So one of my friends was giving me hell the other day about how a ford chassis will last longer than a dodge even though the engine is almost bullet proof. Has anybody had problems with body or chassis on a 3rd gen?

 

No problems here and over 30 hooks to the sled with mine.
Your friend is just jealous. Tell him to get a real truck!!

 

I tend to lump that in with the "the engine is great but the truck around it falls apart" comments from chevy and ford folks. Almost none of them ever have any convincing argument as to why or how that is. Usually the best they can do is that their uncle's brother's hairdresser's cousin had one, and it had a window leak at 15,000 miles.

 

Does Ford and Chevy have the same ball joint and U Joint issues many of us seem to have? I think about everything else is about the same. Keep replacing the small parts and rust prevent and the chassis will last forever.... or close to it.

 

Just my observation from recently selling a 2001 F350 4x4 PSD (after 92K miles) and buying a Ram 3500 is that the front end on the Ford is a better design….heavier suspension components, leaf springs and most importantly free-wheeling hubs. In six years on the Ford diesel forum I don't ever remember a post about u-joints, hub brgs, ball joints, tie rod ends or "Death Wobble" being a common problem on the Ford.

I think the rest of the chassis is pretty much the same, but I sure do miss the manual hubs that allowed me to spot trailers in 2WD Lo range………. Other than that, I'm real happy with the Dodge so far.

 

I wonder why Furd has changed over to coils on the new Stuper Doodys!?

 

The ford's wear out ball joints just as quick as we do, they just have more important things to worry about that we don't, i.e. motor.

 

From the Form forums I read the ball joint issues are there also.The G.M forum has injectors dropping like flys.

 

Yeah, I wonder too...I think they changed in 2005? I still prefer leafs.

 

Well, my best friend has a 92 CTD and a 00 PSD, the CTD has 350K+ (odometer stopped working 2 years ago) pulls a landscaping trailer w/ eqipment 6-7 days a week. Original engine, trans, and rear end. Can't say much for the other stuff....front end every other year, seats broken, doors sag, windows do not roll up down w/o help, etc........But, it is a work truck, and it get's abused, so........

His PSD does not quite do the work of the CTD, but the only thing to date is worn out arm rest


I have had both now (03 PSD and my current 03 CTD), and seems like they are both good trucks. That brand loyalty is for the birds, each truck has it's +'s and -'s to them.....

 

I believe Ferd changed to coils for a better turn radius. With the leafs it took a four-lane divided highway to do a u turn. Probably softer ride too.
I've driven both and do have to say that the Ferd (with leafs up front) is a more sure-footed drive. Also, the F-350 SD is really a 450 - tag it to 20k GVW. Dodge - well you know 16k max.

 

i have 24k miles on my truck, some of it off road. Every day I have 1/4 mile of washboard gravel to my home. So far, no rattles or leaks whatsoever.
I couldn't be happier.