Diesel Pickup

[Trip and Lisa Participant Devils Lake ND]

I am a newbie here but have run all three of the trucks mentioned.In 1996 I bought a new Dodge Dually with the 12 valve and 5 speed trans and put 740K miles on that truck pulling a 34 foot 2 car trailer and it ran nearly all the time as me or my guys slept in it.The only engine issue I ever had was a leaky head gasket.I broke it in like I stole it and changed the oil ( Rotella T 15W-40 ) every 10K miles.Now I did put in 6 of the transmissions and some other smaller items,but I loved that truck.When I sold that truck it still wasn’t using any oil.

I bought a 2004 Ford F350 King Ranch Crewcab Dually in 2012 with 135K on it and by 140K I was replacing injectors and that’s when I found out about the other issues with the 6.0 engines,so as much as I loved that truck,down the road it went.I miss the butt warmers.

I then bought a 2006 Chevy with a Duramax and allison dually again of course and again had injector issues.That one went to a new home as well because of a few other issues I didn’t feel like fighting over and over again.I loved that allison tho.

So,I happend to by accident find a 2006 Dodge 2500 heavy duty crew cab with a 24 valve and 6 speed manual,previously owned by an older fart than me who used it only to pull his fith wheel down south an back yearly.This was in the fall of 2013 and the truck had 32K actual miles on it,so heck yeah,that’s going home with me.The Cummins was proven with me and I knew the 6 speed was a good transmission.
I did some hauling like our previous 26 foot Salem 5er and our 24 foot gooseneck car trailer moving items for others all over the USA.Today that truck has 145K on it and it is in the shop for an injector issue which I guess was a problem for the 2004 thru 2006 years.It also needs a new clutch which others might say seems reasonable but I am not hard on clutch’s so I am kinda miffed.

I recently emailed Ray that I was seriously thinking of getting a dually gas rig like a Ford 460 ( great engine ) as gas motors are cheaper to work on and right now gas is cheap and because as we spend the next year dumping everything we own to start fulltiming I know we won’t be running the amount of miles I have for many years ever again.
I thought I found a nice old Ford F350 gas rig with 51K on it but when I went back to get it,the darned thing was gone,grrrrrr,I guess if I see it on the road somewhere pulling an RV my dog can use it’s tires for a fire hydrant,he he he,,,sure will make me and him feel better anyway.It sat there all winter for sale and then I had to wait another day,go figure.

With all that said,I will repair my Dodge with new injectors and a new heavy duty clutch.I know what it is and I do kinda like it’s 4×4, but no butt warmers.It has a 3:54 rear gear and gets super mileage and no “DEF” issues.It isn’t a dually but it is a heavy duty and will easily pull our 2005 Keystone 29 foot 5th wheel that I will assume with all our stuff in it will weigh around 9K,,,,,,,8500 if I can get my Lisa to dump some shoes and purses.

But my ideal truck would be my old Ford F350 King Ranch as it road so nice and easy with a 12 valve cummins and an allison automatic.Now there is a truck that would outlive me and get great mileage.If not for the cost issues,I might have went for that conversion.

Why can’t “they” build what we want?.

[Trip and Lisa Participant Devils Lake ND]

I wanted to add to you owners with Dodge diesel engines.Please take the time to check your engine Fan as these are made of plastic and over time can crack and then break off pieces that can end up in your radiator thus causing a leak.Some folks have noted the wires came loose for their fan clutch that got caught in the fan blade breaking them.

The past few weeks I have spent doing some major repairs to my own 2006 Dodge including a new computer.The ECM is located on the drivers side of the engine for you 5.9 owners and this computer is 1960.00 from Dodge,or you can go online or to ebay as I did and get a rebuilt with a warranty for 599.00 delivered to your doorstep.

I forgot what Dodge wanted for the fan,but i bought an OEM Mopar one on Ebay from a Dodge dealer for 115.00 delivered to my doorstep.

And the radiator again was a very pricey item but I got mine off Ebay for 125.00 delivered to my doorstep.

I also saved money on my new fan clutch as well.

Please don’t pay retail from Mopar when you can buy the same parts elsewhere for a fraction of the price.I think I saved over 1800.00 on parts alone just spending a few hours searching online.Dodge hates me,LOL.

If you need help,let me know and I’ll be happy to help you find what you need from reputable sellers.

I also replaced my clutch kit as i have a manual 6 speed and installed a heavy duty.My previous clutch had a worn throw out bearing that destroyed the pressure plate from improper wear.

Another Dodge issue is the rear axle seals and while these are not really an expensive item and the book only calls for 1.6 hours to repair,BEWARE that these need to be installed with a special seal press.You or your mechanic cannot hammer them in like we could back in the day.If you do hammer this seal in,you will just be asking for a seal failure within a few thousand miles.

Hope I have saved a few of you some money down the road.

Oh,for those of you that hate your Dodge seats,,,don’t blame Mopar,they actually farmed those seats out to the Leer Corporation,so send your letters to them,LOL.

Have a great week everyone !!!!!!

[Dave Participant Salt Lake City Utah]

I own a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel. I used to have a 2006 Weekend Warrior Toy hauler that weighed in around 13-14,000 pounds fully loaded. I’ve enjoyed my Dodge and have had really good luck with it. Personally I love the Cummins motor. But If I was to walk into a dealer right now and buy a 2015 truck it would be the Ford.

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