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Thoughts on Ford Super Duty vs Chevy 2500 HD

midnitewarya

midnitewarya

Sounds like a problem for future me.
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So, the wife is expecting our 3rd kid and it's time to upgrade her wheels to handle the extra kiddo. She doesn't want a Tahoe or a SUV of any type, she wants a 4 door crew cab truck. So, I guess it's my husbandly duty to provide.

Im in the border patrol and our entire fleet is 2500HDs and Super Dutys. I spend 6+ hours a day on trails offroading. I also do a lot of open country and cross country driving. Our rides are moderately modified. As far as 4wd is concerned, I think both trucks handle the same. They handle like any 6000lbs beast would.

What I'm worried about is the dependability. I hate to say it, but I think the Fords are way better. Over the last year Ive had 3 Chevys break down on me, 3 more go into "Reduced Power" mode with the Allison tranny, and almost everyone of them runs into A/C problems. As far as the Fords go, the only problem Ive had is a driveshaft breaking when I was cross country at 45mph.

What are yalls views / experience with '07 and newer Super Dutys and 2500HDs?
 
If you buy a super duty get one with a 7.3 i have one with the 6.0 and i had nothing but problems also heard bad things about the 6.4 .ford is going to have there own motor in the 2011 model ,dont know what cid it will be . Hd's haven't heard anything bad about them . The perfect truck would be a sd with a cummins motor . In my opinon.
 
I think you're on the right track with the Ford. I hate to say it but my next tow ring WON'T be a chevy. Ford SD with the 7.3L or a Dodge. I just can't justify the IFS front ends anymore. I have a ton of money wrapped up into the front of my K3500 and it only has 140k miles on it.
Shoot with that many kiddos why not look into an Excursion with the 7.3? Plenty of room and it'll still pull a house.
 
Are you looking for diesel or gas? If you're shooting for a diesel I would stay away from the 07 and newer as they all have smog crud on them which sucks the mileage down. If it were me, I would get an 05 or 06 ford. By 2005 ford had nearly all the bugs worked out. Most of the ford problems with the diesel was related to wire harness chaffing, or poorly designed turbo's. The chevy's are a good truck and the diesel's are hit and miss. I have a few die hard chevy friends and they are only somewhat happy with the truck. Lots of small problems though from what i can recall. If you're looking for space for the kids you may consider a dodge mega cab. Lots of room and you get the cummins engine. Not too many tranny problems if you keep it stock, either. The 48re is a decent tranny,but has garnered a bad reputation from the prior 47re that people just can't seem to get past. I have an 05' and my freeway mileage is 25 mpg (but i drive 55 too). My 2004 ford only got about 20 mpg and the chevy's are about the same. The Chevy's are a little more comfy, but the ford has more room. The dodge mega cab has the most room. If you plan on a gas motor, well I don't have much of an opinion on that, although with a Dodge you have the benefit of saying "yeah, it's got a hemi".
 
I'm def going with a diesel, the one's we have at work are diesel and they both pull like crazy. Our Fords are 7.3, not sure about the Chevys. Another thing I forgot to mention, the interiors of the Ford are way better. The doors have two rows of storage and there is storage on the dash. This make them great because there is no center console in any of them, they got pulled to make room for the radio/emergency equipment. The Chevys are a little more comfortable.

Shoot, I'd love an excursion, but the wife has this thing about SUVs and that soccer mom image. Oh well. It's looking more and more like Ford.
 
Is a cummins dodge completely out of the question?
 
howdiy said:
Is a cummins dodge completely out of the question?
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Not at all, I just don't have any experience with them. However, I did notice about 20 brand new 09 Dodges on our lot waiting to be fitted with emergency equipment, so maybe I will get some wheel time in.
 
The cummins motor in a chevy. Power, reliablity and comfyness.

Id buy the dodge but in doing that I would understand that I would have to replace every body part before I had to touch the motor. My dad's 2000 sounds like a rattle trap but it would pull the world the opposit way
 
we have an 08 duramax and i know lots of guys with them and love them. we tow all of our land equipment and you would never know its back there. i wouldnt even consider the SD but thats me. i would go with the cummins or duramax
 
midnitewarya said:
Shoot, I'd love an excursion, but the wife has this thing about SUVs and that soccer mom image.
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There are some pretty nice excursions rolling around town and they've grown on me. Stock they aren't much to look at but with a little tweaking they can lose the soccer mom image. :D

powerstroke.jpg
 
Ive put 82,000 miles on my 08 dodge 4500 repo truck in 19 months with zero mechanical problems at all. Its got the 6.7 cummins and the 4 speed trans not the allison trans and its not a 4x4 but, but, but the dodge 2500 uses the same 6.7 engine with the allison i believe and shares the same 14b AAM rear axle as the chevys and you get a solid front axle so IMO dodge is the way to go. The maintenance on the new diesels is expensive but worth it for 300,000 plus miles out of the engine. Also BTW my work truck weighs somewhere in the 9-10,000lb range and gets 14+ mpg all the time always running stop and go and towing and have had it over 17 mpg during straight freeway runs. Personally i would get a mega cab laramie 4x4 dodge if i had my choice.
 
CHECK OUT THIS FORM IF YOU WANT A SD WWW.POWERSTROKE.ORG YOU WILL FIND OUT THE UP'S AND DOWNS. I LOVE MY 04 F250 4DOOR PS 4X4 KING RANCH BUT I'VE HAD SOME PROBLEMS WITH IT HEAD GASKETS ,EGR COOLER , FICM, JUST TO NAME A FEW.IF I WAS GOING TO BUY ANOTHER SD IT WOULD HAVE A 7.3 OR DO A CUMMINS SWAP.
 
We have had powerstrokes, cummins vans and trucks at work since 95 and I hate to but also have to say without a doubt that powerstroke engine from 95 to 03 is the best diesel out there IMHO and we pull the crap out them from Cally to NYC average 300000 every 3 years or so on a truck with 16' tow behinds to a 33' goose neck loaded to the doors with appliances and displays for conventions or whatnot and we drive them till the wheels come off believe me, but after 04 forget it.

The Dodges LOL that 47 tranny is a frickin joke that ran us away from dodge forever so I cant comment on the newer ones .

2 04s Super Duties that are gone thank god lost money on both of them. We bought a 06 f350 dually we put 150000 on it and the injectors go out ALL the time still to this day and a 07 that has been to the shop numerous times with god knows what problems. We got an 07 chevy 3500HD that is still running great. I know I know I am biased. Anything pre 04 SD I say run it till it drops after that roll the dice if you want I won't.
 
I have been driving a duramax sence '02. I now have a '07 classic over 80,000 miles on it with no issue. I did have the tranny built when it was fairly new to hold the extra power of EFI Live
 
87odb said:
We have had powerstrokes, cummins vans and trucks at work since 95 and I hate to but also have to say without a doubt that powerstroke engine from 95 to 03 is the best diesel out there IMHO and we pull the crap out them from Cally to NYC average 300000 every 3 years or so on a truck with 16' tow behinds to a 33' goose neck loaded to the doors with appliances and displays for conventions or whatnot and we drive them till the wheels come off believe me, but after 04 forget it.

The Dodges LOL that 47 tranny is a frickin joke that ran us away from dodge forever so I cant comment on the newer ones .

2 04s Super Duties that are gone thank god lost money on both of them. We bought a 06 f350 dually we put 150000 on it and the injectors go out ALL the time still to this day and a 07 that has been to the shop numerous times with god knows what problems. We got an 07 chevy 3500HD that is still running great. I know I know I am biased. Anything pre 04 SD I say run it till it drops after that roll the dice if you want I won't.
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What motors where you running in your '04s? Ive only ever been around the 7.3s.
 
I have had 3 Durmax 6.6. No issues. Current one has 106k. Only fluid changes. Even running original brakes. Towed a 15k lbs trailer all over. Nice plushy ride.
 
in my opion you can be a chevy duramax just because the dodge cummins trans are always burning up transmissions if you put any kind of box on them unless you get a manual but if its a DD i figured you would want a auto, also iv have herd that the ford diesels arent real good for pulling but im not for sure since iv never hauled anything with one but in my experince the duramax has plenty of power for hauling and a trans thats almost bullet proof.
if it seems a little biased its because im a diehard GM fan
 
I worked at a ford dealer for a year and I couldnt count how many 6.0 liters had injector problems. 7.3 issues... nothing consistant that I can remember.

I would go out and look at trucks with an open mind, find the one you like best and buy it whether its a ford, dodge, or chevy. All have their pro's and cons, but I think for the most part you cant really go wrong one way or another (except the ford 6.0)
 
For the diesels it all depends on what year and price range you are in. I drive a 2000 SD, 7.3. For that era of trucks there is only one choice to get a 4 door. Even chevy guys say stay away from early Duramaxes. Dodge didn't make one. Then Ford screwed the pooch and went with the 6.0L. Dodge finally came out with a 4 door but it was uncomfortable in the back seat for me at 5'8". The chevys became great but with an ifs front end and dirt roads= lots of ball joints. Then Dodge came out with the mega cab which is awesome, but no long box if you have a slide in camper that is longer. Then they switched their engine up again and guys seem to like the old gen motor better. So here I am still liking my 2000 7.3L long box with over 200k on it. Get 11-12 pulling my truck and flat bed trailer, drops to 9-10 with the slide in doing around 70mph. So it really depends on your needs and wants for the truck. All of them have good years, all of them have crap years. One thing mechanics told me was to pop off air filters and shine a flashlight down there to see the turbos. If they are pitted up on the blades run away no matter how much you like the truck. They have been "dusted", meaning they sucked in dirt. Either from bad air filters, not getting them seated right or whatever. Just my drawn out 2cents worth. Hope it helps some.
 
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