dodge vs ford diesel

[ROBZ95Xj]

Screw that! Vettes are where it's at!

Heffner TT Viper owns all!

 

[DrMoab]

The problem with Dodges are not the engines, it is the rest of the truck that starts to fail when loaded everyday. Suspensions, trans, and driveline all begin to fail faster than Ford doing the same job.

Crusing around town, fields, highway, not hauling everyday, the Dodge MAY be a better choice. However when you load them up, like a plumber, carpenter, service truck, etc. the Ford is clearly a better choice.

JMHO...YMMV

Rev

Tell that to the electric company I dealt with in L.A. They had a fleet of 400 Ford F450s that the used for work trucks. There maintence costs were more then the lease payments a month.

We started shipping them Dodges because they got sick of paying for them. We shipped them 100 trucks initially and then six months later they ordered 300 more to totally replace their fords. In fact they were getting rid of their fords and a huge expence because their leases were not up yet. They figured that the Dodges were saving them so much money that it would me more cost effective to pay the penalties to FMC then it would be to keep the maintence up on them.

Lewis and Lewis Construction in Rock Springs Wy, same story only with Chevy Duramax's They traded them all in on Dodges.

To be honest I was ready to buy a Chev before I started hauling to all these places that were getting rid of what they had and buying Dodge trucks.

Ford does a real good job making it sound like they are the best trucks on the market but seeing it first hand I know its just not the case.

Even if you were right about the suspensions and the rest of the truck...which I think you are mistaken.

If I had to replace a leaf spring or control arm rather then expencive moter parts I would do it any day.

IF you want a true testimonal ask these guys...
http://www.barcorentatruck.com/

They used to have a whole fleet of Fords....ask them what they rent now...because of high costs of maintaining them.

 

[Glenn B]

Sorry. Dodge has good optional power packages, and a decent frame. The body/cab sucks.

 

[DrMoab]

Sorry. Dodge has good optional power packages, and a decent frame. The body/cab sucks.

I think Dodge has really screwed themselfs for not following in Fords footsteps by putting out a bigger cab before (although they have one out this year)

One thing I think Ford really has going for them and its one reason why they are so popular is the fact that they pay close attention to what the buyers want.

The perfect truck for me would be a 01 style Dodge with a short bed and a cab the size of the full four door fords.

I have always liked the 94-02 Cabs the best on the Dodges.
That being said....I really hate the interiors on the Fords

 

[OT]

Dodge...They have fork lift motors in them
If Dodges are so good, why couln't Jeff keep up with me up and over the Vail pass?
Is it 'cause he had a car hauler with one Jeep and I had a 30 foot enclosed trialer that weiged 12,000 pounds?
Folks, that sealed it for me right there!

Ring Ring Ring...
Jeff-"Hello"
Sean-"Yea Jeff, are you having problems?"
Jeff-"No, Why?"
Sean-"Well I cant go this slow, I will meet you in Glenwood springs for lunch."

65 MPH up and over getting 15 MPG!
The proof is in the pudding!
End of discussion for me!

That sounds like a reenactment of last fall on the way out to Moab with Backdraft and I both towing our trailers.
He had his Dodge and me in my 5.3 Superado with programmer, intake, and exhaust.
I constantly had to slow down and let him catch up, especially after cresting hills.
Now I have a stock 7.3PSD and it's so much more than that Chevy.
Again, a Six Gun with Speed Loader with intake and exhaust are in order.
I'll never go back to gas.....or from Ford.

 

[explorer]

They run at a higher RPM everywhere they go. This means in a 200,000 mile truck the moter has made twice the revolutions

Two more of everything to go wrong...Not for me

If V8 diesels are so much better then inline sixes then why don't you EVER see big rigs with V8s in them?

The proof is in the pudding.

Just because they can spin a higher rpm, doesn't mean they always do. Given similar tire sizes, and axle/OD ratios, the engine is going to spin the same rpm. My F350 turns just over 2000 rpm at 70, the same as any 3.73 geared Dodge I've driven. I can shift mine(6spd) at 1200 rpm, dropping to under 1000 rpm on every shift and be in OD from 30mph on up, while keeping up with traffic from stops. I'll leave out the rest of my biased opinions. And if you've "never" seen a big truck with anything other than a inline six, look harder. V8, V6, have both been used. Using your logic, everybody should stick to the 2.5 in their XJ because its got two less of everything to go wrong, or maybe we should all start swapping in 3 cylinders out of Geos.

 

[DDCxj]

The problem with Dodges are not the engines, it is the rest of the truck that starts to fail when loaded everyday. Suspensions, trans, and driveline all begin to fail faster than Ford doing the same job.

Crusing around town, fields, highway, not hauling everyday, the Dodge MAY be a better choice. However when you load them up, like a plumber, carpenter, service truck, etc. the Ford is clearly a better choice.

JMHO...YMMV

Rev

From what I've seen, its the opposite, granted there are a lot more Fords than Dodges around here.

The garage I work at doesall the repairs for a fairly big landscaping company. They have a fleet of about 10-12 trucks. Within 2-3 years of buying F-350s and F-450's, 3 of them needed transmissions, one of them caught on fire.....twice, 4 of them had the rear suspensions replaced, they all go through brakes once a year along with a buttload of ball joints.

We do some work for a bunch of small companies who own Dodge 2500 and 3500 and a couple duallies. The only real major thing we've done is that one of about 5 of them nedded a transmission and one needed a t-case, but the t-case broke after the idiot drove it over a rock. The rest has just been regular maintenance like u-joints and stuff like that every once in a while.

The guy that owns the fleet of Fords finally started buying Chevy's finally a couple years ago. The only thing those three trucks have come in for was for burning up solenoids for the dump bodies (not a chevy problem).

As far as our tow trucks, we have a two Fords and two Internationals. One of the Fords is a '97 F-Super Duty 2wd 19' aluminum flatbed with a Powerstroke and auto. We have had no problems with the engine or tranny but that things chews up front ends and brakes like nothing. Our other Ford is a '96 F-350 wrecker 4wd w/ a powerstroke. Once again, brakes are replaced on this every year and usually with a lot of frontend work at the same time.

As far as the engines go though, they're great. This coming from a person who hates Fords and will never ever uy one and will never have one in their driveway. Every since International started making the diesels for Ford, I believe in '94 but I'm not sure, they have been great. The old diesels that Ford first had were crap. They never had enough power and you could never get the rpms up high enough to work the truck good while using anything with a pto.

The late models Powerstrokes are great, but so are the cummins. It would be a lot easier to compare if their were as many dodges as fords out on the road. But in my opinion, both enines are great, the dodge has a little more pep in my experience. As far as the trucks as a whole, Fords are gonna need a hell of a lot more maintenance than a dodge.

carry on

 

[DrMoab]

Just because they can spin a higher rpm, doesn't mean they always do. Given similar tire sizes, and axle/OD ratios, the engine is going to spin the same rpm. My F350 turns just over 2000 rpm at 70, the same as any 3.73 geared Dodge I've driven. I can shift mine(6spd) at 1200 rpm, dropping to under 1000 rpm on every shift and be in OD from 30mph on up, while keeping up with traffic from stops. I'll leave out the rest of my biased opinions. And if you've "never" seen a big truck with anything other than a inline six, look harder. V8, V6, have both been used. Using your logic, everybody should stick to the 2.5 in their XJ because its got two less of everything to go wrong, or maybe we should all start swapping in 3 cylinders out of Geos.

First off...you are right...At any given speed they will run the same RPM. However...the redline on a V8 Diesel is higher then an inline six.

Second I never said that I have NEVER seen a big truck without an inline six. In fact I used to drive a dumptruck with a navistar V8 in it...It was the doggiest truck I have ever driven.

All I said was you never see them...And you don't. I would bet a fair amount of money that 99% of trucks on the road are running inline six engines. There is a reason for this.

 

[Dirt]

I'm a Chevy guy. Always have been but as far as HD trucks go they're at the bottom of my list. IFS on an HD 4x4 is a huge turnoff for me and I know everyone else on this site. If they ever get CAT to build them an inline 6 diesel engine I may be able to deal with the IFS. I don't understand Ford and Chevy going for a V8 diesel. Ford does look nice and is a strong truck (as far as the frame goes) but... every thing on the powertrain is junk. Dodge is by far the best of the big three (if it only came with an allison option) some people don't like the looks but they've grown on me over the years. Ford body and drivetrain, Dodge engine, (Chevy) Allison option. That's the truck I want. Mabey I'll have a new tow rig project after the XJ is done. This is strictly my opinion and who gives a sh#t about that.

 

[DrMoab]

I'm a Chevy guy. Always have been but as far as HD trucks go they're at the bottom of my list. IFS on an HD 4x4 is a huge turnoff for me and I know everyone else on this site. If they ever get CAT to build them an inline 6 diesel engine I may be able to deal with the IFS. I don't understand Ford and Chevy going for a V8 diesel. Ford does look nice and is a strong truck (as far as the frame goes) but... every thing on the powertrain is junk. Dodge is by far the best of the big three (if it only came with an allison option) some people don't like the looks but they've grown on me over the years. Ford body and drivetrain, Dodge engine, (Chevy) Allison option. That's the truck I want. Mabey I'll have a new tow rig project after the XJ is done. This is strictly my opinion and who gives a sh#t about that.

You know the sad thing is....Cat already has a killer engine that would fix perfectly in a pickup. About the same power as the Cummins and PS trucks. Its a shame someone isn't using it.

 

[Dirt]

yeah CAT is going into alot (if not all) of Isuzu medium duty which GM owns. I don't get it either. It just makes sense

 

[explorer]

First off...you are right...At any given speed they will run the same RPM. However...the redline on a V8 Diesel is higher then an inline six.

Second I never said that I have NEVER seen a big truck without an inline six. In fact I used to drive a dumptruck with a navistar V8 in it...It was the doggiest truck I have ever driven.

All I said was you never see them...And you don't. I would bet a fair amount of money that 99% of trucks on the road are running inline six engines. There is a reason for this.

Redline is redline. It has nothing to do with how many revs the engine sees in its lifetime unless you ran at redline all the time. The higher redline also gives the engine a broader powerband which is useful, though not what most think of when looking at diesels.

 

[seanR]

How much money do you have dumped into your truck?
Call Jeff in 5 years and compare repair costs....IF your truck hasn't either blown up completly by then or you got sick of it and bought a dodge

My truck is BONE STOCK!
Honestly, 43,000 in one year, no repairs none.
I have seen many many PSDs go 250,000 - 300,000 miles with no major repairs.
Oh, And I only paid $29,000 new.

 

[Goatman]

\

Unitl you make it WORK for a living. Sorry...there is a reason most actual WORK trucks are Fords.

Rev

The REAL reason you see so many more Fords on worksites then dodges is because Ford has a great fleet pricing policy...Unfortunatly for the sorry suckers who fall for that...they soon learn that the cheaper trucks don't make up for the high costs of maintaining the trucks.

and ford has alot of special pricing for fleet and commercial sales.....end of story right there

I've managed at both Dodge and Ford dealerships, and both have factory supported fleet bidding policies......so no advantage there like you guys think.

As far as more trucks on the road, it's even more dramatic looking at recreational users than it is looking at work trucks. Just count how many Fords are pulling RV's and hauling campers compared to Dodge or Chevy. When we go to the dunes and all the trucks and trailers are camped on the beach, about 90% of the trucks are Fords.

But, this is only addressing which is more popular, not which is better. Better is in the mind of the user........there are stories of users going every direction you want to find, Ford to Dodges, Dodges to Fords, Chevey to Fords, etc.

 

[Goatman]

You know the sad thing is....Cat already has a killer engine that would fix perfectly in a pickup. About the same power as the Cummins and PS trucks. Its a shame someone isn't using it.

Sure, Ford is using it. It's an optional engine on the F550, F650, and F750's..........and so is the Cummins.

 

[DrMoab]

I've managed at both Dodge and Ford dealerships, and both have factory supported fleet bidding policies......so no advantage there like you guys think.

As far as more trucks on the road, it's even more dramatic looking at recreational users than it is looking at work trucks. Just count how many Fords are pulling RV's and hauling campers compared to Dodge or Chevy. When we go to the dunes and all the trucks and trailers are camped on the beach, about 90% of the trucks are Fords.

But, this is only addressing which is more popular, not which is better. Better is in the mind of the user........there are stories of users going every direction you want to find, Ford to Dodges, Dodges to Fords, Chevey to Fords, etc.

Don't you think one reason for this...and you should know this...and this is also not a question of whats better or not but..
Ford will sell you a vehicle if you have a pulse...that seems to be their only requirement.
I have talked to several dealers,hauling cars for a living and have been told that Ford Moter Credit is real liberal to who they would sell vehicles to.

I spent a lot of time hauling repos to auction and there were a huge number of Fords. I think the reason is they will sell a 40,000.00 truck to some punk kid making minimum wage(ok not really but close to it)

Same with the work truck idea....Ford has some real killer deals as far as fleet and lease goes.

 

[FarmerMatt]

We couldn't be happier with my wifes Excursion & we're just about to flip over 100,000. When looking soley at motors & drive trains than Dodge has the top. For shear reliability & performance it's hard to beat the cummins. In our truck fleat (big trucks) we're running 400 cummins pretty much exclusively. We've got one 4 1/4 CAT that we've had some problems with, but the cummins run like a timex.

As for preferences from a guy that really works his truck... I like the fords, especially the King Ranch Super duty. That's a pretty truck, but the new Dodge Power Wagons have a lot to offer (except a diesel engine?). Keep in mind that this is all coming from a guy that drives a half ton Chevy.

 

[explorer]

When looking soley at motors & drive trains than Dodge has the top. For shear reliability & performance it's hard to beat the cummins.

I'm in total agreement that the Cummins is an excellent engine. As far as the rest of the drivetrain, thats questionable. They still use the same big case trans based on the old Torqueflites. Yeah its been upgraded with more clutches, but any of these modern diesels need a trans that is a little more up to the task. As for the manuals, the ZF gearbox in mine shifts great, and the shift pattern is better than the NV, though thats an opinion. Four gates between low and reverse is a pain in the ass in parking lots or moving trailers around. The ZF has them in the same gate. Although the Dana axles are probably better supported for parts, I don't think it has an advantage otherwise. And until the latest models, the Dodge was still using a 241 case as compared to the 271 in the Ford.

 

[XJHOX]

Having both Ford and a Dodge diesels sitting in my driveway. The Ford is a 99 7.3 powerstroke and the dodge is a 04. Both 1 ton 4 doors, the Ford being a dually. That being said the Ford will flat out, out pull the dodge in the hills. Both have 4:10 gears. Lets face it they all suck when you have to work on them. I will say that the newer dodge has had more problems than the ford. When its time (hopefully soon) we will be getting a new Ford 6.0 diesel.

 

[Goatman]

Don't you think one reason for this...and you should know this...and this is also not a question of whats better or not but..
Ford will sell you a vehicle if you have a pulse...that seems to be their only requirement.
I have talked to several dealers,hauling cars for a living and have been told that Ford Moter Credit is real liberal to who they would sell vehicles to.

I spent a lot of time hauling repos to auction and there were a huge number of Fords. I think the reason is they will sell a 40,000.00 truck to some punk kid making minimum wage(ok not really but close to it)

Same with the work truck idea....Ford has some real killer deals as far as fleet and lease goes.

You keep looking for excuses why so many people like Ford Super Duty trucks......just face it, whether it can be proven or not which truck is better, there are just a whole lot more people that like the Fords for whatever reason.

The reputation Ford Credit has for approving edgy loans is from a good number of years ago when they ran some special programs, especially a very liberal first time buyer program that sold a lot of vehicles but also cost them a bunch of money in repo's. That program has been gone for many years. Ford is still lenient in their loan approvals, but so is Chrysler Credit and GMAC. I think FMCC does do a better job, but marginally so. We still have plenty of deals that FMCC won't approve and we get the financing from other sub-level lenders, who are used by all brands of dealerships. The questionable deals are on lower priced vehicles........no one risks much on the real high proced stuff.