To TC'ers who have bought new trucks

Farmerjon wrote:
My 2000 f350 is absolutely fine but like you said it is just getting a little old.
I really like the power on the new ones. so yeah the power and the exhaust brake were an important factor. Also at my age I decided for my last truck we would get the nicest truck I have ever had.
It is a great truck and we have no buyers remorse and it really puts a grin on my face.

Since you have had a 2000 7.3 and a 2015 6.7 with the same spec, I am very interested in the fuel usage differences, if any. Also cab noise level.

When empty but full of fuel and DEF: 5320 lbs on the front and 4900 lbs on the rear

My truck is a 4WD Tradesman CrewCab with 60" CA chassis, Cummins with Aisin and manual transfer case, 9' steel deck with tapered headache rack and two 3' boxes hanging in front of the rear axle, 30K lb gooseneck and SuperHitch Magnum receiver.

Yah, Bedlam (as we PM'd in the past) and 2blazers, I've got my 2016 RAM 5500 Cab/Chassis with a flatbed with the idea of a AF 990 and towing a buggy/ies ACE/XP1k on a 6x12 or 18' trailer Shipping/Delivery early Sept. Can't wait, first Diesel. so a huge learning curve.

I'm interested in the same thing like how much of a difference there is in the new models compared to the older ones.
(I read somewhere that RAM will be redesigning the 5500 in 2 yrs whatever that means)

Standing in the background, watching...

thanks..

Bedlam, what does your truck weigh? front and rear axles?

At the dealership the fleet guy ordered me a 2016 Ram 3500 to come late August or September...I'm excited about it but actually been spending time wondering and researching if I should switch to a 4500/5500. Even with the increased GVW to 14K, with my AF 1150 I'm pretty much right there already, they did not change the axle ratings a whole lot for the 14k GVW rating.

The only thing holding me back on the flatbeds is it will than be just the camper hauler won't be driving a flatbed to the office and to client meetings (I'm a CPA) with the dually pickup I can still daily drive it.

My 2000 f350 is absolutely fine but like you said it is just getting a little old.
I really like the power on the new ones. so yeah the power and the exhaust brake were an important factor. Also at my age I decided for my last truck we would get the nicest truck I have ever had.
It is a great truck and we have no buyers remorse and it really puts a grin on my face.

I went from a modified F250 to a stock 5500. Getting a steel deck allowed me to tie down to the deck instead on getting frame tie downs for my chassis cab. I still purchased a new SuperHitch and short range FastGuns, but was able to use the SuperTruss and y-cable I had used on the previous truck. The 5500 comes with 19.5's that I upgraded on the F250. Shocks and suspension are stock on the 5500 where the F250 had Rancho 9000XL's, upper and lower StableLoads plus Firestone RideRite bags to handle the load.

Regular highway driving is the same between trucks. The 5500's heavier stock suspension is a better in turns and off camber slopes than the modified F250. The additional 3000 lbs of my chassis cab GVW make towing the enclosed trailer even easier since now it is about half the weight the of the truck/camper combination.

Power delivery is significantly different between my pickup tune V8 diesel and chassis cab tune I6 diesel. Both have the same horsepower rating but the Cummins has 750 ft-lbs verses my Powerstroke's 570 ft-lbs. The V8 had better off the line acceleration with the same GCW, but the I6 holds speed better than the V8 with less downshifts. Since the I6 develops power at lower RPM than the V8, it gives the "appearance" that it is working less to move the same load.

I only have about 5K miles on my CTD, but it is getting similar mileage to my broken in PSD. I have few miles to compare unloaded mileage, so my comparisons are with both loaded at 19K lbs GCW. I went from a SRW 5R110 with 3.73 gears to a DRW Aisin with 4.44 gears, so they very different yet still burn about the fuel.

The F550 uses a detuned PSD compared to the pickup trucks so make sure you look at chassis cab specifications when you start shopping. There was enough price difference in the Ram that swayed me from Ford. I had no problems with my previous Ford which left me biased to get the same when I started my shopping. When you're ready to discuss options, we can start a new thread.

My new truck is overkill for my current 22K lb GCW load, but it will get heavier once I go to a bigger TC and possibly a bigger trailer behind it. If I was not planning on these upgrades, I would have kept my 10 year old truck for five more years before even considering a replacement. You're about due for some improvements...

I have not upgraded yet but have been looking. The only thing wrong with mine other than the age (2002) is that I do not have power windows and as I do tend to photograph a lot from my vehicle this is a issue. BUT I have had several people tell me to wait, they keep saying that repairs are a lot less than a new truck, and the older ones have less technical issues than the new ones. My truck is not a daily driver so really the only time I use it is for camping.

I think if I do upgrade it may be to a newer, but not new truck to save some cash.

My 2004 Ram 3500 dually is doing fine, yes did upgrades...wished I could have done a 4500 in 2004 but alas not so. But my upgrades are a WHOLE lot less than getting all the stuff for the cost a new truck...even if I need to do a costly repair, still cheaper. I agree with mabynack...this is going to be fun to watch!

I looked at the new trucks and the prices scared me. My first new car cost 4500 and my first new house was 28000. I could buy two of each for what they're asking for a decked out pickup. I've decided to drive my 10 year old truck until it won't go anymore.

I'm interested in seeing the responses to this thread. At some point I'm going to have to bite the bullet.