Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Matt42
TDR MEMBER
I recently returned from a business trip to southwestern Montana where I spent a day with a colleague in his 1994. His is a white standard cab (of course), no air conditioning, with 5 speed and 4X4. It might have a radio. Back in 1996, I spent a week with him in it, when it had only 35,000 miles on it. Now it's at 160,000. The only obvious change was a set of seat covers and more windshield cracks.
The sort of driving he does is ugly, and the places he takes it are rough. About half his driving is on gravel, dirt, and (arguably) nonexistent roads. It's all done at high speeds; high enough that he hits the tops of only one in ten or twenty washboards. Keep in mind that I am not slow, and even I thought that was a bit fast. Lugging? Not a problem. He usually keeps it over 400 RPM, even when it's at full throttle. (That's not a typo, and it made me cringe. )
Maintenance schedule:
--Lube, oil, filter, 4,000 miles.
--Air filters when the spirit moves him.
--Valve adjustments, 24,000 miles.
--Fuel filters, now and then.
His repair work to date, explained to me between potholes:
--Rear axle seals, twice.
--Front brake pads, twice.
--Rear shoes, once. Now he just cleans them at seal replacement time.
--Shock absorbers, twice. (The %$#@ rear rubber eye bushings keep squeezing out, and nobody in town sells Rancho. )
--Rear drive shaft U-Joints, once.
--Tires, several times; uses summer and winter sets.
+The track bar may be giving trouble, but he's not sure.
+The fifth gear nut is fine, but he's so rarely in fifth that it may never be a problem.
+Dowel pin? What's that?
+Throttle cable? Huh?
+Towing? It does slow down a bit with six horses and hay. The 1996 engine would be nice.
+Body damage? I get more in Phoenix.
His biggest complaint had to do with roping horses. When he had his Chebby 350, he'd prop open the driver door, rope a horse, and jump out, expecting the lugged engine to die. First time he tried it with the Dodge, the truck just headed off toward the trees, and chugged into a ditch. He had to let go the horse to catch the truck.
He says it's as good as his dad's `48 Dodge.
The sort of driving he does is ugly, and the places he takes it are rough. About half his driving is on gravel, dirt, and (arguably) nonexistent roads. It's all done at high speeds; high enough that he hits the tops of only one in ten or twenty washboards. Keep in mind that I am not slow, and even I thought that was a bit fast. Lugging? Not a problem. He usually keeps it over 400 RPM, even when it's at full throttle. (That's not a typo, and it made me cringe. )
Maintenance schedule:
--Lube, oil, filter, 4,000 miles.
--Air filters when the spirit moves him.
--Valve adjustments, 24,000 miles.
--Fuel filters, now and then.
His repair work to date, explained to me between potholes:
--Rear axle seals, twice.
--Front brake pads, twice.
--Rear shoes, once. Now he just cleans them at seal replacement time.
--Shock absorbers, twice. (The %$#@ rear rubber eye bushings keep squeezing out, and nobody in town sells Rancho. )
--Rear drive shaft U-Joints, once.
--Tires, several times; uses summer and winter sets.
+The track bar may be giving trouble, but he's not sure.
+The fifth gear nut is fine, but he's so rarely in fifth that it may never be a problem.
+Dowel pin? What's that?
+Throttle cable? Huh?
+Towing? It does slow down a bit with six horses and hay. The 1996 engine would be nice.
+Body damage? I get more in Phoenix.
His biggest complaint had to do with roping horses. When he had his Chebby 350, he'd prop open the driver door, rope a horse, and jump out, expecting the lugged engine to die. First time he tried it with the Dodge, the truck just headed off toward the trees, and chugged into a ditch. He had to let go the horse to catch the truck.
He says it's as good as his dad's `48 Dodge.
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