• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

What to avoid in a one ton truck

P

per

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 22, 2007
Messages
6,430
Location
SW Alberta
I need to upgrade a bit in my one ton for pulling a trailer mostly. I would like to know what makes and models to avoid. ie. 6 litre vs 6.4 or what years of duramax or cummins are good or bad. I don't need a new truck but would like to get into the 21st century. I would consider both gas and diesel.
 
per said:
I need to upgrade a bit in my one ton for pulling a trailer mostly. I would like to know what makes and models to avoid. ie. 6 litre vs 6.4 or what years of duramax or cummins are good or bad. I don't need a new truck but would like to get into the 21st century. I would consider both gas and diesel.
Click to expand...

Avoid duallys. There are two more tires to worry about, and tires are now more expensive than ever. :wink:
 
Why not go with something bigger, like a F550? You will wear out 2 one tons before you wear a 550 out.
I have the dreaded 6.0 in my 03. Any problems I had happened under warranty, and my dealer took good care of me. I ordered the Torque Shift automatic and have it serviced regularly with the BG products....no problems.

Fully loaded with LOOMIX I have almost 5 tons on the bed. Loaded I get right around 10 mpg...empty will get 14-15 mpg or so. When diesel is almost 1 USD higher than gas, I sometimes wish I had the gas burner....I doubt the mileage would be much different.

Your mileage may vary.
 
Soapweed said:
per said:
I need to upgrade a bit in my one ton for pulling a trailer mostly. I would like to know what makes and models to avoid. ie. 6 litre vs 6.4 or what years of duramax or cummins are good or bad. I don't need a new truck but would like to get into the 21st century. I would consider both gas and diesel.
Click to expand...

Avoid duallys. There are two more tires to worry about, and tires are now more expensive than ever. :wink:
Click to expand...

Duallys don't make a lot of sense, unless you do a lot of pulling. We do and we have a 2010 Dodge 3500, automatic and Mr. FH loves the thing. We get about what Loomixguy gets with his, I think 12-13 loaded and 17-18 empty and he pulls a featherlite aluminum trailer loaded with 7 ton of mineral. We had a smarty jr put in it and Mr. FH can't believe the power it has, if power is important to you. It had good power before the smarty jr, but now, according to him, it's pretty amazing.

I don't like the thought of buying 6 tires and paying over $1/gal more for diesel than for gas. :?

Good luck, per, with whatever you choose!
 
We are starting to think of upgrading also. Ours will probably be a dually, if for no other reason than we can't get anymore then 25000 miles out of a set of tires. From what I have read and heard, with 2 extra tires on the ground, I should be able to gain another 15,000 miles.
Our pickup pretty much stays on the road, and seldom goes anywhere without a trailer on it. Our small trailer is a 26ft Trailman, stock trailer, and it goes up from there.
We will most likely stay with the Dodge diesel, if for no other reason then I can get a 2012 that doesn't have the exhaust fluid. I see the adds for the new big cube gasser that Dodge has come out with, and am intrigued, but not enough to be a test dummy.
 
What I need help with is what engines to avoid mostly. I have both a dually and a single pulling similar trailers and like/dislike aspects of both. I just don't want to buy a truck and find out it has the powertrain that never should have been invented.
 
we recently upgraded to a 2012 Dodge dually 3500 diesel with an automatic transmission. we haven't put a lot of miles on it but so far i really like it. it has a nice, comfortable ride and appears to have power to spare. the on board mpg says its getting about 15/16 empty and 11/12 with a trailer. i'm not sure if those are dead on accurate though.
 
per said:
What I need help with is what engines to avoid mostly. I have both a dually and a single pulling similar trailers and like/dislike aspects of both. I just don't want to buy a truck and find out it has the powertrain that never should have been invented.
Click to expand...

the Ford 6.0 is the only one i've had that i would never buy again. not much of a chevy guy so i can't speak for those.
 
Get yourself a good low mile 7.3, it wont have as much power as some of the new ones but they are almost bullet proof. I love mine and it will die on this place.
 
Here you go Per http://www.legacypowerwagon.com/ :lol:


or get your Dad to find another NO dicker deal for you :wink: :wink:


if you could find one, AC diesel's suggestion is a good one. but they are getting some age/miles on them now.
 
Yes, the 7.3 is as good an engine as was ever made, I miss mine for sure.
The 6 liter Ford had head gasket problems, but if you happen to find one that has been upgraded and an egr delete done there is no need to be afraid of it.
Mechanics are always talking about Duramax head gasket failures, and I don't know if there is an upgrade kit for them.
Seems like the pre 2010 Cummins are pretty safe. I wouldn't touch one newer than that unless you plan on tearing the exhaust out and installing a chip ($2000 +/-) right off the bat.
Just my thoughts. And I don't know that there are any lemon transmissions the last 10 years or so, maybe others have some input in that regard.

Personally, I'm taking a break from diesels. Gas is cheaper, cheaper maintenance, easier starting, less smelly, and the new ones pull awfully well. I would go back to diesel if I were pulling big loads all the time, but for occasional use it doesn't make sense.
 
I don't know where the dealer west of me find's the 7.3's but he always has several with around 50-70 k miles. They are always very clean and they don't sit on the lot too long. My brother own's a lumberyard and they bought one there 2 yr's ago with 65,000 miles and they are very happy.
 
My last 7.3 is the reason I don't own Ford. I HIGHLY recommend the Cummins, from 2004 1/2 to the early 07s. Put a 6 speed behind it, and you can't go to wrong.
 
I own all Ford's and wouldn't recommend a Ford if that helps you any. I am looking at trading for Chevy 3500 single wheel with 6.0 gas. I don't think it's the perfect answer but my repair bill on my 6.0 Ford diesels is about to break me.
 
With the new Fords don't you have to take the cab off to work on the engine?

Our 2010 Dodge doesn't have to have the urea additive. It's a 6-speed automatic and until he was sure they had improved the automatics, Mr. FH was not interested. He does like this one--we have a 28' travel trailer that he pulled off the Big Horn Mountains and was really impressed with how the transmission held the trailer back. (And he's hard to impress.) :wink: At his age, he enjoys having the automatic transmission. He still manually shifts it, just cuz he likes to. He said twice he has pulled a trailer from our place to Miles City, up out of Powder River and over Government Hill and it never had to shift one time.
 
With the Chevy Duramax, 05 or newer, the 04 and older have injector problems. 06 and newer have the 6 speed Allison the 05 a 5 speed; I have a 05 with 160,000, has never been in the shop, Went to change the shocks and brakes about 5 thousand miles ago, shocks needed replaced, probably 50,000 miles ago, brake pads were still like new (original pads). We pull a stock trailer and a travel trailer, plus the wife drives it to work, if you run at around 2000 rpms it get around 19 MPG empty and 15 MPG pulling. No chip no aftermarket products, just change the oil and fuel filter regularly, run injector cleaner every few tanks. The Allison Transmission is the best part of the Chevy, plus the fact after driving 5 hours straight in it, I can walk. After 3 in the ford I feel like I just played 4 quarters of football.

Most the of the Ford people I know are going to either Chevy or Dodge when it comes to Diesel, we used to run Fords at our shop, but the newer ones spend more time at the dealer then in the field. Our shop truck a flatbed has been in the shop 5 times it has 100,000 miles on it and the last visit it came back terminal, blown number 8, $13,000 for the motor, not counting labor.

I think if you could put the Allison with the Cummings, get the Chevy comfort in the Ford body, you would have quite a truck.
 
Faster horses said:
With the new Fords don't you have to take the cab off to work on the engine?

Our 2010 Dodge doesn't have to have the urea additive. It's a 6-speed automatic and until he was sure they had improved the automatics, Mr. FH was not interested. He does like this one--we have a 28' travel trailer that he pulled off the Big Horn Mountains and was really impressed with how the transmission held the trailer back. (And he's hard to impress.) :wink: At his age, he enjoys having the automatic transmission. He still manually shifts it, just cuz he likes to. He said twice he has pulled a trailer from our place to Miles City, up out of Powder River and over Government Hill and it never had to shift one time.
Click to expand...

I think you have to pull the cab on any of them anymore to REALLY work on the engines. In today's market, I wouldn't be afraid of any of the newer manufactures 1 ton's. The Feds have dictated what the manufacturers can do.
I am still not a fan of an automatic transmission, but with all the improvements that have been made, I think they are probably stronger then the true manual tranny. I think I understood that Dodge is trying an 8 speed auto, behind a diesel. That should really be the ticket.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top