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Which Diesel Tow Rig To Get?

UNSTUCK

UNSTUCK

But stuck more often.
I've been a GM guy forever. But am looking pretty heavily at Dodge now as it seems I can get quite a bit more truck for the money. My loads will never go over 10,000lbs and mostly be around 5000, but my 2010 2500 chevy gasser is leaving me wanting A LOT more going up the hills around here. I love the truck though, when I'm not towing. I'm looking for trucks in the mid $20k range. That puts me around 2007-8. I can find dodges with 100k miles. The GM's are more like 150k for that price.

So is the dodge automatic up to par with the Allison? That's my main question. Doesn't seem to be much of a difference between the 5.9 and 6.7 in terms of power. They were similar in 2006 or 2007. Is one better than the other?

Is there anything else I should be considering? The interiors don't mean too much to me. Of course I like them nice, but really until the 2007 new body style of the GM's it doesn't matter much. I really would like one of those, but they are too spendy still.

Any thoughts?
 
Tonkaman

Tonkaman

Well-Known Member
Location
West Jordan
I'm a die hard Chevy diesel man myself, so my opinion there is bias.

What I will caution is knowing how hard the trucks have been pushed before buying them. The automatic transmissions for all makes are only good for about an additional 100 horsepower before they slip. I know that sounds like a lot of extra power but it's not really in the diesel world.

Because it's so easy to throw on a cheap tuner that can add 200 horsepower by the push of a button, several diesel owners have done it. The problem here is that the transmission is the weak link.

I don't know much about the other manufacturers but I can tell you a bit about the Allison. It is the strongest transmission available, but if you add more than 100 horsepower it is designed to 'limp'. One of the coolest features of the Allison is that it learns the drivers style and adapts to it. That's awesome right? Well if you've pushed the truck hard and made it 'limp' then the truck decided to protect itself. The next time it will limp even sooner, so you can't push it so hard therefore saving its own life. Each time it does limp it will do it easier and easier every time. This becomes a big problem when someone has pushed their truck several times and then sells the truck to you.

Now don't get me wrong, diesel pickups are made to push hard. You just need to plan on not pushing it past its limits or buying a transmission upgrade kit if you want to unleash the big power. If you buy a truck that has been pushed hard make sure you know the trans hasn't been damaged.
 
B

boogie_4wheel

Active Member
Location
North Salt Lake, Utah
The Dodge 68RFE (6 Speed Auto) started being used in 2007.5 when the 6.7L was first introduced, along with the DPF and the requirement of regen cycles. The 68RFE is a good transmission, but an aftermarket tune for it makes it a much better transmission.

The 48RE 4spd used in the '04-07 behind the 5.9L is an old design (based on the 727TF). It is archaic/clunky, and doesn't do well with power adders in stock form, but can be built to take huge power. The addition of a shift kit (TransGo or Sonnex) is a huge upgrade, and a name brand single disc TC are a big benefit to these (I've got the TransGo in mine, money well spent, big difference when loaded).

Starting in '06, Dodge starting using the TIPM (Totally Integrated Power Module) that is the brain that controls everything electrical. An overload on any circuit will cause it to disable the circuit, such as a trailer with a rubbing wire killing your left brake/turn circuit, or water getting in to the A/C clutch plug causing the A/C to be inoperable. You get a couple retries at resetting at the dealer when it disables a circuit before it goes to junk and it needs to be replaced to the tune of about $1k. It is a stupid design, and doesn't make sense on the resetting to me.

My toyhauler weighs 6-7k, and my '05 truck tries to go most everywhere in 4th. My mild boost in power from the Edge Juice module makes a world of difference. When I bought mine in 2011 I wanted to stay pre-emissions which put me '07 and older. That is the only reason that I didn't go with the newer 6.7L. 2 more gears would have been welcomed with open arms but I personally didn't want to chance the emissions equipment at the time. Looking back, I don't know if I made the right decision, but my 5.9L has been a great truck to me.

Do you have kids? Look for a Mega Cab. Mine are 3 and 5. The 5 needs to ride in the middle for the leg room, and my wife has to move the passenger seat forward some to clear the 3yo. The car seats push the kids forward some and cut in to their leg room. If I could have found a MC for similar money, I would have bought it but they were going for a huge premium at the time. $4k+ for an equivalent truck just for the big cab was hard to swallow, and finding one that was clean was even harder.
 
Houndoc

Houndoc

Registered User
Location
Grantsville
Had a 2004 Dodge. Won't make that mistake again. Engine was reliable (although sold it with only about 140K on it) but spent over $2k year for three years in a row on front end repairs.

Replaced it with a Chevy that we drove for couple years and sold with over 350K on it and running strong. Currently have a 2008 GMC that we love.
 
Cascadia

Cascadia

Undecided
Location
Orem, Utah
I love my '16 GMC 3500. Although it's not in your price range, the motor is basically the same and tranny is similar in the previous model. I don't think I'll ever own anything other than GM for a full size truck again. I do want the Jeep truck when it's out though. But that's a different story.
 
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