Diesel Pickups

[wushaw]

I don't understand why some of y'all think a diesel pickup cannot be serviced at a big truck shop, I see it all the time. My neighbor uses an independent truck shop for all his work on his F350/7.3.
I have talked to several independent truck shops and every one of em tell me if it's got a diesel motor in it then they will work on it.
Now if you need trim work then that is different but as far as the motor/tranny then there is no reason not to take your truck to any shop.
For all the Cummins owners y'all have all the Cummins shops in every big city to get any engine work done...it's their motor

Going back to the dealer Ford, GM, Dodge after the warranty is not necessary and good luck if they have a decent diesel mechanic on hand.

 

[Lynkage]

I guess one thing I forgot to mention was warranty service. I certainly can take my truck to the International shop and they can do it as well, but I have a good dealer 5 blocks from my house and a 7year 120,000 mile warranty.

Most people are not willing to pay for something that is free at the dealer.
Again just my 2c

 

[Joe1]

CP 1969

What you're suggesting is not too far from some of the purpose built RV haulers in the medium duty line of several of the truck manufactureres including International. You do see them hauling the LARGE 5th wheel RV's on the road. You can also see them for sale used without a lot of miles on them in the RV magazines.

They look pretty plush inside and have around 300 - 350 hp Cummins or Cat's if my memory serves me correctly. There is already a limited market for this. They don't usually have pickup bodies but are available with other style bodies.

As daily drivers they are pretty big and only get 11 - 12 mpg unloaded. I think that since most Pickups are used for other things beside pure towing of trailers that there would be a limited market for the vehicle you described.

Maintenance on gasoline engines has gotten relatively cheap since it's so infrequent and is usually an oil filter and 6 qts of oil. Diesel maintenance is still relatively expensive if only because of the larger crankcases and because of fuel filter replacement. Driving a diesel when fuel costs, maintenance and initial cost is concerned would probably make keeping it for 150,000 miles a break even point. Just my opinion.

 

[indianaEPH]

+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.

Dodge announced the new 6.7L engine is compliant with 2010 emissions level. The 2010 emissions level is much more stringent than the 2007 level so this was a big announcement.

As for the original question: No I would not consider a Paccar built pickup truck. Not for what they are likely to be charging for it. Besides, it would not be real fun to park at the office

 

[workinallthetime]

hey dont get me wrong i love the independent shops, I make alot of money off of what they "tried" to fix. Thats just gm though since so many fords and dodges break all the time im sure alot of independents love to see them coming, lol and j/k
I will say that ford shops stay way more busy than gm shops around here and from what i see the percentage of market share looks about the same for all 3.
here is some irony if i can remember all the steps
gm sold detroit to penski
penski sold it to dalmler benz
they are now dalmer crysler aka dodge
so when do we see a ram with a v8 detroit or benz engine?
i might have missed a sale somewhere in there but i still think its funny

 

[QRTRHRS]

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

JC, thanks for posting that info. I never thought I would see Dodge get back into the heavier series.

Now, if they put a tilt hood on so you could get at the engine....

 

[RobertN]

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.

I would ask why? My expierience is within our local fire dept. All of our new Engines have Cummins. There are a few old Detroits still around in a couple Water Tenders, and a couple CAT3208's in old Ford 7/8000 series Engines. I can not see a reason to go back to a "V" engine; those inline Cummins are excellent.

 

[RobertN]

so when do we see a ram with a v8 detroit or benz engine?
i might have missed a sale somewhere in there but i still think its funny

Why? The CTD makes it's torque low, and keeps it flat.

The V8's like the Powerstroke and Duramx are good engines and make good power, but they seem more like an attempt at the power curve of a bigblock gas engine. Easier to get folks to buy, feels familiar.

 

[cp1969]

I would ask why? My expierience is within our local fire dept. All of our new Engines have Cummins. There are a few old Detroits still around in a couple Water Tenders, and a couple CAT3208's in old Ford 7/8000 series Engines. I can not see a reason to go back to a "V" engine; those inline Cummins are excellent.

The Cat engine I suggested is an inline 6.

 

[RobertN]

The Cat engine I suggested is an inline 6.

Interesting... An inline 7.2L(~432ci). What kind of specs does it have?

The "other" cummins I have driven in E28 is a 350hp 8.9L. I think it might break my front axle if that was shoveled into my Ram

I know I am not impressed with the old CAT 3208. But, that is an old engine series... E228 is an awesome engine, but it is a slug on the hills(CAT3208 in a Ford 8000 series cab chassis buildup). I don't know that it is so much the engine, as it is the overall weight of the fire apparatus loaded. From what I can gather though, my Ram with CTD makes more torque and HP... The 3208 is about as big as you can fit in the 7-8000 Fords.