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Help with Decision on New tow rig??

mtnman210

mtnman210

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I'm in desperate need of a new tow rig. My requirements are 4x4, diesel,automatic, long bed, dually, crew cab. My budget is $16,000

I've narrowed it down to a couple choices but am open to more if you know of something I don't. I'm looking for any feed back on the following choices.


All the following meet the above criteria:

2001 Chevy 3500 160,000miles $13,500 OBO
2005 Dodge 3500 197,691miles $14,500 from a dealer
2003 Chevy 3500 191,000miles $15,500

What say CK5?
 
You could put together a hell of a tow rig for 16k.

sorry, don't know squat about the choices you posted.
 
mtnman210 said:
my thoughts too, but I don't have the time to build something, I just need something RELIABLE and able to get me around.
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Here ya on the time factor. Reliable can be done but it all takes time.
 
What about a Ford 7.3? Should be able to pick one up easily in your price range, and they are the most reliable diesel Ford has ever made(or should I say the most reliable deisel that International has ever made). They are great trucks. :waytogo:
 
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Ive seen way too many problems with the lb7 turdomaxes. Plus the cams are hollow who does that!? I think the dodge is your best choice out of the group
 
I'd go the furd route too. my grandpa has done hot shot trucking and trailer/camper delivery all over the country for years and he gets a new one every 250-300k. never had a problem with any of them. he did like the 7.3 better than the 6.0 for the towing. his truck is always also his DD. I think his newest one is the 6.4 or what ever they came up with, but I havent heard him talk about this one yet.
 
mtnman210 said:
I'm in desperate need of a new tow rig. My requirements are 4x4, diesel,automatic, long bed, dually, crew cab. My budget is $16,000

I've narrowed it down to a couple choices but am open to more if you know of something I don't. I'm looking for any feed back on the following choices.


All the following meet the above criteria:

2001 Chevy 3500 160,000miles $13,500 OBO
2005 Dodge 3500 197,691miles $14,500 from a dealer
2003 Chevy 3500 191,000miles $15,500

What say CK5?
Click to expand...
i'd steer clear of the chevys up until i wanna say 04-05. whichever the LLY is. theres just a crap ton of problems with the early design.
also with any dodge at that mileage, a rebuilt auto is going to be a must, either get one already done or plan for it.

the 7.3 wouldnt be a bad option, but be warned, they're slow in comparison to the dodge/chevy. good pullers, but dont expect the same 1/4 mile times you would out of the others, but it doesnt look like thats your focus so something to consider.
 
Get a duramax, but not a lb7, lly ,is better, lbz is best.
The dodge would be good but they ride like crap the trans is not great,the stearing will be worn out the injection pump is over 3000 to replace and that is comon, plus ,I can`t remember what years but the blocks crack and are toast if they do.

All the newer diesel trucks have there problems they can all be fixed but it won`t be cheap.

If it was me I would like to replace mine with a 07 lbz. Don`t think you would find one for 16 thousand though.

BTW I got my 02 lb7 new and haven`t had a single problem with it YET.
It`s got 256387 klms and 4524.7 hrs It has been a great truck.:thumb:
Too bad it not worth any thing any more.

How much you wanna bet I made the Dodge guys mad.:popcorn:
 
If the dodge is a cummins. Its got my vote. Thems low miles on a cummins:thumb:
 
max 02 said:
Get a duramax, but not a lb7, lly ,is better, lbz is best.
The dodge would be good but they ride like crap the trans is not great,the stearing will be worn out the injection pump is over 3000 to replace and that is comon, plus ,I can`t remember what years but the blocks crack and are toast if they do.

All the newer diesel trucks have there problems they can all be fixed but it won`t be cheap.

If it was me I would like to replace mine with a 07 lbz. Don`t think you would find one for 16 thousand though.

BTW I got my 02 lb7 new and haven`t had a single problem with it YET.
It`s got 256387 klms and 4524.7 hrs It has been a great truck.:thumb:
Too bad it not worth any thing any more.

How much you wanna bet I made the Dodge guys mad.:popcorn:
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the "53" code blocks are the ones that crack. common on the early vp models so 98.5-like 01. even then its a crapshoot as to whether or not they die. kinda like an lb7 that doesnt have injector problems. most have problems, but if you get lucky you'll get a gem that wont die.

any dodge guy that gets upset based on what you said is in denial, or hasnt had his dodge long enough to know better. lol
that said, i'm still gonna get another dodge over a dmax.
 
lb7 was the first gen dmax from chevy. so 01- i wanna say like 03, 04 (not sure on the year change) had the injectors buried in the heads/also had problematic injectors which causes them to be replaced at great expense.not sure if these had an allison or not for tranny
lly is the 04.5ish -05. first year the injectors were outside of the head and better overall design. had a 5 speed allison tranny
lbz was the last years before smog really took over, 06-07. strongest/best. had the 6 speed allison.
and that is the extent of my duramax knowledge.
 
People can say what they want, but I would be hesitant to call any light duty truck approaching 200k miles as being reliable. Outside of the engine there are tons of items that could leave you stranded and it's a crapshoot of how the truck was maintained and parts have already been replaced.

For those that make comments with the Dodge truck "that Cummins is just getting broke in...." at 200+k, that may be correct if you want to buy another rolling chassis to bolt the engine into. I know a horse trainer that pulls a trailer almost every day with his Cummins powered Dodge......the engine still runs great but just about everything else besides the paint has been repaired or replaced.
 
what about the Chevy 6.0 gas engine that they used in some of the 3500's? Will it tow very well, that just seems like a small motor to be pulling alot of weight.
 
I just bought a 3/4 ton 2004 Chevy with the gas 6.0, and tow package. I've had diesels, and I just don't see the hype. They are expensive when they need repairs, plus you pay an additional $5,000+ for the privelage of having one.

My gas 6.0 tows 7000#'s just fine. Sure, I may not get 14mpg towing, but I'm not spending thousands extra on buying and maintaining a diesel.

Find a good shape truck you like with a factory tow package, and go for it, gas or diesel.
 
05 is a good year for the cummins some new improvements made to the common rails they have a cp3 pump not the pricey troublesum vp44 injection the earlier 24 valves had but how ever the injectors are expensive but the same as duramax injectors. There are a bunch of steering upgrades for the cummins rams to fix alot of the issues. In my opinion the 7.3 powerstroke is the best for the fords. The 6.0 and 6.4s are time bombs.
 
Ok, I'll throw in my .02 :D

Bang for your buck, a 7.3 powered ford could be the way to go.
The Cummins is an awesome engine, but as stated, it's in a mediocre wrapper, and I can say this because my 00 has been with me for 325,000 miles so I'm pretty familiar with it. Stock trannies in most all of the dodges are going to fail, plain and simple, especially if you use the truck to tow what a diesel is capable of. The front ends are problematic, and they have door rust issues (94-02), and anything older then an 03 is not available as a crew cab.
The D max is a great engine, has a great trans, but honestly, you are not going to get the long term durability that the old power strokes (7.3) or a cummins are known for. Plus almost any similar repair is generally considerably more expensive on a D max compared to a Cummins or old power stroke.
The new power strokes, run away, don't walk, run, I worked at a Ford dealer , and have a lot of buddies that still do, so I have seen the problems and repair bills first hand.
As far as e 6.0 gassers go, they are great engines, my company owns 2 2500's one has 335,000 (my dads) and the other is around 285,000. Both have been mostly problem free, and tow 7-10k regularly, but, neither one can break 14-15mpg down hill with a tailwind :D, while my cummins has never gotten less the 17mpg towing and averages 21 unloaded on the highway. The gassers tow good, but , being used to the diesel, they seem to constantly shift, and the torque difference is definitely very noticeable.

Sorry about the "book", I just thought I would share my high mileage working truck experiences :D
 
"Books" are very welcome in this thread. I'm a total diesel newb and am finally going to bite the bullet. I just want to avoid as many issues as I can buying a used vehicle that I don't really know much about.

Thanks to all, all the info has helped keep throwing out any ideas you may have.

I've kinda moved on from the 3 I first posted. And I'm almost certainly swaying away from dodge due to the tranny statements I've been told about now from several be, even outside this site.
 
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