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New to me Cummins

P

PPRM

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 10, 2005
Messages
1,998
Location
NE Oregon
Well, Like any cattle buyer, LOL,

I got a New to me Diesel truck...03 cummins with crew cab 1 ton......It has way more HP than my 96 powerstroke...I am liking it...It is a load puller that is for sure, kinda dangerous, LOL,

Burgandy colr, Pics after I get it washed up again, LOL,

The Powerstroke is our corn trailer hauler now...468,000 miles on it.....

PPRM
 
best diesel out there. Try putting a power chip in. I chipped my 2002 and that thing could pull whatever you put behind it. Just keep an eye on the temp and put an exhaust temp gauge in to be safe.
 
Came with a Pyrometer and trans Temp Guae....Just put a Microtuner on it Monday.....Got it at Friontier sales in Courdelene also known as Dave Smith Motors,

PPRM
 
Cummins are great, but

We went to the dealer to get our last pickup. We have a GM card so we usually buy GM. This was to be our first Dodge - Cummins with a 6 speed.

We drove it about a mile. The brakes were real hard as was the ride. My wife figured it didn't drive or ride as nice as our 2001 GM. The dealer sold both Dodge and GM.

We went back and bought a Duramax with an Allison transmission and have not been disappointed. It has just about 31,000 miles on it and it has never been back to a dealer for anything.

Whatever works for you.
 
how much work have you done on your 96???
I have a 99 f-350 with 220,000 on it. new tranny, but no engine trouble so far, knock on wood.
 
Ford Transmissions suck as did the brakes on the 96 (Mainly drums too small and lots of rotor trouble).....Other than that, nothing notable...

I wasn't against a Duramax....I couldn't buy new, so went used...I had about 60 Diesels to choose from, this one fit the Bill best,

They mostly had Cummins on the lot....It is an incredible selection for used trucks,

PPRM
 
If you want to know how popular Cummins are, just go to a farm sale. Last one I went to, two thirds of the pickups there were Dodge Diesels. Used to be mainly Ford and Chevrolet.

Rarely find anyone who isn't happy with theirs.
 
Makes ya wonder if everyone is always happy with their cummins why are so many on the used lots?

The engine is a good unit, or was.. from what I am hearing all the newer fuel systems are screwing up all the diesel trucks.

Anyways a newer truck is always fun except when the payments come.

My 97 is finally mine, now I can put the monthly payment into repairs.
 
Jason said:
Makes ya wonder if everyone is always happy with their cummins why are so many on the used lots?

The engine is a good unit, or was.. from what I am hearing all the newer fuel systems are screwing up all the diesel trucks.

Anyways a newer truck is always fun except when the payments come.

My 97 is finally mine, now I can put the monthly payment into repairs.
Click to expand...

I think there are so many used ones out there, because of all the deals they made on new ones. There for awhile, you could buy a new one and trade in your old one, and make smaller payments than you had before.

I can relate to the repair deal.

My 02 just hit 100,000 and I put new tires on it the other day. Stopped back yesterday to get the stuff under the front axle checked and was told I better get it in the next 10,000 miles and get some new stuff under there so that I don't screw up the tread on these new expensive tires. Probably cost around a $1000. So just when you get to where you are owning it instead of the bank, then you go to fixing. :x

I think these newer, heavier built pickups with these big heavy engines, are sure hard on front ends. I don't hardly ever drive mine anywhere except down the road, but that's a lot of weight for the front end. I've got an old 53 International 2 ton truck and I'll bet it's no heavier than this Dodge. But it sure don't drive as nice either. :D
 
We have had 3 Dodge Cummins, all one-ton 4x4 Duallys.
One '97, one 2002 and now a 2006. Almost all the miles are
put on pulling a trailer. We deliver mineral in our Featherlite
horse trailer as the mineral comes on small pallets and he loads
it using a cart and a ramp. Very seldom
does Mr. FH go out of here with less than 5 ton of mineral on and
usually it is 7 ton.

He travels a lot of back roads and we haven't had a speck of trouble
with any of the pickups. We were Ford people for years and
years, but I don't think he would go back. Very satisified with
the power of the Cummins. The ride of this 2006 is exceptional, but he put a flatbed on it with air shocks. He can pump them up according
to the load he has. We've had it a year now, and he still hasn't
got his chrome stacks on the thing...he really enjoys fixing
them up. He chipped the others, hasn't chipped this one yet.
This has a 6-speed transmission and a different gear ratio. The others were 5-speed. He put an over and under in the 1997 too. He
also has an exhaust brake and all the gauges to keep track of
temperature, etc. The only difference between a man and a boy
is the price of his toys... :wink:

Too bad we didn't just keep the '97. Seems they have a reputation for being a real good pickup.
 
I am on my second Dodge Cummins and I wouldn't go back to Chev.
If there is a more dependable pick up diesel built I don't think they've put it on the market yet. I know some guys driving each of the brands, but I never hear any of them complain about Cummins. I don't know which of the three is the best puller ( I think all three are pulling way more than designed to pull), but I am sure the Cummins will pull longer for less money than Powerstroke or Duramax. And now that Daimler has taken over Chrysler they have the body quality, drive and ride much improved over the prior to '03 models.
I am anxious to see how the 6.7 liter Cummins is that they are putting into their new cab and chassis model. They have the same hp and torque rating as the 5.9. I asked my dealer what is different about them other than displacement and he really couldn't tell me. They also come with a new 6 speed auto. Does anybody know anything about them ??
 
Faster horses said:
We have had 3 Dodge Cummins, all one-ton 4x4 Duallys.
One '97, one 2002 and now a 2006. Almost all the miles are
put on pulling a trailer. We deliver mineral in our Featherlite
horse trailer as the mineral comes on small pallets and he loads
it using a cart and a ramp. Very seldom
does Mr. FH go out of here with less than 5 ton of mineral on and
usually it is 7 ton.

He travels a lot of back roads and we haven't had a speck of trouble
with any of the pickups. We were Ford people for years and
years, but I don't think he would go back. Very satisified with
the power of the Cummins. The ride of this 2006 is exceptional, but he put a flatbed on it with air shocks. He can pump them up according
to the load he has. We've had it a year now, and he still hasn't
got his chrome stacks on the thing...he really enjoys fixing
them up. He chipped the others, hasn't chipped this one yet.
This has a 6-speed transmission and a different gear ratio. The others were 5-speed. He put an over and under in the 1997 too. He
also has an exhaust brake and all the gauges to keep track of
temperature, etc. The only difference between a man and a boy
is the price of his toys... :wink:

Too bad we didn't just keep the '97. Seems they have a reputation for being a real good pickup.
Click to expand...

Mine has the pump up Air shocks too...I like that,


PPRM
 
The 97 is my 'spare' truck. It is a full 1 ton 4 door crew chevy with the 6.5 and auto tranny. I have 301,000 km (182,000 miles) on it, done nothing major, but the pump is getting weak, hard starting but it runs ok after it is going.

My main truck is a 93 chevy extended cab with the 6.5 and a 1 ton as well. It has been in the sick pen for a while now with engine trouble. I have been waiting to rebuild it. It has 314,000 km on it before a head gasket blew.

Payments on a new one are over $1100-$1400 a month even with no interest, so the old girls will have to last a while yet.

I am building a heated garage on to my house so I will be able to tend the iron better. Once they are paid for it isn't so bad putting the wrenches to them. I get wholesale at GM and know lots of guys who know lots of guys so repairs done here can be a lot easier to swallow than in town.
 
efb said:
I asked my dealer what is different about them other than displacement and he really couldn't tell me. They also come with a new 6 speed auto. Does anybody know anything about them ??
Click to expand...

"There is no replacement for displacement" :)

Seriously though, the 5.9 Cummins was getting a little small for efficient production of the power it was being asked to generate, especially with the new emissions regs through 2009. The big displacement Cummins allowed Cummins to maintain the same power ratings at higher reliability, flatten the torque curve even further for better towing, all while meeting the new emissions regs with ULSD. Power is also boosted to 350 HP/610 lbft torque for the G56 equipped trucks, and 350/650 for the 68RFE equipped trucks. The cab and chassis trucks remain at 305/610.

www.cummins.com has a good write up on the new engine. I'd post the exact link, but Cummins' website appears to be down tonight. Its under the Dodge section though and worth a couple minutes of your time to read.

FH, IMHO, the 97 - 98 5 speed Cummins was the best truck that Dodge ever built. Excellent fuel economy (slightly better than the VP44 24 valve that replaced it, head and shoulders above the common rails) and just plain old tough. The Bosch P7100 injection pump has a reputation of being one of the finest mechanical injection pumps ever built and was WAY overkill for the 5.9. Tell hubby to be careful about chipping the new truck and to stick with a reputable dealer. Dodge screwed up and stuck a dual mass flywheel and G56 6 speed on the 04.5 - 06 trucks. It was a huge mistake, and many who are towing with stock power are having trouble. There are solid flywheel conversion kits available, and most hot shotters are making the switch immediately. The G56 itself isn't a _bad_ transmission, but it ain't great either.

Rod
 

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