Comparing Trucks

[crazygator]

I am looking for another truck this year.

I am looking at either a Ford F-250/F-350 diesel 4x4 extra cab or crew cab, or a Dodge 2500/3500 4x4 extra cab. Not sure which one to go with and needed your thoughts.

Auto or Stick? What about dually's?
Which truck is better overall and why?

It will be my lawn maintenance truck. Pulling the enclosed trailer and all.

Thanks for all the professional opinions and ideas, just dont try to help me spend all my money, ok? :D

[dklawncare]

Any manual will save you gas, plus if you are pulling heavy weight you can pull it better by sticking in high gear. Dually's are very nice and powerful, as they will pass everything but the gas station. Also, the Ford's V8 is very powerful and hasn't caused me any problems with towing my enclosed trailer. Just my opinion though.

[Barkleymut]

Crazygator- I just went through the same truck buying process. I ended up with an 03 Silverado 2500HD auto, 6.0L ext cab, 8ft bed. I honestly would have purchased the F250 or F350 if they could have come anywhere near the Chevies price but since my father in law gave me $4000 in GM dollars and GM had a $3000 cash rebate it was really a no brainer for me. I had a 98 Ram 1500 and it was ok but I felt that it had too many little things go wrong with it. Also I am still not convinced that the Dodge transmissions are tough enough. I do remember about a year ago on here that a Dodge mechanic said to get a manual and that they are tough as nails. I personally think Ford and Chevy are very close in terms of durability, I know that the Chevies are a smoother ride and in terms of gas engines the Chevy is slightly more powerful than the Ford in HP and torque ratings. I think the Dodge's are a bit lower in terms of durability and therefore I would not consider one unless you could get a significant break on the price, which will never happen. Go to Edmunds.com to find the invoice price with the equipment you want and then take it in to the dealer and say you want it for that price. Also go to Ford.com and see what financing incentives or cash back is available in your region. You should also get all of that money. Don't worry the dealer is still making plenty of $$$$. Good Luck and don't stay up all night comparing trucks on the web like I did!

[Bill Davis]

Ford F-250. I bought mine a month ago with the diesel. It is awesome. I put a chip in it and I am pulling 340hp and 625lb of torque and my mileage is better.

[grassdaddy]

I gotta f350,4dr,duelly.I love all the room,however i don't want another duelly to drive everyday.they are a pain to park,I got 1inch through the bank teller,and 1 wheel is always off the road.rotating tires is awful and expensive.But it sure looks cool all lighted-up.:cool:

[Brickman]

Ford and Ford alone. But that is my opinion.

Try to find a dealer with a 7.3L PSD on the lot with the new 6.0L PSD there as well. You should be able to find a heck of a price on the 7.3L. I drove the new 6.0L and they are great. But I am not going to be a test dummy for a new engine and trans.

[Randy J]

Drive them all and see which you like best. I personnaly prefer my Dodge/Cummins. If you're getting diesel, I don't think there's a better diesel engine out there. With 140,000+ miles, I get 19 mpg combined average out of it. And there's a lot that get even higher mileage.
If diesel isn't a factor, I'd have a much harder time deciding. I think the Ford would probably be my second choice, as they do make a good truck. And an awful lot of people have had good luck with GMs.
The automatic transmissions are much eaiser on you, and can be made to last as long, or even longer than manual transmissions, if you're willing to drop an additional $2000 - $3500 into them.
They all make good trucks, with a few lemons scattered throughout. Bottom line, what ever you like at a price you can afford. Good luck choosing!

Randy

[Brickman]

Randy here is food for thought on the Cummins/PSD arguement.

The guys I am working for just blew a head gasket in a 2001 Cummins at about 120K. My PSD has almost 145K on it. VERY VERY few problems. Here is what is funny they give me crap about my Ford and all I got to do to shut em up is bring up the head gasket and they shut right up. :D

[ksss]

Pulling an enclosed trailer with mowing equipment wouldn't justify a dually. As said already they are a pain. Its especially painful when it comes time to put tires on them. If you don't NEED a diesel I wouldn't spend the money on one. No matter who's you buy, it'll be a $4500 add for the motor. The resale is better but its still an investment. I have owned nothing but diesels, but I pull more than an enclosed trailer. Not to pick a fight but I would steer clear of the 6.0 PS for a while, if your bored check their web site out (I can't remember the address). Its not pretty. Brickman, my offer is still open. If it would be more fair I'll tie a small building to my bumper.:D

[Brickman]

Ksss and MDB quit drooling. Cuz it won't happen.

I had a chance today to whup some chebie bootie and did so. He pulled off the road to wipe his eyes. When his truck started to breath black smoke it choked out and faded FAST after that.


And I rolled on down the road LMAO.

[excel25]

FORD get the PSD, I pull a 20' enclosed and get 16mpg on the road. My helpers v10 gets about 6.

[ksss]

Brickman,
I don't take away from the thread and banter back and forth so this will be my last post on the subject. I will be in Billings, MT. from 02-14-03 to 02-17-03. If your interested we'll run em for time empty or I may have a 31' fifth wheel trailer in town we can load it up and run it that way. Makes no difference to me. Let me know if your interested and I'll get you my cell number. After the cryin stops, we'll go and trade your PSD in for something a little more competive. As the saying goes Brickman, "nothin but air and opportunity".

[Brickman]

I aint trading my PSD in for any thing. Unless it be another PSD.

And sorry I can't make it. Job won't let me.

[G. Moose]

I'm definitely partial to Cummins. For a tranny, I hear with Dodge that their sticks are better than auto. The sound cool too. But I also here vice versa with Fixed Or Repaired Daily. :D

[SpudsM15]

Nobody likes the chevy 2500hd with the duramax?

[Bill Davis]

you dont really hear too much about them on the site so I guess not. When I drove one I just didn't feel like I was in a truck. It made me feel like I was driving a bigger version of a 1/2 ton. But, maybe thats just me. :)

[Scotlawncare]

Wally,

I'd go with the 250 psd 7.3 4x4 crew cab. the extended cab does not have any room for people to ride in and if you get in the back and shut the doors you will see. If you start having guys work iwth you, more leg room will mean less tired guys and harder working. Down side is it's longer so turning it takes more road. I'd get the short bed. unless your pulling a 5th wheel or goose neck, a long bed is too much. Now I will say if you have a tool box and a long bed it's nice for being able to close the tailgate with a 4 wheeler in the bed.

As for the auto vs stick, it's all up to you. the stick does have more it's advantages in pulling but shifting all the time in traffic is a pain. When i get my truck, I should say IF, it will be a 250 4x4 xlt PSD Crew Cab short bed. By the time i get one the 6.0 will have the kinks out. Right now the 6.0 is too new for my taste.

I will say that the 6.0 has more HP and TQ than the 7.3 and the 5speed auto is nice.

Now the ford/dodge thing. My brother in Law has both. 2000 350 CC 7.3 and a 2001 dodge 3500 cumins. both sticks both 4x4. the dodge is nice and has a straight pipe on it so it sounds like a MACK truck. Power on both are about the same but I think it's a little more toward the cummins due to it being the 24 valve. I'd stll take the ford.

Hope this makes it clear as mud.

Scot

[rscontracting]

The crewcab is the way to go you can unhook the trailer and use it as a family vehicle.The diesel is another must have if you plan on keeping it for a long time.It will pay it self off in fuel savings and resale value will be there if you run the miles up.I just drove to Florida and was able to get 650 miles on 32 gallons of fuel.I have a crewcab longbed 250 psd. I love it rob

[TaussigLawnCare]

dodges suck unless a cummins turbo fords suck no matter what and I think for a mowing truck the best around is about a 70s chevy but if you want something newer. Go with a 2500 HD chevy or gm they are big enough to tow anything and get better gas milage and are the most dependable and cheap to repair. I had a ford but about everything went wrong with it so I sold it for almost nothin and I have a 94 dodge I had to put a new motor in and then I have my 2 older chevys that work great and one has a plow that makes me 200 an hour lol when it snows

[Randy J]

Hey Derek, how's Manhattan these days? Been a while since I've been there, but I love that town.
As for the trucks, from the sounds of what you have, and currently own, I don't think it's the brand as much as the truck themselves, and maybe the care taken of them. While I've seen some "lemons" with every brand, I would have to say overall Ford or Dodge neither one suck. I would take a mid 90's Ford or Dodge anyday over a 70's GM for a work truck. While the motors may be simpler on the older trucks, they're not as reliable, nor efficient. I've had nothing but good luck with the Dodges, as well as the Fords I've owned. Might just as well say Powerstrokes are horrible because mine lost the serpentine belt the other night.

Randy

[Brickman]

Randy Randy, man I can't believe you would throw stones at a brand of vehicle over some thing that is not even made by Ford. I do believe Gates or another rubber company is the one that makes the belt, and for the record I know you can get at least 147K miles and counting out of a serpentine belt.

I think what the problem is is that your Ford is doing as good of a job as your Dodge was and after all the Ford bashing you can hardly swallow that fact. :D :D

When in doubt review the first line of my signature line. :D



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[AltaLawnCare]

I have a 00 Dodge 2500 / Cummins. The power/Torque and fuel mileage are great. Price, and transmission, leave something to be desired.

If you're not going to be pushing snow, and have another vehicle, you should seriously look at the Isuzu, or Mitsubishi cab forwards - That would be the ultimate LC truck.

You got a 11,000lb plus gvw truck plus a trailer which can turn several hundred thousand miles and still get 20 mpg!
;)

[TaussigLawnCare]

hmm manhattan sucks lol small town nothing to do and last summer we had a drought. Well I was being sarcastic in my post I did happen to get a ford lemon and my dodge was the smaller 318 motor that really couldn't handle all the heavy towing I was using it for. But I do love my old chevys don't have to worry bout scratchen the paint and I have no mechanical problems with them at all cept a fuel pump and it was a 10 dollar part. Have you driven the new GM and chevy HDs I drove them a couple of times and I am considering getting one to put my plow on soon. Personaly those mitsibishi trucks are F**kin ungly and couldn't be a real work truck if you what somethin real get an international they are the best. When was the last tiem you were in manhattan would I know you.

[AK Lawn]

i have a 01' 3/4 ton V10 dodge, it has been great, all that i could ask for, and i get 12 mpg, yes 12, i have put a chip, intake and exhaust on it and it has incredible power, so i have no complaints, i hate the fords, as far as i am concerned they are junk but that is only my opinion, i owned one and had nothing but problems, i also have a 1 ton crew cab chevy diesel w/ 240,000 miles, still runs great, other then the problems that my employees caused but that is a different story, unrelated but i also have a 88' pathfinder w/ 270,000 miles

[hosejockey2002]

It seems that brand loyalty seems to be based on person experience with a given brand. Most people who hate Fords hate them because they had one or two bad ones, same with Chevy and Dodge. All three of the "big three" make an occaisonal lemon. This, of course, doesn't make all their products junk as some may claim. I have owned mostly Fords because I found a dealer and salesman that I like to deal with. I have been happy with most of them, although my wife's Focus has some quality issues that tick me off from time to time. I bought a new Chevy PU in '92 that I had for a couple of years and it was a fine truck. I would buy another in a heartbeat (no pun intended). I know guys who have Dodges and swear by them and seem to have good luck with them. My point to all this is that "which truck is better" is just a matter of opinion and there is really nothing else emperical that you can look at. Sure, you can hook 10 or 15,000 pounds up to each of the big threes diesels and have a drag race, but what does that prove? I think this month Ford wins, but next month or year it could be Dodge or Chevy. I imagine you would need a stopwatch to tell the difference anyway. Now I know that their are guys who hotrod their trucks so they will blow the doors off anything, but you can do that with any brand. It's just a matter of how much you want to spend. So shop around, test drive, kick tires and if you buy a brand solely on how you think it looks and drives, you will probably be happy with it as long as it doesn't turn out to be a lemon.

[TaussigLawnCare]

haha thats the truth man but what happens if you get a lemon for everybrand haha I have just about. Well cept for those internationals can't afford them.

[roscioli]

Fords list cheaper prices,, by about 2G's. Dodges will be hard to find with any discounts as its a new model. Go to a website like www.edmunds.com or kbb.com and compare all 3. These sites list GVRW, payload, towing, everything you could want. Fords are less HP in gas models, but higher and higher torque if burning mud. Ford f-150 has WAY higher payload than chevy or dodge, but similar in 3/4 and 1ton. Hope i helped a little more than "Ford kicks ***, dodge sucks". (ford does kick ***, I own 4 various ford toys).

[Nozzleman]

Considering this is my first post on this site I probably should pick a less sticky/brand loyal thread but I am a glutten for punishment.

I have had 4 Dodges in the last 5 years. Each one was an upgrade from the previous except maybe for the most recent. Here is my ownership experience.

1999 1500 4X4 regular cab with 318 engine. Biggest POS I ever owned. in 19,000 miles it needed new lifters, new radiator, new intake gaskets, tranny made funny groaning noise in reverse, it pinged all the time, and to top it off the carpet was soaked with water due to some leak every time it rained.

2001 2500 Quad cab 4X4 with 360 engine. Very good truck. In 30,000 miles it also needed a radiator, a door speaker, and a gas cap. I started my lanscaping buisness with this truck and also plowed snow with no trouble. I only traded it because I wanted a diesel.

2003 2500 Quad cab 4X4 Cummins. only had it a short time but it was awsome. I put 8,000 mile on it with some heavy duty plowing this winter and had zero trouble. I only traded it so I could get a 8' bed for a E-Z dumper.

2003 Regular cab 2500 4X4 High Output Cummins. Have only had truck two weeks. Plowed one snowstorm and so far no trouble.

I am partial to Dodge as you can see. Yes my 1500 was junk but everyone has their lemons. If you are still looking for a truck Give a Dodge a test drive.

Also, Dodge does have some rebates right now.

[Countryside]

Both trucks are a good choice. The Dodge sticks are better than the autos. As for the Fords both of the trannys are ok but the auto will die early if you work it hard. The Chevy/GMC with the Duramax is a good truck, but that is with the Allison tranny. Our company has 32 vehicles and three are 3500 Duallys. One is a 2001 and the other two are 2003. All are dumps. Our company has both Fords and GMC's. The 3500 with the Duramax is far superior to the Ford with the 7.3L. it does get better fuel mileage and the pulling power is better even though the torque is higher, go figure?, ie accelaration when hauling loads. Plus the allison tranny will downshift for you when you are either going down hills or when you hit the brakes when stopping. If you are going to just choose between Ford and Dodge then go with the Dodge with the high output Cummins and a stick. But my opinion is the GMC is a better choice. and the prices are great right now. Hope this helps you.

Countryside Landscape Services INC.
Western Ma.
32 Vehicles
3 Tractors
1 Backhoe
1 Mini excavator
1 Skid steer
6 Mowers
Various other small stuff

[Barkleymut]

Geez Countryside you didn't have to rub it in. Are you the owner? Share some secrets on how to grow your biz to that size. 32 vehicles? I think I could count all my mowers, trimmers, blower, my 3 trailers, and my 1 truck and barely come up with 32. Maybe I'll have to count some shovels and rakes as well. There we go. My vote again is for an 03 Silverado 2500HD with the 6L V8. Why? cause I just bought one at the beginning of the year.

[NYRookie]

I would check out Chevy & GMC 2500 HD's. I bought a 2002 GMC 2500HD Club cab 4 wheel drive with the 6.0 last march. I got the 4.10 rear end for towing. It is rated to 10,400 lbs towing. I have towed over 10,000 with mine with no problem. As for mpg, I get 15 mpg doing 80 - 85 on the interstates, and about 13 towing my trailer around town. Even plowing this winter I got about 10 mpg, we had several storms measured by feet. I plowed 12 places this winter, about fifteen times so far, the truck aint even looked at me funny The automatics of today are rated to pull more than the sticks.

My accountant told me if I was to by a diesel, I would need to put on over 20,000 miles a year for 5 years to break even on the initial investment. I will probably go to deisel if I can afford it.

I owned a 2001 Dodge Ram. Main word is owned. 2 transmissions, two steering columns, two outside mirrors, front universals, two center consoles, stalling and a paint job. All this in under 30,000 miles. If I won a Dodge I would drive it to my nearest GMC dealer and trade it in.

:angry: :D

[IBGreen]

I like the Chevy HD, the Duramax is a good engine, but then again so is the p-stroke.

[TaussigLawnCare]

don't buy trucks at dealer auctions haha I learned the hard way TWICE

[ksss]

There is a lot to the brand loyal thing. I grew up my dad had a chevy P/U and IH tractors. While in high school he bought his first Ford an 84' 6.9 diesel and has been Ford ever since (he also switched to Deere tractors). My first P/U was an 84 6.2 K-30 Chev. and I have been GM ever since (and I run Case equipment). So I guess the moral of the story is that I have seen that Ford sickness that Brickman has first hand. I think its genetic, somehow I was spared but my brother has the Ford sickness bad too. I do the only thing I can and that is stomp as many Power Strokes as I can. Prior to the Duramax, I admittedly ate a lot of exhaust being a chevy diesel man. Now its payback time.