hire the handicaped they are fun to watch!!!!!!  

racing dumb is just like ben.  

It seems like everytime i read a post from that idiot that i lose ten brain cells  

Maybe he's been drinking too much Brawndo. It's got electrolytes, you know.    

I am at a loss for words....  

I know I'm new here, and I'm sorry for just cutting in like this, but, I just got to get in on this. I am the co-owner and one of the opperators of Toner Transport out of Austin, Texas. We have been around for just over 5 years. We started out with a Ford F-550 with the (at that time) new and improved 6.0L Powerstroke. It went into the shop for the first time at about 12000 miles. When we got rid of it, it had just over 100,000 miles on it and had been in the shop 37 times. All for fuel injectors. We never got more than 11mpg. out of this truck bone stock. I now feel that the Powerstroke is the second most oversized and overpriced paper weight ever made. Our second truck was the ever so expensive 2004 Chevy 3500. This truck was better than the Ford, but not by much. At about 37000 miles (just after the warranty went out) the turbo went out. The oh so powerful Alison transmition was the only reason we bought this truck. It went out at about 50000 miles and we lost the second turbo at about 78000 miles. We never got more than 15 miles per gallon out of this truck bone stock. I now feel that the D-MAX is the most aversised and most expensive paper weight ever made. The truck that we are running now is the 2005 Dodge 3500 with the very solid Cummins L6. This has got to be the best moter on the market hands down. When we started the company, we had a 32 foot dovetail that was 8000 lbs. by its self. We have upgraded to a 40 foot flatbed that is 9000 lbs. and most all of our loads are between 14000 and 18000 lbs. I just changed the oil and brakes on this Dodge and noted on the paperwork that it now has 312,267.4 miles on it. The only thing we have had to replace on it (other than brakes, tires ect.) is the exhaust manafold, a front driver wheele barring and we had the transmition overhauled at 250000 miles. That is it. When we first got this truck, we got about 17 mpg. fully loaded. We now get about 20mpg. fully loaded and still running bone stock. Having delt with all three Ford, Chevy and Dodge, I can say, and WILL say, that the Dodge with the Cummins is the best hauling truck with the best fuel econemy on the market. Ford and Chevy can't even come close and I'v got the paperwork to prove it.  

Wow thanks nuthinbutctd! Your opinion is valued because of your real world expirence with trucks.  

i agree with his analogy of the chevy and most of the 6.0 fords, but i have never had any problems with my 6.0. faulty wiring harness and thats it. i get 14-16mpg all day long with mine too. the 6.0 was a problem child but one that runs good will give the cummins a run for its money  

I think the 6.0s have potential when you put a little money into them. They are good trucks and i remember getting my ass handed to me by a 6.0 a while back.... Yea that truck was fast  

Yeah, the later 6.0s are OK, but the early ones are bad news. I'd only get an '05 or later. I probably wouldn't get one period, but that's just me.  

i beleive nuthnbutctds analogy of the trucks except for a few things an f-550 is not gonna get 18-20 mpg icant beleive anyone would expect a truck that big to get that kind of mileage. it would be like expecting a semi to get double digit mileage. and im gonna have to throw the B.S. card about getting 20mpg FULLY LOADED out of any truck. other than that it was a great comparison..  

I shamlessly copied this from an article written about big rig engines, but this guy brings up some interesting advantages of a 6cyl engine verses a V8.....

Now lets talk about pick up truck diesel engines.  Why do people purchase V8 diesel engines in pick up trucks when their class 8 truck runs an inline 6 cylinder engine?  In fact there are no trucking companies in the U.S. that utilize V8 diesel engines.  Lets compare the V8 to the inline 6 engines.



1.     Block:  Inline 6 blocks are much heavier and more rigid than V8 blocks and that is why the main bearing caps are not cross-bolted.

2.     Crankshaft:  The inline 6 crank utilizes 7 main bearings, the V8 has 5 main bearings.  Each connecting rod on an inline 6 has its own journal on the crankshaft and the V8 has 2 connecting rods per journal on the crank.

3.     Connecting rods:  The inline 6 rod has a much larger rod bearing, wrist pin and wrist pin bushing than the V8 rod.

4.     Pistons:  The inline 6 piston has a thicker dome, longer skirt and larger wrist pin bore.

5.     Exhaust manifolds:  V8 diesel engines exhaust manifolds have extremely sharp 90 deg turn ups on the back side and the exhaust travel up to the turbo.  The turbo is a great distance from the front cylinders thus allowing the exhaust a chance to cool down before entering the turbo.  The hotter the exhaust the quicker the turbo spins.  On an inline engine the turbo is positioned right between the #3 and 4 cylinder.

6.     V8 engines produce more horsepower than inline 6 engines. However the inline 6 has a longer stroke, which equates to more torque and torque is what pulls a load up the mountain.  Horsepower is good for acceleration with light weight.

from www.dieselinjection.net  

That's probably why the vast majority of tractor-trailers run inline-sixes.    

fewer stronger parts = reliability. I wish i knew how to post pictures. have one of the conecting rods out of each motor "big 3" and cummins is alot bigger and stronger. thus allowing for higher boost pressures without failure.

and RD bet you like your dmax now you have to buy a new tranny huh?  

I do hate to start out my membership argueing with anyone, but I can assure you that this truck, pulling roughly 22,ooo lbs will get "almost" 20mpg (18.5-19.5). However, and I am sorry for not including this into my first post, If it is a high load (6-8 ft. tall) it will only get about 16-17mpg. Now, as far as the P-stroke or the D-max being able to beat me in the 1/4, that much speed is useless to me. (Sorry if I afended anyone with that comment.) If I wanted to race someone I would go out and buy a Corvet or some SRT8. I buy trucks to work like a truck. Thats why this truck is still bone stock. My only point in my last post is that for me and the work I do, Dodge/Cummins is the best truck out there.