3/4 ton vs. 1 ton

[rustyshakelford]

I haven't had a chance to go look at it again, but I did see it still out front at the dealer yesterday.

I took some time to read the Dodge Cummins forum and I'm getting a little hesitant about buying a Cab/chassis truck.

I had never heard of them being 'detuned' until some of you guys mentioned it here. It seems to be a big issue. And I know that my brother (a John Deere Mechanic) drives a 2012 C&C 3500 as his work truck, and he complained that he had trouble crossing the Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge with it even though he never pulls a load with it.

And my truck (2012 Dodge 2500) has no problem climbing the bridge with a fully loaded trailer in tow.

I still want to go drive it, but just don't know when I'll get time. I wonder if the dealer would let me tow my trailer with it for a test drive?

I bet they would. Sure wouldnt hurt to ask anyways.

Good luck

Brett

 

[scaredychicken]

yes, a test drive tow would be good idea (as long as they maintain the liability if something happens mechanically)

 

[scaredychicken]

well, this is a cliff-hanger thread...

 

[Arc weld]

The best way to try it out is with a trailer and what you intend to pull with it. That's the only way you'll know how it compares to your current truck. If the dealer won't let you, walk away, there's lots of used trucks out there and good financing on new ones. Also keep in mind this dealer wouldn't have bought it unless it was a really good deal at the auction. You may be able to find out what they paid for it as well. Auctioneers often post the selling prices of their auctions. It would have been better if the dealer had sold the truck new and had a history on it to justify a premium price for you to upgrade. Was it sold at auction because there was a problem with it? Maybe there is a maintenance history on it through Dodge or Carfax or something.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

The carfax report is clean. I just have not had time to go look at it and test drive it.

And, since I found out that it is 'detuned', I have somewhat lost interest. I did see it is still at the dealer today.

 

[dodge man]

Here is my take on the detuned thing. The truck wars have caused this huge horsepower war, it seems worse for the diesels. They turn up the boost and fuel in these trucks to get that kind of power. Its still the same engine, you could always add a tuner if it was that important. I once had someone tell me there is a given amount of horsepower to get out of an engine. He said do you want all that power in one day or over a period of 20 years?

 

[Fordman1981]

Here is my take on the detuned thing. The truck wars have caused this huge horsepower war, it seems worse for the diesels. They turn up the boost and fuel in these trucks to get that kind of power. Its still the same engine, you could always add a tuner if it was that important. I once had someone tell me there is a given amount of horsepower to get out of an engine. He said do you want all that power in one day or over a period of 20 years?

Well said. I have a Ram 5500 in my fleet and at its max capacity it has never ran out of power. The ford V10 on the other hand has well under its max capacity.

 

[brown40]

Yeah, I wouldn't let the 'detuning' bother you; they're pulling torque and horsepower numbers out of engines that are beyond logical, and used to take much more displacement. High compression, high stress, high heat, smaller components to bear it. It'd be nice if diesel manufacturers could let the consumer pick the 'tune' they want to play: smoke the tires, economy, maximum torque, etc.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

I started this thread on 06.13.15, and today is 07.06.15, and the truck is still there. I texted the salesman this morning to go test drive it, and he said it is not available because they are waiting on a tire and wheel for it. Apparently someone needed a wheel, so they robbed one off this truck and ordered a new one. He said he would text me when it becomes available again.

The truck has been on their lot for about 6 weeks now. I'm hoping they are getting eager to sell it, so my offer will probably be going down.

 

[Old Junk Man]

I drove semi for years. and I now use a 3/4 ton. In Arkansas a ton truck comes under the DOT. you better have a health card , log book and load manifest. and be able to scale on every axle. with a 3/4 ton none of that is required. and the only weight limit is what is on the sidewall of your tires. I use split rims and 14 ply lowboy tires on my trailer. 3,750 pounds. per tire that's 15,000 on the 4 trailer tires and the truck will have some weight on it also.