Switching to Ford

[GFritsch]

Hopefully you will stay in touch and keep us informed of the good and bad.



Hope the truck doesn't let you down.

Greg

 

[n5ifi]

I hot shot and I have friends (lots) with the new 6. 0 and no one is having problems with them in the 350 to 550 trucks. They pull good and work hard but they don't get as good of fuel mileage as my Dodge. I think this is the primary gripe I have heard about these trucks.

 

[SKelly]

Good Luck. I had a Power Stroke before my Cummins (2 now) and had nothing but trouble with everything. He is my short list, clutch 4 in 10,000 miles, rear ends 3, turbos 2, transmission 2. All with no modifications at all. The local dealer finaly said we can't fix it any more call Ford. I traded it for the Cummins . I hope they have worked out the bugs, all of them.

 

[Jeremiah]

Powersmoke v. Dodge Cummins

Good luck with the Dodge. My '03 3500 SWR gives me a consistent 20 mpg running solo with the 6-speed 3:73 rear end. Keep us posted on what the Ford does. It is a nice truck, isn't it?



BTW, thanks to the Cummins lovers for not flaming this guy. He's doing what he thinks is best and that's all a feller can do.

 

[tgrfan2]

LOL, this guy cracks me up! First of all, i don't care what you think. Stick to your old dodges, i could care less. All i'm doing is encouraging and congradulating this person on their new truck, not going around saying this sucks that sucks blah blah blah. So what if they had some problems, all vehicles will. So keep your negative BS to yourself and let him enjoy his new truck. By the way, you go to any horse show at any time and tell me how many PSD's you see. I guess that is a lot of Ford propaganda!!

MK if you want to kiss up to Diesel Man after his comments fine. For the members that can stand the truth here is a synopsis of the owners report published by USA Today:

This is diesel engine problems per 100 vehicles.

Tot Eng Problems Won't Start Stumbles/Hesitates/Dies

Ford Super Duty 250/350 65. 9 5. 5 5. 1

Dodge Ram HD 28. 5 1. 4 0. 9



MK, you may not think the 6. 0 still has problems but the owner's report seems to state otherwise. You are perfectly free to swallow the Ford line if you want. Just don't spout off about me and prove your ignorance!

 

[Diesel Man]

First off I want to thank all of you for your kind comments. I figured I'd get seriously flamed for my post but you guys (correctly) understood that I was being honest and not trying to slam DC.

I do agree that if I could get the Cummins engine in the Ford, that would be the best of both worlds.

I am well aware of the problems with the early 6. 0 PSDs. I've been reading ALL of the major diesel truck forums for several years now. They had some injector, sensor and misc other bugs for the first 1 to 1. 5 years of production. At that point I WAS going to buy a Dodge. But Ford did their homework and it appears that they’ve got all the major bugs worked out. There will always be a few problems here and there but that's true for ALL brands.

The designed lifespan of a new PSD 6. 0 is 300K+ miles. Maybe not quite as durable as the Cummins but I doubt I'll be keeping any (non-commercial use) truck longer than that.

I will certainly keep you all posted about this truck and you will be the first to hear about it if it's not up to snuff.

Oh, I'll be using it to pull a 5th wheel, approx 12,000 lbs.

Regarding my Road Runner, like MC Hammer says "You can't touch this" :-laf

But you can see photos of it in Robert Genat's new book "SIX-PACK, Mopar Street Muscle in the '60s"

He did a feature about how I use it in open road racing. Don Parish (aka Diesel Man)

 

[DPKetchum]

So far its only a assumtion that the 6. 0 has its issues worked out. Not enough miles or posts on the Ford site to tell.

 

[WStoops]

Who cares. Dodge surely does not have the bugs worked out. 03= vibration. 04= vibration. 04. 5=vibration. 05=?? If it wasn't for the Cummins, these guys would be a distant 3rd. I owned Fords since 1990, switched to DC in 03. The 03 was great, a gasser. The 04. 5 is a P. O. S. , IMHO. They have a problem they can't fix or refuse to fix. Really is a pity too as they have a really pretty truck, blowing the others away by a mile. But I still have to say, Go Ford. Without good customer service, they're just another wanna-be. I just donned my fire-retardant suit and all my friends are standing by with fire extinguishers. My wife just put the family savings into asbestos stocks.

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

Stoops, thanks for the offer of a flame suit. However, I just won't let your flame bother me. I was fortunate enought to get a truck without a vibration problem. Most of them don't, a few do. The cause seems to vary and there have been a number of fixes which have worked for most folks. Apparently, a few never were resolved to the satisfaction of the owner.



However, even if it did have a vibration I think I would prefer that over engine problems anyday. Thankfully, outside of great sales folks at Yellowstone Country in Livingston, MT, I've never had to find out what kind of customer service was offered for any of my trucks - now that make me happy

 

[diesel DOG]

I have a 01 3500 Dodge and basically like it. The ball joints are shot with 59,000 on it which is a :--) there is another post I have put up. I have a 04 Excusion with 15,000 and no problems and it is fast. When you lift the hood on the Ford it is very complicated looking for sure. Both have the same rear and get the same mileage towing my race car.



I will not buy another Dodge as all the duallys are made in Mexico I think please correct me if I am wrong. I love looking at the Made in St. Louis sticker and the Made in Kentucy on the Excusion. I was going to buy a new medium duty Ford 750 until I found out they are made in Mexico. I have had Chevy's also but they are made in USA and Mexico I think.



Just my opinion but I make it here I spend it here when ever I can. I was reading the Ford brochure and they were actually proud it was made in Mexico that is when I told the guy I am not interested anymore and walked out.



I had a 1980 Chevy supposed diesel SRW 3500 and the brakes lasted 50,000 front/80,000 rear not 20,000 like my Dodge. Never put ball joints in it. Did get some head bolts replaced when it had 6,000 miles on it. Drove it over 125,000 miles then sold it to a freind who put another 100,000 on it with no major problems.



Don't know what I will buy nexted but as much of it as possible will be made here. When I get in it I will know I put some bread on some families table in this country. I bettter hurry soon nothing will be made here.

 

[smokejunkie]

I was one of the unlucky 6. oh owners. My problems started at around 5K miles and never got resolved up to the time Ford bought my truck back on the reacquired vehicle program. I then had to buy a new ford of equal or greater value. I took the new ford and the very next day I traded it in on the 04. 5 Best thing I ever did. Ps. all the problems are still not fixed. My buddy is a salesman at the local ford dealership and the sales managers truck just blew a lift pump the other day

Good Luck

 

[DPKetchum]

Well FORD has had its share of drones and vibrations as well as leaking,belching,farting,blowing,hood denting,reflashing(Folkes lost count)and Trying to avoid warranty repairs(its killing them). Read some of the Ford sites and be thankful!

 

[Diesel Man]

Well it's been an interesting thread hasn't it? I think almost everyone was pretty open minded about this and recognized there are pros and cons with all brands. No one builds a perfect truck and that's a fact. However, IMHO, to accurately evaluate the competitors, you have to look at # of problems per/1000s like Consumer Reports does. Then look at the final results and see who you think has the least amount of problems & how significant those problems are.

Features make a difference too. Ford had more of the features I wanted - especially the 5spd auto transmission. I couldn’t get that with a Dodge and that (and the fact Dodges are made in Mexico) was the biggest items to tip the scales towards Ford. Like I said, when I weighed ALL the facts, figures, features, options, strong points, weak points, etc. , Ford came out on top. That's just my opinion based on my own personal research over the last couple of years. It’s also based on my own needs and criteria.

It wasn't an easy decision, all of the trucks are pretty close in quality & performance. All of the big three are making very good trucks right now although the level of complexity is getting worrisome.

In the next few years there will be a lot of changes in the Diesel pickup truck market including some new players, Toyota & Nissan. Things are going to get even more interesting!

Thanks to all of you who sincerely wished me good luck. Dieselman (Diesel Don)

 

[coobie]

Question ???

Well it's been an interesting thread hasn't it? I think almost everyone was pretty open minded about this and recognized there are pros and cons with all brands. No one builds a perfect truck and that's a fact. However, IMHO, to accurately evaluate the competitors, you have to look at # of problems per/1000s like Consumer Reports does. Then look at the final results and see who you think has the least amount of problems & how significant those problems are.

Features make a difference too. Ford had more of the features I wanted - especially the 5spd auto transmission. I couldn’t get that with a Dodge and that (and the fact Dodges are made in Mexico) was the biggest items to tip the scales towards Ford. Like I said, when I weighed ALL the facts, figures, features, options, strong points, weak points, etc. , Ford came out on top. That's just my opinion based on my own personal research over the last couple of years. It’s also based on my own needs and criteria.

It wasn't an easy decision, all of the trucks are pretty close in quality & performance. All of the big three are making very good trucks right now although the level of complexity is getting worrisome.

In the next few years there will be a lot of changes in the Diesel pickup truck market including some new players, Toyota & Nissan. Things are going to get even more interesting!

Thanks to all of you who sincerely wished me good luck. Dieselman (Diesel Don)

H,mm are you sure all the Ford parts are made in the USA??Just curious, since you have did all this research.

 

[XcumminsX]

See Ya On The Side Of The Road... lol

 

[diesel DOG]

H,mm are you sure all the Ford parts are made in the USA??Just curious, since you have did all this research.

I doubt all but as many as possible is what I look for. Percentage of parts content is a good reference. They are coming over the border and taking the jobs illegally. I don't need to make some one unemployed here. Does the price of the truck shipped here reflect their labor rates and savings. Second to oil the biggest inflow of money to Mexico is from people working here and sending it home. I have no ill will towards anyone coming here legally like my parents did, it is how the country was formed.

 

[DPKetchum]

That there all CLOSE in quality? Just my humble opinion but the 6. 0 is a hard one for me to call quality after reading many months on the Ford web sites.

 

[Todd T]

Read my sig before you jump to any conclusions. I just spent 14months in Ford purgatory and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I'm going to give you my elevator speech on why you don’t see much ragging on the Ford sites about the Fords.



The Ford consumers are loyalist of whom, most would buy the ford whether they are good or not. The Ford sites also dont talk down about their problems because they dont see them as such. Mostly due to not ever driving or towing with a truck with some real power. Stock to stock the Ford out tows; modified and make sure you factor the ease of modification the Cummins out tows them all.



The 7. 3-liter is believed to have huge fuel delivery related (design) problems. Now, the approach over there is to re-engineer it. Offer a harpoon kit for the fuel tank or add a high-pressure hose here, or bypass this there. OK, all the Vendors jumped on board and it was turned from a problem to an improvement and who can sell the best "improvement" kit. Another example is the turbo stall. What do they do? Sell another kit. Better impellers, different intakes, tie this off, fool that, regulate those. Get the point?



Camshaft Position Sensor, CPS, Stalling, Died while pulling out in traffic, rough idle..... Do a search on those terms in either section (6. 0 or 7. 3). (Better, pack a lunch, Buddy!) They actually think its bragging rights to pay $140 to keep a spare in the glove box for the next time it fails. My first of two (yep 2 over 47K miles) CPS failures happened at 11PM at night, I had a 7 mos. pregnant wife and two kids under the age of three in a dark spot for cell phone coverage. I had to take a ride with some guy, leaving my wife, my terrified boy who scared of the dark and the truck not working whaling “why is daddy leaving us out here?” (The thought of that still brings a tear to my eye) I had to go home call a tow and come back with a second vehicle that could hold us all. Luckily i was only about ten minutes from home. dont know about you but that's a huge problem to burden for me, i'd rather take off a limb. The second time was in traffic, the hammer lane and all of the sudden, nothing! (Try that trick next time you doing 70+). BTW, The 6. 0 has been better BUT it still has the exact same CPS sensor only mounted in a different place. OK, massive failures result instead of the obvious; change the sensor design; but Oh' lets just move it, maybe its taking too much abuse where we had it. You have to be kidding me. That alone is just plain unsafe.



Allot of the guys that complain get overwhelmed with guys replying saying "my truck is doing fine" or better yet, they accuse you of low post counts, trolling and dismiss you all together. do a search on the word "Troll" and see how many hits you get.



I went into my Ford purchase with a compromising attitude (I detect you have this as well). I thought I could live with a second place engine and rather have a first place chassis. HUGE MISTAKE! Your eyes are jaded; you are looking for the good and comparing that to the bad. Go dig, look for the bad, spend a week or so just searching you’ll see what I mean.



My experience is this. I bought a two year old vehicle that better suited the families needs (Excursion) with average miles put on an average amount of miles and watched as it lost $2000 dollars in value in 6 months. The first time I towed with the Ford I knew within 5 minutes of hitting the interstate (empty non-the-less) I had made a mistake. No passing power and geared where the RPM’s were not optimum for the faster speeds. At the time I traded if I had another 18K miles or waited 6 months or so and I would have taken, another huge hit for high miles and lost even more due to the model year changing. I literally paid $9000 to get rid of that mess and move on.



I'm All Mopar and staying that way.



hope you buy it right, Oh and keep it nice and clean to minimize your loss when you come back.

 

[coobie]

I doubt all but as many as possible is what I look for. Percentage of parts content is a good reference. They are coming over the border and taking the jobs illegally. I don't need to make some one unemployed here. Does the price of the truck shipped here reflect their labor rates and savings. Second to oil the biggest inflow of money to Mexico is from people working here and sending it home. I have no ill will towards anyone coming here legally like my parents did, it is how the country was formed.

I,m with you diesel dog!! I have been in the UNION for 27 years. Its a darn same we keep shipping Jobs out of the USA. coobie

 

[JHardwick]

I,m with you diesel dog!! I have been in the UNION for 27 years. Its a darn same we keep shipping Jobs out of the USA. coobie

My Dad was Union for 37 years and said "the Union never worked for me, only the lazy guy over in the corner"! The days of child labor and poor working conditions have been over for decades!



I probably shouldn't do this, but I'm going to.



Manufacturing is overseas and will remain overseas ... ... ... because of the Union and a natural manufacturing evolution! Germany and USA used to be the only place to find precision machined parts, that's no longer true.



I own a small non-union machine shop in a small town with some big industry ... ... ... had big industry!!



Big industry can move to other counties for the cheap labor AND get the parts to keep the machines running these days!



For a small town with no mall, we had PPG, DuPont, GE and RCA. Down the road was Kenworth and Mead. Not to mention several plastic injection molding plants. 3500 or more jobs have been lost in the last 3-4 years in this small area. Do you know what that does to the local economy and shops like mine?



RCA was my biggest customer, and seemed to be holding on. They had already felt the pressure from China and Mexico on the small tubes and decided to switch this plant to flat screen and HD. Get back into the high end market on tubes. All of us suppliers were asked for a consession and for the most part we agreed. Things were fast and furious ... ... . new drawings, daily contact with egineers, stacks of drawings to quote, we were re-tooling for the future, and then came the offer



You see, I didn't work for RCA, but I did.



This past March, RCA had contract negotiations coming up. RCA (Thomson Consumer Electronics) only offered a 1% raise to guys with a high school education making $20 plus and hour in a small town tending a production line. The Union declined and wanted 3%. The rest is history. Operations here were split between Poland, Mexico and China and 1600 people lost jobs. I have some buddies who are pro-union and stand behind what the union did here, but I disagree strongly!!



Back to my point ... ..... manufacturing will never be the same in the US. I've seen it evolve in my 20 years and see it getting worse in the next 20 years. Parts manufactured overseas are no longer junk. Just because it doesn't have a Union sticker on it doesn't mean it won't work.



I am currently liquidating assets to try and stay alive and have no ill will towards government or unions, its just a natural progession that I can survive ... ... ... . or not.



BTW, my truck was built in Mexico and I accept that I can't fight it.



BTW again, coobie, how often do you or your wife shop at WalMart? Just curious.