Bob, If I sound angry, it may be because I am sick to death of dumping thousands of dollars into the crappy frontend of this truck, which I otherwise like very much.
I have spent more on this Dodge front suspension/fake dana60 than I did on the complete lift kits (all 4 leaf springs), air suspension, shocks, maintenence, etc. on my previous THREE Chevy solid axle/leaf spring trucks combined!! And it is still junk!
It simply cannot handle both the weight of the Cummins and the weight and stresses of a Boss V plow along with my off-roading (mostly when hunting).
Now, if you want to talk rear suspension, my Dodge impresses the heck out of me when loaded. That beefy Dana 80 and monster leaf spring pack regularly hauls 5000+ pounds of dirt and gravel in the bed with no issues. And I haven't even added the air suspension yet. It needs it, but only to level out the truck for proper steering and braking. The Cummins and NV4500 and light-duty nv241 have no issues other than 5th gear once. But I am still upgrading to an NV5600 with an NP205 if the frontend will ever leave my pocketbook alone long enough to afford the remaining parts. .
All of my trucks had done snowplow duty. Not commercially; but I do take care of a couple widow ladies with long farm driveways besides my own. I even grade my driveway with it in the spring. I work my trucks hard all the time. That's what I own them for.
The minor issues with the Dodge (incredibly poorly engineered parking brake pedal, rear window/brake light water leaks, 5th gear in the NV4500) don't bother me a bit. They can be fixed once and for good. The front suspension and axle, along with the resultant tire trashing, is a never-ending, monumental drain on my money and time.
I still have my '88 V-30 (old body style same as an '87 K30) crewcab, single-rear-wheel Chevy with a built 454 and TH400, real dana 60 front and corporate 14 bolt rear all riding on softride leafs and 35 inch BFG Mud Terrains. It has NEVER trashed a single tire. It is a fantastic pickup and I am constantly asked if I would sell it.
My answer is to always point to the dodge and say: "When the dodge someday falls off that Cummins, that diesel is going in this Chevy and I will finally have my dream truck. "
The chevy has pretty much sat for the past several years. Now my son is driving and it will be going back on the road (meaning I'll add it to my insurance bill). Thing is, I may put him in the dodge and drive the chevy myself. It rides and steers infinitely better than the dodge and the stock Cummins, much as I absolutely love it, has nowhere near the horsepower or fun-factor of that well-built 454.
You may wonder why I don't put the Boss V on the chevy? That will probably happen soon. It is not an inexpensive thing to buy another wiring harness and frame mount. I also don't like having to cut and weld the plow frame assembly for a truck that sits that high and a crewcab is not the most maneuverable vehicle with a plow hanging 4 feet past the front bumper.
The dodge was supposed to be the workhorse. The coil/link/trackbar/control arms front suspension and fake dana 60 just can't hack it.
My brother had his '02 or '03 (?) California dodge crewcab, 24v Cummins/NV5600 here last fall. The fuel pump system had just cost him a couple thousand dollars and I was not the least bit impressed with the "improvement" the 24v was supposed to be over my 12v. The NV5600 was not the smoothest shifting transmission, but neither is the NV4500. And you get used to either quickly. They are pickup gearboxes; not sports car trannies.
That was a truly pampered truck, and the steering and front suspension was still showing signs of dodge deterioration. He was very unhappy when I told him how it would continue to go downhill, what the inevitable Death Wobble felt like, and what it would cost to fix...
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