Haven't been on here in a while, but just wanted to share how this truck just never ceases to amaze me.
At 180k miles it just seems to get stronger and more efficient with each trip I go on. Lately, I've been noticing that where the truck used to downshift out of OD, on cruise control, it now goes over the same hills without coming off OD. It actually starts spooling up at about the same place where it used to downshift and tops the peak at the cruise set speed.
I always try to buy the highest cetane fuel (42 +) and when questionable or cetane is not posted I will throw in a bottle of PS fuel treatment just to make sure. Fuel mileage, again depending on the numerous factors of fuel quality, wind, load etc is actually increasing!!
Avg. empty @ 70 mph = 20 mpg
Avg. 10k to 15k trailer weight @ 70 mph = 11.5 to 12.5 mpg
Repairs thus far - (2) front uni joints, (1) driveshaft replaced, (1) lift pump, (1) fried battery - replaced both, entire rear rebuilt and front door weather strips replaced. Not bad!!
Things that I don't like - defroster vents directed too high to melt snow off the wipers and the windshield below the wipers. Tow mirrors vibrate too much. Rear springs starting to sag under weight. Driver's seat wore out, now has a permanent impression of my butt.
Hopefully, this truck will hold up until the new 4500 is out, I heard late 07, as the work I do with this one is probably pushing it's limits.

 

Great post!

185K and I agree, the truck seems to run stronger every day.

Iknowthisisa3rdgenthread.

 

I agree. Great post! Glad to hear your truck is serving you well. I sure hope I can say the same thing at 180K. Hmm....only 144,000 to go.

 

Same here seems to get smoother and smoother as the miles click by. 168200 as of this morning.

 

Dang! You've already put 180k on an 04.5? What line of work are you in?

Congrats BTW, that's what CTDs are built to do.

 

Man, I thought the same thing when I seen the yr and miles!!!

 

155K in 2005. I haul RV campers and thanks to hurricane Katrina I was doing 2 - 3 trips a week to Mississippi, Louisiana & Alabama. We were the first to get FEMA trailers into Gulfport 4 days after the hurricane hit. That was quite an adventure as we were ahead of all the military convoys getting in there. That's another story!! The poor truck was only shut down for a couple of hours each trip home for me to get some rest and the truck to get serviced. Was changing the oil & filter every other week!! Thanks to the extended warranty deal, I get 28 free oil & filter changes which really helped. The techs at my local dealer were really great at getting me in & out quickly. They tease me about the driver's seat cause it really does have a permanent impression of my butt.
Anyone have any "real" info on the new 4500 & 5500 that Dodge is supposed to be building??