[quote=Roadmedic;536630]I had two tranny's in my Ford. I didn't think that was too bad.

A friend has a 2006 Dodge with 281,000 on the factory tranny. That is not bad either.[/quote
I have seen a few 6.0L motors and the auto tran.in Fords thats given no trouble.I have one with only 150,000 miles on it.Chevy has good eng.and tranny.Dodge has good engine as for as I can tell thats all they got.Front end is weak Tranny is weak body rattles but some people have good luck with them Old saying is you can get a lemon in anything.

I bought a Dodge dually in '04 . These were the reasons for buying the Dodge
1. Larger wheels and brakes .
2. At the time I didn't consider the Duramax to have proven itself . (Now it has )
3. Price. Chevy dealers wouldn't budge on the sticker price and trucks were loaded with options . The owner of the dealership I bought from picked a new dually off the lot every year to pull her gooseneck horse trailer . She had just switched to an '05 . I bought her '04 that had the B&W hideaway gooseneck hitch and had 5,000 miles on it for $32,000.
I'm a moderator on a hotshot forum and this is what I have seen members experience in the past few years . The Duramax is a great engine but has had injector problems . Very few problems with the Chevy truck itself . Almost no Fords used . A couple of members that had them sold them or bought another truck while in litigation with Ford . One member has a Ford 7.3 that is doing well . Dodge owners has experiences similar to mine . Too much downtime for repairs and dealers never having parts in stock . I was lucky enough to make it home when parts started going (front wheel bearings , ABS sensor) but several others had the addition expense of 3 or 4 days`in a motel and lost revenue . I'd buy a Chevy next time . I've seen a few test comparisons of 1 ton diesels in automotive magazines and Chevy was picked as the winner every time .
A 1 ton should meet your needs but there is 1 problem with 1 tons . None of their back seats meet the sleeper berth requirements of the FMCSA sleeper . Never log sleeper berth in a pickup . The Freightliner FL and M2 trucks can have the back seat adapted to meet the requirements .
If your trailer has living quarters still log Off Duty and not sleeper . The FMCSA regs state a sleeper berth cannot be in a trailer . The rules were written for team operation . There should be exceptions for solos (restraints shouldn't be required in solo operations )
You can get a really good buy on used diesel trucks . It is still hard to find Ultralow Sulphur diesel in some parts of the country .

I know the site you moderate. I am also on a few of the other forums you hang around. Including the one you did not get along with well. We can't really refer to the names, because of the rules here.

[quote=Roadmedic;537244]I know the site you moderate. I am also on a few of the other forums you hang around. Including the one you did not get along with well. We can't really refer to the names, because of the rules here.[/quote
Every one keeps saying you can buy a Dodge cheaper but I bought my Ford F250 SC for less than the Dodge reg.cab work truck.But they do seem to be cheaper built.I do like the Cummins.I think if your going to use a truck to pull a trailer why not get a single axle with good HP and a better tranny like a Pete KW or some others out there.They will last longer and give better service and about the same price

[quote=Highballin;537249]
I use the truck for things around the house as well. However, the town I live in has rules concerning vehicles that weigh more than 10,000 lbs. I also run in alot of bad weather and the 4 wheel drive is quite handy.

Yeah , I thought I recognized you . If I remember right your advice about not taking the standard deduction for a 1 ton wasn't appreciated either . Lots of bad info on that site . People are pretty respectful here . A lot of differing opinions but they respectfully agree to disagree .

Yes, that is the one. I am also on the one you moderate. I am on alot of others but don't always post.

This site is the more friendly of them and advice is most welcome to all.

There are many differing opinions on here and it can be entertaining.

I know you don't do the hotshot driving anymore, but you are still attached. Have you heard any rumbles about the NY law about pulling trailers requiring CDL? Doesn't affect me, but many in the various RV hotshot are not CDL holders.

I was not sure if you reached PM status yet.

I am more of a Chevy girl, eyeing a new 3500 Silverado, or an 05 3500 Ram, depends on whose willing to give me the best package really, and accept my 2 k down limit.

I have a great love of the LOOK of the Ford 450 Superduty, but its towing capacity sucks for the price sheesh. I used to think dodge was on crack but they are actually the cheapest of the three, and i like that one more, and I like the idea of putting "If you can't Dodge it Ram it" on my windshield =D I'll be at the Chevy dealer tomorrow to see what they are offering, I already know the deal for the dodge.

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I am a Camaro Girl because IROC!

You have unlimited chances to go too slow, but only one to go too fast.

If I went medium duty I'd go with a Chevy or Freightliner . They have the flip hood like a big truck rather than the crammed under hood access of Ford and Dodge . As I mentioned in an earlier post , excessive downtime due to lack of parts availability can amount to losing much more than original savings at purchase . I also learned many Dodge dealers can't get duallies on their lifts . Mine was sent to another shop for alignments and other work . The Dodge 4500 and 5500 were targeted mostly for work like construction and wrecker service . They have a high GVWR but GCWR is 26,000 to avoid CDL requirements but reducing towing capacity . A Ford F450 has a GCWR of 27,000 or more depending on the rear axle ratio .

I posted the FMCSA CDL requirements on another thread . It states that those are the requirements states must use . That applies to commercial drivers . Some states require special licensing for larger private RV's but I believe if you meet your home state requirements you are o.k. .
Yeah , I met the pm requirements . You can pm after you make 30 posts .