RE: Interesting Comarison Ford PSD 6.0 Vs. 08 Ram 6.7 CTD
Riddler6.7
Just wondering for what you use your trucks, seriously. You have three trucks that appear similar. Are they all set up to tow, or is one a "farm truck", one a run to the store truck, etc? The Tow Boss came with a 4.30 differential ratio, how does that affect how it compares to the Dodge? What's in the Dodge? Also, what's the V10 truck used for and what ratio does it have, since it has the same transmission, etc. as the 6.0L diesel. How does it compare to either of the others, or is it used for something entirely different?
I do a lot of tractor work for a living. The F350 is my business truck. I tow a flatbed goose neck with my tractor on it daily.
We also tow our 5er, boat, 4wheelers, and other misc stuff every weekend with all of the trucks. Whichever one is available at the time.
We had so many problems with all the 6.0Ls, that when we were going to expand and have another tractor for business, we needed another truck. Diesel was very very high so we decided to buy a V10 and give it a shot.
Business kinda fell off when the economy went in the pooper so i just used the V10 since we bought it purely as a work truck. We were trying to keep the F350 in better shape since we were considering selling it. The V10 just wouldnt cut pulling the trailer. It was very sluggish and got about 6mpg. We had numerous problems with it idling and other small things. So we went back to pulling with the F350 Daily.
We have another business, we set up stores for wal-mart, caribou coffee, dunkin donuts, etc etc. We got rid of a few trucks and then needed another vehicle for that, so the V10 got pulled into service to go out on the road for that sometimes. It is an XLT model with 4.10 gearing, long bed, 4x4, extended cab. Power wise, it just wasnt up to the task of the two diesels, nor the mileage.
Last summer i decided it was time to buy a new truck. After all the bad luck we have had out of all of our 6.0L's, i new i didnt want another one. My buddy has a 6.4 and i have driven and pulled trailers with it quite a bit. I knew i didnt want one of those either. I will not go into all the problems it has, as all the ford fans will deny things anyways. I wanted to find an 07 LBZ and was considering a 07 LMM. I went and test drove them first, they just didnt feel right to me. So then i went and test drove the 6.7. I fell in love with the truck. I waited a month then found one with the options i liked and bought it. Since then, i have used it more then any of the others. The F350 just kinda sits most of the time since i got the 6.7. The 6.7 just has 3.73 gearing, no advantage there, except for highway MPG. I find that the 4.30 gearing makes a big difference compared to the 05 F350 we had with 3.73 gearing, but even with the 4.30 gearing, it doesnt have the throttle response the 6.7 has, nor the torque. Plus on the highway, that thing is revving to the moon. Given the 6.0 likes higher RPMs compared to the 6.7. One bad thing is that at higher speeds, pulling a large load and trying to pass, the tranny wont downshift in some instances because its already revving to high, whereas the cummins will still downshift due to higher gearing and a 6spd auto.
Now keep in mind that these are all personally owned trucks that stay at our farm. I often drive all 3 of the trucks when one or the other is already hooked to one trailer, and i need to tow something else. They all get used, but the 6.7 is my pick every time its available. It just feels oh so right. We buy trucks as tax write offs for our businesses. We have quite a few other purely business vehicles, but i wont list those, as i hardly ever drive them. These are just the ones that i use for everything on a day to day basis.
Really the only thing i prefer about the F350 over the Dodge, is the Cab size, and a few of the little options (but they dont always work). Other wise, i like the dodge better in about every way i can think of. If i had kids, the cab size would be a bigger issue, but i dont, so the quad cab is more then big enough for me and the wife.
The statement about being a GM man. I am a GM fan more than anything else. I dont consider myself biased, as i will buy whatever i fill is the best product, however im usually pulling for the GM product to be it. I had a 500+RWHP 2000 Camaro SS until last year. It was my baby. Before that i had 2 1995 Z28s, a 84 Chevy SWB 4x4 that was a toy and a 85 Chevy LWB 4x4. I sold my camaro in hopes of buying a Z06 corvette or a ZR1. If i were in the market for a 1/2ton truck or any SUV, GM would be my pick hands down. My father has a denali with the 6.0, that thing is awesome. I just dont consider their 3/4ton/1ton trucks to be very heavy duty. Not a fan of IRS in a HD truck. I do think the duramax is a dang good engine, makes no difference to me that it was a joint venture btwn GM/Isuzu, still a dang good engine. Bottom line is the truck just didnt fit me. But if i couldnt have my dodge, then i wouldnt hesitate for a second to buy a GMC.
if you have any more specific questions about any of the vehicles, let me know and ill do my best to answer them.
RE: Interesting Comarison Ford PSD 6.0 Vs. 08 Ram 6.7 CTD
oh sure yea!!! ford= best truck=crappy motor...dodge great motor=crappy truck.....
Wow Riddler, you sure make it hard for the Ford guys to spin that one!
Cummins is still the best engine ever put in a pickup period.
Not so much. I think if you read my post you will see that i call the dodge the Best truck overall, Not JUST best powertrain. i have had less trouble out of My dodge INCLUDING interior, HVAC, and every thing other then the Cummins.
Yes the Ford interior is a little nicer, but thats comparing SLT vs Lariat. BUT i have had issues with the electronics in the cab of the ford and other few problems here and their. It may be nicer, but at what cost? I like to be able to use the things i buy, not just say, "yeah i got that option", but it doesnt work. Sure the A/C controls on the steering wheel are a nice option, but my WHOLE HVAC system doesnt even work right now on the F350. My 05 F350 did the same thing. Many other problems with the 05 too. The 07 has been the most trouble free FORD yet, and thats still not saying much when compared to my Dodge. My dodge is my favorite vehicle ever, hands down. Oh, and im a die hard GM fan!
I test drove All 3 before deciding. i really wanted a duramx before driving any, but after driving them all I knew the Dodge was the right truck for me. It fits me perfectly. I really feel like a part of the truck when im driving it, we become one lol
RE: Interesting Comarison Ford PSD 6.0 Vs. 08 Ram 6.7 CTD
i definitely agree with the O.P. I have both! I have an 07 F350 Tow boss with 6.0 and a 07.5 6.7 cummins. The Cummins will hands down pull the ford into the ground. Even with the ford having the gearing advantage, the cummins will amaze you. Also the Exhaust brake on the cummins makes the ford like it has no engine braking at all...
You want to compare it to a 6.4... ok. My buddy has a 08 6.4 setup very similar to my dodge. Even he will admit the cummins is the stronger tow vehicle. Hands down gets better mileage too. I get 20mpg on the hwy and average over 18combined city/towing small trailer/ and highway.
I also have a 06 F250 V10. I have plenty to compare. I am not biased. I would love to have the doge power train in a new Ford. I also believe the dodge to have the better tranny as well. However i do have to point out that i have had more problems out of both the fords then i have the dodge. Not talking just engines either, i have problems with the HVAC systems in the F350 and other problems with the truck in general. No problems to date with the dodge. I will have to say that the dodge is the better truck all around. The interior on my dodge model is not as nice as my F350 lariat, but for what i use it for and for what the price difference was, i love the Dodge.
RE: Ford F-250 V10
We have:
2006 F250 w/V10 4.10
2007 F350 6.0 pwrstk Tow Boss 4.30
2007 Ram 2500 6.7 CUMMINS 6spd auto
IMO the V10 is the worst of them all, with the F350 6.0 in a close second. The V10 is lucky to get 14mpg on the hwy, 70mph. We have had constant Check engine lights on it. It does pull the trailer OK, but nowhere near the power of the other 2 going up hills. MPG pull any of the trailers is horrible!! I wish we would have never bought it. Has about 42,000miles on it.
Oh forgot to add the V10 had a bad spell for quite sometime. Anytime pulling anything, it would barely idle, when rolling up to a stop sign it would often die and take a while to get started again. Was sputtering off the line. Took it to ford they said it just needed a Reflash, so they updated it. Got the truck back and it still happens every so often.
The 6.0pwrstrk seems really underpowered compared to the Cummins. I also thing the grade braking the "torqueshift" provides is a joke compared to the Exhaust brake on the Cummins. Even with the 4.30 gear ratio, it doesnt pull as well as the Cummins. I love the truck itself but not to excited about the drivetrain. It gets about 16-17mpg on the hwy. Pulling a 13,000 trailer, it averages about 9+mpg. Have had nothing but bad luck with this truck and the 2005 F350 it replaced. Just yesterday the a/c wont respond to any input, the Fan stays on high whether you turn it on or off or tr to adjust the fan. Our 05 had the exact same issue before we traded it in. The whole family is Pro FORD but most are seeing the light and getting away. All have 6.0s and 7.3s. The 7.3s are pretty decent but everyone has had problems with their 6.0s
Also a couple times when pulling small trailers the 6.0 would lose power and start blowing out black smoke for a while. Then it would suddenly be OK again. Everyone we have ever had has overheated numerous times. We have had 4 6.0s. The whole family has had probably 10+ 6.0s, all had similar issues
After a few little things on the Cummins, i have averaged well over 20mpgs highway, and 18mpg over 400miles mixed city, highway, and pulling our boat(DPF IS STILL INTACT). The Cummins is by far the best of the three. It pulls all the trailers much better and the exhaust brake is AWESOME!!! Also I have not had any Check engine lights since it was new, cant say that about any of the Furds. Given the interior is not as fancy as the F350 Lariat, but its more than enough for what i use it for. The 6spd auto transmissionn is also the best btwn it and the torqushift. I love being able to manually shift via paddleshifter.
IMO there are better options then the V10, but if you think its perfect otherwise, go for it.
RE: no hot water heater bypass
I found it all today, and it does have a heater bypass already. Its at the very back of the trailer, there is a closet in btwn the bunks and the bathroom. At the bottem of the closet there is a little sliding panel and underneath that is all the works. That answers that question and problem....
Now to the next part, Is there anything i can do to add to the tanks to still make them useable around freezing weather? Im not talking down to the 0' levels but hovering around freezing. Is just a little rv antifreeze enough or should i just not risk it at all since i dont have an enclosed/heated underbelly
RE: no hot water heater bypass
i know it would be easy to install, but trying to get to the dang hot water heater appears to be more of my problem. I have yet to be able to see the whole thing. Its at the back of the camper, so it appears anyways, and im not sure what all i would have to take apart to get to it.
Have you been able to locate your water pump? In my Fleetwood Prowler TT that I had previously the heater bypass valves were by the water pump. If not you may have to install the following items...a lot cheaper than filling the water heater with anti freeze.
You may want to look at this winterization kit.
no i havent located it yet. I can hear it at the back of the trailer. Ill have to crawl under the trailer and have a look to see if i can find it, but for all i know it could be entirely inclosed as well.
RE: no hot water heater bypass
i know it would be easy to install, but trying to get to the dang hot water heater appears to be more of my problem. I have yet to be able to see the whole thing. Its at the back of the camper, so it appears anyways, and im not sure what all i would have to take apart to get to it.
no hot water heater bypass
Ok so im pretty sure that our Trailer doesnt have a hot water heater bypass installed. How do you guys winterize without a bypass. Ive read that you dont want to get antifreeze in the hot water heater, so if there isnt a bypass do you just not use antifreeze and just hope that you got all the water drained out of everything, or what?
Also what if i want to use the 5er during the winter? The tanks are not enclosed or insulated so it would be pretty easy for them to freeze. Is there an additive that you can add to the water tanks and still have useable water? Is rv antifreeze safe to do that with or is there something else?
thanks
RE: newbie to this 5er thing.
a truck with a "performance chip" would be considered a modded truck. If the truck was used to pull a heavy trailer with the "chip" cranked up all the way, the engine could be seriously damaged by EGT's (exhaust gas temp).
RE: new to this
Thanks guys. I was doing some maintenance and cleaning on it yesterday at my shop. We live in arkansas and it was insinde a shop so i dont think that he winterized it.
I found the drain for the hot water heater and let some out. There was no antifreeze in it, just water. So i went ahead and turned on the hot water heater and ran some water through the system to make sure it worked ok. I got some good hot water within 15 minutes or so. I put a little bit of bleach in the fresh water tank. I also put some laundry detergent in the rest of the tanks, but I couldnt find any water softner at my local walmart so that was a no go. (trying to follow geo-method)
I checked the batteries and one of them needed a little water so i brought it back up to level. They appear to be holding a good charge so far.
Tires, we will be getting some here pretty soon but next weekend we will just be pulling it up the road a few miles, to a local river. They are holding pressure well and there is no visible dry rot (of coarse thats not all there is to worry about).
We have camped in this camper many times before, my wife even lived in it for 2 months while they were building there new house. So we feel pretty comfortable with most everything, its just the little details that will get ya.
We will be leaving this coming friday and staying til sunday. I will have plenty of time to do anything else I need to before then. I went ahead and bought a new drinking water hose from wal-mart as well as a pressure regulator. I was going to go ahead and buy a in line filter but they were fresh out.
On a side note, we had to get a new fresh water tank cap, so we stopped by the local rv dealer. Stupid me decided i wanted to look at the toy haulers. We looked at the 2009 Cougar 320SRX. Man i wanted that thing pretty bad. It was absolutely awesome. After we left, my wife said that she wanted it, but i reminded her that we can enjoy our paid off unit much easier. Sure it would be nice to have a newer, nicer, bigger, fancier, and not to mention it being a toy hauler, but having something that is paid off gives you the oppurtunity to use it much more often. The only downside is we really would use a toy hauler more often then just a 5th wheel. Ah well.
trevor
new to this
Hello everyone. I'm pretty new to all of this. My father in-law just passed away a few months ago and left behind a 2001 (think thats the right year) Fleetwood Wilderness 825 5x for us to use. We have used it before but to a limited degree. It has not been used for about a year or more and has been sitting inside a shop. We are planning on using it this coming weekend so what all do I need to do to it to get it ready? I'm not sure what all if any he winterized. So far I have:
Aired up the tires, plugged it in to charge the batteries and make sure everything is working. I also turned on the cold water to make sure the water pump still worked, but I forgot to check the hot water.
Ive been reading what I could about de-winterizing but the links in the FAQ aren't working for some reason. I was also planning on putting some bleach into the tanks and letting it set for a while, then draining and rinsing.
does anyone know if this particular model has a hot water heater bypass that I need to check on, or where it would be located at?
Thank you guys,
Trevor
new to this
Hello everyone. I'm pretty new to all of this. My father in-law just passed away a few months ago and left behind a 2001 (think thats the right year) Fleetwood Wilderness 825 5x for us to use. We have used it before but to a limited degree. It has not been used for about a year or more and has been sitting inside a shop. We are planning on using it this coming weekend so what all do I need to do to it to get it ready? I'm not sure what all if any he winterized. So far I have:
Aired up the tires, plugged it in to charge the batteries and make sure everything is working. I also turned on the cold water to make sure the water pump still worked, but I forgot to check the hot water.
Ive been reading what I could about de-winterizing but the links in the FAQ aren't working for some reason. I was also planning on putting some bleach into the tanks and letting it set for a while, then draining and rinsing.
does anyone know if this particular model has a hot water heater bypass that I need to check on, or where it would be located at?
Thank you guys,
Trevor
RE: Dodge Cummins vs. Ford - real world experiences please!
Hello forum:
I’d like to jump in with my 2007 3500 5.9.
No problem with the engine/drive train. Nice truck and as this is my 5th diesel truck I must like them. I’ve had the 87 Chevy, 92GMC 6.5,97 Dodge 2500 with 5.9, 2004 Ford with the 6.0 and now the 2007 Dodge. With all of these trucks, sometimes you run into what you might consider design problems, and sometimes it just the luck of the draw. My 1997 5.9 dropped an alignment dowel out from the front of the engine and trashed the timing gears and their vertical pan that they run in. Um.. That is close to a design problem. The same truck had a battery fail (explode) that blew battery acid all over the engine compartment and caused the wiring harnesses to fail repeatedly over the next 100k miles. That is just bad luck as I could not get it washed down soon enough.
With the 6.0 Ford I had two major failures on two consecutive Fiver trips in January and then again in May of 2007. Ok, I felt as if these were design problems, so back to a Dodge. Now I hope that we can go for many trips trouble free. This is what we all want, and try not to spend two vacations parked behind two different dealerships, outback in the dry grass with the rabbits.
If I can complain about the 07 Dodge, on my 1997 I could turn off whatever chimes and safety features that I wanted. I assumed that I would be able to do the same with this truck. Not so. If you get the security system with remote entry, beware. There are some features you can disengage, and other more dastardly, sinister and way over-thought features that apparently cannot be disengaged. Trust me this is a big deal to me as my next step can only be to unplug the horn which is a dangerous way to drive. For one thing, if you put it in gear and the door is still open, then the panic alarm sounds. You cannot backup to a trailer or wagon or jump out to open or close an irrigation valve without waking the entire countryside. This has caused me more grief than you know.
I generally shy away from carrying a key the size a Lg. pack of gum when I’m working, but I like the door locks when traveling with my Wife. I bought a dealer programmed spare key. Nope. Worthless. You may not unlock the door with anything but the Big Key or the alarm sounds.
Anyway, I’ve got 16k on it now and we are learning how to get along together, or as you can see I Am learning how to get along.
Great Truck otherwise.
Canaweek
Actually you can disable the reverse, door open horn honk. If you just look in your owners manual, there is a place that tells you how to turn off the seatbelt reminder chime, if you disable this it also disables the revers horn honk...
RE: new engine in the 2008 ford f-350????
i would say a pretty Large con would be that the cab has to be pulled off for any repairs on the back of the motor or other things. Also my friend has an 08 F250. Sweet truck, awesome appearance, nice interior, more room in the back seat then in my Ram, but he only averages 9.4mpg empty. I like his truck, but overall I love mine better lol.
Seriously though it is a very nice truck, but i couldnt stand to get 9.4mpg. Obviously not everyone has that bad of luck, but Every one will have that bad of luck when they have to do some kind of repair to the back portion of the motor. That will be very $$$$ to pull the cab off as soon as the warranty expires.
The in laws are die hard fans (9 - 6.0 pwrstks in the family), i have seen a lot of bad out of the 6.0s and not very much good at all. Hopefully the 6.4 will be better in the long run then the 6.0
RE: Fuel Mileage ('08 dodge 6.7 TD)
I have 3500 miles on my truck. I average about 16.5-17mpg at 65-70mph. Thats hand calculated with a little city driving thrown in. If i ever did an only highway trip i could probably get at least 18mpg hand calced. I have never had a tank that was just city driving but i would bet it wouldnt be to great, probably 13-14 at most.
There are some ppl that are getting better than me and some that are getting worse then me. My truck seems to be getting about the average.
I will say this, my friend has an 08 super duty and the other night we went on a little trip with him and he average 9.4mpg UNLOADED!!!! Its an awesome looking truck with nice intereior, but i would never dream of getting one since ive observed the mileage that he gets. So i wont complain too much about the mileage my truck gets, after all im getting better mileage then i did out of my 7.3 F250, and i have TONS more power and comfort.
RE: Cummins 6.7 block heater
All 6.7's come with the Block heater installed. Whether or not it was ordered with the option you have the block heater and at MOST have to purchase the cord. If you have to purchase it, you just plug it in to the block heater and you are ready to go! Do not let the dealer charge you $85
.This is not true as any dealer can order the truck with the block heater option $10 MSRP, both my 03 and now the 07 6.7 were ordered with this option. JMHO
johntank is indeed correct.
he is correct that it is an option. BUT that option is not actually for the block heater, its for JUST the cord. My uncle bought a local truck that did not have the option and all he had to do was buy a cord and plug it in to the block heater that comes in all the trucks whether or not the option was chosen. SO as stated that option is not actually for the heater itself, just the cord!
Just like the early 07.5 6.7 cummins came with the exhaust brake but was not turned on or have the switch installed. SO they charged ppl like $500 to have it turned on via computer flash and for a switch. But ALL 6.7's indeed have the exhaust brake to begin with as it is just a bonus to having this kind of a Variable Geometry turbo.
RE: Cummins 6.7 block heater
All 6.7's come with the Block heater installed. Depending on what state you bought it in and the options list is what determines if it came with a cord or not. Whether or not it was ordered with the option you have the block heater and at MOST have to purchase the cord. If you have to purchase it, you just plug it in to the block heater and you are ready to go! Do not let the dealer charge you $85
