Why you chose the TV you did
I'm starting my research to purchase another TV; it will be a 350/3500 dually 4x4 and a KR, LH or High Country. Prices range from $65k-$70k. Needless to say, the decision is not that easy. The plan...
Forum Discussion
:h
Well, lets see. I have owned;
2003 Chevy 3500 Silverado dually Duramax Allison
2006 Dodge Ram 3500 dually Cummins 6 speed manual.
2011 Ford F 350 dually Powerstroke 6 speed auto
and now
2014 Ram 3500 dually Cummins. Aisin auto.
All had the 3:73 rear axle ratio.
So I've covered the complete range of what is available.
All have had features I liked. And also things I did not like.
The Chevy was the lowest vehicle for access of all four. Mind you, it had the tiny 215/85/R 16 tires at the time, so today's models may be taller due to different tire sizes.
But, it was also so low that I could NOT get underneath it on a creeper to do my own oil changes.
The Allison worked perfectly, the vehicle was the quickest of all four when starting from a dead stop.
For ease of do-it-yourself service, the 2006 Ram and 2011 Ford take honors here. Everything out in the open and easy to get at.
My 2011 Ford unfortunately had the plastic oil pan and drain plug in that model year. So I could not put a Fumoto valve on that one. Ford has since changed back to metal oil pan and drain plug in the 2012 and forward model years.
I am also a stickler for checking the oil on a regular basis. The Rams (2006 and 2014) are best here. For one, I was too short to even reach the dipstick located on the rear of the Ford diesel. Always carried a little folding stool to stand on. The Ram is forward on the engine and easy to reach from ground level for vertically impaired folks like me. :B The Chevy was also easy to reach, but it seemed always hard to read exactly where the oil was.
My new Ram may be a different story for oil changing as the new frame design means one has to remove the oil filter from either above the passenger front tire ( there is a cut out in the wheel well there to reach in and get at the filter) or go in from above and take off the air cleaner and hoses to get at the filter. I have not yet changed oil on the 2014, so no real experience yet in how simple or difficult it will turn out to be.
The 2011 Ford and 2014 Ram are the quietest of all four of course. The Ram is not really any louder as some claim. It just sounds different than the Powerstroke did, and once one is used to the different sound, to me there is no difference in interior cab noise.
Guess I could go on more, but suffice to say that driving all three available and getting what feels right to you may work the best. I have not been around nor have I driven any of the GM Duramax vehicles since I traded my Chevy off in 2007. So no experience with any of the latest versions of that line of vehicles.
Oh, and why did I choose any of them????? Well, as Bruce Willis said in the one Die Hard movie, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Well, lets see. I have owned;
2003 Chevy 3500 Silverado dually Duramax Allison
2006 Dodge Ram 3500 dually Cummins 6 speed manual.
2011 Ford F 350 dually Powerstroke 6 speed auto
and now
2014 Ram 3500 dually Cummins. Aisin auto.
All had the 3:73 rear axle ratio.
So I've covered the complete range of what is available.
All have had features I liked. And also things I did not like.
The Chevy was the lowest vehicle for access of all four. Mind you, it had the tiny 215/85/R 16 tires at the time, so today's models may be taller due to different tire sizes.
But, it was also so low that I could NOT get underneath it on a creeper to do my own oil changes.
The Allison worked perfectly, the vehicle was the quickest of all four when starting from a dead stop.
For ease of do-it-yourself service, the 2006 Ram and 2011 Ford take honors here. Everything out in the open and easy to get at.
My 2011 Ford unfortunately had the plastic oil pan and drain plug in that model year. So I could not put a Fumoto valve on that one. Ford has since changed back to metal oil pan and drain plug in the 2012 and forward model years.
I am also a stickler for checking the oil on a regular basis. The Rams (2006 and 2014) are best here. For one, I was too short to even reach the dipstick located on the rear of the Ford diesel. Always carried a little folding stool to stand on. The Ram is forward on the engine and easy to reach from ground level for vertically impaired folks like me. :B The Chevy was also easy to reach, but it seemed always hard to read exactly where the oil was.
My new Ram may be a different story for oil changing as the new frame design means one has to remove the oil filter from either above the passenger front tire ( there is a cut out in the wheel well there to reach in and get at the filter) or go in from above and take off the air cleaner and hoses to get at the filter. I have not yet changed oil on the 2014, so no real experience yet in how simple or difficult it will turn out to be.
The 2011 Ford and 2014 Ram are the quietest of all four of course. The Ram is not really any louder as some claim. It just sounds different than the Powerstroke did, and once one is used to the different sound, to me there is no difference in interior cab noise.
Guess I could go on more, but suffice to say that driving all three available and getting what feels right to you may work the best. I have not been around nor have I driven any of the GM Duramax vehicles since I traded my Chevy off in 2007. So no experience with any of the latest versions of that line of vehicles.
Oh, and why did I choose any of them????? Well, as Bruce Willis said in the one Die Hard movie, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
