Dodge that worked great. It wasn't called a
chip it was called a Power Max I think and it was made by
Cummins, or by someone that was part of Cummins. It was highly
recommended.
There are a lot of chips out there and you have to be selective, it
sounds like to me. Our daughter had a chip in her 2002 Dodge and
it wasn't anything like ours and it didn't work nearly as well. It
caused her some problems too, and ours never did.
So far Mr. FH hasn't put anything like that in the new one. He probably
hasn't had time...he was in the middle of putting chrome stacks on it and had to stop to put up hay.
My Chip was put in by Powerhouse Diesel in Pendleton. I would match Mike Owen up against anyone....My 96 Powerstroke has 460,000 miles on it.....Absolutley nothing to do with Ford, 100% Mikes ability!!!!! FH had a thread called Horseman Extraodinaire...Mike would be Diesel Mechanic Extraordinaire....
I have driven Ford Diesel and was set to be a Ford guy the rest of my life...Well, they ruined it with the 6 litre...Most guys report nothing but problems. I am amazed hearing the trouble with the Tranny's (Allison) in the Chevy....Maybe Dodge has come up. My assumptin has always been they have sooo many out there because thier price is the cheapest..
My ideal situation...Someone come out with a heavy half that has maybe a smaller Diesel engine that gets great mileage for my Dayjob and put my 96 to work fulltime at home,
As far as American motor companies struggling, I don't have a lot of sympathy. The dealerships have screwed me on maintenance for years, the management creates thioer own poor selling designs,
PPRM
I have driven Ford Diesel and was set to be a Ford guy the rest of my life...Well, they ruined it with the 6 litre...Most guys report nothing but problems. I am amazed hearing the trouble with the Tranny's (Allison) in the Chevy....Maybe Dodge has come up. My assumptin has always been they have sooo many out there because thier price is the cheapest..
My ideal situation...Someone come out with a heavy half that has maybe a smaller Diesel engine that gets great mileage for my Dayjob and put my 96 to work fulltime at home,
As far as American motor companies struggling, I don't have a lot of sympathy. The dealerships have screwed me on maintenance for years, the management creates thioer own poor selling designs,
PPRM
frenchie
Well-known member
PPRM said:
We use to be real Ford guys too.. until my brother and dad both bought 6litres..what a disappointment after the 7.3,s.Local dealer really screwed them around
Personally I really like the new duramax deisel but to each their own.
Brotherin-law runs one of the 1st Dodges that came out with Cummins.He has done nothing to the motor..even thought it has 500,000 km on it .But he has spent a small fortune on the rest of the truck :lol:
Denny said:
What I should have wrote was the ground clearance in the middle. Say where the transfer case is.
Now I have never measured any of them but the Chevys seem like they would high center when cresting a hill quicker than a Dodge would. The bodys on the Dodge Trucks are definately higher than the Chevys so maybe its a bit of an illusion?
But im thinking for off roading the Dodge would suffer less body damage.
Also I agree with what someone else said about a smaller diesel motor that maybe did not have as much torgue but that gives better fuel mileage. This would be ideal for me.
passin thru
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2005
- Messages
- 2,603
And to think..............a radio used to be an option, oh and the heaters was also an option in the early day :lol:
Faster horses
Well-known member
My dad, who was a die-hard Ford guy made a remark about the Dodge pickups when they first came out with the Cummins.
He said, "you might have a Cummins, but you've still got a Dodge."
We felt like real traitors when we bought the first Dodge, because we
have been Ford people since 1967. Had a lot of good Fords that we
were really happy with. But we have had nothing but good from
running the Dodges. Our daughter, on the other hand, has had some
problems with hers.
Mr. FH has always said the Chevys don't have enough ground
clearance in the middle to suit him.
He said, "you might have a Cummins, but you've still got a Dodge."
We felt like real traitors when we bought the first Dodge, because we
have been Ford people since 1967. Had a lot of good Fords that we
were really happy with. But we have had nothing but good from
running the Dodges. Our daughter, on the other hand, has had some
problems with hers.
Mr. FH has always said the Chevys don't have enough ground
clearance in the middle to suit him.
Manitoba_Rancher
Well-known member
We ve got a F-350 with a 6.0L powerstroke in it. I would put it up against any cummins and I bet it would out pull it with the pulling we do. I know we ve put two dodges with 5.9's up against it. We ve had a few problems with it but every new diesel has a few bugs!!
Faster horses
Well-known member
No bugs to work out in our cummins MR. Not in the last one either.
Pulling power doesn't just come with the engine; it has a lot
to do with the gear ratio in the rear end. And you are covering alot
of country there with your 'come on' against any cummins. :wink:
Vehicles are kind of like religion. To each his own and woe be to
someone who tries to change it.
Good thing they make more than one kind of vehicle. It sure is best
to be happy with the vehicle you've got. Pretty fustrating to have one
you don't like.
________________________________________________________
Say, while we are on this subject, someone told us the other day
that vehicles in Canada get better fuel mileage than the ones here do.
According to them, it has something to do with your government
regulations. Is there anything to that?
First I'd heard of it and I wanted to find out.
Thanks.
Pulling power doesn't just come with the engine; it has a lot
to do with the gear ratio in the rear end. And you are covering alot
of country there with your 'come on' against any cummins.
:wink: Vehicles are kind of like religion. To each his own and woe be to
someone who tries to change it.
Good thing they make more than one kind of vehicle. It sure is best
to be happy with the vehicle you've got. Pretty fustrating to have one
you don't like.
________________________________________________________
Say, while we are on this subject, someone told us the other day
that vehicles in Canada get better fuel mileage than the ones here do.
According to them, it has something to do with your government
regulations. Is there anything to that?
First I'd heard of it and I wanted to find out.
Thanks.
cowsense
Well-known member
FH: Canadian fuel mileage better???? Perhaps if you can translate Km. per litre you can figure it :wink: :lol: .......otherwise if you do miles per gallon, the Imperial gal. is larger than the U.S. gallon and that may be the difference. Seems to me that all our engines have to meet California emissions standards :???: :?
:???: :?Faster horses
Well-known member
Didn't sound quite right to me either.
If you want to get it from the
horse's mouth, better go ask the horse, so I did. :wink:
Thanks.
If you want to get it from the
horse's mouth, better go ask the horse, so I did. :wink:
Thanks.
efb
Well-known member
Manitoba_Rancher said:
I don't know which of the 3 diesels will pull the hardest, but I'm almost certain about one thing. Several hundered thousand miles down the road, the Cummins will still be running strong and with far less down time and money spent on it that the other two. That includes repairs, maintenance and fuel. I know a lot of guys running them and I almost never hear of one being in the shop because of the engine. If Ford and Chevy would offer the Cummins engine along with the Powerstroke and Duramax what do you think would happen ?? :wink:
