Diesels

[willworkfore30s]

I'm in need of a good 4x4 diesel truck to use on my farm. I raise bison but rarely haul more than a couple at a time. I'm looking in the 2500 4x4 size range. My father will be driving the truck as his daily when it is not being used on the farm so I am looking for a short bed crew cab.

I am looking in the $18k to $20k range

What do you guys think I should look for?

[IronFreak]

Pre-2000 Ford 7.3 powerstroke, Any cummins, LB7 or LBZ duramax as long as its had the injectors replaced (prone to leaking from factory on higher mileage trucks.)

[ELVA164]

Up to 2002 had the 7.3, did something happen after 2000? I do agree that it's an amazing motor though, we have a '99 350 dually we tow with and it's really a great truck. The Cummins is a great motor, but the package (usually Dodge) really isn't. We've had tons of small, annoying issues with ours like blown tail light circuits and squeaking side view mirrors all the way up to the HVAC failing three separate times and the trailer lights not working properly due to idiotic chassis wiring.

[graveshaker]

Avoid 6.0 powerstrokes. Stick with 7.3. The 6.0 have great power and torque but are plagued with head bolt and egr isues.

[kronus]

we've got two 7.3s here for towing (an ambulance and a dual cab 350) and they've been fantastic.

[Bullhead]

I would highly recommend going with a Dodge Cummins. The earlier 12 valves (93-97.5) are very tunable and get outstanding fuel mileage. The later cummings are also very good but I would stay away from the automatic trucks unless you buy one from 2007 or newer. Just my 2 cents.

[ELVA164]

Speaking of transmissions, both of our trucks are manuals and it makes a HUGE difference when towing. Unless you physically can't handle a manual all the time, I recommend it. The Mercedes unit in the Dodge (ours is a 2006, last year pre-cat) is super expensive if something goes wrong, but they're pretty bulletproof it seems. Ours was filled with improper oil probably five years ago which caused an uncomfortable noise, but it still works perfectly aside from being noisy. Also, I can get over 30mpg around town with the Dodge without a trailer, and 17 when towing a trailer with three race cars.

[graveshaker]

Here's my old body style 7.3

[dnguyen1963]

^ How much money did you put into this truck? Looks awesome. I love the old style Ford trucks.

[GAbOS]

Just remember what comes to pick you up when you are on the side of the road dead.. a power stroke. :D

[graveshaker]

^ How much money did you put into this truck? Looks awesome. I love the old style Ford trucks.

I have a lot done to it, complete Banks system including turbo, intercooler, hard pipes, trans module, gauges, lift, free flowing exhaust, 6 position chip, Buck Stop Bumper and more.

[mrsleeve]

one of my posts from a similar thread on this topic

Ok As someone that has plenty of experience with diesel powered company trucks across all 3 marques that I put 20-30k miles a year on spend 8-10 months living out of 10-16 hours a day.


What do I drive as my personally owned truck you might ask............... 04 LLY Duramax with an Allison

Cummins is great its just wrapped in a dodge shipping crate that eats front ends and will fall apart about the time the engine is broken in. Plus the auto trans suck balls

Fords in your price point are going to be well worn 7.3's with a ticking time bomb of a trans. Or a 6.0l which is a hell of a power plant (fords attempt to clone the duramax) but has its reputation. You get an early one that has been fixed right you will be ok, or a late one that has been gone over you will as well........ Good luck on that front though . AOD trans is better than a dodge but its no allison.

Anything pre 08 emissions equipment is going to be the least trouble sum No DPF to clog up, and soot burns to do, can leave them idle all day if you want with out issue, Only thing is the EGG systems can be problematic across the board. Simple delete or block it, issue is we all know this and are either hanging on to them or asking a a premium for them but you can get a decent mileage (under a 100k) for less than what your wanting to spend.

Some people call the IFS on the GMT platforms a weakness and it can be since it relies on a half shaft front axle system that is not as robust as a solid live axle. But this trade off is 100% worth it if your going to be just using it for DD/on road and mild off road stuff as the ride is not like a buck board an much more car like...... The main weakness is the lack of a lift pump in the fuel tank and relying solely on the Injection pump, and the slightly lower ground clearance they offer if you are off road. Try to avoid if you can a 00- 1st 1/2 of 04 as the LB7 is a pain to do injectors and the heads have to be pulled to do them. LLY and up are more serviceable, VVT turbo system and much have much more power, the 06-07 are the LBZ and I think the best of the durmaxes, while the current LMM is great its full of emissions BS that is getting harder to get around.

Other wise general maintenance is going to be similar with each make having its own quirks,

[dnguyen1963]

I have a lot done to it, complete Banks system including turbo, intercooler, hard pipes, trans module, gauges, lift, free flowing exhaust, 6 position chip, Buck Stop Bumper and more.

Nice...what's the estimate torque for this setup?

[Zekerbox]

I have a 97 12 valve cummins and can attest to the reliability and ease of maintenance. My 97 has 335,000 miles on it and is still running strong. It was my sisters truck for most of its miles and when she had it they were hard miles! One thing to take into consideration with Diesels is that costs of maintenance have to be looked at differently in my opinion. Diesels are long service life vehicles. When you put tons of miles on them and maintain them to do so your spreading the cost of ownership out over a longer period. Sure my auto transmission has been rebuilt twice in 18 years, but that a cheap compared to a gasser; (assuming it probably won't last that long working hard) and when you spread that out over 330k miles and the ability to tow a house and get 16 mpg doing it. Diesels are an investment into longevity, durabilty and service life.

I have tuned my engine and installed a fully built ATS transmission with programmable torque converter and spent a lot of money on it. Even with spending a lot on the transmission my truck is still holding its value and the cost of ownership is amortized over the length of ownership.

Hope that give some insight. If your curious or need any info on the Dodge/Cummins my family has owned, used and abused a lot of them over the years.

[mrsleeve]

Nice...what's the estimate torque for this setup?

550-600 As in stock form it was 455 at the crank iirc.


Stock LLY duramax is 605 at the crank. and the current LML is making like 765 off the show room floor