Thinking of switching to Dodge from Ford. Prefer pre-electronic manuel/mechanical everything if possible.
Considering a either a 1997 dually 3500 stick w/cab or a 93 Ram-D-350 dually, stick, w/sleeper. Which may be better for towing a 20K Goose with 8 ton loads?
Should I consider an Auto or is the stick better? I Drive 2000 miles per trip twice a month at 50-55 mph hauling trees to reliability is number 1. Advice anyone?

 

if you have a choice... and that's a big if. 97 is considered by many to be the best year. last full production year for 12valve cummins with all the bugs worked out. it's not unusual for late model CTD owners to sell and repurchase a 12v again.

ALL the 12v cummins are good. it's going to depend what comes up for sale. auto to 5sp ratio is lumped towards auto's. so if you find a low mileage 97 ext cab, 4x4, 5sp at anything resembling a decent price. I'd be jumping on it!

if you are pulling 20K regularly, I'd be going with the 97 5sp dually.

 

Go 97 best year unless you find a 98 12v (me still searching)

 

The 1st gen dodges were the ones through '93. They are very reliable and get good mileage. Not a lot of power but they will pull just aboput anything. You can also toast the auto trannies in them if you're not careful as they will just pull till destruction from heat. Approx 160 HP and 440 or so torque before mods. Mine would pull a load better than the HP numbers might indicate. Big torque.

The second gen might be better for you. Something up to early '98. Mechanical injection, great mileage, much better ride with the coil front suspension and a more refined body and interior. But the KDP will have to be dealt with and you don't want a "53" block. Up to about 180 or 210 HP (before mods).

If you are willing to re-consider your list, consider an '04 HO. Good mileage, reliable with a new lift pump, lots of power and a 48RE tranny or a very nice heavy duty 6 speed stick. The best brakes on any of the Dodges. 305 HP 555 torque, stock. But they are common rail with electronic fuel injection. I love mine and plan to keep it.


John

 

What's do I look for in ID ing a 53" block? What's KDP? I'm looking testing a 97 5 sp. , 2 wd. 162,000 miles. today for $11,500 at a dealer. has Carfax warrenty

 

The 53 is cast into the block on drivers side just above oil pan & about the back of powersteering/vacumepump .
KDP killer dowel pin , this aligns the timing cover to block , the pin has been known to fall out and can do a lot of damage , there are a couple ways of fixing , tap [ take cover off and bolt on a washer ] & jig [ dill & tap hole for bolt to hold tab ] .
Do a search here to find all info , a lot of people want every one to search before asking ??? , but I can almost never get an answer to my questions with the search eng. here , with out many pages of extra reading , maybe the big guys [ google ect ] have a patent on good ones , ???

 

Thanks John. Now I know what to look for when I test drove the 97 in about an hour. I'm trying to decide if older is better as I found a 93 with a sleeper with 100K on it for $7200 or the 97 with similar specs but 167,00 miles for 11,500. Both have 5sp., duallies and look well kept. I'm on the road 5-6 days a month between farms and more during the shipping season in the winter. I've been suffering through a 96 F-250 for 4 years and even though it gets great mileage has been a money pit and a tiring driver. Thanks for the help guys.

I has similar non-results using the search engine. Better keywording in the Thread title helps a lot but this search engine doesn't seem to search the message bodies very well.

 

[QUOTE=John Faughn;1670508]The 53 is cast into the block on drivers side just above oil pan & about the back of powersteering/vacumepump .

John, Looked and found no 53 numbers. Test drove the 97 and took my mechanic of 14 years along on the check ride. What a huge difference from the 1996 F-250 Powerstroke we have. The 3500 is quieter, spools out with a lot more power, rides significantly better, handles curves better, more comfortable seats. The AC is not as strong and the F-250 turns tighter. The differences to our Silverado were more subtle. The 93 Silverado dually we have has equal or better acceleration, a smoother ride, quiter engine, even better seats, but is more mushy on twisting roads. The Dodge 3500 outdoes both the F-250 and the Silverado in that at 60 mph it's turning 1600-1750 RPM's while the Silverado requires 2000-2200 RPM's and the F-250 1900-2100 RPM's. So the Dodge should save more fuel and last longer. We'll do a 1000 mile trip comparison in the next couple of weeks of operations and see what the fuel costs are and what loads sizes they all can haul.
So we bought the 97 Dodge for $11,000 off CarTrader.com from a local dealer instead of driving all over the country for one.

 

97 is the first year for 4 doors isn't it? Buddy of mine got a 2001 and those doors were a revelation!

Now my Dad has an 01 1500 with them and I don't think I could EVER live without 'em!

PS. Buddy had to do a lift pump that I know of due to bad fuel.

I sure am digging my 03 Common Rail!

 

I believe it was actually 98 before the '4 doors'(Quad Cab, not Crew, right?), but don't quote me!!