MDLP412

i ran into a very well off business man that my dad knows and he had an amazing deal to offer. transporting auctioned cars. he sets up all the work and i just drive. he wants to know what truck i would prefer to drive and i told him i would look into it. (i left out alot of details but you get the point)

i first ran into the 09 F-450 with its amazing interior (king ranch) it beats the dodge hands down. but im looking more into the working parts of the truck. dodge claims to have bigger brakes, a 6-speed auto, 3.73gears <---(???) and my favorite an I-6 motor, but all on equals a 26,000 Pound GCWR. the ford says it has a 33,000lb rating with a 5-speed auto, and a very nice compund turbo setup combined with 4.30 gears.

i just want to hear everyones opinions about the two (im assuming everyone hear is gonna lean to the dodge) but i want to know on a unbiased level what you guys think of the two trucks and what one would be a better choice to tow 15k-20k and be in 11 hours a day.

turbo246

cant beat all the ammenties and comfort the interior of the ford offers... but mechanically the dodge I would say. But 11 hour drive a day, you need comfort, I know i would especially with my back. But I would go with the dependability of the dodge anyday.

soulezoo

What are you going to do with it after work? The Ford has a pickup bed, the Dodge doesn't. The Dodge's 6 speed Aisin is by far a superior towing/hauling tranny. The Cummins is of course the better engine and gets slightly better MPG..

Of course, the Fords interior is miles better...

You may have to flip a coin.

boostjunkie1

If you like being able to work everyday- - - -Get the Dodge..... I know of many, many Ford Guys that are having tons of issues with the new Diesels. A Construction Company that we are close with bought 4; and all but one has been in the shop for Injector issues, all in for constant flashes. The Dodge will do you right and you will not have that worry in the back of your mind while on the road. DODGE.....

Dodge man

Well it's up to you as to what works for you not us. You could wait till September and get the new 2010 Ram 4500/5500 that has as good or a better interior than Ford. By the way you can get the 4500 all the way up to 4.10 or 4.44 gears (I think the 5500 as one more than the 4500). Yes Dodge rated them at 26000 GCRW but they said it was not because the truck couldn't take it, as far as I remember it had something to do with licensing.

rfeiller

can't an upfitter recertifi a C & C gvcw?

COUNTRYBOY

I'd rather have a truck thats going to get me there, I live in a small ranching and mining town and not all but a lot of the people that work their trucks towing and pulling are going to the 6.7's. I know this one family that has a contracting business, backhoes, dozers, bob cats, they have it all and they had 2 brand new king ranchers and there both gone and have two Silver Dodge 6.7 dually's in the yard now, one mega cab and one regular one. They said the Fords were in the shop more than on the road, so that's just what I know about the newer fords, oh and they get 7 to 8 MPG...

Cummins610

The highest gears you can get the 4500 is 4.10. I have a 5500 with the 4.88's and I run at 2100RPM at 62MPH. I dont know about the Fords but the dodge is limited to 76MPH top speed in the 4500/5500. I have no experience with the ford myself but people I talk to say they are killing the transmissions in them. I love my truck and would no way trade it for a new ford. Stay far, far away from the GM/Chev Topkicks>>>>run,run,run.

MDLP412

i was leaning towards the dodges driveline, how proven is this new 6-speed auto tho? that toyota just scares me i like the 6 gears for towing, but im afriad most of it will be highway so it will see most of its duty in overdrive. despite the emissions equipment i still believe the 6.7 is a beast of a motor that does not leave a worry in my mind on wether it will get me back home or not. as far as the rear axle (dana 110 correct?) dana has already proven its reliability to me and the ford uses the same anyway. the ford look has grown on me, mostly because of the dually bed on the back. i wish i could put a bed on the 5500. will the 3500 bed fit? does it also come with 19.5 aluminum rims? im prolly going to git the 2wd option for fuel mileage and reliability but i remember so many times that 4wd has gotten me outta a hairy situation. im up in the air still there. is there a web page someone can link me to that has all the info/options for the 45/5500 chassis?

I will have a Class A CDL and make sure i have all the paperwork so that the letters DOT wont make me cringe. im still looking into most of the laws. as far as the 26,000lb GCVW can that be changed or does DOT just go by trailer axles rating and then the truck separate or will they weigh the whole rig at once and go by the 26,000 rating? i think i will be over weight if they do both at once but if they go by truck weight and then trailer weight i should be well off. anyone know where i can find this or does anyone have experiance with it? http://www.kaufmantrailers.com/heavy...Wedge-p86.html this is the trailer i plan on using if anyone is wondering, along with a 30k putnam 5th wheel hitch (2in kingpin) http://www.putnamhitch.com/products_...tml#hawkeye30k

what are we looking at fuel mileage wise loaded at the 26,000lb rating? 8-10? or even less? im sure gearing makes a difference here but im gonna stay with 4.10's or the 4.88 mentioned. leaning more towards 4.10 at this point unless 4.88's will get me more allowable weight while towing.

and for Cummins610, dont worry i didnt even think about the chevy/GMC junk

P.S. does it look like im putting my ducks in a row? any opinions from ppl that have experiance would be greatly appriciated!!!!!

RickG

Why are you not considering Chevy ? The Duramax has proven to be reliable and GM Medium Duty were rated highest in customer satisfaction for service .
http://refrigeratedtrans.com/fleet/t...n_survey_1208/ .
Just reading posts here shows Dodge service is substandard .

Colo_River_Ram

I know of one 5500 4x4 6spd auto that has pulled hard over 85,000 miles in the last year with no problems. A lot of it was mountain driving as well..

The only problem I have had with mine is a front pinion seal leak and I need to have the clunk, clunk shocks (see post called that in this thread) changed out..

Since your going to be over the road I would get the 188.5 WB and have a DOT compliant sleeper put behind the cab. This would still give you room to hook up to your trailer

Here's my Beast:



And it's Burdens:

MDLP412

i do not find GMC products reliable. And the only service the dodge dealer will be doing is warrenty work. anything else will be done by myself. And the work that the dealer does will be double checked.

thats a nice rig Colo_River_Ram,are you in a "hotshot" type business? where can i find the DOT compliant sleepers? do they fit behind quad cabs or just the reg cabs?

Colo_River_Ram

Thanks,

Technically I am a consultant in the gas patch .. Services used to be hard to get so I had to expand my line of services.. Now the "Gas Patch" is dead..

You could go with a quad or a standard cab and put the DOT sleeper on the flatbed.. If your going to be calling the road "Home" a quad with a sleeper will give you more room for your "stuff"

Here is one link to a DOT compliant sleeper, Do a Google on them..

Click on the video link to the flatbed mounted version this should give you an idea of what to look for..

http://www.cowtownsleepers.com/

Cummins610

In our experience the GMC Topkicks are very sensible to dust, we have lots of electrical problems, setting codes and such. The Cabs are not well put together, lots of squaks and rattles, the mirror don't last longer that 3 months till they rattle like crazy and we have actually lost pieces of mirror. We have had cracked windshields from body felx. Up here the GMC serivce is worst than dodge, 3 weeks for ANYTHING, dodge usually can get you in under a week.

I think the trans will outlast the rest of the truck. I just hit 112k and the Aisin does not skip a beat and 90% of the time its in O/D. I love that it is electronically controlled, just leave it on cruise and the computer does the rest, also the trans is double overdrive-4th is direct. The Trans warranty is 3 years or 180,000mi. You will love the factory exhaust brake on the dodges.

The rear axle is Dana 110 with a limited slip that actually works. Its up to you but I think 2100RPM is exactly where I want my truck to be running while loaded but for a happy medium you could get the 4.33's.

Dodge man

Hmmm, Dodge's website says you can get the 4500 in 4.10 (manual only), 4.44 (auto only) and the 4.88 (auto only)