3/4 Ton Truck

Well, I mean... Sure. If you were expecting to buy a truck that could drive you to your grave, you should probably buy an 80s or 90s Dodge or Ford diesel. They'll get you to your grave... eventually. Your procession could run faster. Thing is, diesels are fine right now. Yeah, they have more shit that breaks, but they have 1000ft/lb of torque. People that need that power will buy them. Period. They're putting on a reasonable amount of miles on them today. I've seen 6.7 powerstrokes with 300k+ on them. I wouldn't need nor want anymore out of a truck at that point. Diesel emissions are getting more reliable. Things are getting figured out. Ford learned A LOT from the 6.4 debacle.

 

I'm not sure about the heavy duties but I believe the new baby Duramaxes in the 1500s have their DEF tanks next to the fuel tanks and fill lines with the fuel fill lines.

 

I get where you are coming from, but I still wouldn't touch one. I'd buy an older used one, and put money into rebuilding it before I touched the DEF engines. To each their own, but I hate the DEF with a burning passion and I won't own one. I also don't need a diesel, so I have the ability to be picky.

 

You mean you're not enough of a masochist to drive a non-turbocharged diesel?

 

Could be, I didn't even know they did a baby duramax. I don't even look at GM products. After the bailout stuff I swore I'd never buy one, and dealing with them for nearly a decade at work solidified that even more. We had way too many problems with them for me to consider any Chevy/GMC trucks.

 

Sorry, my post was about the 10 speeds in the 1500s. I haven't read as much on the new heavy duties.

 

I loved my ‘03 LB7 even with injector issues. Mine had 140K on it and lived half of its life tuned with a large 472 charger.

 

I get you. I'm reinforcing your points. A truck for most people has to be a complete package.

I witnessed an old co-worker show up on a Monday with an old early 2000s Cummins Ram Crew Cab. Apparently, he got a "great" deal on it and was super stoked to go buy a big ass toy hauler and some toys. I'm not sure he was singing the same tune after getting the interior reupholstered, dash repaired, rear end rebuilt, purchasing multiple tires due to aftermarket ball joints, etc etc. needless to say, the repairs dug into his trailer and toy savings, so he had to put that off for a bit. Apparently, his wife was pissed and kids super sad that their vacation plans weren't happening that year.

I feel you there. I don't have one because I don't need one. Modern diesels should be purchased on an as needed basis. If you need it, get it. If you can afford to floss, get it. Anything else, get a gas.

I'd like to preserve what youth I have so I can actually enjoy my destination.

OP. Get a truck that has everything that makes you and your passengers comfortable. You'll be in that thing for many hours at a time. I like the new RAMs. They have a lot of creature comforts in the higher trim levels.

 

DEF tank has been moved to a similar position to the other guys by the fuel tank.

 

This quote made my day. Funny as hell.

 

My brother in law ordered and just got a GMC 3500 AT4 with the diesel. Lots of tech and is a nice truck but I will never own an $80k truck. Time will tell on how it holds up or what breaks. It does get pretty good MPG unloaded on the highway- 20-22 mpg for that huge truck.

I would literally be sick if I spent $50k or more on a truck and it had issues.

 

I’ve been looking into the hd market because are f-350 service trucks are becoming a head ache, both are 6.7s one is a 2012 the other is a 13. Both have had multiple minor engine issues and emissions issues. I was set on ram 3500s with the hd trans but now I’m very intrigued by the ford “Godzilla” engine. If it gets a decent track record that’s probably what we’ll get just to avoid emissions and expensive diesel maintenance.

 

Can you afford to floss? If yes, get diesel. If no, move to next question. Do you NEED a diesel? If yes, get diesel. If not, gas. It's a fairly narrow scenario that anyone NEEDS 1000ft/lb of torque.

 

I've found the window for the old gas engines to be no more than max payload, even at that they have a hard time pulling and rev like crazy. I'd rather tow with a half ton than haul max payload with an HD gasser. Now maybe the new 7.3 makes driving a gas HD better, but in my experience I'm either gas half ton or diesel HD. You're right on the need for 1000 ft/lbs of torque, 800 was just fine, but the gas HD motors I've driven just leave so much to be desired that the $10k premium on a diesel engine is absolutely worth it.

 

That's the thing though... Do you NEED it or is it nice to have? The gas stuff WILL accomplish what diesels do. Diesels will do it better, but the end result is the same. At the end of the day, at this point in time, buying a diesel is just for the flex. If you're a hotshot or heavy equipment op, sure, you probably need a diesel. For the average person it's just for the flex.

 

The only reason to buy a diesel is if you regularly tow 10,000 lbs or more on a very regular basis, like daily. Other than that I would save a ton of money in entry fees and maintenance and go gas. The big three's reputation is on these big trucks and that is where most of their money goes. With that said, I would go with the most simple and reliable version there is, a Ford F350 XL with the new 7.3 gas push rod Godzilla motor. Add in a few upgrades that will increase performance and reliability (4.30 gears, rear locker, dual alternator, dual battery, some other things, etc.) to keep the price around $50K. I would choose this over the others because the Ford has the best chassis, has a solid axle front end, and in this configuration will last a life time.

 

Noob question here: could you say more about what makes the Ford simpler and the chassis better than, say, a Chevy WT, please? Is it just IFS vs solid front axle?

 

it’s not a money question for our business. It’s a reliability/ capability. The transmission behind the gas fords were known to have issues when we bought the trucks and we were counting on the power stokes having a longer service life than their gas counter parts. With modern emissions you can no longer count on diesels being more reliable or having a longer service life. So it all comes down to how comfortable do you want to be at max payload/ towing.

 

In my experience if a half ton can't do it then you go diesel. The half ton engines are so much better, and at least with the Tundra towing 8k lbs it's fairly comfortable. Tow 2 sleds and about 1000 lbs payload behind a gas HD and you're full throttle going up 6% grades to hold 60 mph. And sure they cost $10k more up front, but they resell for at least $10k or more than a gas equivalent, so you get it back in the end.

I used to think a gas HD would be decent, then I used them at work - they are infuriating to drive. Either go half ton or diesel HD.

 

The Ford chassis has the best in class hauling and towing capability. The frame is built very well. The configuration I posted is very simple. I didn't say you couldn't get a Chevy that simple just saying the configuration I posted is simple and I believe it will out perform the Chevy. Simple is good especially with the big three.

Also full disclosure, I won't own a GM product. Do not like their business practices especially after being bailed out by the taxpayers. Also I can get a very nice discount on GM products since my Dad retired from GM. So maybe I'm dumb or maybe I have morals and GM will never see my money. Either way I would choose the Ford over the other two and despite my bias against GM, I believe the Ford is a better truck.

 

That's what I'm getting at. It's all comfort, no necessity.

Yes, they may be infuriating to drive, but they get the job done. You may see a diesel as a necessity, but I assure you, it's not. Like I was saying before, if you are in a business where you tow and haul all the time, AND can absorb the cost of a diesel, sure go for it. But for Johnny camper owner, it's for the flex.

 

And I can say I'll never buy a Ford because Henry was a staunch anti-Semite.

 

Very much the same boat, but the company I work for is owned by Chevy fans. All our 2500 and 3500 trucks are Chevy and I spent about 8 years doing all kinds of driving with them. My bias about their business practices aside, I hate the product. It is impossible for me to get comfortable in them, and after an hour my back starts to ache. After 3 hours it's pure hell. Couple that with abysmal performance and I wouldn't buy one even if the company were run by angels.
Turn radius is garbage, ground clearance is sad, transmissions never knew what gear to use and the select a gear never did anything either. The damn thing would use whatever gear it felt like regardless of what you had selected as a limit. Towing fuel economy was about the same as our semi trucks, and the thing would scream but not actually do much when you put the pedal down. Had two trucks that I know of that were sent back to the dealer with less than 5k miles on them because the transmissions completely cratered. One of those was a boss truck, so it never even left pavement or pulled anything in and the transmission failed.

TLDR: I have many reasons and lots of experience that steer me away from any GM trucks.

 

Yeah Ford isn't no angel company either but Henry was way before my time. I witnessed the GM issues I spoke of first hand. Anyways, I am sure you can't go wrong with any of these brands, it might be almost like choosing what oil to put in the Tundra. You prefer a certain one but as long as it meets the requirements it really doesn't matter. Or does it?

 

He's been dead over 70 years. Isn't this kind of like saying you won't eat bratwurst because Hilter was a douche? Not trying to be a douche myself, but at what point do the actions of dead men stop being a reason to punish those still living? (totally fine taking this to PMs if you want to discuss deeper)

 

Our 2nd and 2.1 gen Tunny's have an Aisin tranny. As far as my vote...I went with the new GMC. Looks way better than the new Chevy truck and as mentioned the bolts are probably torqued to spec with calibrated torque wrenches.....

 

Not sure about that last part. Apparently if you buy a new GM 1500, you have to torque the bolts on the leaf springs yourself.

 

Probably so they can blame failures on you for not having a certified mechanic touch your vehicle.

 

I'm not a Ford fan one bit. I inherited my Dad's '02 Excursion with the 7.3L PSD. It's a very well built truck. It actually makes my 07 Tundra, especially on the inside, look cheap. It only has 105K on it so far so it has a lot of life left in it. It'll be the vehicle to tow with if I ever need to.