MEDIUM DUTY TRUCKS

2oldman wrote:

wirenutz wrote:
right now I tow with a 1 ton older diesel and just feel at 6,000 lbs its not enough truck and with the rough ride, the air ride cab and seats would make it so much easier to put 500 miles a day behind us

I pulled with a 2003 F450 7.3 diesel, standard cab for 10 years. It was underpowered and uncomfortable. I put air ride on it, which helped some.

I picked up my SC (SportChassis) in July. I bobtailed home from Denver and drove 350 miles at 75mph the first day without even realizing it. I couldn't drive even close to that far in the old truck without almost passing out from fatigue. I never wanted to get out of the SC - it's that comfortable. I got 9.75 mpg. Air ride cab and seats are amazing. The kneel feature (rear end lowers) is nice for hitching up. The TrailerSaver air hitch is real smooth. The Allison transmission is HUGE and shifts smoothly. The Cummins 8.3 purrs real nice, like big rig. I like that sound.

These trucks are not for everyone. Their mere size is intimidating.. wider and taller than most pickups. It was difficult at first hitching up. Since I have a 4 seater cab, I cannot see the hitch by eye, I must use the backup camera, which is tricky. I had to put a strip of white tape on the king pin to help me see it.

As for the licensing and insuring, that's different for everyone. State Farm insures me, no problem. I just had to come to the office where they took photos. I have comprehensive which is surprisingly affordable. Licensing was a bit of a struggle however. The gal at the WA office spent almost an hour trying to figure out how to do that sans declaring me a commercial vehicle. She got 'er done, but another person there had no idea what to do. They don't do a lot of these.

I tried some HDTs but they had clutches. Not for me. However, Volvo has an iShift now.. totally automatic. You can probably get into an HDT, converted, for about the same price I did, but you need to find an installer and wait. There's a guy in Calgary who does this, but he never seemed to have time for me. No matter - I'm perfectly happy with my setup.

May I be so bold as to ask which 5er you're towing, or better yet, the GVW of it? Just curious. An 03 F450 probably would pale in comparison to a 2013 or 2014 F350 or Ram/Chevy/GM 3500 as far as GVWR, GCWR, HP, TQ, comfort and mpg....Was curious as to what kind of weight you're towing with your SC..

thx,
Jim

wirenutz wrote:
to all the 1 ton truck owners; did you even read my post, first I all ready have a 1 ton truck, I don't need another one the ride sucks, we want to go big or just stay home, we want the air ride seats, the air ride cab, the bigger breaks, yes we know it's over kill, but it's better to have the over kill sized truck and lot's of room to spare in all aspect's, better ride, better breaking, more power, and the weight of the truck almost matching the weight of the trailer, some say their trucks weigh as much as 11,000 pounds, my 1 ton weigh's 6,000 and the trailer just pushes it, then the truck pulls it, causing a bucking and chucking on the inside of the truck, and 2oldman the 1 guy that actually has the same truck we are looking at, thank you for writing in your report, well said sir

....and you stated it was a "1 ton OLDER diesel"....have you set in and/or driven a newer diesel, ie 2011 and up?

"the ride sucks".....again, when was the last time you test drove a NEW diesel... My 1 ton is around 9,000# and the 10 and 12 weighed less and my 5er NEVER pushed the truck around...how old is this "1 ton older diesel" you're talking about.

If you haven't tried out or driven one of the newer 1 ton Dually's...kind of hard to talk about how uncomfortable they are if you haven't driven or towed with one....just saying.

as far as overkill, you only gave a dry weight of 14,000#...that of course is a joke, but what is the GVW of the 5er you're going to tow? That's more realistic, the "dry weight" on my 5er is 14,400# with a GVWR of 16,950#....even if your's is 3 to 4,000# heavier a NEWER, more comfortable 1 ton crew cab, long bed dually could do it quite easily and offer quite a bit of comfort compared to a "1 ton OLDER diesel"....and getting mpg doing it..

double post....don't know why, but sorry...

wirenutz wrote:
to all the 1 ton truck owners; did you even read my post, first I all ready have a 1 ton truck, I don't need another one the ride sucks, we want to go big or just stay home, we want the air ride seats, the air ride cab, the bigger breaks, yes we know it's over kill, but it's better to have the over kill sized truck and lot's of room to spare in all aspect's, better ride, better breaking, more power, and the weight of the truck almost matching the weight of the trailer, some say their trucks weigh as much as 11,000 pounds, my 1 ton weigh's 6,000 and the trailer just pushes it, then the truck pulls it, causing a bucking and chucking on the inside of the truck, and 2oldman the 1 guy that actually has the same truck we are looking at, thank you for writing in your report, well said sir

Yes, I read your first post. Not ONCE did you mention you have an older one ton truck that you think sucks.

Some of us said that a MDT is overkill, but if that is what you want, get it. Why ask us?

Some of us said that the newer one ton trucks are heavier, have very good exhaust brakes, and ride MUCH better than the older ones, and thought that would be a better option for you.

You asked for our opinions, and we gave them. So, then you ream us out because we did not say what you wanted to hear.

Go get what will make you happy. Sounds like you had your mind made up long before you posted here.

wirenutz wrote:
2oldman , your just the guy I would like to talk to, guess I should of said both are fully converted to Sportchassis, and yes I would have to say old guy is joking with both being rated at 60,000 lbs GCWR, right now I tow with a 1 ton older diesel and just feel at 6,000 lbs its not enough truck and with the rough ride, the air ride cab and seats would make it so much easier to put 500 miles a day behind us

Don't know what you're comparing to, but my 5er is loaded to 16,000# and I towed it with a 2010 Ram 3500 crew cab long bed dually...could drive it for 10 hrs and not be fatigued and I was 60 when I got it...The 2012 I had (same truck) did a little better job with a little more GVWR and GCWR as well as TQ,

The 2013 Ram in my sig. has a 14,000# GVWR and a GCWR of 37,000#! Yeah, that's a lot and it's a very comfortable truck and states it can tow up to a 28,000# 5er ( with 4:10)..medium duty tranny Aisin gives the truck with the Cummins a 385HP and 850ftlb of TQ rating....It'll get better mpg and handle a very heavy 5er and the EB is AWESOME...just saying, the newer F350's and 3500's can't be compared to some that were running around in 09'-10.....they've come a long way...so nothing wrong with a MD or HD TV but, with what you're stating you're going to tow, the newer Ram, Ford and Chevy 1 ton dually's could handle the weight you want to tow....Now you start talking about 5er's with a GVW of 22,000# upward..then might look around a little more, or I'll take for face value what my truck is stated it can tow and I'd feel comfortable with a 5er up to a GVW of 25,000#...

to all the 1 ton truck owners; did you even read my post, first I all ready have a 1 ton truck, I don't need another one the ride sucks, we want to go big or just stay home, we want the air ride seats, the air ride cab, the bigger breaks, yes we know it's over kill, but it's better to have the over kill sized truck and lot's of room to spare in all aspect's, better ride, better breaking, more power, and the weight of the truck almost matching the weight of the trailer, some say their trucks weigh as much as 11,000 pounds, my 1 ton weigh's 6,000 and the trailer just pushes it, then the truck pulls it, causing a bucking and chucking on the inside of the truck, and 2oldman the 1 guy that actually has the same truck we are looking at, thank you for writing in your report, well said sir

Stefonius wrote:
Wirenutz - It's nice to see someone who is trying to get more truck than they need instead of making do with far less than is safe.

I pull around 14k with my F450 (chassis cab model), and have about 3.5k of headroom left on my max towing rate. I cringe when I see people with 3/4 ton trucks doing the same weight.

Ditto. I went from a 1-ton to my Chevy C5500 when I retired and we're a lot happier.

Look around because there are nicely equipped Chevy Kodiaks(C4500/5500) out there that are very comfortable. I got mine used for a lot less than most MDT's with air ride, seats and cab...

fla-gypsy wrote:

gmcsmoke wrote:
heck most on here tow 14k with a 3/4 ton

Much to the dismay of thinking people

My 2500HD is rated to tow 15,800#. Is that wrong?

I'm towing @16,000# fufth wheel with a 2012 Dodge 3500. The exhaust brake is so strong on this thing that I seldom use the service or trailer brakes. It will hold the rig down on any hill I've been on.

Stopping has always been a big MDT advantage over one ton pick ups. Not so much anymore.

wirenutz wrote:
2oldman , your just the guy I would like to talk to, guess I should of said both are fully converted to Sportchassis, and yes I would have to say old guy is joking with both being rated at 60,000 lbs GCWR, right now I tow with a 1 ton older diesel and just feel at 6,000 lbs its not enough truck and with the rough ride, the air ride cab and seats would make it so much easier to put 500 miles a day behind us

Look if you are looking for justification to buy a MTD that's fine, but that statement is ludicrous. We have people towing 12,000 with F-150 EB trucks and saying "it tows like a dream", that to is ludicrous.

The new Ram 3500 is rated to tow 30,010# if equipped correctly and for 2014 it can be had with a 5.7 or 6.4 liter Hemi or the 6.7 Cummins. Along with rear supplemental air suspension.