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Update and Truck buying question

Angus Cattle Shower

Well-known member
I got my staples outand my cast off friday, haven't taken anything more then advil for pain since thursday, and I am back at school.

But my real reason for posting is I will be buying a truck from a dealer's auction in the near future, but I can't decide what I want. I was thinking about getting an '04 chevy with a 5.3 but dad thinks I should stick with a diesel. I need something with decent fuel efficiency, enough power to pull the boat, stock trailer, four place snowmobile trailer, and our small camper. I need something durable, reliable, and that will last a while. I was also thinking of an '04 ford, but was told that the alotted Ford shop time to just change the spark plugs is four days, which made me turn away from that. What does everyone think? Chev? Ford? Dodge? Gas or Diesel? What year?

Take care, and God bless
 

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
With your luck have you thought about maybe just sticking to a bicycle. :D

I think you have had more vehicles wrecked then I have in almost 40 years of driving. :shock:
 

Justin

Well-known member
my vote would be for a Ford 7.3 diesel. the last of the 7.3s were made in 03.

there was a thread awhile back that covers this topic. if you go back and find it, you'll get all the info you want and then some :wink: :D
 

RobinFarmandRanch

Well-known member
if your going to be pulling all taht you should stick with a diesel. i like dodge only for the cummins motor. but anyon e would be good to use as long as you take care of them. i get 22 mpg on the highway in my dodge dually 4x4
 

Justin

Well-known member
Big Muddy rancher said:
With your luck have you thought about maybe just sticking to a bicycle. :D
I think you have had more vehicles wrecked then I have in almost 40 years of driving. :shock:

that would be a good option too :lol: :lol:
 

leanin' H

Well-known member
Depends on how often you want to pull stuff. Down here gas is 60 cents a gallon cheaper than diesel. While the power and torque of a diesel is handy, a gas truck is cheaper to run. But the way you pile them up, maybe ya ought'a try a used army tank! :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 

Angus Cattle Shower

Well-known member
I've only had two vehicles, and wrecked one, but I rebuilt it, I'm startin to get good at it, haha, and my car was totalled off when my friend fell asleep at the wheel we think. Dad got a '98 ford service truck with the 7.3 so we'll see how that works out.
I was thinking along the lines of a duramax. Both of the ones we have at the farm get over 20mpg on the highway and the only problem we had with the first one was the hinges on the driver door were giving, so they were replaced under warranty. And the new one there was some problems with the electric locks.

We have a family member that is a die hard ford man, had many problems with his 6.0L Turbo, and has gone to a 6.4L. Before he could drive to the city the day it started there was an oil leak and the cab had to come off the truck to fix it. A bit beyond my knowledge of repair, lol.

Any thoughts on a gas motor?
 

Angus Cattle Shower

Well-known member
And the pulling would be mostly spring and summer, when we ship cattle, or fishing trips, snowmobile trips in the winter etc.

How are the cummins for front suspension? I've heard fo a few guys having to redo them because the motor was too heavy for the front suspension
 

RobinFarmandRanch

Well-known member
Angus Cattle Shower said:
And the pulling would be mostly spring and summer, when we ship cattle, or fishing trips, snowmobile trips in the winter etc.

How are the cummins for front suspension? I've heard fo a few guys having to redo them because the motor was too heavy for the front suspension

S5030002.jpg


granted my new truck is only 7 months old, i love it. i have 3 dodges on the farm and all 4x4s. one is a 95, one is a 2001 and this one is a 2009. my 95 has 523000 miles on it and still goes strong. the front end has never given me problems.

you will have more front end problems with the chevy becasue of the IFS cant handle the weight of the diesels. the solid fronts hold the weight better.
 

RobinFarmandRanch

Well-known member
its got a welding bed on it with the machine and other weight plus its a dually. i usually get around 18 highway with it. had to change the tranny on it at 220000 miles. never been in the shop other than that. its a tough old dog.
 

Angus Cattle Shower

Well-known member
Well I can tell you right now, I won't be getting a dually. lol. But I will have to consider a Cummins now. In the back of my mind I'm still thinking a '98 chev with the 5.7 Vortec. I like the body style, you can fix most of the stuff on your own, and it has the pulling power for the stuff I do. Are there any upgrades to a gas motor such as that that I could do to improve fuel efficiency? I know how to get the power :twisted: . Anyone with experiences with the 5.3, or 6.0L Chevy? And what would I expect a Cummins to sell for? What about a Hemi?
 

leanin' H

Well-known member
My 01' Dodge has 227000 on it and still gets around 21 mpg. I have replaced the front bearings twice at $800 a set. Just put new ball joints on it. But these desert roads are in tough shape and all the weight puts lots of pressure on things. They are a nice truck but Chevys seem to have more bells and whistles and ride nicer.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
We have had Dodge's since 1998. Fords before that.
We are really pleased with the Dodge pickups. They have all
been 1-ton dually's. Through the Turbo Diesel Register magazine,
we got in touch with a fella that knows all about Dodge. He really
likes the 2001-2002 year of Dodge as I recall. We pull a lot, in fact, our
pickups rarely go out of the yard without pulling a load. I think the Hemi
is a good motor. Don't know about fuel mileage.

What Mr. FH doesn't like about the Chevy is the actual body
clearance. I think the frame is lower than the body of the pickup. :???:
He wants more clearance than that. I know people who have had
problems with diesels because they drive them like they are a gas
engine.

Some friends of ours who don't use a pickup except to pull a boat and
as a road vehicle had a 2006 Dodge and just bought a 2010 Chevy.
They think the Chevy rides and drives nicer than the Dodge.
And we have friends who have the 6.0 Ford and it's given them a lot
of trouble. But they still like Fords.

I think, all in all, even considering fuel mileage, a gas pickup would
be more affordable for you. Cheaper to buy, cheaper oil changes,
cheaper fuel.

FWIW from a woman. :p :lol: :lol: :lol:
 

montanastate33

Well-known member
I would agree with FH. My Duramax has bad ground clearance. Tempted to lift it, but I don't really believe in lifts, chips & all of that for ranch pickups. But, the Allison transmission makes up for it just fine. It rides/drives better than any pickup you will drive.

However, I gotta say the Cummins (most ranches I have worked for have all Cummins) that I have driven are the best diesels money can buy. They make the best ranch truck hands down.
 

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
RobinFarmandRanch said:
Angus Cattle Shower said:
And the pulling would be mostly spring and summer, when we ship cattle, or fishing trips, snowmobile trips in the winter etc.

How are the cummins for front suspension? I've heard fo a few guys having to redo them because the motor was too heavy for the front suspension

S5030002.jpg


granted my new truck is only 7 months old, i love it. i have 3 dodges on the farm and all 4x4s. one is a 95, one is a 2001 and this one is a 2009. my 95 has 523000 miles on it and still goes strong. the front end has never given me problems.

you will have more front end problems with the chevy becasue of the IFS cant handle the weight of the diesels. the solid fronts hold the weight better.


You forgot the top row of bales. :wink: :lol: :lol:
 

101

Well-known member
Hello, I have a 04 Chevy with a 5.3 has 88500 miles on it gets a sold 23 miles per gal. at interstate speeds 75 ! but at 65 will get better than 26, is a real sweet motor but stay away from anything other than the snow machine trailer, quick RPMs will burn the tires by it self but has very little torque for towing, hope that helps. 101
 

Triangle Bar

Well-known member
I've had good luck with GMC pickups... a few years after high school I traded by 89' Ford Ranger for 92' GMC. It's a 3/4 ton extended cab 4x4 with a manual tranny and the (454) 7.4 Liter V8. It had 60,000 miles when I bought it and it's up to 260,000 miles now. No real trouble, just a clutch & rebuilt tranny at 180,000. It's my tool truck now... with welder, compressor, tools, 100 gallon diesel transfer tank, junk, etc, etc. :)

My good goin' to town and trailering truck is my '02 GMC 3/4 ton 4x4 with Duramax & Allison tranny, put about 45,000 on it since I bought it and 105,000 total. I'm all around pleased with it; comfortable ride, terrific pulling power, & good fuel economy 20 to 22 empty and 15 or so loaded.

I also have a '99 Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4, Cummins engine. I bought it to put a Hydrabed & bale Flaker on to feed cows. It's OK for what I bought it for but sure would be disappointed with it going down the road. No comparison to the '02 GMC... less power, rough ride, brakes suck.... the reliable cummins engine and tougher front end is the only reason I bought, figured it would take more frozen cow pie bouncing punishment.

Glad to hear you're on the mend.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
If you want something that pulls good and gets better fuel mileage, ACS,
be sure to check the rear end gear ratio. We've changed the higher
ratio ones to lower and that sure made a difference in pulling and fuel milage. The trade-off might be your top speed,
but with your record, or that of your buddy's,
that might be good. :shock: :p

Again, FWIW from a woman (who pays attention) :wink: )
 

loomixguy

Well-known member
I am heading to Ft. Worth on Sunday to pick up a 2007 F250 crew cab 4X4 with a 5.4 gas. The difference price wise between a gas and a diesel is substantial, and with diesel running higher than gas, it's a no-brainer for me. The F250 will be used primarily as a daily driver, as well as a vehicle to make sales calls and deliver some dry feed, and whatever else I need to do. This will be the first pickup I've had with a box on it in the last 15 years. If I need a puller, the F550 will get the nod.

Sounds to me like this young man needs about a '67 Chevy half ton, no power steering or brakes, with 3 on the tree and a six banger that's only hitting on 5.
 
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