I have a 07 dodge 2500 with the 6.7 cummins and it gets 14 mpg in the city and 20 on the interstate. The 5.9 cummins got 25 to 28 just about anywhere you went. I wish mine would have been the 5.9. I have had both and there isn't that much difference in pulling unless your really into to it. I will say that the engine brake is nice when pulling my 25 ft. gooseneck full of oak.
2500 or 3500
- Thread starter angelo c
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dsm382
ArboristSite Operative
great post madhatter.
i also will be shopping for a new work/wood hauling truck in the next year. to replace my aging cheby.
when I load up a load like this, my 3/4 350gas hauls it just fine, BUT she likes to sway a tad over 45mph... so the dual wheels will be a must for me. i mean if i am going to travel 30, 45 or 60mins one way for a load of wood i want to get a LOAD of wood, and yes i also have a trailer that i can fill too.
but i am leaning towards a flat bed for many other reasons.
wife has good family truck for us to have for daily.
i have put 6,000 miles on this chevy in the last 18 yrs, so a diesel with GOOD heavy tires, will last me till I don't need a truck anymore.
and yes, fuel cost more but MPG is better on 'most' diesels.
what i really like about my old chevy is the fact that i can take it in the woods and not care if she gets a scratch or two or a dozen, just ask Ericjeeper about that
i will miss that with a newer truck 2003-2006
i also will be shopping for a new work/wood hauling truck in the next year. to replace my aging cheby.
when I load up a load like this, my 3/4 350gas hauls it just fine, BUT she likes to sway a tad over 45mph... so the dual wheels will be a must for me. i mean if i am going to travel 30, 45 or 60mins one way for a load of wood i want to get a LOAD of wood, and yes i also have a trailer that i can fill too.
but i am leaning towards a flat bed for many other reasons.
wife has good family truck for us to have for daily.
i have put 6,000 miles on this chevy in the last 18 yrs, so a diesel with GOOD heavy tires, will last me till I don't need a truck anymore.
and yes, fuel cost more but MPG is better on 'most' diesels.
what i really like about my old chevy is the fact that i can take it in the woods and not care if she gets a scratch or two or a dozen, just ask Ericjeeper about that
i will miss that with a newer truck 2003-2006
Haywire Haywood
Fiscal Conservative Social Retard
Being able to load a truck like that would be nice. Not happening with my 4.6L F150, especially if I'm pulling the 5x8 behind too. My buddy has a truck now that will come with when he helps me out with firewood, he can pull the splitter and we can load his truck as well as my truck and trailer. That'll make the longer trips more productive and leave the splitter trash where we cut and not on the ground by the barn.
Ian
Ian
...I have yet to notice a higher maintenance cost in owning diesels. I've put the same money into mDodge and my V8 Dodge before that. Same deal with our diesel Jetta. y Cummins in the last 75,000 miles as I did my V-10 That's just my humble personal observations though opcorn:[/QUOTE]
Hey Nuzzy those 15 quart oil changes in my powerstroke are a killer!
opcorn:[/QUOTE]Hey Nuzzy those 15 quart oil changes in my powerstroke are a killer!
Nuzzy
Trail Gnome
Hey Nuzzy those 15 quart oil changes in my powerstroke are a killer!
Ooooof.
But hey, with 15 quarts you're probably safe going 10K between changes aren't ya? I do my 11-12 quarts every 7.5K and the oil usually still looks pretty decent.
Maybe you should buy the oil by 55 gal drums to save on packaging costs
dsm382
ArboristSite Operative
can you oil burning guys use a synthetic? because i change my wife's oil once a year or after 25k with Amsoil.
not sure if diesels can use synthetic or not.
not sure if diesels can use synthetic or not.
Ooooof.
But hey, with 15 quarts you're probably safe going 10K between changes aren't ya? I do my 11-12 quarts every 7.5K and the oil usually still looks pretty decent.
Yea that's what I do, about 7000 miles between changes. After an oil change when they put that little sticker on the windshield saying "See you in 3000 miles" I just laugh.
Craddock,
Is the engine brake an aftermarket addition or a Dealer part ?
I hear them often but don't know how they work. 25 MPG is outrageaous. Is that on the computer or hand calculated ? Man that's great mileage.
A
dsm382
ArboristSite Operative
no, no, no, no, don't want to start a bash, just asking, did not know about diesels.Oh no, not the synthetics vs regular oil thread
same here on the work van but i laugh at the date they expect me back not the 3000miles, since i average 25k a year, i am in the oil change place A LOT!!!
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The engine brake is factory. They started putting them on in 07. The way it works on an auto. is the engine brake will hold you back really good down hill till around 1200 rpms. If you put it in tow mode it will hold you back till the rpms drop then it will down shift and continue to do this all the way to first gear. It really helps save the brakes and also slows you down with heavy loads. I love mine with the allison 6 speed auto. As for the 5.9 that is hand caculated. The 5.9 didn't have the emissions and being a sraight six cyclinder it got great milage. I know some will argue this but I had both the 5.9 and the 6.7. The 6.7 is over done with emissions and it don't see the milage. If you delete the emissions it still isn't the 5.9 for milage but it is a pulling machine. I liked the 98 5.9 with a 5 speed till they came out with a 06 with the 6 speed stick. Then I got lazy and decided the auto with the 6.7 would work better for me and to the dealer I went again. I pull a 25 ft. gooseneck from Ohio to WV quite a bit and usally haul trailer and wood around 30,000 lbs.
Nuzzy
Trail Gnome
same here on the work van but i laugh at the date they expect me back not the 3000miles, since i average 25k a year, i am in the oil change place A LOT!!!
Hey, don't go misquoting me making it look like I said that I take my vehicles in for oil changes. That was RAYINTOMBALL's quote
Cant say I've ever allowed someone else to change my oil
:hmm3grin2orange:
Highbeam
ArboristSite Guru
They all ride great. The modern ones. THere is no additional cost or maintenance associated with a SRW one ton vs. a SRW 3/4 ton. Always get the one ton since you get the official GVWR sticker that allows at least 1000 lbs more cargo in the bed.
I own and daily drive a 2000 F350 SRW with the diesel and love it. My commute is 8 miles though so mpg is low at around 14-15. Out on the highway I can bump 20 though. Long trips and lower cruise speeds is where the mpg climbs.
I came from a 98 1500 chevy with the 350 gas and it was great for a half ton. I could only legally haul 400 lbs of cargo. That's right, 2 fat chicks worth. I can now legally haul 2400 lbs of fat chicks since the Ford weighs 7500 lbs empty.
Also consider that being in a 7500 truck will be a good thing in the event of a car wreck.
I've never wished my truck would haul or tow less. That's a great line.
I own and daily drive a 2000 F350 SRW with the diesel and love it. My commute is 8 miles though so mpg is low at around 14-15. Out on the highway I can bump 20 though. Long trips and lower cruise speeds is where the mpg climbs.
I came from a 98 1500 chevy with the 350 gas and it was great for a half ton. I could only legally haul 400 lbs of cargo. That's right, 2 fat chicks worth. I can now legally haul 2400 lbs of fat chicks since the Ford weighs 7500 lbs empty.
Also consider that being in a 7500 truck will be a good thing in the event of a car wreck.
I've never wished my truck would haul or tow less. That's a great line.
dsm382
ArboristSite Operative
:hmm3grin2orange: oops.. sorry, but either way i still think it's funny that they think i can go MONTHS between oil changes... and it's more like weeks...Hey, don't go misquoting me making it look like I said that I take my vehicles in for oil changes. That was RAYINTOMBALL's quote
Cant say I've ever allowed someone else to change my oil
i change mine also, but once a year, on wife's truck, and on my wood hauler, about once every 5yrs or so
, no really, I know I need to change it more, but when it now only gets, less then 100 miles a year, why bother? only has about 40k + on engine, least that was what i was told, and 126k+ on truck, when i pulled the heads off i did have .30 over pistons so i know it was rebuilt, just not 100% on the mileage.might change it in the spring
dsm382
ArboristSite Operative
nice trailer, mine had sides like that for about 5 years till I upgraded
had to, after wife dropped a BIG log off trailer when it 'broke' through one of the sides .....:censored:
oh and she DID get it back on the trailer by herself, one bada$$ woman, won't let wood go to waste....
here's a shot with the org sides
I don't want to start anything and everybody has their opnion. I was always told that oil starts to break down after 6 months even if there was not any miles put on it. They use to recemend to change oil every 6months or every 3000 miles but now the oil has gotten better and alot of them say 7500 miles depending on driving conditions. My truck holds 13 quarts with filter and I still change mine at 3000 to 3500 miles. I think that a few dollars worth of oil is better than taking a chance on a new engine. Just my .02.
I just returned from a 10 day 2500 mile elk hunting trip from Wisconsin to Colorado in my 2004 SRW Dodge 1 ton 5.9 Cummins crew cab long bed and averaged 17.9 mpg for the trip. I tried to stay at or below the speed limit (75mph in Nebraska) to conserve fuel but I was still disappointed in my mileage. Yesterday I took the truck to the dealership for a recall on a steering component and told them about a leaking frost plug that I wanted fixed under warranty (71,457 miles). They checked and said that I have 3 frost plugs leaking, 2 are behind the exhaust manifold which would have to be removed to change them. Although I am under the 100,000 mile warranty they say I am not covered because frost plugs are not part of the power train. I have called Chrysler customer assistance and they are checking into it.
Wish me luck.
Ken
Wish me luck.
Ken
STANG302
ArboristSite Operative
To be honest I'm a die hard ford guy and have an F350 srw. And I'm glad I went the 1 ton route. 3/4 tons can pull the weight they just sag a bit for my liking. I like my truck to at least be level when hauling and towing. The milage between a srw 3/4 ton and 1 ton are normaly equal as they are geared the same.
My old man has an 03' 2500 duramax. It does have the power (sadly more than my truck by seat of the pants) and I do like the alison trans. Though don't expect the trans to hold up if your looking to add a little power. Stock there fine. Also one thing to look out for on used duramaxs is the injectors. There was a factory recal on them, dad's on his 3rd set, so make sure that they are replaced before you buy from a dealer.
There are a few things I just don't like about the gm trucks. They are just to car like. Yes the ride is nice but you sacrifice your ability to haul safely in my opinion. For example put the same 22' deckover trailer with 5K lbs on the 2500, cousins f250 and my f350. The f250 squats about 1-2", f350 1", 2500 4-6". I just don't get that. Why have a truck that is capable in the powertrain department fall behind in the chassis? Just doesn't make sence.
If you are only going to use the truck ocasionaly a 3/4 ton will prabably suite you just fine. If you will be hauling some ocasional heavy loads or lighter loads more frequintly. I'd go with a 1 ton and never have to worry about being over loaded.
Here's my old mans truck with a light load on the trailer, notice how much she's squating:
This is about the same weight as the toilets and tank above:
And one that we over loaded a bit:
My old man has an 03' 2500 duramax. It does have the power (sadly more than my truck by seat of the pants) and I do like the alison trans. Though don't expect the trans to hold up if your looking to add a little power. Stock there fine. Also one thing to look out for on used duramaxs is the injectors. There was a factory recal on them, dad's on his 3rd set, so make sure that they are replaced before you buy from a dealer.
There are a few things I just don't like about the gm trucks. They are just to car like. Yes the ride is nice but you sacrifice your ability to haul safely in my opinion. For example put the same 22' deckover trailer with 5K lbs on the 2500, cousins f250 and my f350. The f250 squats about 1-2", f350 1", 2500 4-6". I just don't get that. Why have a truck that is capable in the powertrain department fall behind in the chassis? Just doesn't make sence.
If you are only going to use the truck ocasionaly a 3/4 ton will prabably suite you just fine. If you will be hauling some ocasional heavy loads or lighter loads more frequintly. I'd go with a 1 ton and never have to worry about being over loaded.
Here's my old mans truck with a light load on the trailer, notice how much she's squating:
This is about the same weight as the toilets and tank above:
And one that we over loaded a bit:
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Good Point !
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