New guy that needs some opinions!!!

[wolskicm]

hey all,

i'm new to the site (got pointed to here by one of your members that i am friends with on DooTalk.com) and need some unbiased opinions on which truck to get.

first off, i'm by no means "brand loyal," as i am that way with my SnoX sleds. "Whatever suits me best, is what i will pilot." --is one of my sayings that i abide by.

that being said, i need some help. i'm currently 21 and going to college for my BS Degree in Construction Management Engineering Technology and have my AS in Architectural Engineering Technology. in between semester breaks, including summertime, i do work for a construction company. i currently use company diesel trucks for hauling skid steers, heavy duty plate tampers, front-end loading backhoes, etc. i am allowed to use the equipment as needed on weekends for whatever work i may have, but will be needing a diesel truck for pulling, as well as recreational use.

so, any suggestions? i am looking for 2003 or newer??? i know the 7.3L Fords are super nice trucks, but they stopped making them in 2003/4? now they have the 6.0L and 6.4L which i have heard mixed feelings about. my boss has a 2006 F350 with the 6.0L and the head bolts stretched.:mad2: anyone have experience with the Cummins engines? 5.9L or 6.7L? i keep hearing they are arguably the best engines out, except the fact that they are in a Dodge chassis. and any thoughts on Chevy's Duramax??? we also have a 2005 2500 Duramax at work and the only problems so far were some wires were rubbing on something which was cutting the engine out???

sorry for all the newbie questions, seeing as this is what i do best:

if anyone is on DooTalk.com, Hardcoresledder.com, or ArcticChat.com--my user name on those sites is SkiDooSnocrosser.

thanks guys,
Craig

 

[stacks04]

first off welcome, second off, get a chevy. you wont be disappointed. very few issues and will last you a long time.

the fords are thumbs down, not being biased, but based on what i have seen/read. the dodge truck is solid front axle which is its only selling feature imo. with that said the chevy front end has little to no issues and is much more comfie to drive daily. the cummins is a stout engine for sure, but again the chevy overpowers it.

 

[kachurak]

Wanted to welcome you to the site. Unfortunately, I too, don't know enough about the other brands except for chevy and have always been a fan of their truck line. I've seen good and bad about all, but honestly speaking, less bad about the chevy line.

Keep in mind, if you cruise through the site here, although we cater to the top 3 here, there are a lot of guys/gals here that have chevrolet. So, keep in mind that when you look around, you may see a lot of talk about chevrolet, but that's mostly because there's a fairly large following of them here.

The people here are great guys and will give their opinion to you and tell you straight up how they think and feel about anything.

Again, welcome to the site and we look forward to seeing you around!

 

[wolskicm]

Wanted to welcome you to the site. Unfortunately, I too, don't know enough about the other brands except for chevy and have always been a fan of their truck line. I've seen good and bad about all, but honestly speaking, less bad about the chevy line.

Keep in mind, if you cruise through the site here, although we cater to the top 3 here, there are a lot of guys/gals here that have chevrolet. So, keep in mind that when you look around, you may see a lot of talk about chevrolet, but that's mostly because there's a fairly large following of them here.

The people here are great guys and will give their opinion to you and tell you straight up how they think and feel about anything.

Again, welcome to the site and we look forward to seeing you around!

quick question--how is the snow holding up in Tug Hill??? i'll be there the last weekend of this month for a final ride for the season.

Chevrolet seems to be a wise choice. however, obviously i am still doing research as time permits between college classes/homework/work, so i am still open to Ford and Dodge. after hearing more opinions from actual owners, my next step will be to par-take in various "test" drives.

thanks again guys & keep the opinions coming!

Craig

 

[625fireman]

Welcome and I agree with stacks and kachurak. Stock form Gm beats them all hands down. I would completely steer clear of ford. But it all depends on what you want to do with the truck. A buddy of mine bought an 02 dodge crew cummins just for the cummins, straight front axle, and 6 spd manual. I think cummins is probably the easiest one to tune up to higher outputs as well as lifting, or for a manual trans. Maybe not the best bang for your buck I think again GM has that locked up.

 

[cbrew2001]

Welcome Craig, You guessed it I'm a GM Duramax fan also and the power is just unbelievable. JMO

 

[btfarm]

Welcome Craig! GMC for me... I hear good things about the 6.4 Ford so far but stay well clear of the 6.0. The Cummins is probably the most bullet proof of all but being wrapped with a Dodge is somewhat of a drawback. Can't go wrong with the GM Duramax/Allison combo from '04.5 through early '07 which falls somewhere in your needs if I understand correctly.

 

[BudTX]

If I could design my own pickup out of what the Big 3 currently produces, it would be a Chevy cab, chassis and bed with a straight front axle mated to a Cummins, tied to an Allison tranny with a Ford King Ranch interior.

That being said, I drive the truck in my signature.

 

[wolskicm]

haha. lots of GM guys in here!!! where's all of the Ford & Dodge dudes?????

thanks for all of the opinions so far!!!

Craig

 

[Sunshine]

Welcome from over the Pond...:thumbsup:

 

[DEERE3594]

haha. lots of GM guys in here!!! where's all of the Ford & Dodge dudes?????

thanks for all of the opinions so far!!!

Craig

We have converted them all over to GM ):h IMO any of the big 3 American name plates make a fine truck. Welcome to the site!

 

[Wrecker]

They all have strength and weaknesses. All of these are my purely subjective opinions:

Ford, nicest interiors, solid front axle (some just eat ball joints though), questionable diesel reliability that can be difficult to work on.

Chevy/GM Best stock power, cheapest to make fast/power, good tranny up to 400rwhp, weak front end, limited tire size without lift, G80 locking rear historically can be problematic, quiet and nice ride.

Dodge, solid diesel, worst interior, 6spd manual isn't bad (needs clutch for aftermarket power), solid front axle (also can be a ball joint eater), fit and finish of the Dodge can sometimes be an issue.

It's all a matter of what you like. If you want a mini Semi truck, Dodge. A fast 3/4 ton with carlike manners, Chevy. Fords are great if you don't have a problem child engine.

 

[SfcJones]

welcome to the site and yes I am a GMC fan, I am on my 3rd GMC in 10 years....with a combined total of over 650k miles

 

[wolskicm]

They all have strength and weaknesses. All of these are my purely subjective opinions:

Ford, nicest interiors, solid front axle (some just eat ball joints though), questionable diesel reliability that can be difficult to work on.

Chevy/GM Best stock power, cheapest to make fast/power, good tranny up to 400rwhp, weak front end, limited tire size without lift, G80 locking rear historically can be problematic, quiet and nice ride.

Dodge, solid diesel, worst interior, 6spd manual isn't bad (needs clutch for aftermarket power), solid front axle (also can be a ball joint eater), fit and finish of the Dodge can sometimes be an issue.

It's all a matter of what you like. If you want a mini Semi truck, Dodge. A fast 3/4 ton with carlike manners, Chevy. Fords are great if you don't have a problem child engine.

this is exactly the type of opinion i was looking for!!!!!!

thanks,
Craig

 

[12ga diesel]

If I could design my own pickup out of what the Big 3 currently produces, it would be a Chevy cab, chassis and bed with a straight front axle mated to a Cummins, tied to an Allison tranny with a Ford King Ranch interior.

That being said, I drive the truck in my signature.

Welcome to the site wolskicm.

Bud, I think you just decribed the exact truck I would design myself. I love the King Ranch interior. And I think a Cummins mated to a Allison would be THE bulletproof combo in my mind.

Wolskicm, I would say your best bet would be any year Dmax from '01 to '07 classic, if the emission crap don't bother you too much, then one of the LMM's as well, a '99-'03 Ford with the 7.3L Power Stroke (a lot of parts that are easy to get ahold of and the best engine that International made for Ford, or a 5.9L Cummins in a Dodge from '02 to '06. An '03 Ram IIRC, is the last Cummins that had absolutely no emission crap other then a muffler. The Cummins might be the best engine, but like what was said before, it is on a Dodge chassis. I wouldn't trust the 6.0L PowerStroke as far as I could throw it. I did look at a 6.4L Power Stroke when I was also looking at the LMM Dmax that I ended up buying. I liked having the SFA of the Ford, and really liked the interior of them, but the history of the 6.0 scared me away. The 6.4 might be a good engine, but with the trouble they had with the previous engine I couldn't pull the trigger on it.

 

[phil85207]

Which truck?

Those ski doos bring back memories. I have had several. loads of fun, but alas I got older and into other easier endeavors.
Getting to your question, as you can see everyone has an idea of what you should do biased on there experiences and I am no different.
I would stay away from Ford but between the Dodge and Chevy diesel? To me it's a toss up. Both have had there issues and both are good trucks, and I think either would give you good service.

 

[Ithaca37s]

I am happy with my 7.3 powerstroke I need balljoints as we speak. But would never buy a 6.0 ford. 4x4 chevys have crap for frontends if you put to much horsepower to it tierods break. The only good thing about the dodge is the cummins.

 

[bighawg]

Welcome to the site. :welcome3:

 

[buddy]

If you get the Gm DMax there are some issues with overheating and bad injectors that youll want to read up on. All fixed in newer models. MaxxTorque would be a good magazine to get for GM diesels.

I cant stand the sound of powerstrokes, rattle, are the valves about to fall off?