Hi guys - So I am in desperate need of some input regarding what truck (http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3751187#) will be best for my needs. I will be hauling (http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3751184#) a 4 car (http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3751187#) carrier & want to make sure I purchase a truck that will be able to handle it.

My choices:
Fordhttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/2_bing.gif (http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3751184#) F450
Chevy (http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3751184#) Silveradohttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/2_bing.gif (http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3751187#) 3500HD
Dodge Ram 3500 (http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3751184#)

It will be used, probably 2004 - 2008 unless I can get a sick deal on a newer one.

I have been getting mixed reviews on them and thought you fellow truckers would be able to advise me.

Please help

Thanks Al
Online http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/images/buttons/report.gif (http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/report.php?&p=3751187&pmid=) http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/images/misc/progress.gif

as long as its a dually, in my opinion, the brand should just be prefernce.

the duramax would obviously be my first choice. if your looking at fords in those years it will either be a 6.0 or a 6.4. stay away from the 6.0. in my experience they are nothing but problems. if dodge its either the 5.9 or 6.7. the 5.9 is a great motor but the dodge trucks can be problem prone. im not a huge fan of the 6.7. the duramax interior is going to be more comfortable for those long hauls.

if it was me in order of preference (of course this hinges on prices, if i found a killer deal on any of the 3 i would grab it): duramax (any generation they are all great), 5.9 cummins, 6.4 powerstroke.

Not to be mean, but everybody is gonna say Duramax. You are on a Duramax forum...

the duramax would obviously be my first choice. if your looking at fords in those years it will either be a 6.0 or a 6.4. stay away from the 6.0. in my experience they are nothing but problems. if dodge its either the 5.9 or 6.7. the 5.9 is a great motor but the dodge trucks can be problem prone. im not a huge fan of the 6.7. the duramax interior is going to be more comfortable for those long hauls.

if it was me in order of preference (of course this hinges on prices, if i found a killer deal on any of the 3 i would grab it): duramax (any generation they are all great), 5.9 cummins, 6.4 powerstroke.

Thanks Carter, but when I checked the tow capability, it says that the silverado & sierra are maxed out at 16500lbs tow capacity with a 5th wheel... Considering the 4 car ez loader is about 6500lbs & 4 cars at an average or 3,750lbs per car. That would put me at 21,500lbs. 5k over their max rating..:(

Thanks Carter, but when I checked the tow capability, it says that the silverado & sierra are maxed out at 16500lbs tow capacity with a 5th wheel... Considering the 4 car ez loader is about 6500lbs & 4 cars at an average or 3,750lbs per car. That would put me at 21,500lbs. 5k over their max rating..:(

I just have to ask, why did you include it in your list if it doesn't meet your specs? If the 3500 won't do it then how about a 4500? You have a Ford F450 listed, why not the GMC 4500?

I just have to ask, why did you include it in your list if it doesn't meet your specs? If the 3500 won't do it then how about a 4500? You have a Ford F450 listed, why not the GMC 4500?

Didn't know that chevy or GMC made a 4500.. I am checking into it since I just got your message but I dont see any with an open bed like a pickup. That is what I am looking for. Do you know if they make a 4500 like a pickup?

yes check out topkicks and kodiaks.

GM or Ford. The F450 is a HOSS of a truck.

So I checked out the Topkick & Kodiak. Both are monster trucks BUT they have what appears to be the same duramax engine that is in the silverado 3500 & sierra 3500. This is a major concern since the silverado & sierra weigh in at about 6145lbs & the Topkick & Kodiak come in at a massive 11300lbs. THATS ALMOST 5K POUNDS MORE with the same engine. Not to mention the hefty price tag on one of these monsters:(. I have still not been able to get any specs on what the tow capacity is on the Topkick or Kodiak but even if they "rate" it higher & put in a better trans & rear, that is a huge amount of additional weight to carry with the same engine thats in the silverado & sierra. Not to mention what is the gas milege like on these beasts, 2-3mpg???:rolleyes:

It looks big & strong enough to handle a 4 car carrier BUT will it be able to do it with no problem hauling the additional 5k lbs of its own weight??????

Please Advise
Thanks

The Ford F-450 is a beast when it comes to towing.

The Ford F-450 is a beast when it comes to towing.

Thats what I originally thought with its "best in class" towing capability. BUT I have read complaint after complaint about the fords. From rear ends to electrical to lack of power.It seems that for every 1 person that loves the f450, there are 3-4 people that hate it & will never go back to a ford again. This is whats got me undecided, otherwise if there were more positive reviews from consumers I probably would have gotten one already.

So I checked out the Topkick & Kodiak. Both are monster trucks BUT they have what appears to be the same duramax engine that is in the silverado 3500 & sierra 3500. This is a major concern since the silverado & sierra weigh in at about 6145lbs & the Topkick & Kodiak come in at a massive 11300lbs. THATS ALMOST 5K POUNDS MORE with the same engine. Not to mention the hefty price tag on one of these monsters:(. I have still not been able to get any specs on what the tow capacity is on the Topkick or Kodiak but even if they "rate" it higher & put in a better trans & rear, that is a huge amount of additional weight to carry with the same engine thats in the silverado & sierra. Not to mention what is the gas milege like on these beasts, 2-3mpg???:rolleyes:

It looks big & strong enough to handle a 4 car carrier BUT will it be able to do it with no problem hauling the additional 5k lbs of its own weight??????

Please Advise
Thanks
contact some guys on here that have them and see what they say. you will have no problem pulling that weight. the duramax is a great motor. as far as price if your also looking at the ford your prices are going to be comparable. sounds like you are already aware of fords problems.

Get a Freightliner or Mercedes Benz for constant heavy hauling.

It looks big & strong enough to handle a 4 car carrier BUT will it be able to do it with no problem hauling the additional 5k lbs of its own weight??????

Please Advise
Thanks

The short answer is yes, plus you get goodies like air ride seats and so on that you expect on a big rig and won't find on an over stuffed F350 aka F450.

Jump in the the medium duty section - http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=34 section and start asking some questions.

Thats what I originally thought with its "best in class" towing capability. BUT I have read complaint after complaint about the fords. From rear ends to electrical to lack of power.It seems that for every 1 person that loves the f450, there are 3-4 people that hate it & will never go back to a ford again. This is whats got me undecided, otherwise if there were more positive reviews from consumers I probably would have gotten one already.
The F450 also has the same engine as the F250 and F350, and Dodge has the same engines in their 2500-5500. Its not like GM is any different.

I think that the main difference between the f-250/350 and the f-450 is that the 450 only comes in a longbox dually, usually they have a 4.30 gear, bigger axles and brakes. I've got an 04 f-250 6.0 and I pull a 29' 5th wheel that GVWR is 13k and with my truck stock on 35's it works it pretty good to maintain 65-70 on the freeway and keep the egt's in check. Tuned it does alot better but still fight egts. My father-in-law has on 09 f-250 6.4 on 35's and tows a 5th wheel thats about the same his is chipped and it tows his alot better then my 6.0 the only bad thing is the regen crap that they do. Fuel mileage on mine usually is about 8-10 and his is 5-7 towing. The 6.4's are alot quieter in the cab then the 6.0's the 03-04 6.0's have pretty loud turbos as well. Hope this may help you.

I think that the main difference between the f-250/350 and the f-450 is that the 450 only comes in a longbox dually, usually they have a 4.30 gear, bigger axles and brakes. I've got an 04 f-250 6.0 and I pull a 29' 5th wheel that GVWR is 13k and with my truck stock on 35's it works it pretty good to maintain 65-70 on the freeway and keep the egt's in check. Tuned it does alot better but still fight egts. My father-in-law has on 09 f-250 6.4 on 35's and tows a 5th wheel thats about the same his is chipped and it tows his alot better then my 6.0 the only bad thing is the regen crap that they do. Fuel mileage on mine usually is about 8-10 and his is 5-7 towing. The 6.4's are alot quieter in the cab then the 6.0's the 03-04 6.0's have pretty loud turbos as well. Hope this may help you.

Thanks, what are egt's and regen??:confused:

egt's are exhaust gas temperatures and regen is what the newer truck with the diesel particulate filters do to burn the soot out of the filter

I keep coming back to this thread and I don't really know why. If you're gonna be hauling a 4 car carrier loaded most of the time, you really need a medium duty truck and stop messing around looking at 3500's. It seems to me, for your situation, a 3500 isn't gonna cut it period.

I keep coming back to this thread and I don't really know why. If you're gonna be hauling a 4 car carrier loaded most of the time, you really need a medium duty truck and stop messing around looking at 3500's. It seems to me, for your situation, a 3500 isn't gonna cut it period.

Here is a working answer I agree with . You will also find that the fit, finish & ride is much better in the GM product. Should you choose to stay in the 3500 class you will be ok for a short period of time then things are going to start breaking. Or like stated eariler go with Benz or Freightliner.
Good luck

Tibbs & Mike

Thanks for the input. If thats the case, I have 2 options.
1-go for a new F450 that is rated to tow 24k and doesn't have any existing problems, not to say that it won't have any problems as a new truck, I guess I am just being optimistic.
2-go for a medium duty truck. What type of truck do you guys recommend as a medium duty. I know someone said the freightliner or benz but what model type? Also, my concern is the price tag on these trucks.

sorry but I am new to these trucks as well as forums. Any advise is greatly appreciated

the 4500's previously mentioned are medium duty

Tibbs & Mike

Thanks for the input. If thats the case, I have 2 options.
1-go for a new F450 that is rated to tow 24k and doesn't have any existing problems, not to say that it won't have any problems as a new truck, I guess I am just being optimistic.
2-go for a medium duty truck. What type of truck do you guys recommend as a medium duty. I know someone said the freightliner or benz but what model type? Also, my concern is the price tag on these trucks.

sorry but I am new to these trucks as well as forums. Any advise is greatly appreciated

Take a look at these. www.sportchassis.com (http://www.sportchassis.com) They are up from a medium duty & will do what you are looking for. A little pricey but $ arn't everything. I'm sure if you start looking, with the way the economy is today you will find a good by. How many hrs a day will you be clutching this thing. Will it be every day & how many months.
Good luck with your endeavor.

On my way to work I passed an 06/07 chevy 3500 dually pulling a 3 car trailer with a ford explorer, a snowmobile, and a 1/2 ton reg cab long box chevy and that thing looked like it was a handful to drive. The trailer kept swaying and looked to be pushing him around a little. After seeing that I think that you would be best looking at the medium duty trucks. Also I was down to the Nascar race in vegas a couple weeks ago and remember seeing a guy that was pulling what looked to be a 50' toyhauler with a dodge 5500. Might have to look into that aswell.

Take a look at these. www.sportchassis.com (http://www.sportchassis.com) They are up from a medium duty & will do what you are looking for. A little pricey but $ arn't everything. I'm sure if you start looking, with the way the economy is today you will find a good by. How many hrs a day will you be clutching this thing. Will it be every day & how many months.
Good luck with your endeavor.


WOW, those things are SICK!!!! A bit overkill for what I'm looking for. My plan is to be hauling 4-5 days a week, anywhere from 300 - 500 miles per day. Can't imagine what the price tag is on those but either way, not what I'm looking for to get started. I do want something that I might be able to use recreationally on the weekends which is why I'm looking for something that is a pickup. I checked the specs on the topkick & kodiak c4500 but they are rated to tow the same as the GM 16k. Even though it might be able to handle it, the last thing I am looking for is trouble with DOT or a law suit if an accident.

I can just see it now "but your honor, I know it says it can only tow 16k but this bi*ch is strong enough to pull a house":(

Don't think that will fly:)

So anyway, thats what I need. Something rated to tow up to 24k lbs thats not gonna break down after my first 40k miles and also has the functionallity of a pickup.

HELP ! ! !:confused::confused::confused::confused::confused :

A new GM 3500 5th wheel rated to 16,500
A new Ford F-450 5th wheel rated to 24200/24600
A new Dodge 3500 rated to 17000, 4500/5500 chassis cab 18300

Hope that info might help you. Also since your talking of towing upwards of 24K you need to check out B&W for your hitch. I know that hey are rated to tow that much.

Thanks Rick

you can buy a semi with a recent overhaul for way less then a new or used diesel pickup most of the time

you can buy a semi with a recent overhaul for way less then a new or used diesel pickup most of the time


sorry Jray, what kind of semi are you talking about????

http://www.truckpaper.com/

The best truck is the one that's:

1) Paid for.
2) Runs great.
3) Has no body damage.
4) And, doesn't need any work.