What truck and why?

Kenneth Brown · Jan 1, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

I use a chevy to race with on the dirt tracks. I have a 71 SWB chevy that will one day be restored/hot rodded. I drive a Hyuandai everyday back and forth to work. I have a Ford F250 with 351 (or 5.8 if you prefer) with 5 speed that is good for everything else. I'll put it behind any other 2 wheel drive gas truck with a chain hooked to the bumper or gooseneck ball. Gaureentee with a big bill that the other truck will follow mine. I grew up in Fords. They cost me way to much money to go fast. I learned a chebbie is cheap. I do prefer a Ford for any work though. Run it out of oil or water and it will survive, my truck is proof. The ol beast is a true battle axe. I love that ugly thang.

JasonJ · Jan 1, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

Ryan, I see a lot of the old beater 70s and early 80s GM and Dodges used as plows, and the newer plow rigs (late 80s on up) are the Fords and Dodges. I think it is because the parts are so readily available for the old GMs, and they are cheap to fix, that they are used as plow rigs. Also, the older GMs had the solid front axle. I see very few IFS plow rigs here, mainly the few new Rams I have seen. The IFS front suspension on the 87+ GM won't hold up to commercial plowing. I can't think of a single new GM with a plow on it that I have seen around here, which is funny because the GM dealership sells Boss V blades, they even have one on a 1 ton GM at their lot. I will readily agree that Fords are spendy to fix and race, compounded by the five billion different engines and tranny bolt patterns. I will say if I was building a hotrod, I can guarantee that it would have a chevy drivetrain, just more user-friendly to mod out and adapt. Whats not to love about that new 572 big block? Oh yeah!

11 footer · Jan 1, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

I don't see many old Dodges plowing, buy see alot of newer 2500's plowing. The old Dodges where bullet proof. We has a 1989 250 Power Ram up untill a few years ago when we replaced it with a 2002model, I loved that old Dodge, the best part was the huge Ram mounted on the hood. My dad ended up giveing that truck to my grand dad for his house up in Maine, he used it for a few years and just junked it about 6 weeks ago, his reason was because it was sliping out of park and was to old to justifie repairing it, the body,motor and tranny where good. The rear end was only four years old and EVERYTHING in the truck still worked, it had only alittle rust on the driver door, with a new skin it would have looked almost mint, I almost cryed when he told me he jumked that old beast

the junkman must have made a pretty pennie off her.

SeaMasterZ@aol.com · Jan 1, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

lol, I forgot, I DO have a tow beast, the Ford Club Wagon with the 300 super six, dammn I forgot all about the big gray guy down in del, lol... and its got captains chairs and AC and an interior already installed from the factory, with a rear bench seat that is sofa comfy thats scary, lol, once I was as wrapped up in that thing as the S 10, and it fell thru the gaps in my memory, oh well, getting old oh yeah, my point ... My old green van was great at towing, with Helwig super duty sway bars and a class III hitch (I think it was class V, lol) plenty of room for fishermen and tackle, I never got stuck at a rammp, but I had a 351 with a posi traction (traction-lok) rear Ford Vans are THE BEST, period, doged (I mean, drudge, I mean, DODGE) sucks, chevy sucks, good van =FORD you will hear stories about vans being too top heavy for towing, to that I politely say BULLCHIT, put the super duty bars on from helwig and go down the road, solid as a fairbanks SAFE I do think the four wheel drive van conversions are overpriced, if ya GOTTA have four wheel, go with the SUV, unless money is no problem, then again, go ford, most room, most comfort, best ride, etc, nobody comes close anyway, thats enough for me, ask for two cents and ya get a nickel, lol

SeaMasterZ@aol.com · Jan 1, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

I still think he scraped the bark off a tree with that doged ryan, I cant imagine someone scrapping it cause it couldnt hold park, never heard of the pawls wearing to that point, and besides, use the parking brake when ya stop!

tylerin · Jan 1, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

Castaway, Ryans Gramps is no dummy. He's got himself a wife about half his age.

Can you say VIAGRA

SeaMasterZ@aol.com · Jan 1, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

LOL, I guess shes thinkin INHERITANCE but hey, if I was a loaded old coot, and could get me some young cooze, I would load up on viagra and go a plowin, lol or a little harem, lol, the no hairum harem, hehehe

Moose_Miller · Jan 1, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

We have an extensive fleet of trucks, and each one has it's purpose. After some trial and error, here's the conclusion we've come to: ~Fords - F-150's are gas-guzzling and gutless, not to mention, ya bang your left knee every time you jump into one. Super-duty's are the ultimate pulling machine, but mileage is erratic... one will get 19 mpg, and another, the same exact set up as the first, will get 12? They are good for 300,000+, including the trannys! ~Chevy's - S-10's are dirt cheap to buy, and do well delivering small parts, but wear out auto tranny's in the 120,000 range when doing in-town routes. The full size Chevys get great over the road mileage, and will go over 200,000 until they need a new trans, and will go another 200,000 after that. ~Dodge - These have picked up the bad traits of Ford and Chevy... poor mileage, and weak transmissions. ~Toyota - The ultimate in-town delivery truck. They're over-priced, and their automatic transmission is junk, but we've gotten 200,000 IN TOWN miles before needing to replace a clutch. We have a 97 Toy that has 650,000 on it, 4th clutch, but ORIGINAL 2.2 motor!

aspeck · Jan 2, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

Born and bread GM - family dealership. Have an old Chebby 1/2 ton 4wd that I use for beater truck and plowing. Yukon is everyday vehicle. Never did like the way Ford's grind when you start them. When in Ghana, needed a truck and the US made ones were way to costly. Ended up with a little KIA (actually Asia) 3 cyl. 2wd "Tonka Toy" 'er, I mean, Towner. 12 inch tires, 5 1/2 foot bed - 2 passenger, but man will that thing haul - rated for 1/2 ton, have had 2 tons on it! Eats tires - have to replace them every 12,000 miles, but that is the only thing I have done to it in the first 80,000 miles of its life - and it gets abused! Not bad for a truck that I paid $6,000 for new! Would still take a GM over it anyday, though!

POINTER94 · Jan 2, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

I will make the assumption that we are talking about a full size truck lines. I would have no problem with any of the big three. I will say that my experience doesn't include some of the brand new models. They all have their pluses and minuses. I have a 95' ford bronco with the 351w. Rock solid engine. Tranny is the weak point. e4od tranny can't take the abuse that the old c6 took. I have towed up to 7000 lbs with it and have not had any real problems. Tailgate rust on this model is terrible but that is a different story. Prior to my divorce in 2000, I had a 1999 Chevy Tahoe. 5.7l votec engine. No problems ever and I hauled 6k pound loads often and for distances greater than 200+ miles and it was clearly up to the task. Very smooth performer. The worst thing I had happen prior to selling it was the drivers seat heater went out and it was several hundred dollars to fix. Dodge has the cummins diesel and it is as good an engine as you can put in a truck. The earlier frames were prone to breaking over the rear wheel. They also have done some accounting style engineering on some components (tranny). Overall depending on service, a good truck, and good looking rig as well. I have friends with 6-8 year old dodge's with the 318 gas (5.2l) with 160k and no real problems. I have never heard of a dire lack of horsepower in the fords, but by changing the rear end they should be able to accomplish whatever they need to. Every truck I am aware of has a trailer rating and if a new truck can't meet that rating then there is a problem!!!! I have heard that the 4.6 is a bit of a slug when it comes to heavy work. 5.4 from my experience has been very strong. If you look at all the product offerings within the 1/2 ton genre, there are literly 100's of models available. You need to mate the engine tranny and rear end to meet your requirements and if you fail to do so, don't blame the truck. I would make my decision based on the local dealer and my relationship with them. Problems happen, with all brands. We can all appreciate that. How they are rectified is what matters most to me. It is up to the dealer to not only sell the truck but sell the brand. That includes prompt service for all issues and understanding all tsb's and how to solve the problem on the first trip with a minimum of inconvenience to me.

JasonJ · Jan 2, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

Pointer, just so you know, not all E4OD are the same. As the years went by, they made gradual improvements to the tranny. By the time it got to model year 95, a lot of the kinks have been worked out. There is a huge difference between the 95 E4OD and say a 93. My E4OD works fine, never have had the problems that the older E4ODs had. A C-6 is still a better tranny, but as long as you take care of your E4OD you won't have problems with it.

Knightgang · Jan 5, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

Well, let me get my fingers warmed up...because I LOVE trucks and here is my take. I drive a 1994 Ford F-150 Extended Cab. 5.0 L 302 with an E4ODE tranny. I have about 240,000 thousand miles on the truck and have had 2 tranny rebuilds at $900 each. (Not bad for a paid for truck). I tow all the time, I even towed our 1995 Suburban to Sav,GA from Atlanta when the 4L60 Tranny died. (about a 10,000 lb load, the truck is rated for 7300) The Ford is a tough truck and I love it. With the milage, the towing seams a little weak at times, but it has a little age, no big deal. We also have a 1995 Chevy Suburban, 5.7L 350 with the 4L60 Tranny. I tow with this truck as well. I think my Ford pulls better, but that could be due to the sheer weight of the Surburban (7000lb truck). Chevy has about 190,000 miles. I have heard about bad trannies in Suburbans and Dodges. I think the Dodge tranny problems prior to 2002 were due to insuffeicent tranny oil coolers. This is what they corrected. As for Suburban Trannys, people think that they can drive a 7000 pound truck like a sports car because it looks cool, what do you expect. Yes they are meant to take abuse, but they can only handle so much before they break if they are not taken care of. I have seen all of the Big Three full size trucks used for work, but I have to agree that the majority are Ford and Dodge. This could be mostly due to price. I like Ford and my next will probably be a Ford F-250 because will will get a camper one day. I have a Ford and a Chevy. Would not trade either for another brand for their particular purpose. I also find that they are about the same in part pricing. Could just be the year models that I have, but dollar for dollar I get about the same out of these two trucks. Now the Suburban does get a little better gas milage (considering the larger truck) over the Ford. I believe that today (and over the past 10 years) that any of these Big Three Trucks will last nearly forever if they are taken care of and had proper maint. Everybody has their preference and occassionaly someone has a bad experience due to a lemon (and they all have lemons). Overall, American trucks are all built to work, you just have to have the configuration for the work it is going to do. Yes, the Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge is a ****n' contest that will never die, but in some ways it is also an American Tradition. Real Trucks and Trucks and I love them all. I will drive nothing else but a truck. Knightgang

TwoBallScrewBall · Jan 6, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

Truck guy here. Had a car now and then but only feel right in a truck. My last 2 trucks were Chevy's. I'll admit I'm a Chevy fan, but in fairness I have owned a Dodge fullsize, bought a 1500 Ram new in 1997 and was on engine number 3 when I traded it in. All under warranty thank God. My last truck was a 2002 S-10 with a 4.3 and I really liked it. Not a single problem and even put nitrous through the engine. Good power and fun to drive. My wife wanted me to get a bigger truck (with a usable back seat) now that we have a kid so I went looking at the Silverado's. Got a 2004 Silverado 1500 2wd LS, just picked it up Friday. My main issue with getting a new truck was the power. I remembered that the Dodge, even with the V8, seemed big and heavy (slow) compared to the little s-10 with the big v6. But then I test drove the Silverado with the 5.3 (295hp). What a shock. This thing moves. Drove it home the same day. I can imagine what the Dodge Hemi or the Chevy 6.0 in the SS (both 345hp) are like. Best part is I was getting 19mpg in the S-10, and only went down to 18mpg in the full size (lots of highway). I have the tow package and am rated to do up to 8300 pounds so my little 19ft bayliner and my loaded ATV trailer probably won't even feel like they're there.

one more cast · Jan 6, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

A truck is a part of the male anatomy. You have to defend the one you have.

JasonB · Jan 6, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

I have two of them. Not even going to comment on One More's statement

The first I bought for myself when I was 18. It's a '92 Ford Ranger 3.0v6 5spd, 26-2800lbs. Blast to drive. Always wanted a Ranger growing up, so when I was able to buy one I did. It is still my get to work vehicle since it gets decent gas milage at 24mpg. Just rolled 150k and has only had a starter outside routine maintenance. The second is my other great vehicle desire in life. Ever since the new body style in 97, I wanted an F-150, but souldn't justify it. A couple years ago, we had been in boating a couple years pulling a 16' tri-hull behind the ranger. 2ftitis was setting in and we knew we needed a larger truck. I had just finished a year of accumulating 400+ hours of overtime and it was coming as one lump sum. I had already been saving, and that put me over the top. I went and founs a 2yr old 1999 F-150 Lariat, Supercab, 4dr, 4.6l V8, auto, loaded. It was my dream truck (except the color, wanted Blue, got green, oh well). We had saved our pennies and when we found it I was able to write the check and walk away with the title so to speak. Took me many years of driving a junk vehicle to be able to do that. 4 months later, we found our 19' Glastron that we were able to pay cash for. No payments in this house! Makes them drive so much better! Why Ford? Wife's car is a Ford as well. I grew up with them. My family only bought Fords for years. My first car was a Tempo that never let me down. Not to mention the fact I don't care for Dodge interiors and Chevy dashes. Nothing wrong with them, just a comfort thing.

Throbbin Rods · Jan 10, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

Blazers and Yukons-full size. Towed a John Deere 2010 dozer on a flatbed with a 94 blazer with a 350 - try that with a bronco or dakota. Ran fords until 75, then all GM

round2it · Jan 10, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

You gotta consider the Tundra, esp the new crew cab. If you don't, you are denying yourself pleasure. A great, FULL SIZED truck made in America employing and feeding American families. What message does it send to buy a Chev that was made, or mostly made, in Mexico or Canada? That you support NAFTA? Just what? I test drove a Ford F-150 to the Toyota dealer, parked the Ford and drove the Tundra. Tundra wins that first contest hands down. It has more towing capacity. Round 2--Tundra. Price--Ford wins that. Proven quality and my experience with both Fords, Toyota's, and Tundra's--hands down Toytota. Right now, the dealers don't come down a penny on the Tundra's because they sell them as fast as they come in. That sucs for me.

muskyone · Jan 11, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

my personal truck is a 00 f150 traded a red gmc sonoma in for it love both have a 97 chev 3500 bucket truck for work it's junk allways in the shop never runs dies all the time brakes suck has no power only has 60k on the moter only chev we have at work the rest are fords and thay never have problems as far as trucks go f series for full size out shine by far but rangers are junk if i was to buy another compact truck it would be a used s10 or sonoma

JasonJ · Jan 11, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

The Tundra is a nice rig, especially the new 4 door. Not a lot of bed room, but you know that thing runs like a fine tuned instrument. The price is steep though. Of course, they are all kind spendy nowadays, but you gots ta pay if you wants ta play I guess.

andrewkafp · Jan 11, 2004

Re: What truck and why?

What truck and why?

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