Diesel Pickups

[wushaw]

FWIW, a Cummins 5.9 weighs over 1000 lbs.



Don't think Pete, KW, and Cat are trusted enough names in the business to lure truck business away from Ford/International, Dodge/Cummins, and GM/Izusu? I would have thought just the opposite...that people would desert in droves. But then again, I have NEVER understood brand loyalty.

By golly your right on that one Now what does a getrag 6 spd weigh?
10spd eaton tranny alone is 592-600lbs. Can you imagin trying to hoss that thing out on your chest it the back yard???

Since the 5.9 Cummins and the 7.2 Cat are close in weight then why couldn't a 7.2 be retrofitted in a dodge? if someone was so incline to do so. It would be an interesting project and what about the looks going down the road with Cat powered on the side of a Dodge.

 

[Kubotasrking]

But it got me to thinking, first about the sad state that Ford Motor Company is in and second, what would happen to the diesel truck market if Ford should happen to find itself belly-up in the hot sun.

I think there were some recent news stories about the Ford family privatizing the company until it can complete reorganization. I believe this happened once before in Ford's history...Henry was receiving profit pressure from shareholders and decided that the long-term future of his company was more important.

Imagine how great it would be to have leadership like that today!!

 

[Kubotasrking]

+1

And it works great!

I don't know what the new Cummins 6.7L (tuned for 2007 emissions) weighs, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's another 100-200lbs.

God love Cummins. Mine is great.

 

[QRTRHRS]

By golly your right on that one Now what does a getrag 6 spd weigh?
10spd eaton tranny alone is 592-600lbs. Can you imagin trying to hoss that thing out on your chest it the back yard???

Since the 5.9 Cummins and the 7.2 Cat are close in weight then why couldn't a 7.2 be retrofitted in a dodge? if someone was so incline to do so. It would be an interesting project and what about the looks going down the road with Cat powered on the side of a Dodge.

Dodge did have a concept truck a few years back with a Cat 7.2 in it.

This whole discussion is pretty much a moot point. PACCAR is simply not going to divert resources from their primary bread and butter lines in order to build a few "pickup trucks". Even Navistar who used to make pickups did not really go out of their way to market a few high end "pickups". Nor will Daimler bring back a heavier truck than the 3500 Ram.

Perhaps you have seen the rebadged Mercedes van? This is the sort of thing you can expect to see more of.

Besides, I have driven a Cat powered Pete and my currant work ride is an 07' KW T800 with a C15 and I am not impressed.

 

[workinallthetime]

Does anyone remember the gm 3500hd? well thats now a 4500 due to the demand for a straight front axle hd truck. As for you BIG seller i think it would be a flop. My reasons are;
#1 cost of developement, tooling of factories to build your truck, r/d
#2 no one to work on them, what hd truck shop wants to work on a pickup, there is a reason why those guys work on big trucks not pickups so finding someone willing to work on your pickup would be an issue
#3 customers ever been around somone who went from a 1/2 6 cylinder to a 1 ton diesel uggggggg they dont understand anything or how it works or why they have to perform all these services. or why it rides like a log waggon
#4 market share with the big 3, it would take a long time befor the product had a good enough rep for them to take a large enough market share to make the truck cost efficent and profitable.

thats just a few of the things that pop up in my head when i think about your concept. How ever good or bad the idea is $$$$$$$$ makes the decisions.
When gm was looking for a diesel to replace the 6.5 they looked at Cat. I duno why they didnt use them but i can be pretty sure it had something to do with $$$$$$$$$$$$.
As for pulling the body off your ford to change things out, yup thats how they do it now. Its quicker and quicker makes money, you might not have to do it that way but that is the quickest way. When you are working to beat a set time for a repair any shortcut is a good one. You should see us pull the cab up to get the engine out of a 7500 gm. I was told you have to pull the engine to replace the turbo on a d-max but i did the job w/ out pulling the engine and made time.
My new 1/2 ton has a towing capacity of 10,500 and is a 6.0 gas with d.o.d. meaning it runs on 4 cylinders when I dont need a v8. I did the math befor I bought it and even with my discounts for being a dealership employee and considerd a gm employee no way I was buying a diesel. I agree totally on the gas cost vs the diesel cost, ya it works harder but i dont need to pull a d9 cat dozer im pulling a 18 foot car hauler with a bx23 on it.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$


thats all they see my friend
owned 2 nissan maxima's other than that nothing but gm ever for me because i know the product inside and out.
the 7.2 isuzu rated higher in expected life than the cat in the gm lineup by an indepent lab.
ford and cat fire their injectors the same way so who stole that from who?
an isuzu w4500 is stll just a 1 ton

 

[swines]

It's called return on investment. A brand new vehicle costs $500 M to $1 B to get to market for design, engineering, testing, and compliance certifications (safety, pollution, etc.).

Modifying a current design is much, much less expensive which is why the auto manufacturers just keep upgrading current designs and rarely make a wholesale change to the entire vehicle.

I don't think any of the heavy truck manufacturers would want to make that kind of investment for a market that is flooded with products from domestic and foreign manufacturers.

 

[RollTideRam]

Dodge did have a concept truck a few years back with a Cat 7.2 in it.

This whole discussion is pretty much a moot point. PACCAR is simply not going to divert resources from their primary bread and butter lines in order to build a few "pickup trucks". Even Navistar who used to make pickups did not really go out of their way to market a few high end "pickups". Nor will Daimler bring back a heavier truck than the 3500 Ram.

Perhaps you have seen the rebadged Mercedes van? This is the sort of thing you can expect to see more of.

Besides, I have driven a Cat powered Pete and my currant work ride is an 07' KW T800 with a C15 and I am not impressed.

Turbo Diesel Register: Dodge diesel owners, you have found the number one resource for Dodge Cummins turbo diesel trucks!"
Dodge 4500 and 5500 on the way. JC

 

[wushaw]

Dodge did have a concept truck a few years back with a Cat 7.2 in it.

This whole discussion is pretty much a moot point. PACCAR is simply not going to divert resources from their primary bread and butter lines in order to build a few "pickup trucks". Even Navistar who used to make pickups did not really go out of their way to market a few high end "pickups". Nor will Daimler bring back a heavier truck than the 3500 Ram.

Perhaps you have seen the rebadged Mercedes van? This is the sort of thing you can expect to see more of.

Besides, I have driven a Cat powered Pete and my currant work ride is an 07' KW T800 with a C15 and I am not impressed.

I have heard this a few times with the new Cat motors mainly from folks making a living with them. My Pete 385 has the C13 in it and all it pulls is my house and my little 16' utility trailer when I need to transport my tractor and the occasional crushed concrete run that I own half of a dump trailer for driveway maintenence and whatever projects around the house.

 

[scesnick]

I bought my '05 F-350 SRW late in '04 and seriously considered the V-10. I have regretted not going with it ever since. The incentives that have been offered on Ford trucks since I bought mine as well as Fords unique way of changing model years 3 times in 2 years have cost me nearly 50% depreciation in just over 2 years.

I will never again buy a diesel truck for my uses, if I ever decide to just suck it up and take the hit on this one. Diesel will never be cheaper than gas again and the fuel mileage because of all the emissions standards mean the fuel mileage difference between gas and diesel is non-existant for most users.

I've owned Ford diesel pickups since 1984, but this will be my last, and probably my last Ford truck of any kind, they just don't get it anymore.

I would have to disagree with the gas mileage comparison you make here. I have a 05' 2500 Dodge CTD and I absolutley love it !! I had one F150 and 1 F-250 gasser before the CTD. I get 21 MPG with my Dodge Diesel and didn't see close to that with the Ford gassers. Not to mention now i have a boatload more torque and tow capacity.

There are ways around the price of diesel Trucks. Buy a slightly used one. I got my 05' quadcab CTD with 8,200 miles on it for $23,000 Still smelled new inside !!

I think the manufacturers are so focused on out doing the competition with the latest and greatest vehicle that they are simply out doing the consumer with the price of their "Better" vehicle.

 

[cp1969]

By golly your right on that one Now what does a getrag 6 spd weigh?
10spd eaton tranny alone is 592-600lbs. Can you imagin trying to hoss that thing out on your chest it the back yard???

Since the 5.9 Cummins and the 7.2 Cat are close in weight then why couldn't a 7.2 be retrofitted in a dodge? if someone was so incline to do so. It would be an interesting project and what about the looks going down the road with Cat powered on the side of a Dodge.

There is nothing saying you have to use the 10 speed. That would be a big mistake in a pickup for the reasons that not that many people can drive one, weight, and expense. Make a bell housing that fits a six speed. Plus, I wonder what the ratio of manual transmissions to automatics is in diesel pickups. That's why I mentioned in the opening post an Allison or clone transmission.

You said a mouthful in your last paragraph...the part about the 'what about the looks going down the road in a Dodge with Cat powered on the side.' That is why I think KW or Pete would probably sell a ton of these things. There are gobs of people who buy things for the 'style' of it, not for any practical reason. KW, Pete, and Cat are at the very top of name recognition in the trucking business and I think there are bunches of people who would buy one just for that reason alone.

Also, this topic was started under the premise that Ford went under, so that would mean about half the diesel pickup market would be up for grabs.