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Looking for feedback from slide-in owners
- Thread starter SRath
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I don't really have a brand loyalty,but before I bought my Cummins,I always preferred the Chevy trucks. Built tough and simplistic in design and parts everywhere are available. I'm talking about the 70's trucks mostly but I've owned a few 80's , and 2 late 90's trucks also. The 1/2 ton 99' that I replaced with my Cummins 3 yrs was reliable but lacked the power and suspension I needed to tow a 6K trailer daily. Plus,I wanted a Cummins..... as SRath has stated,the Dodge is wrapped around it!
I have been in arguements with George and Harvey about this and don't wish to offend anyone. I have spent more money on this truck than any other vehicle I have EVER owned. The problems I have had are the same exact issues that everybody else have and I'm not going to get into that now.
The owners of 4x4 trucks all experience death wobble and poor steering and handling at one point or another... ... or will after their factory parts wear out in less than 100K miles. Then you can purchase the many aftermarket options to repair your truck... . also a very indication of a poor quality design from a manufacturer.
Alan
I have been in arguements with George and Harvey about this and don't wish to offend anyone. I have spent more money on this truck than any other vehicle I have EVER owned. The problems I have had are the same exact issues that everybody else have and I'm not going to get into that now.
The owners of 4x4 trucks all experience death wobble and poor steering and handling at one point or another... ... or will after their factory parts wear out in less than 100K miles. Then you can purchase the many aftermarket options to repair your truck... . also a very indication of a poor quality design from a manufacturer.
Alan
Alan, I believe if you did a survey, you'd find far more satisfied Dodge truck owners than not satisfied. You would also find far more trucks owners satisfied with their Dodge/Cummins then with Furd/Powerjoke and GM/Duracrap.
I realise you have had problems with your Dodge truck, but that's not to say everyone has problems with theirs. My 95 Dodge, after the 10 years and over 100K miles, was never in the shop, except for a wheel alignment. I replaced my own brake pads. My 05 has not yet been in the shop for anything.
george
[QUOTE=SRath I simply will not pay the day-to-day driving, fuel economy, and off-road driving penalties that a dually owner must accept.
Now THAT is a new one on me, I don't consider myself "paying" any of those penalties. I do stay on the roads though. I just fueled at Flying J in Emporia KS a few minutes ago, 22. 1 mpg driving over 70 all day long, over 600 miles. I feel fresh, had a fine ride! (even the cat and the dog and the wife enjoyed the drive as well)
Now THAT is a new one on me, I don't consider myself "paying" any of those penalties. I do stay on the roads though. I just fueled at Flying J in Emporia KS a few minutes ago, 22. 1 mpg driving over 70 all day long, over 600 miles. I feel fresh, had a fine ride! (even the cat and the dog and the wife enjoyed the drive as well)
I just feel that there's no substitute for a dually when it comes to hauling a large,heavy hardsided slide in. I witnessed hardsided camper laden srw's weaving all over the road in stiff winds in April on I-15 southbound near Las Vegas,while their dually counterparts were seemingly unaffected. Northstar has some new popups w/slideouts that might work out for the srw owners who desire that feature.
George,
I consider you a friend and don't wish to argue with you. I want you to understand that I love my truck and have plans to keep it until the wheels fall off of it. I agree with your 'taking a survey' with happy Cummins owners. But,quite honestly,how many people would you consider happy Dodge owners if their vehicle of choice did NOT come with the Cummins diesel. I'd be interested in seeing that poll myself!!Besides,both your 95' and 05' were 2 wheel drive and I did say owners of 4 wheel drives have the worst track record for death wobble and poor handling.
Like I said... . I love my truck just like all you do... I was merely stating the facts about the amount of money I have placed in this vehicle vs. others I have owned. The Dodge I have is hands down the best tow vehicle I have ever owned and consequently gets treated with a 6K lb load on a daily basis. None of my other trucks could do that without serious problems... . this is the reason for me stepping up to a diesel.
Alan
Alan, I also consider you a friend. I do understand that many gas engine Dodge have many problems, but you must understand that all gas engine Dodge are made in St. Louis or Michigan by UAW. Almost all Dodge/Cummins are made in Saltillo, Mexico and have a better reputation for quality.
By the way, both my 95 and 05 are 4WD. See my signature.
By the way, both my 95 and 05 are 4WD. See my signature.
I did miss that..... I always thought you had the 2 wheel drive trucks
I just went out and looked on the door... . much to my dismay... . my truck was manufactured in St. Louis.
Alan
My 95 was assembled in Saltillo, Mexico. It was such a great truck that when I ordered my 05, I told the dealer that if my new truck didn't come out of Mexico, I wouldn't take it. He assured me that it would come out of Mexico. He also said that the truck assembled in Mexico are always better then the trucks assembled in St. Louis. All the parts are the same. Interesting!
Must be that the auto workers in Mexico value their $4. 00 per hour jobs more than the UAW value their $30. 00 per hour jobs.
There are known design flaws that are never even acknowledged by dodge.
Some of them have gone on from 1994 to present models.
Examples are :Foam in seats that are worn out in 12months,Coil springs instead of leafs up front,No locking front hubs,Weak tinfoil bumpers(we need nothing fancy just 1/4in steel),Poor fuel delivery and filtering(fass or racor is good),door hinges that fail quickly(bearings and grease fittings please),only 3 grease fittings on a 45k$+ vehicle?
Wake up Big 3 and build a decent truck.
If you make them we will buy them.
Some of them have gone on from 1994 to present models.
Examples are :Foam in seats that are worn out in 12months,Coil springs instead of leafs up front,No locking front hubs,Weak tinfoil bumpers(we need nothing fancy just 1/4in steel),Poor fuel delivery and filtering(fass or racor is good),door hinges that fail quickly(bearings and grease fittings please),only 3 grease fittings on a 45k$+ vehicle?
Wake up Big 3 and build a decent truck.
If you make them we will buy them.
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Of course you don't agree with that, Grizzly. You tend to be a santimonious cheerleader about all things Mopar. If anyone DARES criticize them, you immediately stop sending them fruitcakes at Christmas. 
What did "assembly" have to do with "Death Wobble"? Explain that. Any of it. Like ****-poor trackbars and steering linkage that even Dumb Dodge recognized and changed?
What did mexico vs. St. Louie have to do with junk headlight switches and wiring and design that have literally burned many dodge trucks to the ground?
How did incompetent, overpaid English-speakers screw up the weak and short-lived headlights themselves?
How did foreigner assemblers taking American jobs make a difference in the parking brake design, and subsequent frequent failure, of early 2nd gens?
Get real. Bad design and bad parts are due strictly to corporate decisions that have NOTHING to do with who assembles them or where. The very fact there IS an assembly plant in "$4 per hour" mexico proves even YOU know what really motivates Dodge Corporation... And it is NOT "building the best truck possible". It is "Corporate PROFIT at any cost to consumers".
Seems those begging hat-in-hand, corporate welfare recipients screwed even THAT up, didn't they?
What did "assembly" have to do with "Death Wobble"? Explain that. Any of it. Like ****-poor trackbars and steering linkage that even Dumb Dodge recognized and changed?
What did mexico vs. St. Louie have to do with junk headlight switches and wiring and design that have literally burned many dodge trucks to the ground?
How did incompetent, overpaid English-speakers screw up the weak and short-lived headlights themselves?
How did foreigner assemblers taking American jobs make a difference in the parking brake design, and subsequent frequent failure, of early 2nd gens?
Get real. Bad design and bad parts are due strictly to corporate decisions that have NOTHING to do with who assembles them or where. The very fact there IS an assembly plant in "$4 per hour" mexico proves even YOU know what really motivates Dodge Corporation... And it is NOT "building the best truck possible". It is "Corporate PROFIT at any cost to consumers".
Seems those begging hat-in-hand, corporate welfare recipients screwed even THAT up, didn't they?
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Of course you don't agree with that, Grizzly. You tend to be a santimonious cheerleader about all things Mopar. If anyone DARES criticize them, you immediately stop sending them fruitcakes at Christmas.
What did "assembly" have to do with "Death Wobble"? Explain that. Any of it. Like ****-poor trackbars and steering linkage that even Dumb Dodge recognized and changed?
What did mexico vs. St. Louie have to do with junk headlight switches and wiring and design that have literally burned many dodge trucks to the ground?
How did incompetent, overpaid English-speakers screw up the weak and short-lived headlights themselves?
How did foreigner assemblers taking American jobs make a difference in the parking brake design, and subsequent frequent failure, of early 2nd gens?
Get real. Bad design and bad parts are due strictly to corporate decisions that have NOTHING to do with who assembles them or where. The very fact there IS an assembly plant in "$4 per hour" mexico proves even YOU know what really motivates Dodge Corporation... And it is NOT "building the best truck possible". It is "Corporate PROFIT at any cost to consumers".
Seems those begging hat-in-hand, corporate welfare recipients screwed even THAT up, didn't they?
You don't agree with anything I have to say and I don't agree with anything you say, so let just leave it at that. You're one of those people that if you had the most perfect Dodge ever built, you'd never be happy and you'd belly ache about it anyway. If you hate your Dodge so much, go buy a Ford or a GM. I doubt you'd be happy with them either.
I don't like the idea of taking work away from American workers, but if they continue to put out crap like they've done for the last 40 years, I'll buy Japanese or Mexico built. The UAW have brought this mess upon themselves. They belly ache and cry, like you do, for more money and benefits and then put out inferior cars and trucks. No thanks, I'm not going to pay $50K for junk.
By the way, I don't sent fruitcake to anyone nor do I receive any. Trucks made in Mexico have always been less troublesome than those built by the UAW. If you don't want to believe it, that's your choice. I won't try to convince you because you're too bullheaded or you just don't have the ability to understand the concept.
This isn't "Turbo Dodge Register"
The "crap" , and we definitely agree on that, that they put out nowadays (not for 40 years, though) is not due to assembly. It is design.
C'mon Griz. Take the plunge and just once put your money where your highly critical mouth is. You took a much bigger cheap shot at Americans than I have at Dodge Corporation. And I can back up what I claimed; you have not and probably cannot.
"You're one of those people that if you had the most perfect Dodge ever built, you'd never be happy and you'd belly ache about it anyway. If you hate your Dodge so much, go buy a Ford or a GM. I doubt you'd be happy with them either. "
I could respond in kind with: "You're one of those people that if he lived in the most perfect country ever built, you'd never be happy and you'd belly ache about it anyway. If you hate your country so much, go to mexico or china. I doubt you'd be happy with them either. "
But where would that get us? Lets be adults here and stick to FACTS: You back up your claims and I'll do the same. Maybe we can find more common ground than just the junk vehicles being built today.
You say the American workers are to blame for them. I say the Corporations calling the shots on how they are built are to blame.
A very simple disagreement that should be easily settled using FACTS.
Lets just start with the CHEAPER TO BUILD unitized bearing-hubs, and work our way all the way through the CHEAPER TO BUILD ball joints in the front axle to the undersized multi-piece axle shafts, and then on to the weak and crappy Death Wobble steering and suspension of the Dodge, which is the ONE most detestable and dangerous Dodge problem.
I'm not nitpicking about cheap seats and cracking dashes here. I'm talking major, serious problems that can make the truck downright dangerous.
You show me ONE problem in that Dodge designed front end that is a recurring ASSEMBLY problem only, and not a DESIGN problem and I'll shut up and stay off any thread you spout your anti-American crap on.
And I DO own a Great Chevy. One of the last Great trucks that company ever built. They build crap nowadays, too. And they are Bailout Welfare losers, too. I also own Great Chevy cars, like a '69 Z/28 and a '73 Camaro. I will soon be buying my classic '72 Blazer back, too.
My son and I were discussing how much of our limited vehicle restoration budget I MUST now sink into the Dodge, and JUST the front end alone will take $4000 to $5000 to get even close to as good as the Chevy's leaf springs and REAL dana 60. That certainly kills a lot of other plans for our other vehicles. The ones we are passionate about and LIKE to work on. This is just a daily driver work truck. But we DO love the Cummins!!
OR, as he pointed, I could probably pull the Cummins out and just put it in the Chevy for far less money and never look back or regret it. Every Dodge problem would be solved. Except for one thing: The 454 we built for the Chevy is actually a lot more powerful than the Cummins and we would like to enjoy it. But there is no comparison in fuel economy. I will need to choose between the mighty Cummins and the mighty thirsty, but more powerful, 454. My heart is with the Cummins.
There are things I like about my Dodge very much. Others that I hate. Most things I don't feel strongly about either way. The cost of ownership is what I am really beginning to hate the most. And the Cummins hasn't cost me a dime. The poorly designed Dodge has just about cost me it's last dollar, though.
Ironically, one of the things I like very much about this Dodge is how slow it is to rust apart. If it would just rust apart faster, I could feel better about canabilizing the Cummins and junking the rest sooner. But it's hard to butcher a truck that isn't rusted apart. They are rare in Iowa.
The "crap" , and we definitely agree on that, that they put out nowadays (not for 40 years, though) is not due to assembly. It is design.
C'mon Griz. Take the plunge and just once put your money where your highly critical mouth is. You took a much bigger cheap shot at Americans than I have at Dodge Corporation. And I can back up what I claimed; you have not and probably cannot.
"You're one of those people that if you had the most perfect Dodge ever built, you'd never be happy and you'd belly ache about it anyway. If you hate your Dodge so much, go buy a Ford or a GM. I doubt you'd be happy with them either. "
I could respond in kind with: "You're one of those people that if he lived in the most perfect country ever built, you'd never be happy and you'd belly ache about it anyway. If you hate your country so much, go to mexico or china. I doubt you'd be happy with them either. "
But where would that get us? Lets be adults here and stick to FACTS: You back up your claims and I'll do the same. Maybe we can find more common ground than just the junk vehicles being built today.
You say the American workers are to blame for them. I say the Corporations calling the shots on how they are built are to blame.
A very simple disagreement that should be easily settled using FACTS.
Lets just start with the CHEAPER TO BUILD unitized bearing-hubs, and work our way all the way through the CHEAPER TO BUILD ball joints in the front axle to the undersized multi-piece axle shafts, and then on to the weak and crappy Death Wobble steering and suspension of the Dodge, which is the ONE most detestable and dangerous Dodge problem.
I'm not nitpicking about cheap seats and cracking dashes here. I'm talking major, serious problems that can make the truck downright dangerous.
You show me ONE problem in that Dodge designed front end that is a recurring ASSEMBLY problem only, and not a DESIGN problem and I'll shut up and stay off any thread you spout your anti-American crap on.
And I DO own a Great Chevy. One of the last Great trucks that company ever built. They build crap nowadays, too. And they are Bailout Welfare losers, too. I also own Great Chevy cars, like a '69 Z/28 and a '73 Camaro. I will soon be buying my classic '72 Blazer back, too.
My son and I were discussing how much of our limited vehicle restoration budget I MUST now sink into the Dodge, and JUST the front end alone will take $4000 to $5000 to get even close to as good as the Chevy's leaf springs and REAL dana 60. That certainly kills a lot of other plans for our other vehicles. The ones we are passionate about and LIKE to work on. This is just a daily driver work truck. But we DO love the Cummins!!
OR, as he pointed, I could probably pull the Cummins out and just put it in the Chevy for far less money and never look back or regret it. Every Dodge problem would be solved. Except for one thing: The 454 we built for the Chevy is actually a lot more powerful than the Cummins and we would like to enjoy it. But there is no comparison in fuel economy. I will need to choose between the mighty Cummins and the mighty thirsty, but more powerful, 454. My heart is with the Cummins.
There are things I like about my Dodge very much. Others that I hate. Most things I don't feel strongly about either way. The cost of ownership is what I am really beginning to hate the most. And the Cummins hasn't cost me a dime. The poorly designed Dodge has just about cost me it's last dollar, though.
Ironically, one of the things I like very much about this Dodge is how slow it is to rust apart. If it would just rust apart faster, I could feel better about canabilizing the Cummins and junking the rest sooner. But it's hard to butcher a truck that isn't rusted apart. They are rare in Iowa.
What trailer? I don't want a trailer. And I sure don't want two boat anchors dragging on my rearend. It would gain me nothing. If I had wanted, or needed, a dually I would have kept the one I sold when I went back to a SRW. Again, my truck came with the same springs, axles, and brakes your's did. It was custom-ordered with 3500 suspension and SRW by the guy I bought it from. He said he waited an extra 6 months for delivery because of that. I don't know why, it only needed the heavier springs (if those are even different) to be identical.
There is a Truck Camper only forum that is very informative..... North American Truck Camper Owners Association
They are always eager to help!
They are always eager to help!
You have been mislead there is no special order 3500 single wheel 2nd gen.
What you may have is a 2500 with the camper pkg that includes rear sway bar and overload springs... ... ... ...
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Issue 128 – Digital Version
Digital Magazines
FREE!
TDR Test Drive - Digital Edition
Renew
Subscribe
Gift Subscriptions
Back Issues
Subscription Status
Address Change Form
Buyer's Guides
Ram Diagnostic Trouble Codes
The Perfect Collection
The Perfect Collection Vol. II
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Dodge/Cummins Historical Overview
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What Makes Us Tick?
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