GM, Ford or Dodge?

Well if you are sold on the allison and think it is made as robust etc.as the big allisons and bullet proof head up to Northern Alberta area and ask about the famous 3rd. gear issues with the small Allison from the boys that are working hard 4x4 in the oil fields and bush roads.

I have not looked recently for comparisons. Why would I? My 06 has served faithfully for over 140,000 miles. Must be near 80,000 miles towing a heavy trailer. I like my Isusu/duramax/whatever. That old tried & true tranny works well too. Both are more than well taken care of. The rest of the truck has stood up well too. Only normal wear & tear stuff has needed attention.

I had a policy with boats. Never buy year one of a model. It is bound to have problems that are worked out by the time the next model year comes out. Same with vehicles. Let somebody else be first on the block to have one.

The Ford interior is nice, Ram is right there close. I would say my longhorn interior is as nice as my 2011 F350 Lariat was. There are many things I miss about the Ford, but overall very happy with my Ram.

ScottG wrote:

Veebyes wrote:
Can I have a Cummins with an Allison tranny, Chevy ride & maybe Ford interior?
2WD dually would be fine since I am a summer driver & always carry a tow rope so that some big bad guy with his 4X4 can tow me out should I get stuck once every 100,000 miles or so.

You haven't looked at new truck recently have you!

Interiors and suspensions have changed a lot too.

I looked at trucks today, Dodge, and GM. Their store are side by side in Lincolnton. They still can't touch the Ford interior. My 2004 has a better interior than a 2014 GM, or Dodge.

I would definitely wait til I could climb into a 15' GMC or Chevy before I made my decision. Those things look very nice.... well on paper anyway.

Engineer9860 wrote:

ScottG wrote:

Veebyes wrote:
Can I have a Cummins with an Allison tranny, Chevy ride & maybe Ford interior?
2WD dually would be fine since I am a summer driver & always carry a tow rope so that some big bad guy with his 4X4 can tow me out should I get stuck once every 100,000 miles or so.

You haven't looked at new truck recently have you!
You don't wan't the Ally behind a Cummins. Both the Ford and Ram have better trans - they just don't have a "name". But they're both stronger and more positive shifting and use much more modern technology.
Interiors and suspensions have changed a lot too.

Do you want to back that up with some facts?

How about the Ram/Aisin tranny is new, and hasn't built a long term reputation. Ya' feelin' lucky? Signing up to be the beta tester?

The Allison does have a long reputation and it is an excellent one.

Aisin has been around many years, and the
Ram chassis cab has the Aisin starting 2007.5 models.
http://www.aisin.com/profile/history/
http://www.allpar.com/mopar/transmissions/aisin.html

"In 2013, Ram switched to the more robust AS69RC automatic, which also had some control changes for greater durability, and extended availability to the Ram 3500 pickup; Ram also claimed a 1% gain in transmission efficiency, with better driveability. Once again, the Aisin transmission was only available with diesel engines (though it was now standard on some high performance diesels); Ram introduced a dual transmission cooler setup at the same time, along with a transmission fluid heating system. The AS69RC has three planetary gear-sets, one over-running clutch, and full electronic control over shifting and the torque converter clutch."

It is $2900 option that I would gladly include in a new truck order.

One has to also realize with any of these new vehicles you are much more closely tethered to the manufacturers service department. Remember the old saying "phone home"!


Chris

Not knocking the other transmissions, but the Aisin certainly isn't new. It has been used in the 4500 and 5500's since RAM introduced the trucks.

ScottG wrote:

Veebyes wrote:
Can I have a Cummins with an Allison tranny, Chevy ride & maybe Ford interior?
2WD dually would be fine since I am a summer driver & always carry a tow rope so that some big bad guy with his 4X4 can tow me out should I get stuck once every 100,000 miles or so.

You haven't looked at new truck recently have you!
You don't wan't the Ally behind a Cummins. Both the Ford and Ram have better trans - they just don't have a "name". But they're both stronger and more positive shifting and use much more modern technology.
Interiors and suspensions have changed a lot too.

Do you want to back that up with some facts?

How about the Ram/Aisin tranny is new, and hasn't built a long term reputation. Ya' feelin' lucky? Signing up to be the beta tester?

The Allison does have a long reputation and it is an excellent one.

I have been really satisfied with the Chevrolet trucks I have owned. Excellent service, capability, reliability. So much so that I have no reason to look at the other brands.

Are the 2015 GM HDs out yet?

If they are, drive all 3 and decide.

If they aren't, when they become available, drive all 3 then decide.

Unless a brand cheerleader is buying the truck for you, it's your money and you should buy the one you like.

IMO it's kind of a win/win/win. They are all really, really nice trucks.