thinking of buying a 2006 kodiak---what do you think?

Cummins12V98 wrote:
....
Any of the newer big 3 Dually's will handle your RV with ease. I know and have met several people looking to get rid of their Kodiak or Freightliner or International because they are tired of them since the new dually's are more than capable these days....

Hence the reason GM quit making Kodiak/Topkick.

great detaied info--thanks so much!
but i admit to knowing painfully little about it all---thank goodness for you folks!
this particular kodiak has a september build date and is a five speed automatic.
it's the LLI according to the seller.
my issues is going to be more about comfort than power at this point, as it will be our daily driver too.
the size doesn't bother me at all, it's merely taller than my current one ton dually, and with mirrors fully extended only a bit wider.
it's shorted than my long bed, as the seller chopped off two feet behind the dual tires so he could access his carriage front compartment while hitched.
we like so much about it---but that ride is rough, too dang rough!

The MD GM trucks from 04.5 to 08 when they stopped making them had the LLY engine. Though in 06 the LLY was really a LBZ with a different tune on it. So that 06 will not have any problems whatso ever. LLY's had some headgasket issues, but in 06 they changed gaskets and turbos which solved the issue. The MD trucks also only came with the 6 speed Ally, good for you. The 6 speed is wonderful. Only thing you have to do with this truck is add fuel and change the oil. Nothing else is needed with these, although a turbo brake would be a good addition. EFI Live is the ONLY way to go. I would just add a turbo brake to the stock tune and call it good, no need for anymore power in one of these trucks.

suse1023 wrote:
but isn't that overall a good thing? my main concern is stopping power, and a heavy tank of a tow vehicle will have a much better chance of stopping a big fiver imo.

If you're referring to my post above yours, "gaining only 500lbs towing". That brought it up from 16,400 to around 17,000 towing. We had a 18,500 5er, fully loaded. We kept the 5er light, but still didn't feel comfortable towing long distances up steep grades.

We added Banks IQ to our 2010 F450 to get the exhaust brake. The 2008 F450 we replaced the 2005 Silvardo with, we had the dealer add a BD Power brake.

We would have preferred a MD Freightliner Sport Chassis over the 4500/5500 easily. But since we need a daily driver, the F450 won the coin toss.

ksss wrote:
I would make sure it has an exhaust brake,

Good point. I would never want another truck sans EB.

I suggest you try one out. Take it to the Grocery store and to town to see if you really want to be driving around that much truck.

Any of the newer big 3 Dually's will handle your RV with ease. I know and have met several people looking to get rid of their Kodiak or Freightliner or International because they are tired of them since the new dually's are more than capable these days.

You haven't even bought it yet and I'm already green with envy.

See -------> :B

I have had a 5500 4X4 CC since I bought it new in 05. Not exactly what you are looking at. My gear ratio is only optioned at 5:19's. Mine is loaded similar to an SLE pickup, power everything, cloth seats.

The upside: Incredibly stable towing platform. Outstanding room inside the cab. We pull and carry at or over GVW and the truck is seriously overbuilt. Very good turning radius, yours isn't 4X4, but its extremely capable offroad for a big truck. Huge amount of ground clearance. They are detuned. Mine specs like an LB7. No issue however it pulls hard, the low gearing helps.

Downside: Very rough riding, mine is leaf spring only. The inside has a lot of plastic, I am not sure what they may have done with the conversion units like your interested in for comfort. The factory seats are ok, not great. I would make sure it has an exhaust brake, mine did not from the factory, they were having issues with the factory units at the time. I may put one in yet. Mine has been decent on reliability. The head gaskets went out, but I attribute that to the operator. Some electrical issues, nothing other than the head gaskets that was a big deal.

Overall, they do well with what they were designed to do. The engine and tranny are solid, and the frame and suspension are true medium duty class. The biggest let down in the my truck (not yours) is the comfort level and some poor interior quality. However I think the conversions have replaced most of the interior.

2oldman wrote:
Safety concerns are valid, but, after years of towing, I'm finding driver comfort to be right up there on the importance list.

A truck without enough power, a harsh ride, cab noise and poor seats can make a long trip a real chore. Oh, and you gotta have XM radio too. :)

This^^^^^^
Driver comfort or fatigue reduction is very very important (as we age ).
What is important in this kind of TV are the numerous ways they can be spec.Air bag front axle? power?(they are usally underpowered intercity 'delivery' trucks) ei not sound proofed,low power harsh riding .
Transmission?
rear gears?
very involved , very expensive to correct a bad choice.

Ask about milage, If its been tuned. If they would post some pictures of the interior, instrument panel.