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Pickup truck shopping

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burnt

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My youngest is looking at a '06 Dodge 3500 with a 5.9 Cummins for trailering his Bobcat mini-ex from job to job. It's got 260,000 kilometers total with injectors done 10,000 k's ago. Tranny has been rebuilt in the recent past. Owner is asking 15k for it.

Any words of wisdom or caution for him?
 
I recently gave that for an 04 with 5.9. I really like it. Pulls real strong. I've hauled several loads around 10 ton. Grossing 35,000 +, and it pulls strong enough you need to back out at times.
 
That's a very good price if the truck hasn't been beat up. When I was looking in Dec. 2011 there wasn't any 5.9's in BC for less than $25,000 in that mileage or less range.

With their power he'll wear out brakes pulling hills. :lol:
 
You have to watch when they change injectors. Part of the time they don't get them setup properly, and your mileage SUCKS!! I have an 06 3/4 ton, with right at 150,000 miles on it. Up until 125,000 We never put a dime into it, the last 25,000 he had to put a front cover seal in, both rear wheel seals, and a rear out put seal on the transfer case.
I love ours, and running empty, with out a trailer, I can get nearly 25 mpg. With a trailer, and 14 big cows on, I am down to 13 mpg, but I can out pull most of the rest.
I am thinking about pulling the catyletic converts off, and reprogramming it. I think I could get upwards to 30 mpg, maybe. Other thing I would add would be a Jake Brake!!!
 
LazyWP said:
You have to watch when they change injectors. Part of the time they don't get them setup properly, and your mileage SUCKS!! I have an 06 3/4 ton, with right at 150,000 miles on it. Up until 125,000 We never put a dime into it, the last 25,000 he had to put a front cover seal in, both rear wheel seals, and a rear out put seal on the transfer case.
I love ours, and running empty, with out a trailer, I can get nearly 25 mpg. With a trailer, and 14 big cows on, I am down to 13 mpg, but I can out pull most of the rest.
I am thinking about pulling the catyletic converts off, and reprogramming it. I think I could get upwards to 30 mpg, maybe. Other thing I would add would be a Jake Brake!!!

You just want to sound cool coming through town. :wink:
 
Prices must have jumped since I bought my old 2003 one ton diesel 4 door 4 wheel drive.
15k sounds like a lot of money for a vehicle with 260k miles, any way the owners manual that you get after the sale sez expect an honest 350k miles outa the Cummings .
I will say I have never had a truck that can pull like that Dodge Cummins.
Mine has less than 50k miles on it so caint comment on the durability.
Good luck
 
Soapweed said:
LazyWP said:
You have to watch when they change injectors. Part of the time they don't get them setup properly, and your mileage SUCKS!! I have an 06 3/4 ton, with right at 150,000 miles on it. Up until 125,000 We never put a dime into it, the last 25,000 he had to put a front cover seal in, both rear wheel seals, and a rear out put seal on the transfer case.
I love ours, and running empty, with out a trailer, I can get nearly 25 mpg. With a trailer, and 14 big cows on, I am down to 13 mpg, but I can out pull most of the rest.
I am thinking about pulling the catyletic converts off, and reprogramming it. I think I could get upwards to 30 mpg, maybe. Other thing I would add would be a Jake Brake!!!

You just want to sound cool coming through town. :wink:

If I could keep the brakes working on my trailer, I wouldn't need the Jake. You need to come down this hill by the house, at dusk. I tried to deer hunt last night. I HATE DEER!!!
 
I just sold and 05 quad cab with a 6 seed manual trans., SLT, bw hitch. It was in decent condition, but not great only had 102,000 miles on it and got $20,000. I have always been a cummins fans, common parts are easily found due to the fact that the cummins is put in a lot of tractors as well. I haven't driven a cummins with an automatic any newer than a 93, so I don't know much about the auto trans. I can tell you that injectors will effect your mileage. We had to have them replaced at 63000 miles, it took almost 40,000 to start to see the mileage come back up. My biggest concern when I bought the cummins was the torque curve. A cummins has lots of low end torque, therefore lots of load starting capability. I haven't driven a durmax enough to tell you much about them, but a powerstroke won't pull it's self out of a mud hole much less a loaded trailer. I drove a 98 Ford powerstroke everyday for 3 years as a ranch pickup, I will never own one again. I used my dodge a lot to pull the powerstroke out. You are either killing a Ford or spinning there is no happy medium.
 
flyingS said:
I just sold and 05 quad cab with a 6 seed manual trans., SLT, bw hitch. It was in decent condition, but not great only had 102,000 miles on it and got $20,000. I have always been a cummins fans, common parts are easily found due to the fact that the cummins is put in a lot of tractors as well. I haven't driven a cummins with an automatic any newer than a 93, so I don't know much about the auto trans. I can tell you that injectors will effect your mileage. We had to have them replaced at 63000 miles, it took almost 40,000 to start to see the mileage come back up. My biggest concern when I bought the cummins was the torque curve. A cummins has lots of low end torque, therefore lots of load starting capability. I haven't driven a durmax enough to tell you much about them, but a powerstroke won't pull it's self out of a mud hole much less a loaded trailer. I drove a 98 Ford powerstroke everyday for 3 years as a ranch pickup, I will never own one again. I used my dodge a lot to pull the powerstroke out. You are either killing a Ford or spinning there is no happy medium.

I don't know about the power strokes but I have ford diesel engines in two of the single axle dump trucks( 1996 F8000s) with Allison automatics and they have no low end torque at all! Once you get them moving they will run like scalded dogs but throw a dozer on a trailer behind them and get in soft ground and they will just sit there and never turn a wheel - - - like the brakes are on - - - rock them back and forth so you can get a 6" running start and they will run then. Great fuel economy, easy to start, no oil consumption and great down the road but real dogs on the start up!
 
I bought a 2005 3500 with 78,000 miles on it three years ago for $20,000 I just traded it two months ago with 103,000 miles and got $22,000 in trade on another used one. That truck would pull anything you hooked to it and fuel mileage was unbelievable. I have regretted trading it everyday since and will own another one sometime in the future. :cry:
 
We had an '06 Dodge Dually and really liked it. It was a 6-speed manual
and Mr. FH has always put the exhaust brake in every dually pickup since 1997.
We now have a 2011 with an automatic transmission, the exhaust brake
now comes standard. I didn't think he would ever buy an automatic
transmission but he really likes this one. The '06 got better fuel mileage
than the new one. He has always maintained the fuel mileage has something
to do with the gear ratio and of course, the EPA regulations. At least we
don't have to put uretha in this pickup as you do the others.

I'd say go for it burnt. I know outfits around here in the oil patch that
put 300,000 miles on the Dodge/Cummins. In the 5 years we had the '06
all we did to it was put in a fuel pump and that was covered under warranty.
Our pickup doesn't hardly leave here without pulling a load so they get used,
but not abused.

Hey, good luck!! :D
 
flyingS said:
I just sold and 05 quad cab with a 6 seed manual trans., SLT, bw hitch. It was in decent condition, but not great only had 102,000 miles on it and got $20,000. I have always been a cummins fans, common parts are easily found due to the fact that the cummins is put in a lot of tractors as well. I haven't driven a cummins with an automatic any newer than a 93, so I don't know much about the auto trans. I can tell you that injectors will effect your mileage. We had to have them replaced at 63000 miles, it took almost 40,000 to start to see the mileage come back up. My biggest concern when I bought the cummins was the torque curve. A cummins has lots of low end torque, therefore lots of load starting capability. I haven't driven a durmax enough to tell you much about them, but a powerstroke won't pull it's self out of a mud hole much less a loaded trailer. I drove a 98 Ford powerstroke everyday for 3 years as a ranch pickup, I will never own one again. I used my dodge a lot to pull the powerstroke out. You are either killing a Ford or spinning there is no happy medium.

Drive a powerstroke every day and they are as strong as any. Also you must be mistaken because there were no 1998 powerstrokes....
 
4Diamond said:
flyingS said:
I just sold and 05 quad cab with a 6 seed manual trans., SLT, bw hitch. It was in decent condition, but not great only had 102,000 miles on it and got $20,000. I have always been a cummins fans, common parts are easily found due to the fact that the cummins is put in a lot of tractors as well. I haven't driven a cummins with an automatic any newer than a 93, so I don't know much about the auto trans. I can tell you that injectors will effect your mileage. We had to have them replaced at 63000 miles, it took almost 40,000 to start to see the mileage come back up. My biggest concern when I bought the cummins was the torque curve. A cummins has lots of low end torque, therefore lots of load starting capability. I haven't driven a durmax enough to tell you much about them, but a powerstroke won't pull it's self out of a mud hole much less a loaded trailer. I drove a 98 Ford powerstroke everyday for 3 years as a ranch pickup, I will never own one again. I used my dodge a lot to pull the powerstroke out. You are either killing a Ford or spinning there is no happy medium.

Drive a powerstroke every day and they are as strong as any. Also you must be mistaken because there were no 1998 powerstrokes....

Come to think of it, that is why I bought the last 1997 power stroke that was available from Cody Motor Company. My reasoning was that the 1990 through 1997s were good time tested formulas that worked. There was no 1998 diesel powerstroke, and the 1999s on up would be a new prototype where the jury was still out. My old '97 has been a good outfit.
 
katrina said:
You can't go wrong with a cummins.Plain and simple..

This may be true for the engine itself, but the emissions stuff they are required to put on the engine leave little to be desired. I've had my truck for three weeks and it goes back to the dealer for the third time this Saturday. All for emissions stuff.

Would sure suck if I hit a large bump and some extra parts fall off, but let's hope it doesn't come to that. :lol:
 
My father-in-law had a ford with a 6.0 diesel it had 43,000 miles still had the original tires on it, He blew a hole in one of the pistons, Ford would not stand behind this pickup at all, this was in 08. The pickup sat around the farm for a few years he finally decided putting another junk 6.0 in it was not an option he looked into a place in northern montana but decided on a place in Denver called Destroked. He just got the pickup back this week and let me tell you it is amazing what they do. It is the new 6.7 cummins in the conversion. I would recommed the cummins anyday to anyone. :D
 
Many years the 5.9 Cummins made it's peak torque at a lower rpm than the Power Stroke, but not every year and the 5.9 NEVER made more peak torque than the 7.3 L in the same model year. (Well, except 2003, but any Cumins enthusiast wants to forget that year anyway lol)
Both engines were excellent in my mind, and have yet to be improved upon for durability and reliability. I prefer the Ford but respect the Dodge. I'm just glad I'm not driving my 6.7 anymore.

Feel free to compare these specs:


http://www.cumminsdieselspecs.com/cummins_timeline.html
http://www.internationalpowerstroke.com/timeline.html
 
In November I bought an 02 cummins 2500 with a six speed stick. 260000km on it for 13000. It has all the bottom end Inthe world. 30mpg highway with 4 inch straight pipe from the turbo back and i had 33x10.5 inch tires on. I put 35x12.50's on it now. I haven't had a chance to do any highway driving with them on yet but they are a MUCH smoother ride and have helped substantially with power hopping. If he buys it tell him to cut out his muffler and cats. The fuel economy difference is day and night
 
4Diamond you are right it was a 99. The outfit I worked for kept meticulous records on everything, after a 5yr analysis they realized that the 93 F-350's with a 460 were a far more feasible ranch pickup and better all around to use day in and day out. If a person was interested in a good older powerstroke, I know where there is a 94, I think, that only has 215,000 miles that is in excellent shape. I am sure a person could buy it for about 9,000 to 8,500. It is owned by a local here and it has not ever been ranched.
 

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