Life long Ford owner, I've switched to Dodge

[MHildebrand]

I just had to say I'm loving this thing. And yes, my turbo locked up while pulling our RV, on vacation and over a thousand miles from home. And with only 8,000 miles on the clock at that. But I chalk it up to a bad turbo from the factory, plus I really couldn't have been treated better from a dealership that I didn't even buy from. They moved heaven and earth to get us back on the road in as short a time as possible.



The only complaint I have is the transmission. But it's not like I didn't know before I bought it. I plan on beefing it up to some degree, just as soon as I figure out what I need.



Cheers

 

[RHestand]

Ditto your story.

My last Ford was a 03. 5 6. 0 F-250. What a POS. , but that's another story.

As to trans. upgrades there are some good ones out there. I've seen some behind 5. 9s dynoed. at almost 1000 HP and huge amounts torq.

I've also read Mopar has a extra HD trans. & TC available over the counter, with DC warranty, etc. However, I don't know of anyone that's actually tried one though.

Best of luck to you,

Ray

 

[InfernoB]

Hi and welcome.

My name is Mike and I have not owned an F-series for exactly 366 days now. I don't have withdrawals anymore either as I've learned the difference between Laramie and Lariat.

 

[CDonaldson]

Greetings. I too am a Ford convert, right at 2 years now, best change I've made in my life. You will like your Dodge more every day. I still have my Ford F350 dually has a 460 gas engine/5speed. I use it for stuff around the ranch, but the Dodge sees all the long-distance hauling, best ride out there.



CD

 

[Grizzly]

I too had an F250, which I replaced with a 95 Dodge/Cummins. I am now on my second Dodge/Cummins and don't believe I'll ever go back to Ferd's.

 

[JTsokalas]

Welcome. I'm sorry to hear about your turbo while I'm glad you were able to get it taken care of. I'm sure you're in for thousands of smiles along with your miles.

John

 

[snowaholic]

Hi and welcome.

My name is Mike and I have not owned an F-series for exactly 366 days now. I don't have withdrawals anymore either as I've learned the difference between Laramie and Lariat.

Same here. . but 373 days for me... The only problem is I'm having way to much fun in this truck. . OEN transmission is a given:-laf It is like having a 7500# Race Car Oo.

 

[Grizzly]

Welcome to TDR and to the Dodge/Cummins family. Two good choices.

 

[MHildebrand]

Ditto your story.

My last Ford was a 03. 5 6. 0 F-250. What a POS. , but that's another story.

As to trans. upgrades there are some good ones out there. I've seen some behind 5. 9s dynoed. at almost 1000 HP and huge amounts torq.

I've also read Mopar has a extra HD trans. & TC available over the counter, with DC warranty, etc. However, I don't know of anyone that's actually tried one though.

Best of luck to you,

Ray

Thanks Ray and everyone else for the welcome and the information. I really do like the over all attitude of this site. Much better than where I came from for some reason. And yes, I've learned the above since I've been a lurking member here.



Just a couple of points as to why I switched sides. First thing was the frame. On my 2001 F-250 I'm not sure what they painted the frame with but it was pretty rough had an unfinished look. Then it looked like it has a coating of oil or tar over that to keep it from rusting. Effective maybe but ugly to be sure.



Then last year I crawled up under a Dodge and just couldn't believe how nice the frame looked. Fully boxed in and with a nice power coat finish. My first thought was, this looks like something that came out of a race shop. And to bear this out, when I put my N-Fab bars on, they came within 1/8" of my dooley fenders. I called N-Fab and voiced my concern that they would crack my fenders when the frame flexed. They informed me they had 100's of those bars on Dodge trucks and rest assured, that frame don't flex. And it hasn't in about 20,000 miles.



My Ford came complete with the dreaded idle knock and Ford wouldn't or couldn't fix it. So I went online and learned how, and did. Other than that I have to admit it was a pretty good truck. Just noisy and rode rough.



The other thing was when I popped the hood on a 2008 Ford. I saw a galvanized anaconda but darned if I could find an engine in all that mess. So between seeing that and the 6. 0's track record, no thanks.



Then inside the cab. I know Dodge takes a beating for not being as nice as the other trucks. But for my taste, I had leather put in, I love the Infinity sound system and the limo glass they use really seems to drown out road noise much better than my Ford did. And then the Mega Cab, what more need be said.



The other thing is how this truck handles a load. Plus bone stock and not broke in, I'm getting a solid 17 mpg hand calculated. And it doesn't seem to matter if it's in town or on the hwy.



Sorry to ramble guys. I just thought this might be some relevant information to some other soul who's thinking about changing. If something happened to this one, I'd buy another one tomorrow.



Mark

 

[JBallou]

Welcome!



What trans do you have and what type of problems?



I checked your signature and it didn't say or I can't read very well, it's possible.

 

[MHildebrand]

Welcome!



What trans do you have and what type of problems?



I checked your signature and it didn't say or I can't read very well, it's possible.

I have the automatic, sorry for not putting it in the sig. One thing odd, I have a very long driveway that gets very steep before it intersects the road. When I pull my 5th wheel up this grade the engine is reving very high, much higher than my Ford did on the same grade with the same trailer. So I "assume" the torque converter has more stall to it? I don't know, only that I wish it would lock in at a lower RPM.



The other thing it does is hunt gears at lower speeds. Although I have to say it's just about stopped doing this on it's own. I have no idea why.



And finally I've heard they don't stand up well to anything over stock HP. If I do add power it probably won't be much beyond stock. But it does give me pause.

 

[pwknapp]

There is a TSB out for the 1-2 shift hunt. Had mine in for the repair and it is doing better. Welcome to the other side.

 

[HBarlow]

MHildebrand,



Welcome to Dodge Ram ownership and the TDR. We're glad to have you. As you already know from lurking and reading our trucks aren't perfect either but they are very dependable and extremely durable.



I too was a Ford owner until '01 when I drove a then new 3500 HO 6 speed.



Harvey

 

[DerekW]

Greetings. I too am a Ford convert, right at 2 years now, best change I've made in my life. You will like your Dodge more every day. I still have my Ford F350 dually has a 460 gas engine/5speed. I use it for stuff around the ranch, but the Dodge sees all the long-distance hauling, best ride out there.



CD

wow thats not a common truck these days. a gasoline dually. wow so many people hate their fords. ever done $1200 worth of damage doing donuts in a vehicle??? Got bored one nite in Gma's ford escape decided to go to the my land and do donuts in the mud. well the best way to do them in a ford escape is in reverse. needless to say after a few minutes of donuts and hot lapping it around the field in forward i decided to sit there and keep going in donuts in reverse. oiling was designed for the gear to throw the oil into the top of the pinion bearings and vent back down to the ring gear using gravity. in reverse fluid pressure build up (not gases) and blew apart the plastic piece at the top of the housing where the wiring goes into the diff housing to the AWD clutch pack. immediately i let off eased it into the street and figured out what sound was and tried to fix it. just my luck couldnt be fixed without seperating the front and rear parts. of the diff housing. had no choice but to drive it home no oil. these things are built like tanks had to pull the whole back fo the car apart to replace diff housing with used one.





This is only one experience with fords. I got a manya stories all define why I am a Mopar guy. I wont even bother asking to use the ford again. i learnt that the hard way.

 

[CDonaldson]

Hey Derek.



That is a 1989 model Ford Dually with the 460 gas/5-speed, has 380K miles on it, rebuilt the engine a couple years ago, bored/stroked/blueprinted 512 in it now. Not common these days, very common a few years back. Still a good truck, just has reached the point where parts can be a problem if something goes wrong on the road.



CD

 

[HookMeUp]

My younger brother has a 2005 3500, now if I could just talked my youngest brother into being a convert ...

 

[MHildebrand]

MHildebrand,



Welcome to Dodge Ram ownership and the TDR. We're glad to have you. As you already know from lurking and reading our trucks aren't perfect either but they are very dependable and extremely durable.



I too was a Ford owner until '01 when I drove a then new 3500 HO 6 speed.



Harvey

Thanks for the welcome Harvey. And true, these trucks may not be perfect. But after 6+ yrs in my 2001 Superduty, I have to say I sure don't miss that weird brake fade thing or the almost total lack of power steering at idle. And the higher cab noise. By comparison, this new Dodge drives and brakes like a sports car. I'm impressed everytime I drive it.



Thanks again for the welcome. I know I've got a lot to learn as I cross over to "The Other Side".

 

[HBarlow]

Your observation and description of driving a Dodge is exactly the observation and comment I made almost 7 years ago when I drove a dually Dodge for the first time. It drove like a sports car compared to the '94 Ford F-250HD I had owned for seven years. I was planning to buy another F-250 with a Powerstroke but drove a Dodge-Cummins out of curiosity. I asked the Dodge salesman to let me drive a Ram 2500 but he only had a 3500 dually with HO 6 speed so I drove that instead. I was amazed at how light and quick the dually Dodge drove compared to my Ford. It steered lighter and quicker, had better brakes, and the torque just above idle laid me back in the driver's seat. I never looked back. The Ford faded into history.



Harvey

 

[GColeman]

Welcome aboard. The more you drive the truck and the harder you work it, the more you will love it. The engine is an absolute workhorse. As far as the transmission goes, you will find that they are very durable and will get the job done.



If you are interested in increasing the performance of the auto for a reasonalbe price, consider an after market Torque Converter and a Valve Body. It will make all of the difference in the world and won't break the bank.

 

[DWeiler]

Another driver at work just killed a 2001 7. 3 Ford cube(150,000miles). Driving at highway speed and the rear-end locks up,he hit the windsheild,spilled coffee etc and stopped sideways across two lanes of the highway---broken drive shaft,locked rear end. Police/fire show up cause of all the smoke from the tires and diff----100-ft of dually tire skid marks. This could of happened to any of the big three or any other car manufacturer,but Ford calls today----$8000. 00 to repair,new drive shaft-$1500. 00(old one is like a hockey stick),new axles-$1200. 00 a piece,and complete carrier/rear diff $3500. 00(old one gernaded)+misc seals/pieces/etc---so over $8000. 00 to repair. I guess there are going to let the dealer have if for some kind of credit towards 2/3 new trucks or something to that effect. My same truck is close to 250,000 miles,but i maintain it faithfully,including all schedule fluid chances,also believe that our trucks last longer if only the same driver operates the same vehicle religiously, some guys drive the heck out of them,i tend to care a little about my company ride even if i really don"t own it,but it is my meal ticket in a way. My 2 cents DW