Hi All,

Having never driven anything with a diesel engine, I am totally new at this. I am buying a new, small, fifth wheel RV, and need to get something to tow it with. The 5er is 6910 lbs. dry, and will probably max out around 9000 lbs. in use.

So far, I have determined that I want a used 3/4 ton diesel truck. The extra height of a 4x4 causes an interference problem with the 5er, so I am only looking at 2x4s. That greatly reduces the pool of available trucks. I am 70 years old. My current car ,and most previous ones, are 5 speed, but my wife wants auto, so auto it must be. Beyond that, I am very confused.

Two trucks that I have found are a '08 Ford 6.4L with 70,600 miles and a '02 Dodge 5.9L with 91,400 miles. Neither are real close to home.

Much of our towing will be in mountains with steep grades. I am sure that either of them would take me up the hill with no problem, but I am somewhat concerned about descending. If I get the Dodge, I would add an exhaust brake. There are no exhaust brakes made for the Ford, so I would have to rely on the Tow/Haul mode to assist in the braking. Can any of you give me some idea as to how effective the Tow/Haul mode might be?

My second question concerns fuel economy. With the larger engine and all of the additional pollution controls on the newer Ford, would I expect to see significantly better MPG on the Dodge?

One last question. Not knowing much about diesels, I would like to have it inspected. Do you have any advice on how to locate a competent diesel mechanic 100 to 200 miles from home?

I know this was a little long winded. Thanks for your patience.

Joel

 

Welcome to the site.first off where do you live? Or general area? To answer some of your questions when it comes to towing I wouldn't expect exceptional fuel mileage, I don't know about the new fords but lots of buddies with dodges 98-03 years are avg. 18-22 mpg mixed driving an those are 4x4. If you live in an area with snow I wouldn't throw away the idea of a 4x4, I've seen lots of 4x4's with 5th wheels pulling bigger loads than you want to pull. Also all these trucks doesnt matter the brand ford,chevy,dodge have their down falls so I'd drive one similar to the ford your interested In and same with the dodge since it sounds like you'll be taking long trips. Just my .02


Strokin' Away

 

Thanks Stroker

I live about 40 miles north of Chicago. However, I am retired and the whole point to this exercise is that going south for the winter gets rather cramped in our 19' van camper. We saw more snow last August in Montana than we saw this past winter.
Winters in the sun and summers in the mountains. Spring and fall we can stay home.

Joel

 

Ok, I see now.as far as reputable diesel shops around you I cannot answer that.but what I always tell people Is test drive a few different models drw or srw and see what you like, me personally living in Chicago I'd get a 4x4 just not one with a 10 inch lift, haha. There all reliable but if your driving far distances with a camper I'd get a comfortable rig for you and your wife, especially driving probably two days to Florida or so.my grandparents do it every year 16 hrs or so in a 34 foot holiday rambler. Also you mentioned the newer fords, have you looked at any of the 7.3l fords? 99-03 are the best years.reliable and great haulers as well.just remember diesels are more expensive to run and repair, I'd look for a unmolested truck.not one owned by a 16 year old who just wanted to "roal Coll"


Strokin' Away

 

The 5.9 will be way better on fuel then the 6.4 powerstroke. Really the only negative on the dodge is the auto. You would be way better off with a manual.

If you want a older dodge with a auto just plan on spending 3 to 4K for a moderetly built transmission, then you dodn't have to worry about sitting on the side of the road

Go to autotrader.com you can do a search very easily on the type of truck your looking for.

 

Exactly what I would say

 

Thanks All,

You have given me a lot to think about. My conclusion is that to get the ideal truck, I should buy a Ford, a Dodge, and a Chevy. I should strip the engine and tranny out of the Ford and throw them away. Then I should replace them with the Cummins engine and Allison transmission. Finally, I should add an exhaust brake.

In a more practical sense, I'll just have to settle for a reasonable compromise. I sense that I should look for a 5.9L Chevy/GMC in the '05 - '07 era. Damn, those are hard to find.

Joel

 

You need to re consider that year duramax, I believe some where in there they had issues with going through injectors. There's nothing wrong with ford,dodges, or Chevys. If YOU like dodge better than the others look for a dodge. Every year truck may have some "down fall" but it's all fixable. Like I said drive one of each in different years ad see which you like handling,ride, and turning wise.


Strokin' Away

 

Allisons suck. The 5R110 found behind the 6.0 powerstroke and the 6.4 powerstroke is hands down one of the best auto transmissions you can get behind a diesel truck. Allison is great on a bone stock truck, add a little bit of power and watch it grenade.

If you go cummins, get a manual trans for sure.

If you go with the 6.4, do the tuning and DPF delete to get your power/mileage back, awesome truck other than that.

 

01-04 LB7 Dmax's had the injector issues and 04-05 LLY's had the overheating/HG issues.

From 06 and up they had no major issues that I know of.

That would get my recommendation