Wood hauler debate

[TJ-Bill]

I'm debating on selling my 2006 Chev crew cab 2500 and buying an older 89-'93 Dodge W250 with a Cummins. I bought the chev because I thought we'd use the 4door as a family, I had pictured 1 car seats in the back and family trips in it. I've had it almost 2 years and we've yet to go anywhere in it as a family. The thought of not having a truck payment every month is getting more and more appealing. I know 2 guys with the Cummins 1 gets 16-18 MPG in an auto and the other with a manual is getting 20. Sure beats the 10-12 MPG I'm getting with my 6.0L gas.

Anyone else have an old dodge?..

I've looked around and they go from anywhere from 2-4K, most are former plow trucks so I'll have to be careful. Alot of rust on 20Yr old plow trucks!

 

[zogger]

I'm debating on selling my 2006 Chev crew cab 2500 and buying an older 89-'93 Dodge W250 with a Cummins. I bought the chev because I thought we'd use the 4door as a family, I had pictured 1 car seats in the back and family trips in it. I've had it almost 2 years and we've yet to go anywhere in it as a family. The thought of not having a truck payment every month is getting more and more appealing. I know 2 guys with the Cummins 1 gets 16-18 MPG in an auto and the other with a manual is getting 20. Sure beats the 10-12 MPG I'm getting with my 6.0L gas.

Anyone else have an old dodge?..

I've looked around and they go from anywhere from 2-4K, most are former plow trucks so I'll have to be careful. Alot of rust on 20Yr old plow trucks!

diesels rock!

with that said, dont know your situation or how the laws work, but..you get down here anyplace in the US below the plow the roads and salt them latitude, and the trucks aint rusty, nor have the drivetrains and frames been ruined with plowing. Might be worth a one way plane ticket and a drive back.

 

[nathon918]

i have an 04 crew cab cummins, with a 6 spd. really not a difference as far as fuel goes, i get better mileage but i pay more for the diesel... i still spend pretty much the same for fuel every week now as when i had my chevy gas job. i just fill up once a week instead of 2-3 times.

reliability wise, the cummins will far outlast the 6.0 in your chevy, id look for a manual, the autos are junk, but maybe that me, my last truck was my first and last automatic
id also look for the 92/93 with a turbo, the earlier truck didnt come with a turbo, that cummins aint worth :censored: without a turbo.
but you cant go wrong with a 12 valve, id trade my 24 valve for a 12 valve in a heartbeat...

 

[comnrailpwr]

I own several diesels and run a regular cab 01 24valve Cummins for my wood hauler/beat on truck. Go manual but in that generation the getrag manual transmission is not all that great. Still better than the autos.

 

[bucknfeller]

Never in a million years would I sell my Chevy's to buy a Dodge. Yeah, cummins is a great engine, but the rest of the truck falls behind...way behind. I've got an uncle who worked for Chrysler for 25 years, all he's had are Dodge 2500 cummins for the last 15 years or so. He's had to put a transmission or two in EVERY one of them. Now he's looking at a new Duramax.

We've got 3 trucks here on the farm with the 6.0 liter Chevy engines, and they have been great. And the rest of the truck holds up good as well. We use them for a lot of heavy towing, and I use mine off road quite a bit. The dodge is so heavy on the front axle, they drop in, and are stuck were my Chevy's hardly leave a track.

 

[nathon918]

Never in a million years would I sell my Chevy's to buy a Dodge. Yeah, cummins is a great engine, but the rest of the truck falls behind...way behind. I've got an uncle who worked for Chrysler for 25 years, all he's had are Dodge 2500 cummins for the last 15 years or so. He's had to put a transmission or two in EVERY one of them. Now he's looking at a new Duramax.

We've got 3 trucks here on the farm with the 6.0 liter Chevy engines, and they have been great. And the rest of the truck holds up good as well. We use them for a lot of heavy towing, and I use mine off road quite a bit. The dodge is so heavy on the front axle, they drop in, and are stuck were my Chevy's hardly leave a track.

im not a dodge guy at all, id perfer a chevy, but i like cummins haha, its well known that dodge autos are garbage, the allison 1000 in the duramax is "better" ( its like comparing dog #### and cat ####, its still ####!) haha, but its still an auto,it will never hold up like a manual will.
id rather put a clutch in something and know its good for another 150K+ than put a new or rebuilt auto trans in something to only have it last about 80k for a hell of alot more money then a clutch.
as for the front end of the dodge being heavy, its because it has a real axle, not that IFS garbage chevy started in the 80's, and the cummins is all cast iron, not aluminum like your 6.0...
now if dodge would just put free spin hubs, an NP 205 T case, and a decent electrical system in thier "trucks" then i would be all about dodge :bang:

 

[TJ-Bill]

I like my Chev, it's been a good truck, it even didn't complain that much when I was hauling a 14' dump trail With 7ton of dirt.
My thing is I'm paying for a truck I really don't need. We're thinking of putting a small addition on the house and building a garage. Not having a truck payment would allow me to get the garage I want rather then the garage I can afford.. . plus if I had a garage I wouldn't mind working on the truck!

Plus I do hate the Chev IFS ,, I'd love to have a solid axle front

 

[sam-tip]

The 89 to 93 dodges are ruff ridding. On bad roads you should wear a helmet. They get better after 94. But don't get a 2002 duramax. The injectors don't last. I have had a 90 94 95 98 01 03 07 08 dodge Cummins and a 2002 Duramax quad cab for work. The early ones do have plenty of power and get great mileage. For the new ones the mileage goes down but the comfort goes up. The 07 and 08 have had the least repairs. The auto tranny on the 07 08 is bullet proof and have not needed any injector pumps with 165k miles.

 

[nathon918]

The 89 to 93 dodges are ruff ridding. On bad roads you should wear a helmet. They get better after 94. But don't get a 2002 duramax. The injectors don't last. I have had a 90 94 95 98 01 03 07 08 dodge Cummins and a 2002 Duramax quad cab for work. The early ones do have plenty of power and get great mileage. For the new ones the mileage goes down but the comfort goes up. The 07 and 08 have had the least repairs. The auto tranny on the 07 08 is bullet proof and have not needed any injector pumps with 165k miles.

mileage only went down since the common rail was introduced in 03 when they started to put catalytic coverters on the exhaust, then even more mileage drop in 06-07 when they put the DPF's on the 6.7's
id never buy a 07-current dodge, or 09-current any other brand diesel, all of the garbage they put in the trucks these days kills mileage, and the longevity of the engine suffers greatly!
personaly i think they need to start making trucks like they useto, rough riding, manual windows, etc. a TRUCK, not these luxury cars with big tires and a bed like they started making in the 90's

the injectors in that 02 duramax your talking about, should have been replaced with higher quality after market injectors, not the oem factory ones, aside from that i probably wouldnt buy that either, mainly because its one of the first years that they came out with the duramax, they still had bugs that had not been worked out.
the better thing about a cummins in the earlier years is it had been around long before it was put into a dodge, its basically the industrial 6BT stuffed into a dodge...

you ever tow with your 07/08?

 

[sam-tip]

Tow everyday. To much power for employees to be driving. They drive too fast. Way over speed limit.

Nice trucks.

Sent from my SCH-R950 using Tapatalk 2

 

[c5rulz]

The cheapest and easiest way to haul a lot of wood is a trailer. You can get more on it and not have to lift it so much. Plus it doesn't beat up your truck. If you want to spend more, get a dump trailer, still way cheaper than a truck and doesn't depreciate near as much.

 

[nathon918]

The cheapest and easiest way to haul a lot of wood is a trailer. You can get more on it and not have to lift it so much. Plus it doesn't beat up your truck. If you want to spend more, get a dump trailer, still way cheaper than a truck and doesn't depreciate near as much.

he still needs something to haul it with, he doesnt want the truck payment, thats why hes askin about a cummins...

 

[sam-tip]

The cheapest and easiest way to haul a lot of wood is a trailer. You can get more on it and not have to lift it so much. Plus it doesn't beat up your truck. If you want to spend more, get a dump trailer, still way cheaper than a truck and doesn't depreciate near as much.

Yes dump trailer works great! But even better if you use a truck that can pulled it and stop it while going 70+ mph down the interstate with 9,000 lbs of wood.

 

[rarefish383]

I'll jump in here too. I'd really like to get a first generation Dodge Cummins, and have been watching them for a couple months. Those early 90's trucks in nice shape can bring crazy high money. A friend just called me and said he's getting ready to sell his 88 Ford non turbo diesel 4X4. What do you think about the Ford for weekend warrior duty, Joe?

 

[sam-tip]

I would not use anything less than a 4x4 dually. But I do haul some big loads. I look for big trunks that not many can cut and haul.

Minimum get a 4x4.

 

[TJ-Bill]

The cheapest and easiest way to haul a lot of wood is a trailer. You can get more on it and not have to lift it so much. Plus it doesn't beat up your truck. If you want to spend more, get a dump trailer, still way cheaper than a truck and doesn't depreciate near as much.

I have a 16' Tandem trailer, Dump trailer is on "The List":msp_tongue:


My other thought was to get a 2wd 1ton with a dump.. but I don't think it's would be a great DD if I needed it to be.

 

[morewood]

id look for a manual, the autos are junk, but maybe that me, my last truck was my first and last automatic
id also look for the 92/93 with a turbo, the earlier truck didnt come with a turbo, that cummins aint worth :censored: without a turbo.
but you cant go wrong with a 12 valve, id trade my 24 valve for a 12 valve in a heartbeat...

Actually, they had turbos from day one in the dodge, just not INTERCOOLERS. As far as the autos are concerned, if they are that old and being used past what they were rated for then they will be bad. I bought mine used and the tranny was toast, rebuilt it has put down all the power I have.

Don't be afraid to look at any of the dodges up through 2002. They are all alot easier to work on. It is hard to find a reg cab 4wd though. You might be stuck with an extended cab and they are a bear in the woods. I love my cummins but if I had a truck and no payment it is better than a new-to-me truck and not know any of its history. The 6 liter is a great engine in the chevy, keep your brakes up to snuff in whatever you drive and you shoud be ok.

Shea

 

[Whiskey_Bravo]

Question for you guys.

I have a 2004 Ford F250 XLT Crew Cab with the 6.75 foot bed and 5.4 liter gas engine. The truck is in great shape with only 70000 miles on it. I have 3 years and ~$10k left to pay off on it. I REALLY want a diesel, specifically one with a 8 foot bed and a manual transmission. I found an '08 Dodge 2500 Cummins near bye with an 8 foot bed, 4x4, manual transmission, and an extended cab. It has just under 100k miles on it and is a work truck package in a gaudy looking bright red. Do you guys think it would be wise to trade in on this truck?

For reference, I am a new home owner and amateur lumber jock. I have been cutting firewood like crazy lately at my house and splitting it and stacking it. I am buying a stove for the house this summer. I have a company truck that I drive during the week, so my personal vehicle is really only for nights, weekends, work projects, and playing around.

 

[nathon918]

Actually, they had turbos from day one in the dodge, just not INTERCOOLERS. As far as the autos are concerned, if they are that old and being used past what they were rated for then they will be bad. I bought mine used and the tranny was toast, rebuilt it has put down all the power I have.

Don't be afraid to look at any of the dodges up through 2002. They are all alot easier to work on. It is hard to find a reg cab 4wd though. You might be stuck with an extended cab and they are a bear in the woods. I love my cummins but if I had a truck and no payment it is better than a new-to-me truck and not know any of its history. The 6 liter is a great engine in the chevy, keep your brakes up to snuff in whatever you drive and you shoud be ok.

Shea

its still turbo related
id atleast stick with the 12 valve, unless i could find a 97.5-02 that was P pumped... issues with the VP44 isnt worth the hassle.
reg cab 4x4's can be found easily around here, rusty as hell tho..

 

[nathon918]

Question for you guys.

I have a 2004 Ford F250 XLT Crew Cab with the 6.75 foot bed and 5.4 liter gas engine. The truck is in great shape with only 70000 miles on it. I have 3 years and ~$10k left to pay off on it. I REALLY want a diesel, specifically one with a 8 foot bed and a manual transmission. I found an '08 Dodge 2500 Cummins near bye with an 8 foot bed, 4x4, manual transmission, and an extended cab. It has just under 100k miles on it and is a work truck package in a gaudy looking bright red. Do you guys think it would be wise to trade in on this truck?

For reference, I am a new home owner and amateur lumber jock. I have been cutting firewood like crazy lately at my house and splitting it and stacking it. I am buying a stove for the house this summer. I have a company truck that I drive during the week, so my personal vehicle is really only for nights, weekends, work projects, and playing around.

id go look at it, if the owner is younger, id be careful, ALOT of diesel owners these days buy em and basically use them for race cars, add tuners, delete kits, and beat the hell out of it. personally id stay away because it has or "suposto have" a DPF, its pretty bad when the manufacture of the DPF even says it basically junk :bang: