Which Pickup should I buy

[TOY BOAT]

Re: Which Pickup should I buy

Chevrolet Silverado 3500 with a Duramax/Alison combo.

 

[270win]

Re: Which Pickup should I buy

Think again. The Superduty might look good on paper but that's about the only place it does.

They also look good on my company's bottom line. We run a fleet of them all over the southeast, they carry a crew of 4 and tow between 8000-15000 every day. Our policy is to drive them until 400K miles and then trade them on new ones. I'm not sure exactly which years, but the Chevy and the Dodge were never available with a true crew cab when we looked at them, only extended or very small rear seat areas. We have owned Dodge and Chevy too, when the Duramax/Allison combo first came out we were anxious to get them. After replacing injectors, repeatedly, at $7000 per set and having issues with the Allison...you ever looked into the replacement cost of that tranny? We'd had enough of the chevy. We also had issues with chevy on our warranty claims, it seemed like every time we had an issue they tried to make it a non-warranty issue.

The cummins in the Dodge is the best engine hands down, but the automatics were not good, we also had brakes going out every 15,000 miles with cracked rotors, not to mention the interior of the truck, they did not hold up well to the abuse of the crews, interior pieces cracking or breaking, etc.

I'm not saying Ford is flaw free, but for my company (and my personal truck needs), the Ford has been the go-to for me.

If you want to get over the Rockies 2 seconds faster, buy the Chevy. Just make sure you've got $15000 squirreled away for the injectors and transmission you'll have to replace!

 

[Sabbath]

Re: Which Pickup should I buy

Comparing somebodies personal needs to a commercial use are totally different. Braking issues, transmission issues and interior trim breakages all point to rough treatment by your "crew" (which you admitted)

So it's really chalk and cheese. So if you look at the facts for a purely recreational/personal use the Superduty certainly has some questions about the way the structure of the vehicle will hold up and also how the vehicle performs. Real world > What is claimed is never the same.

Personally i'd go the Silverado Dually. Facts speak for themselves and im a Holden/Chev guy at heart. And for an everyday driver and tow vehicle for personal use based on preference for a daily im sticking with it.

 

[270win]

Re: Which Pickup should I buy

Yes, abused by crews, worked to death and still getting 400k miles. Sounds like the ultimate durability test to me.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Which Pickup should I buy

Comparing somebodies personal needs to a commercial use are totally different. Braking issues, transmission issues and interior trim breakages all point to rough treatment by your "crew" (which you admitted)
...
Personally i'd go the Silverado Dually. Facts speak for themselves and im a Holden/Chev guy at heart. And for an everyday driver and tow vehicle for personal use based on preference for a daily im sticking with it.

So if you are a chevy guy at heart, you really are speaking just from the bias? A work truck with a crew like that is a perfect test! He has a fleet of them, and obviously no alliance to a brand. (smart businesses realize that vehicle brand alliance is a dumb idea if you want to make money. You use what works best and costs the least.)

Personally, I'd go with the Ford. I have zero brand preference, I've owned various vehicles from all three domestics in the past. (and currently own domestically produced vehicles, by the Japanese, go figure..)

The Fords always seemed to nickel and dime you less than other brands. They would tend to have one major issue that was correctable, and other than that, were always solid. The other brands would have lots and lots of small, sometimes big issues that would never go away. The previous poster's experience seems to mirror that. Dodge had brakes and other small items every 15k, chevy had injectors and trans go out with some regularity.

 

[ricohman]

Re: Which Pickup should I buy

Think again. The Superduty might look good on paper but that's about the only place it does.

Funny how there are many companies offering to rip out all the IFS crap under your chevy and replace it with and SD or Dodge solid front axle. There are absolutely zero companies offering to swap out Ford and Dodge solid for chevy IFS.
Rubber boots and IFS belongs on little cars, not real trucks.
Bed flex? Never seen it and I've been driving SD's for the last decade.

 

[bnicov]

Re: Which Pickup should I buy

A 3/4 ton is not going to cut it. You need a 1 ton, dually with a diesel and even then, you are pushing it. That boat belongs at a dock, not on the road. Launching and retrieving it will also be quite the chore. Be realistic.

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Which Pickup should I buy

I have the F350 4x4 SuperDuty 6.4L with the automatic and my buddy has the F450 Dually SD 6.4L auto. I've hauled some pretty heavy stuff but the 450 definitely pulls his 40' Formula a lot easier. His weight is about the same as described by the OP and while my 350 doesn't whimper you can feel it surge behind you which is hard on the tranny. His 450 surges a little but not nearly as bad as mine. He also has the crew cab long wheel base and has the option for the second fuel tank where mine has the short bed and not second tank option. I get a best of 13 mpg highway towing and he gets 6.5 mpg highway towing. The new Fords have an all Ford engine and it's not proven yet but the 6.4 in mine is the International NaviStar which is well proven and aside from it's difficulties with coolant leaks is a good engine.

 

[Sabbath]

Re: Which Pickup should I buy

Funny how there are many companies offering to rip out all the IFS crap under your chevy and replace it with and SD or Dodge solid front axle. There are absolutely zero companies offering to swap out Ford and Dodge solid for chevy IFS.
Rubber boots and IFS belongs on little cars, not real trucks.
Bed flex? Never seen it and I've been driving SD's for the last decade.

IFS is perfectly capable if setup properly and can go everywhere and do everything a solid axle setup can. I've NEVER had an issue due to my IFS setup on, or offroad. People who offer to revert to an old technology often do so because they have no interest in putting the time and effort in to properly tune their setup. The first video i posted clearly demonstrates bed flex and panel deformation in the Ford product.

Fleet truck operation and personal truck operation are completly different. Everybody knows the best performing car in the world is a car you dont have to pay for yourself. Cracking rotors doesnt just happen, snapping interior trims doesnt just happen. It's from abuse and neglect. You said it yourself, they get abused. Anything that is abused, is going to break sooner or later.

 

[ricohman]

Re: Which Pickup should I buy

IFS is perfectly capable if setup properly and can go everywhere and do everything a solid axle setup can. I've NEVER had an issue due to my IFS setup on, or offroad. People who offer to revert to an old technology often do so because they have no interest in putting the time and effort in to properly tune their setup. The first video i posted clearly demonstrates bed flex and panel deformation in the Ford product.

Fleet truck operation and personal truck operation are completly different. Everybody knows the best performing car in the world is a car you dont have to pay for yourself. Cracking rotors doesnt just happen, snapping interior trims doesnt just happen. It's from abuse and neglect. You said it yourself, they get abused. Anything that is abused, is going to break sooner or later.

Here is my experience with chev IFS 2/4 Dmax.
South Saskatchewan badlands hunting mulies.
Backing up with the wheels cranked in a small gully, snap, there goes the right cv.
Drive into Swift Current in our other truck and buy a new axle. Drive back and swap the axle out in the gully.
The next day we cut the outer boot on the other side. This wasn't as big a deal because we broke that cv shortly after trying to climb out of a rocky wash.
You can keep the IFS. The Fords SD's and Dodge solid axles have never given us trouble like this.
And trust me, I rock crawl for a hobby, and all the rigs around me have solid front axles.
Run that IFS through the scrub and you will tear the boots open. I don't need to deal with these problems when I can buy something far more durable. If I want a car like ride I will take my car.
Go ahead, try to "tune" your cv's.
The aftermarket already has plenty of kits to cut all that junk off and replace it with a solid front axle from a Ford or a Dodge. Here are a few companies that can help you.
http://www.offroadunlimited.com/orustore/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=16
http://www.offroadunlimited.com/orustore/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=1410
http://www.4wheeloffroad.com/techarticles/drivetrain/131_0812_chevy_truck_solid_axle_swap/index.html
All this being said, I have a few friends that run ifs chevs ,on the road with little trouble. My brother has one. Besides all the usual idler arms, tie rod end, ball joint issues he is happy with his truck.
But heavy duty off road use is not what it was intended for. But it pulls his boat just fine.

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: Which Pickup should I buy

A 3/4 ton is not going to cut it. You need a 1 ton, dually with a diesel and even then, you are pushing it. That boat belongs at a dock, not on the road. Launching and retrieving it will also be quite the chore. Be realistic.

^^^Yup

 

[Sabbath]

Re: Which Pickup should I buy

Here is my experience with chev IFS 2/4 Dmax.
South Saskatchewan badlands hunting mulies.
Backing up with the wheels cranked in a small gully, snap, there goes the right cv.
Drive into Swift Current in our other truck and buy a new axle. Drive back and swap the axle out in the gully.
The next day we cut the outer boot on the other side. This wasn't as big a deal because we broke that cv shortly after trying to climb out of a rocky wash.
You can keep the IFS. The Fords SD's and Dodge solid axles have never given us trouble like this.
And trust me, I rock crawl for a hobby, and all the rigs around me have solid front axles.
Run that IFS through the scrub and you will tear the boots open. I don't need to deal with these problems when I can buy something far more durable. If I want a car like ride I will take my car.
Go ahead, try to "tune" your cv's.
The aftermarket already has plenty of kits to cut all that junk off and replace it with a solid front axle from a Ford or a Dodge. Here are a few companies that can help you.
http://www.offroadunlimited.com/orustore/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=16
http://www.offroadunlimited.com/orustore/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=1410
http://www.4wheeloffroad.com/techarticles/drivetrain/131_0812_chevy_truck_solid_axle_swap/index.html
All this being said, I have a few friends that run ifs chevs ,on the road with little trouble. My brother has one. Besides all the usual idler arms, tie rod end, ball joint issues he is happy with his truck.
But heavy duty off road use is not what it was intended for. But it pulls his boat just fine.

Comparing rock crawling to towing a boat, or even just general offroading is again a ridiculous comparison. I run an IFS Hilux and have never had any issues relating to the IFS and im up bush nearly every weekend.

If you're ever in Australia i'd be more than happy to show you round some of the real Australia that an IFS truck is capable of getting into

 

[ricohman]

Re: Which Pickup should I buy

Comparing rock crawling to towing a boat, or even just general offroading is again a ridiculous comparison. I run an IFS Hilux and have never had any issues relating to the IFS and im up bush nearly every weekend.

If you're ever in Australia i'd be more than happy to show you round some of the real Australia that an IFS truck is capable of getting into

I've had a few IFS Toys. If yours can follow my 40 through this notch without busting the beer is on me.

 

[Sabbath]

Re: Which Pickup should I buy

Haha. Nice!

IFS suits me fine because it's my daily/towrig/bush basher. Got anymore pics of your 40? Looks fair capable

 

[ricohman]

Re: Which Pickup should I buy

My 40.

Nobody got a pic of me through the notch. But here is an 80 getting it done.

 

[TOY BOAT]

Re: Which Pickup should I buy

I don't think you need a solid axle to pull a boat. 99% of truck buyers do not take their trucks 4wheeling. I am sure 100% don't take their boats 4wheeling.
All domestic truck companies have stepped up their game in recent years. Chevy, Ford, or Dodge. You really can't loose.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Which Pickup should I buy

I don't think you need a solid axle to pull a boat. 99% of truck buyers do not take their trucks 4wheeling. I am sure 100% don't take their boats 4wheeling.
All domestic truck companies have stepped up their game in recent years. Chevy, Ford, or Dodge. You really can't loose.

I'll go along with this, but I will say I much prefer towing with my Expedition. Doesn't hunt nearly as much as my last Sierra did. I won't get into why I gave up on GMCs, but in fairness I'll point out that I did tear a boot on a gravel bar in the last Sierra. Just a sayin'.