Deciding Duramax vs Powerstroke

[Egon]

Rat:
It may have something to do with the longevity or service rating.

For $10,000 you'll get about a third of what you want if it's new. If you follow Bob's example and are willing to do a bunch of work on your own you'll end up with a whole lot more for a lot less than the $10,000 and just as reliable as a new one.

Ford uses the cummins not the powerstroke in its larger trucks.

Egon

 

[rockyridgefarm]

The Cummins is a straight six. That simple feature (not a "V") is a major contributor to making a torque monster. The new line will be out soon and will be incredibly quiet, with a new Auto that matches its torque.

I regularly see Rams with 500K plus miles and that monster keeps pulling. There will also be an option for a MB diesel, soon. Daimler is the world's largest diesel manufacturer, and yet continue to buy power plants from Cummins; because they're great. (PS: Anyone who's driven the DR ram's loves thee way they handle...)

 

[cp1969]

The Dodge/Cummins would be my choice if I had the money and was in the market for a HD pickup. No manufacturer makes a decent, proven gas engine any longer (Chevy probably comes closest, now that Dodge is dropping the 318 and 360).

There have been very few successful 'V' configuration diesels whereas the straight six engines are dragging probably 95% of all the semis over the highway. The lower end of the Cummins is massive compared to the PowerStroke or the old GM diesel; I haven't seen any pictures of the D-Max crank and rods.

About the only thing I don't like about the Cummins is that it's noisy, and I hear that next years engine is up quite a bit on power and down quite a bit on noise.

 

[rf33]

I have a 2001 F350 powerstroke with the auto transmission, and although I only have 60,000 on it so far, I have to admit that I really love it. I recently programmed the chip using a SuperChips programmer, and having done this I only can say that I like it about twice as much. I agree with CowboyDoc that these are very solid and durable trucks, which really ride like trucks. The Chevy also has some very strong points too. For one, the Duramax is considerably ligher than the Powerstroke, saving on fuel, as well as suspension wear. (The Fords are well known as being too front end heavy, especially if you have a Powerstroke and a 450 lb aftermarket bumper like I do). The Duramax is a great deal quieter. The Powerstroke makes an awful racket, often necessitating shutting the engine off at any drive thru's. The Chevy has a smoother ride. Although it might come at the expense of longevity, the Chevy does ride much softer than the Ford. And Doc, although I agree that Chevy did not take the transmission out of a 425 HP PeterBuilt and put it in the 1 ton truck, I think that it is safe to say that an Allison transmission should be a good one based on their past performance. Also I think that they would not be likely to put their name on a poorly built product. Brand loyalty is a good thing, but when I get ready to buy another truck, I will certainly check out all of the big two/three (Dodge still not in the running for me yet as they have not come out with a 1 ton crew cab) manufacturers offerings, and try to pick the best truck for my needs.

 

[rockyridgefarm]

The next cummins is due out in September. It is supposed to be so quiet that it will be too quiet for some Cummins fans. There is also a 1 Ton single rear axle option (no dually) Of course there will still be a dually. The Solid axle in the front stays (with that monster on top of it it had better...)

 

[JATO_RaT]

Egon, in their even bigger trucks, Ford uses CAT. Rat...

 

[JATO_RaT]

Mike, my brother and brother in law both had Dodge trucks with the diesel and after driving them and expecting huge things, I must admit to being "underwhelmed". I fully expected gobs of torque and a lot quieter level of noise inside the cab. Both are of the 1996 vintage so perhaps things have changed. The 2000 Powerstroke I drove seemed to have more get up and go and easily the same pulling power. I don't own either. I liked both. The Duramax would be really interesting to test out even though I don't plan on being in the market anytime soon. Rat...

 

[Egon]

Right on.

Egon

 

[RobertN]

Our C8000 chassis Van Pelt and Beck Engines ('84 and '89) use Cat 3208's. Seems a lot of those old C7000 and C8000 Chassis Fords used the 3208's. The Captian at my stations said a major reason for moving away from that chassis is it doesn't allow the newer 6 cylinders, and it was too hard to make the 1957 design meet current noise specs.

I drove the new Ferrara engine; the old Cat 3208 sure aint the same as the new 8.9l 350hp Cummins...

 

[RobertN]

The shop my Dad works at in Sacramento, Ca, had a truck from out of state come in for an oil change a few months ago. The guy used it for delivery work with a flatbed 5th wheel. 700k miles; only work done on the truck was regular oil and scheduled maint. It was a '98.

 

[rockyridgefarm]

That was two generations ago, and this fall will be a third. I am not really arguing against the others, but I think the Cummins has a lot of strengths, and is a simpler engine (lerss to break)

My main point is that this fall, there will be a new unit that is stronger and far quieter under the DR's hood. BTW it is quieter due to block geometry, not some frilly add on....
If someone is making a choice soon, it might be nice to know that the new Cummins is due out in a few months.

I can tell you that the '96 Cummins were a little better than what you'd find in a '96 Chevy.... Or Ford.... (from a durability standpoint, especially)

BTW the standard engine in the new trucks will NOT be the old push rod 360 (as mentioned) It will be a Hemi, and its little brother. the 4.7L is actually a fine powerplant *do not tow with it, though)

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I have a Duramax / Allison combo and have about 12,000 actual tow miles. My L3010 with backhoe and front-end loader is attached to the back of it at least 3 to 5 days a week. I was on my way to sign the papers for a Dodge / Cummins when I spied the Chevy and after test driving it the Dodge was nixed. The Cummins noise would be REALLY bothersome to me and I was concerned about it all along but need a HD tow vehicle. The Allison was replaced for a fluid leak at 16,000 miles but I was told it was a GM assembly problem and not an Allison issue. The dealers are only allowed to do a very limited amount of repair on them and they swap them out for a new one. The old ones go back to Allison for tear down and diagnosis. The dealer said they sell a bunch of Allisons and mine was the first one back. The Dodge, Chevy, and Ford diesel trucks are all very good, all have different strengths and weakness. I just really love the hell out of my Duramx and have not had any other problems at all with it. Although I maintain it well I also work it very hard, just like my Kubota. BTW – My Kubota needed warranty work from the first day I picked it up, they also have a good quality reputation don’t they?

 

[Jeff396]

I have a '97 F350 diesel with 50k on the odometer without a bit of trouble. A friend of my mothers and her husband purchased just about the exact same truck a couple months after I did. Get this....the darn thing blew the engine ON THE WAY HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP! To make matters worse, the dealership refused to replace the vehicle but was going to replace the engine. Took them a bit of argueing and going up the chain at Ford to finally get a NEW truck.

My parents bought a brand new Merc Grand Marquis. That car blew the engine before they had 10k on the odometer. Oil pump drive sheared off. With all of the stuff that goes into these cars from all the different venders I think it's amazing they are as reliable as they are. Sometimes, #$%# just happens./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Jeff

 

[cowboydoc]

Curious why you think that the cummins is more durable than the Ford when the Ford will run for the same amount of time that the Cummins will. My little brother has a 95 powerstroke and last time I talked to him that engine has just turned 400k. Look at the advanced HEUI injection system on the Ford etc. Prior to I believe 98 the Cummins was easier to work on but then they computerized the motor, added all the smog equipment to comply with standards. You look under the hood today and it's no easier to get to a cummins, powerstroke, or duramax.

 

[hosejockey2002]

You oughta drive an engine with a 500hp Series 60 Detroit- Now that's POWER!!