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Cummins owner buys 07 LBZ, but which of The Big 3 really has the BEST overall truck?

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Yeah the rods are bigger, what did you expect? It's a 6, more power made by fewer parts. The V8's don't need big rods to make the same power.



Thats the point V8s have more parts to wear out, two cams, two more pistons assy, and more valves etc. Less moving parts, less wear, an inline six that makes more power than a V8? Who wouldn't go with the 6 cylinder? Cummins has been around for years for a reason. They are strong, dependable engines. The powerstroke engine is good for about 200,000 miles on the average. The Cummins twice that much. Now someone pipe in and say, yay well I know a powerstroke that has 400,000 miles. Sure they are out there but they are rare. The Cummins are doing that as the norm... ... .
 
Yeah the rods are bigger, what did you expect? It's a 6, more power made by fewer parts. The V8's don't need big rods to make the same power.



With higher rpm and shorter strokes the v-8's can live with a smaller rod... ... ... ... ... ... ... . but they are not stout enough to run the big power like the stock Cummins rods. The duramax big power guys Must run better than stock rods. The Cummins big power guys get by just fine on their stock rods. ;)
 
That's not the DMax rod in that picture, it's the 6. 5 (that's an old picture). The Ford rod is the 7. 3L



Here's what the DMax and 6L rods look like compared to the Cummins



My bad, I didn't notice the time/date stamp to see that it's a rather dated picture. Even on the pic you provided, there's still a big difference in the size though.
 
Ill throw my . 02 out there...



GMs are junk, no m,atter how you look at them. They have the worst front suspension, the body is the worst out there, the frame and brackets are horrible (go get in a MINOR fender bender; your replacing the bumper, all four brackets, the radiator support, the radiator, intercooler, etc. ) The engine isnt bad, but needs upgraded FAR before a Cummins does. The Allison is junk too. The interior... ehh, its ok. Not my bag of tea. The new GMCs are nice though. Still lots of cheap parts gussied up for flash.



Fords are crap too. The engine sucks. The trans seems to be pretty good though. The interior is ugly and not very comfortable. Ever tried to stretch out and sleep in one? The exterior is ugly. The truck itself isnt all that good. We have Fords at work (oilfield) not because theyre the best, but because they cost less. Why? Crappy trucks for a lower price sounds right to me. They fall apart all the time. The suspension falls apart. They wander all over the place. The turning circle is worse than a Kenworth with a 52ft. trailer behind it...



The Dodge. I LOVE them! The engine is no doubt the best out there. The trans, in stock form, can use some attention, but its a capable unit. Would be nice if it were a 6spd though (think 48re buildability and not the 68rfes lack of it... ) The interior looks like a truck. If I wanted a car, Id buy one. But I bought a truck. The interior is comfy; everything falls right where it should. Its almost like Dodge engineers came out and custom-tailored the interior to fit me. Try sleeping in one... no problems. I can stretch out my legs on road trips without a problem, and Im 6' 3". The truck will flat take some abuse; from what Ive seen, itll take ALOT more than either GM or Ford, and still come back for more. They look great, ride better than any GM or Ford Ive been in (yes, the 2500 rides rough, but my 3500 rides great. Must be the overload springs?)



I just think the Dodge is above and beyond either of the other two. And dont get me started on Toyotas (yuck!)
 
I've always been a Chevy guy - but no more...



Had a 97 gasser 1500 4x4 with a 350 and an auto. Fast as hell but absolute lemon. At 113k miles I blew the sunshell in the transmission playing in the mud with light throttle (4L60e transmission. ) Kept sinking cash into the front end. Got fed up and sold it for cheap to a mechanic buddy of mine. He's been sinking cash into it since. Last weekend, at 130k miles he grenaded the rear end. Glad it didn't happen on the highway! Stay away!



Another buddy had an 03 Dmax. A hell of a ride, loved the seats. Hosed the Allison transmission control unit and several solenoids in the transmission doing a water crossing (3/4 rim in depth). It then became a ditch finder when the IFS started coming apart - one time popping a tie rod and literally putting him into a mountain side. Since then I've seen 6 disabled Chevy 2500 series trucks at off road parks, almost all of them lost a front tire - literally broke off.



I do feel like my truck is the last of it's kind - as it came out just before the higher emissions standards were released and is using the last line of the legendary 5. 9. Can't really say it's a Dodge though - Cummins makes the motor, Mercedes the transmission and AAM for Axles. LOL.



Given all that, I still believe the big three are workable for the long run with the appropriate modifications. Places the like TDR are nothing short of perfection when it comes to tracking these beasts. I think the TDR alone puts a serious leg up for Dodge. :)
 
I had a 2000 excursion with the 7. 3L gutless, constantly in shop with fuel problems and electrical, will never buy a ford again. A friend of mine had 2 duramax's, years unknown, he fried both motors in them under 100k mile, Chevy all american trucks? oh wait they forgot the motors Izuzu. anyways i love my old 12valve sticking to it.
 
My 12 valve probably won't see no 400K, if I get 200,000 miles out of it I'll be happy. I work my truck hard, beat the crap out of it every time I hook up my tripple axle heavy *** toy hauler. Sounds good with the straight pipe pulling a hill at 2500 rpm with the big turbo singing. I need a bigger truck or a lighter RV, but I do get the job done. Mountains suck with such a big trailer though.



I get a big smile every time I back my RV in a difficult up hill camp site with no truck issues, love my DTT upgrades. I see new Fords all the time having problems handling smaller RV's, I won't have one.



I saw a new F-350 back in an unloaded 38' 5th wheel on flat ground puke it's trans fluid after only 100'. And... ... he just came off a 55 mph road so the trans should have been running cool. After I saw that I orderd my DTT, that was 20K ago.



When my 95 dually dies, it will be hard to replace with a new truck. Its a family member now.
 
I bought the CTD and the truck came with it for free. You can’t beat the real estate inside a Mega Cab and they happen to have a CTD. I love the grill and the hood of the Dodge…looks like the big rig. Dodge do have cheap interiors even with my full leather Laramie version they are still cheaply made.



Toyota had a Tundra Crew Max Dually project vehicle. It had a Hino JO8E-TB 8L Turbo Diesel (yep straight 6 just like our CTD) mated to an Eaton 5 Speed at the 2007 SEMA but never produced it. Now if they build that exact truck I’ll be the first to buy one but I will still keep my CTD Mega Cab. Check out this video: 2007 SEMA Show: 2008 Toyota Tundra Project Truck Video | Videos – Truck Trend I’m in love!



On a related topic I have a second home overseas where I keep in the garage a mint Series 80 Land Cruiser with a Hino 4. 2L Turbo Diesel. Although not a powerful as our mighty CTD it is a straight 6 and has a small Garret T-6 turbo.
 
I just sold my '91 F350 Crewcab 4X4, 5sp, 7. 3 Banks Turbo. It had 230K and ran fantastic. Super clean and extremely dependable. No computers and parts are inexpensive compared to the new generation trucks. Tough old steel body.



I wanted a newer truck so Dodge was my only choice. No more 7. 3's since 2002. Yes Chevy/GMC have nice interiors but I refuse to drive a truck that has to have big '4X4' decals on it so people know it has a transfer case. I need that front pumkin showing.



I picked up an '04. 5 3500 Crewcab LB 6sp with only 27K on the ticker. The previous owner installed a pakbrake, Edge EZ, removed the muffler, and air bags. I've took care of the breathing with a 'Cool Tube' and down hose through the stock air box.



The power compared to the old Ford is off the charts. The MPG is excellent too. I carried my camper while towing my '73 FJ40 Landcruiser on a flatbed trailer from Northern Cal to Moab. There used to be several mountain passes especially on Hwy 50.

I think there all gone. I hope the Dodge will be as depenable as the old Ford was.
 
If Ford had a Cummins, I'd still be driving my Dodge.



IMO there is no greater combination than a Dodge with a Cummins and a 6 speed standard transmission.
I have two of them and I agree with you on that, You can't get a manual with the D/A, and I never owned a Ford that didn't have constant problems. My last Ford, a used 1991 Mustang I bought for my daughter (She liked the looks of them) in 1996 with only 60K on the odometer. I had to fix it almost daily, and got rid of it at a loss so my daughter would have a dependable car, our 93 Dodge shadow we gave her. FORD = POS :-laf
 
I have two of them and I agree with you on that, You can't get a manual with the D/A, and I never owned a Ford that didn't have constant problems. My last Ford, a used 1991 Mustang I bought for my daughter (She liked the looks of them) in 1996 with only 60K on the odometer. I had to fix it almost daily, and got rid of it at a loss so my daughter would have a dependable car, our 93 Dodge shadow we gave her. FORD = POS :-laf







I agree, although I hate to be negative, but the only Ford F250 I had, when through 3 big block gas engines in 121K miles. When the third engine started failing, I gave the truck away and bought my 95 Dodge/Cummins.



I also had a 94 Ford Explorer, which I inherited. Pretty much the same thing. One major problem after another.



The two Dodge/Cummins I've had have never been on the shop, except the first one (95) for a wheel alignment.
 
I'm just wondering if the Ford "Scorpion" engine will leave a painful stinging sensation when you buy one and bring it home???????

As for the D-Max (isuzu)... since I work on BIG Cats every day, I guess I've adopted this philosophy... . If aluminum cylinder heads on a TRUE diesel engine were a good thing, Caterpillar and Cummins would have been doing it about 40 years ago!!!!...

So if they went to a lighter weight design on the heads, it makes you wonder about the rest of the internals... .

I read where somebody was discussing the advantages/disadvantages of I-6 vs. V-8... The v engine configuration has 5 main bearings to support the crankshaft and each rod pin shares the power pulses of two cylinders whereas the I-6 engine has 7 main bearings to support the crankshaft and each cylinder has its own rod pin. Typically inline engines make peak torque at lower rpm (vs. a similar design v configuration) I believe this is to be a main contributor to the auto transmission problems of years past. Makes me wonder what an Allison would do if you bolted it up behind a Cummins????. .

Anyway... just some humble opinions and mindless thoughts. .
 
Makes me wonder what an Allison would do if you bolted it up behind a Cummins????. .

Anyway... just some humble opinions and mindless thoughts. .
The "Torque management" programing on the Allison would really under power the Cummins. It sure makes the Duramax a dog when trying to pass someone with a little weight. (10K GVW with the 05 LLY, 5 spd)
 
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The 5. 9 and new 6. 7 Cummins is bolted in front of the same series Allison trans that the Duramax uses,in MH chassis from Freightliner..... It is called the FRED Chassis. FRont Engine Diesel. The Allison is a very good transmission and Dave Goerend swares by them.



Alan
 
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