Does my usage warrant diesel? Cummins 6.7 with AISIN...

[Danattherock]

First of all, having read many, many, old threads here. I want to say up front, the initial cost of the diesel, gas mileage, and ongoing cost of regular oil changes and maintenance are not considerations with my decision. My only concern is which motor will be most reliable in the years to come.

Wife and I have decided on Dodge 3500 Mega cab Laramie SRW 4x4. Hauling 27-28' Airstream (7-8k lbs) through Smoky Mountains of NC and Tenn a weekend or two each month and a big 2-3 week trip each summer out west is main towing usage.

My concern, my daily driving is just 5-7 miles (45-55 mph) into and from town, once weekly driving 30 miles away and back seeing family. And once a month 2.5 hours away to the coast to see family. Sometimes more highway driving, but this is the minimum average.

Then soon adding an Airstream, which we plan to do soon after buying TV. We will take at least one weekend trip a month to the Smoky Mountains of NC and Tenn which is 4-5 hours one way.

Is that enough to keep a diesel happy?

Read they need to be driven a lot to 'clean out'. Read various ramblings about 'Regen', throwing 'Error codes', and such, but not sure how much driving style plays into this. My concern is my driving style may better suit the gas 6.4 Hemi.

An additional variable, I'm very interested in the AISIN $2400 transmission upgrade, but it's only available in the Ram 3500 with Cummins 6.7 diesel. So if going with gas, I don't have this option available to me. Anyone familiar with AISIN? Would love to hear about it.

Our primary goal is to have a long trouble free engine life. Plan is to keep truck a long time. We don't buy new cars often. We take care of them and keep them around. My main question is for our intended usage, do you think the Cummins or Hemi 6.4 would be best?

Thanks for any insights you may share.


Dan
NC

[Danattherock]

Sounds like fun camping trips:)


Dan

[FishOnOne]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

IndyCamp wrote:

FishOnOne wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

FishOnOne wrote:

Danattherock wrote:
My only concern is which motor will be most reliable in the years to come.

IMO the gasser will be the most reliable in the long run with your type of driving. The emission system alone on the gasser is so much simpler than the diesel. The fuel injection system again is so much simpler on a gasser.

I'm a bit perplexed because you state you will not have a 68tranny and that's basically what's behind the gasser so why ask these questions? :h

And as always take a hard look at the other two manufacturers trucks that are produced on American soil! :W

Good luck and choose wisely...

Ane ask him while you are at it what is the ONLY Diesel offered in the F650/750, oh yea I heard it was the mighty CUMMINS!

Thanks for asking cummins... The 2016 F650/F750 will no longer be equipped with the cummins engine, and now will be equipped with a Ford 6.7 PSD and Ford tranny when choosing the diesel option. This provides better synergy and better overall performance with this pair designed and produced by the same manufacturer.

Plus unlike your RAM the F650/F750 manufacturing has been moved from mexico to the USA.

Thank you very much...

Who cares about any of this?

Does anyone here get paid by any of the manufacturers for waving the flag of a certain brand?

They don't care about you, they just want your money.

I have owned and towed with all of the Big 3, and I would own or tow with any of them tomorrow. In 2015, they all make great trucks that are more than capable of handling most jobs.

Brand wars are incredibly stupid, IMO. Why do Americans feel the need to constantly defend their choice and constantly belittle the other guy's choice? It seems to me that when all of the manufacturers produce good products, consumers win, as we have many more choices.

Aw you just don't understand! This is just a game, we can sit back scratch our......and argue back and forth. You should try it :B

I do have some cummins powered farm equipment.... There you go... No big deal!

I grew up camping with my parents during the 70's and 80's and couldn't remember a single trip my dad and his friends who also camped with us debated Chevy vs. Ford. There were truck jokes being passed along the CB like "Am I going to have to push that POS Ford over that hill or do I need to pass you type BS".

Add in the mixture of beer around the camp fire, an accordian playing bohemian music, the truck brand BS and it was very entertaining for a young guy.

BTW... There were no Dodges in those conversations since nobody drove those back in the day. :W

[Sport45]

blofgren wrote:
.... I have absolutely no doubt that I bought the most reliable truck for the long term with the Cummins. It is a true medium duty diesel with a much better high pressure fuel pump (HPFP) than both the Ford and GM. I believe that it is a only a matter of when and not if the HPFP's fail in those trucks and it is a huge repair bill. ....

I believe it's just a matter of time before any piece of mechanical equipment fails. Even a Cummins and its parts. 😉

[RamTC]

I must be guilty of something as I've been driving CTDs for 18 yrs now and I never towed anything. Good choice for a HD Ram.

[Cummins12V98]

IndyCamp wrote:

FishOnOne wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

FishOnOne wrote:

Danattherock wrote:
My only concern is which motor will be most reliable in the years to come.

IMO the gasser will be the most reliable in the long run with your type of driving. The emission system alone on the gasser is so much simpler than the diesel. The fuel injection system again is so much simpler on a gasser.

I'm a bit perplexed because you state you will not have a 68tranny and that's basically what's behind the gasser so why ask these questions? :h

And as always take a hard look at the other two manufacturers trucks that are produced on American soil! :W

Good luck and choose wisely...

Ane ask him while you are at it what is the ONLY Diesel offered in the F650/750, oh yea I heard it was the mighty CUMMINS!

Thanks for asking cummins... The 2016 F650/F750 will no longer be equipped with the cummins engine, and now will be equipped with a Ford 6.7 PSD and Ford tranny when choosing the diesel option. This provides better synergy and better overall performance with this pair designed and produced by the same manufacturer.

Plus unlike your RAM the F650/F750 manufacturing has been moved from mexico to the USA.

Thank you very much...

Who cares about any of this?

Does anyone here get paid by any of the manufacturers for waving the flag of a certain brand?

They don't care about you, they just want your money.

I have owned and towed with all of the Big 3, and I would own or tow with any of them tomorrow. In 2015, they all make great trucks that are more than capable of handling most jobs.

Brand wars are incredibly stupid, IMO. Why do Americans feel the need to constantly defend their choice and constantly belittle the other guy's choice? It seems to me that when all of the manufacturers produce good products, consumers win, as we have many more choices.

Aw you just don't understand! This is just a game, we can sit back scratch our......and argue back and forth. You should try it :B

[NC_Hauler]

45Ricochet wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:


Have only owned 3 Dodge Ram truck for a little over 5 years and I like it....I'm in it for the long run

There corrected that for you buddy :B
Time will tell I guess :W

Thanks buddy:B

[45Ricochet]

NC Hauler wrote:


Have only owned 3 Dodge Ram truck for a little over 5 years and I like it....I'm in it for the long run

There corrected that for you buddy :B
Time will tell I guess :W

[Danattherock]

Saw several websites where they do install longbeds on Mega cabs.

[Grit_dog]

Danattherock wrote:
Nice. For me, wanting Mega cab, it's for two small kids and German shepherd. Plenty of room in center of back floorboard for dog. Kids are 1&3 so by the time they need more legroom the dog will be dead. Sounds harsh, but true. Dogs just 16 weeks old, so hoping to have 10 years or more, at which time kids will be 11&13, with longer legs.

A lot of people dog the Mega Cab. But it's always those they don't have one!
Looks stupid/disproportionate, adds too much weight to the truck, etc etc.
Even when your kids are grown up, there will still be rom for the dog unless your family is 7ft tall and 400lbs!
Now if they made a long bed...........

[Danattherock]

Nice. For me, wanting Mega cab, it's for two small kids and German shepherd. Plenty of room in center of back floorboard for dog. Kids are 1&3 so by the time they need more legroom the dog will be dead. Sounds harsh, but true. Dogs just 16 weeks old, so hoping to have 10 years or more, at which time kids will be 11&13, with longer legs.

[blofgren]

Danattherock wrote:
^^^^ Thank you. Sweet truck you have.



Ib516,

Thanks man. Great info.

Dan

You're welcome and thank you 🙂

I just noticed your comments/questions about the Megacab. Originally I was looking to buy a crew cab long box dually but it was just slightly too long to fit in my garage. I tried measuring the garage a few times but it just wouldn't get any longer!

I knew I wanted a dually so that steered us to the Megacab dually because it is slightly shorter than the crew cab long box. It turned out to be a great choice because of the massive amount of room back there. We have a five year old son and a yellow lab dog and there is still tons of room back there. The storage behind the rear seats is massive, and the rear seats actually recline! Nothing else compares to them in my opinion.

I put a Retrax retractable tonneau cover on the truck which makes for great secure storage out of the weather and looks fantastic as well.

[ib516]

Danattherock wrote:

Would love to see more. With F-250 for example, I heard lots of folks complaining about sag. Made me want F-350. Not sure this condition exist with Dodge 2500 vs 3500, but curious to hear more of course. If I get Hemi, I was leaning towards 2500. Unless sag is an issue. $1k difference between the two trucks.

Dan

Part 1 - 2500 vs 3500 SRW squat test

Part 2

Tow test (part 3)

[Danattherock]

^^^^ Thank you. Sweet truck you have.



Ib516,

Thanks man. Great info.

Dan

[blofgren]

Danattherock wrote:
I plan on keeping truck till my kids are off to college. They are both currently in diapers. The $11k for the Cummins and AISIN is not a concern. Assuming this combo will provide more reliability over the long haul. I'm just checking with you guys and gals here to be sure my driving habits won't prematurely wear on the diesel. I've never owned a diesel so my insights are limited and my opinion infirm. Thanks for any thoughts.


Dan

I faced a similar situation about 1 1/2 years ago. I plan on keeping my truck for 20 plus years until my retirement, and this may be my last one depending on our RV situation at the time.

You can see what I bought in my signature. I have absolutely no doubt that I bought the most reliable truck for the long term with the Cummins. It is a true medium duty diesel with a much better high pressure fuel pump (HPFP) than both the Ford and GM. I believe that it is a only a matter of when and not if the HPFP's fail in those trucks and it is a huge repair bill. My truck is also a manual transmission which I happen to love but I would have bought the Aisin if there would have been one available in the configuration I was looking at. In regards to the trucks themselves, the new Ram trucks are lacking nothing compared to the Ford or GM. We had 3 Fords before the Ram and absolutely love the Ram.

As you have probably guessed by now I would recommend the Cummins without reservation. It will give you great long term reliability and towing power to spare vs. the Hemi. It will also give you a lot of room to grow with your RV in the future. We started out with a 24' travel trailer 20 years ago and now have a 36' triple slide fifth wheel, which the Ram tows with absolute ease. In regards to the silly hill climb competitions, I really don't care if someone can beat me to the top of the hill by a few seconds because my main concern is long term reliability.

Good luck with your choice and search!

[Danattherock]

ib516 wrote:

IdaD wrote:

Hiking Hunter wrote:
Transmission: the 68RFE will do fine for you, save your money. Another note on the transmission - I have the Aisin transmission, and love it dearly, but it has a "4WD LOCK" mode instead of the "4WD AUTO" mode like the 68RFE. The LOCK mode forces all wheels into a hard 4WD and should not be used when the wheels cannot slip some. The AUTO mode can be used when there is only intermittent slippery conditions. In your part of the country, like mine, snow and ice might cover the road, but it would be intermittent. I'm a little apprehensive about using my 4WD "full time" in those conditions if there is ANY dry pavement because of this. Check me on this - I don't think you can get the Aisin with the AUTO mode - I think they are all LOCK mode transmissions. If you can't find a spec sheet showing the available modes on each - look at the 4WD selector knob - it will show either "LOCK" or AUTO" as well as 4WD LOW.

Now, all that being said, the 3500 is a good pick, but consider this: unless you think you might ever get a fifth wheel, why not go with the same engine and transmission in a 2500?. The reasons I suggest this are:
1) the 3500 has a bigger payload rating than the 2500, but if you have a travel trailer that doesn't matter. The tow rating of the 2500 is plenty for your load.
2) The 2500 would ride better for your non-trailer trips because of the stiffer suspension of the 3500.

2500 towing specs
3500 towing specs

Bottom line - 3500 or 2500, 6.7L Diesel, 68RFE tranny

You can't get 4wd Auto in any 2500 or 3500 Ram. All of them with all three transmissions are old fashioned 4wd systems with a locking center transfer case. The only choice in the 4wd systems is whether you want to pull a lever or twist a knob. And based on a lot of years and miles of traveling winter roads, you can run in 4H on intermittent snow and ice on the highway just fine. Just disengage it if you're pulling into a dry paved parking lot or gas station.

I do agree that the coils ride quite a bit nicer, and on a practical level I like that you have separate suspension components that control up and down versus side to side. If a heavy FW is likely in your future a 3500 is the better choice, but if it isn't, the 2500 is a great choice too. Great daily commuter and heavy tow vehicle, with pretty impressive fuel economy to boot.

True. The 4wd auto is not available in anything above a 1500.



I have some "squat" tests comparing the 3500 SRW leaf springs to a 2500 with coils using a 41' 5er if you're interested.

Would love to see more. With F-250 for example, I heard lots of folks complaining about sag. Made me want F-350. Not sure this condition exist with Dodge 2500 vs 3500, but curious to hear more of course. If I get Hemi, I was leaning towards 2500. Unless sag is an issue. $1k difference between the two trucks.

Dan