Buying New Truck

[WCW]

I am having a pity party. Had a new injector put in my 6.4 L with 48,000 miles two weeks ago. Left Saturday morning on a one week vacation to the smokies and got 90 minutes from home and it broke again. We limped back home at 35 mph. So needless to say we are getting a new truck.
This was my first diesel so I've had no experience with other brands. As I've browsed through the threads it appears that there are more Fords and Dodge is second. In our part of the country there are more Fords followed by Chevy. I have several friends who have the 6.7L Ford and haven't had any problems but of course they don't have many miles yet.
I guess the reason for my post(other than to vent) is to ask those who have the 6.7L or the 6.6L Duramax why you chose it or why you didn't choose the other. I know this is an ambiguous question but I needed some opinions from those who pull RV's. Thanks

[campingcpl]

Everyone will have different reasons for buying what they did. I know for me part of it was loyalty, I'm a GM man through and through but have had other brands. But when I was looking to buy my new/used truck I compared it to other trucks (Ford & Dodge) that were about the same year and in the same price range as what we could afford. I considered reliability, ride, fuel mileage, horse power, torque, and options. When doing my research I found that GM trucks (within the same year +/- a year or two) had better mileage and a little better power and torque then a Ford and a little better mileage then the Dodge but less power and torque. The Ford and GM had about the same ride and had better appointments then the Dodge. The reliability came down to the GM & Dodge with GM having a slight advantage over the Dodge. As for towing capacity, the GM was a little under the other two brands. Most of my research came from visiting the forums and veiwing consumer reports and viewing reviews and driving each brand several times. In the end for me it came down to the GM or a Dodge (my dad is a Dodge guy) and the GM won just because of the ride. This is just what had worked for me and what I found. What you or others on this forum have found might and probably will differ. Which ever brand you go with just do your reseach and drive them all before making a decission. As for my truck I have over 200,000 miles on it and other then general maintenance items the only major repair I have had to do so far was replacing a water pump. Good luck finding what works for you!

[SAABDOCTOR]

Hi there i think campincpl said it best drive them all and see what is best. i bought my dodge because of the cummins isb engine. it has been very reliable. the ride in the doge is less than stellar.esp. when empty. my buddies ford rides much better. so that said they all have their good and bad points.do your reserch and choose wisely campersan! good luck:dizzy::bfart:

[Bushman512000]

Barney Good pick...Bushman:D

[tomsws6]

Thay all do the job, just in a different way. Drive them all and decide what fits you the best.

[Jim W]

When I was looking for a new TV in 08; I test drove all three makes to make my decision. I also reviewed the reliability of the three truck makers with their diesel engines. The 6L and 6.4L from Ford did not have very good reviews from users. The Durmax Diesel also had some issues with injectors in prior years. The 5.9L Cummins had been around since the late 80’s in one form or another and is a 6 cylinder engine which will be more reliable do to less moving parts than an 8 CYL engine.
What I like about the Cummins is the fact that the torque is made in the lower RPM range 1100RPM’s with full torque at 1600 RPM and is continue through to 2600 RPM’s 800 FT-LBS. I would not rule out the 2012 RAM trucks, they have been redesigned for improve towing and ride with an excellent cab interior.
Jim W.

[tomsws6]

When I was looking for a new TV in 08; I test drove all three makes to make my decision. I also reviewed the reliability of the three truck makers with their diesel engines. The 6L and 6.4L from Ford did not have very good reviews from users. The Durmax Diesel also had some issues with injectors in prior years. The 5.9L Cummins had been around since the late 80’s in one form or another and is a 6 cylinder engine which will be more reliable do to less moving parts than an 8 CYL engine.
What I like about the Cummins is the fact that the torque is made in the lower RPM range 1100RPM’s with full torque at 1600 RPM and is continue through to 2600 RPM’s 800 FT-LBS. I would not rule out the 2012 RAM trucks, they have been redesigned for improve towing and ride with an excellent cab interior.
Jim W.

Yeah those inj. issues on the dmax were pre 04 with some in the early 04's. After that it was pretty much taken care off. The dodge had front end issues and I believe the 6.0 had head gasket issues and 6.4's had a few issues. They all have there pro's and con's. Do your research and then drive all three. The cummins has a proven engine along with the dmax/allison combo and the ford has amazing interior room. The ford generally is the worst on mpg while the doge has the best with the dmax close second.

[Paddler]

Yeah those inj. issues on the dmax were pre 04 with some in the early 04's. After that it was pretty much taken care off. The dodge had front end issues and I believe the 6.0 had head gasket issues and 6.4's had a few issues. They all have there pro's and con's. Do your research and then drive all three. The cummins has a proven engine along with the dmax/allison combo and the ford has amazing interior room. The ford generally is the worst on mpg while the doge has the best with the dmax close second.

Tomsws6,
I think you mixed up the order of fuel economy, Ford has the best, followed by the GMs, then comes the Dodge.

[fla-gypsy]

Ford has finally went to an "in house" diesel (6.7L) and is getting a little love but I believe they all will serve you well. Check all of them out and choose based on what you see and feel when driving them.

[Courtland]

I cant speak to the Chevy and the Dodge, but as an owner of a Ford with the 6.7 I can speak to my experience. I love this truck! The 6.7 is awesome, I compare that to the other trucks I have owned, those are a 99 Ford V10 F350 (I couldn't afford to feed it), the 03 Ford 6.0 F350 (Great truck and never should have sold it to my buddy) and now I have my 2011 6.7 F350. This truck has no problem pulling anything, the mileage is great and the ride is comfy compared to the older Fords. Don't get me wrong the rear will bounce you around when unloaded but you put a trailer on it and it drives like a dream. I love that I can use the manual option when going down hills, just put it in 3 or 4th with the click of a button. All in all this truck is a dream and all the extra features they now have on them make it easy to tow. I have had a few minor issues (DEF pump went out) but nothing that Ford has not fixed right away and nothing that prevented me from driving or towing with it. So I can vouch for the Ford 6.7 and say its incredible!

[rnkburg]

I would avoid the def if I had the option. I have a dodge and a GMC, both are great trucks , the GMC I tow more with as the dodge is a toy. But the duramax gets 14 towing my 300 mp raptor and 22 empty on the interstate. The Allison is great for towing as well. The dodge gets around 11 towing but its not stock. The GMC has a edge juice on it for mileage.

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

[WCW]

I would avoid the def if I had the option. I have a dodge and a GMC, both are great trucks , the GMC I tow more with as the dodge is a toy. But the duramax gets 14 towing my 300 mp raptor and 22 empty on the interstate. The Allison is great for towing as well. The dodge gets around 11 towing but its not stock. The GMC has a edge juice on it for mileage.

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

I'm only looking at new trucks. I thought that they all used DEF now.

[Javi]

The hoopla about DEF is much ado about nothing... it ain't nothing to it... pour 2 ½ gallons in every 3 to 5 thousand miles, other than that you don't even know it's there...

[Jim W]

I'm only looking at new trucks. I thought that they all used DEF now.
The Cummins 6.7L Diesel was introduced in Jan 07 without the use of DEF to meet the emission rules that went into effective on Jan 10. The Ram Cab and Chassis trucks do require the use of DEF (MY10) but that is a different duty cycle then the pickup trucks have. For the MY2013 Ram will introduce for the first time the use of DEF in their pick-up trucks along with other improvements to the cooling system, engine (three different power levels) and powertrain.
Here is an in depth article on the MY2013 Rams from Turbo Diesel Register.Com.
http://www.turbodieselregister.com/articlelive/articles/301/1/INTRODUCING-THE-NEW-2013-RAM-HEAVY-DUTY-TRUCKS/Page1.html

Jim W.

[tomsws6]

Tomsws6,
I think you mixed up the order of fuel economy, Ford has the best, followed by the GMs, then comes the Dodge.

Gotta disagree here. Dodge diesels have been the best in mpg for along time now. The new Fords, according to articles and comparo's, have improved greatly and I believe are right up there now.

[jsmith948]

Gotta disagree here. Dodge diesels have been the best in mpg for along time now. The new Fords, according to articles and comparo's, have improved greatly and I believe are right up there now.

I'm sorry, I have to jump in here regarding the new Ford diesel engine.
Our '11 6.7 L gets 14 mpg towing and 23 MPG highway empty.
6 spd auto with 331 gears. In fact, I think the mileage may improve as the motor gets broken in.
My brother's 6.7 cummins gets 18 mpg hwy empty. FWIW:)

[SAABDOCTOR]

your right foot controls the milage.the epa infor is like the artic package!:banghead:

[tomsws6]

I'm sorry, I have to jump in here regarding the new Ford diesel engine.
Our '11 6.7 L gets 14 mpg towing and 23 MPG highway empty.
6 spd auto with 331 gears. In fact, I think the mileage may improve as the motor gets broken in.
My brother's 6.7 cummins gets 18 mpg hwy empty. FWIW:)

No disagreement there! Like I said the new fords have improved greatly! Those 331 gears really help you there. I wonder how it affects your tow rating since you have a lower gear ratio than most? Still an amazing number! Were the 6.4's just as good?

[msp2jxr]

I have the 2008 6.4 and NO it does not due as well in fuel mileage as the 6.7. Lets just say the twin Turbos like to pass anything but a fuel station. I have made some changes to my truck and now can squeek out 10 to maybe 11mpg pulling an 11,500 pound 5th wheel at 65 mph. I hand calcuate every tank. The meter on the dash is not truthful. I wish it was. Before the tweeking I would be down in the six to 9 mpg range. Now 9 is usually about as low as go unless I hit a really strong head wind. I do love this truck...It is a very very strong puller... My truck very rarely shifts out of OD to make a hill.

[jsmith948]

No disagreement there! Like I said the new fords have improved greatly! Those 331 gears really help you there. I wonder how it affects your tow rating since you have a lower gear ratio than most? Still an amazing number! Were the 6.4's just as good?

Truck is specked at 23,500 gcvwr. Curb weight w/full tank is 7600#. Trailer weighs 10,000# ready to camp. With a heavier trlr the high gears would probably hurt me on the hills, but with our light 5er we go up the grapevine at 55 with about 22# boost. BTW, drove cummins for years as a commercial driver - there is NO better diesel engine. If Ford offered a Cummins, I would have one!
But we are more than pleased with the performance of our Ford engine.

[sagebel]

DEF is what gives you better mileage due to requiring fewer regen cycles to clean the DPF. That is the problem with the 6.4 trucks. I imagine the Cummins with DEF will do quite well on fuel. I did notice that my truck used more DEF when towing frequently before I did the deletes.

I'm a Ford man but there are advantages to an inline 6. I even drove a cummins equiped truck before buying my 6.7 Ford. In the end I bought the first 6.7 Ford off the truck in May 2010 and couldn't be happier.

[Big Boy w/ Big Toys]

DEF is what gives you better mileage due to requiring fewer regen cycles to clean the DPF. That is the problem with the 6.4 trucks. I imagine the Cummins with DEF will do quite well on fuel. I did notice that my truck used more DEF when towing frequently before I did the deletes.

I'm a Ford man but there are advantages to an inline 6. I even drove a cummins equiped truck before buying my 6.7 Ford. In the end I bought the first 6.7 Ford off the truck in May 2010 and couldn't be happier.

Sorry DEF has nothing to do with regen cycles of the Diesel Particulate filter.

Diesel Exhaust fluid is added to the exhaust stream to help reduce NOx.

Here is a quick U tube video on a typical system

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQHvi2Lgnac

The Diesel Exhaust Filter is filtering out soot. When this filter reachs a certian restriction point a Regeneration cycle is initiated to clean this filter. This is done by raising the exhaust temperatures to burn out the soot by adding fuel late in the cyclinder stroke in fords. The Durmax and I also believe the Cummins are doing thru a fuel injector directly in the exhuast.

A non manufacturuer relate article

http://econixdpf.com/

As far as def usage.....I made a 9k roundtrip this summer and used roughly 2.5 gallons every 2,500 miles or 1 gallon every 1,000 mles rolling with nearly 23,000 pounds total. The harder u work the engine the hotter the exhaust will stay reducing regen cycles, but u will also use a little more DEF at the same time.

[BUDMAN76]

Go with gm and you will be happy. The company i work for is getting rid (junking) there ford fleet and going all gm.

[jerseyphil]

I'm sure every manufacturer has their share of problems. All the diesels seem pretty good now. My 2011 Ford 6.7 has been really good. No issues yet, but I only have 15K miles.

The DW likes the fact that it is a fairly quiet diesel. Personnally, I like the louder diesel sound.

[SAABDOCTOR]

WCW See what you started:eek: i have read all the posts,I'm gonna get some hornet spray and have a beer! y'all play nice:party: