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I know the subject has been covered before, BUT I like beating a dead horse and I want to hear some recommendations and/or opinions. I’m thinking about taking the plunge and getting a 2500HD (4X4,long bed,extra cab) and I want to hear from somebody who’s got one. I’d love to get the diesel just for pulling power and fuel efficiency. I ran the numbers and figured that I’d have to run about 95k miles to break even. I will be pulling a bobcat or tractor on occasion (about 10,000# with trailer) and want to know if the 6.0 would do the job. I heard from someone that the big block(8.1?) with the Allison transmission gets the same mileage because of the extra gear. Any truth to that statement?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
John
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I know I'll get some flack for this reply, but diesels suck. I had an '82 Chevy with the 6.2 diesel and it was by far the worst, most undependable vehicle I've ever owned. Maybe they've come a long way, but the fuel is no cheaper than gas and I certainly didn't get any better mileage out of it. It broke down more than any gas engine I've ever owned. The parts and repair were WAY more than a gas engine. I had to replace glow plugs, starters, batteries, torque converter, transmission, fuel pump-all told, more than $4000 of repairs that left a bitter taste in my mouth about diesels. On top of that, add the fact that on cold days (like here in New England) you need to plug them in- not really convenient when you're on a jobsite. Oh yeah, that truck really SUCKED-it's all coming back to me now. Plus they're noisy and they smell like sh**.
Diesel-no thank you. They have their place in tractor trailers, though. Anyway, that's my two cents.
*John, go to the Chevy forum in pickuptruck.com. Lot's of discussion ....might give you some ideas.
*John, these two sites will provide you with all the deceased equines you could possibly want to abuse,www.pickuptruck.com and the town hall discussions about pickups at Edmunds.com. They discuss the new Chevy Silverado HD trucks ad infinitum.
*I have run many GM diesels with access to good mechanics. My experience is, that although I love the things, they are not an economical choice for stop and go driving. A diesel loves to be turned on and not turned off until it is time to change the oil - literally. The up and downs of the temperature really are hard on them. Also, from what I understand, the straight 6's are much more dependable than the 8's in general - and this is true in over the road as well. Still, there is something about a diesel that is hard to beat.Dennis
*John, if you only need to pull once in a while, and you don't have to deal with many hills, then the 6.0 will work great. Just get the 4.11 rear end.The 8.1 is getting about 10-12 to the 6.0 12-14.The problem I see is that you want the diesel, not a bad thing. When you try to sell this to yourself, make sure you figure trade value, that will help make the numbers work.And ya, http://www.pickuptruck.com has a great forum, for whatever truck you want to get info on.
*JohnnyM, You're talking almost 20 years ago! Things have come a long way since those bad old days. Everything about those 6.2's sucked- you're right- but things are MUCH different these days. Still wouldn't buy a Chevy though. Sam
*Buy the big block, drop a couple of extra cents on the thing and put a supercharger on it (centrifical), the mileage will be that of a diesel or better (only a couple of miles different) they're not as hard on the motor as horror stories will have you believe, the parts are cheaper, gobs of torque, lots of power, killer throttle responce, gobs of torque. Call Paxton or one of the other companys that deal with those and inquire about power outputs.
*John:Check into the problems Chevy is having with poor fuel milage, no power, high price, and sagging front ends. I have a 99' Ford Super Duty Diesel, quiet, loads of power, 20mpg, good ride, "0" problems.
*I'm a Chevy man, but I'm not opposed to looking at the competition. I would consider Ford only for the Powerstroke. Have they solved their front end problems yet with the new Superduty? I know a guy that couldn't keep an alignment on a '95. I like the diesel and the mpg, but I heard the powerstroke would'nt do any better than 12-15 on mpg. You get 20?Thanks,John
*Why buy a stinky noisy diesel when you go fast and get 18mpg with the new vortech 5.7 350 cu.in.engine? At 70mph my rpm is 1800.
*Pro Boy....That toy can't pull no stinkin trailer day in and day out...It can't pull 6000 lbs up a hill...I know...I have two sets of rear end gears displayed on my end table. If Ya need to pull...ever...ya need a big rear end to survive it....and ya need the right tires...and ya need the big tranny....I say get the 8 liter which is killer or the diesel or a diesel Ford if ya need a Ford....half tons carry circle saws...nuttin else!@near the 12,000 lb GVWC stream,aj
*And if ya really wanna be blown outa your Reddies...Check out the rear pumpkin in a Ford F550!!!!!!!!!!!!Near the stream luckily recovering with a few days of powder skiing!aj
*John,What you really want is a 98 RAM 2500SLT Diesel. 21MPG, Quad Cab, Long bed. Listen to the CD player while your pulling a trailer with 2 tons of horses across the mountains. $25,000. Sorry I have to sell this awesome truck but the house I'm building is costing alot (see, I'm actually on the subject of home building) and it's either the truck or the horses.DH
*OK OK AJ so it can't pull a trailer,but it sure is fun to drive.If I did pull a trailer I would get a Dodge with the Cummins turbo diesel, the International Harvester they put in the Ford is way to front end heavy and alot noisier than the Cummins.
*I agree with Darrell and Pro-Dek, If you're looking for a Diesel, Cummins is the way to go. I got mine in '99 and haven't had a lick of problems. And I also haven't found anything I haven't been able to tow. Pulled a Bobcat on trailer and couldn't even tell it was there. As for starting in cold weather, we've had some cold days here in central IN this winter, and I never plugged it in. Started it up at 5 degrees one morning with no problem.
*My problem is that I have a '97 1/2 ton now with overloads and without pulling anything now I'm overweight. I really can't believe how little weight squats the truck. They don't build them like they used to. I've pulled my bobcat and tractor with it and that was scary. After everything I've heard, the 8 liter gas is looking pretty attractive. I just spent $173 for a rebuilt starter (not from a dealer) for my '89 1 ton with a diesel. Sure I can pull anything I want with it and get decent mileage but the price of parts for it is killer! And the other point is that I make alot of short trips that would be hard on a diesel. And I've been told that a 6.0 gas sucks as much gas as a 8.1 with an Allison tranny behind it. Has to do with the extra gear, I guess.JRL
*AJ, If memory serves, you bought a truck recently....what did you get?JRL
*Pro Dek, Area code 425... Where ya' located in the Puget Sound area? North of the county line? Or on the other side of the lake? Sam
*They are nice looking trucks..no doubt about that..But, is the front end going to fall on the ground when you put a plow on it like the other Chevy pickups? The Allison is only available with two choices of engine...a huge gas sucker (8-9 mpg) or a very expensive unproven diesel. In my opinion, the stupidest change they made in the new truck is jacking it up another 5" off the ground. Does anybody that actually works out of a truck all day want the body to be higher off the ground ??? I know lots of contractors that bought Chevy trucks just because they were lower than the others. This undoubtedly was done to appease the crowd that likes to off road or something , not for the average contractor that wants easier access to the truck for loading and reaching into tool boxes. At what point do these things get sssoooooo expensive that it just doesn't make economic sense to buy a new one ? A new HD with the diesel pack is about $40k on the road!! I think a 2 year old Ford Super Duty diesel is the best all around work truck available for the money. You can get them for about $26-$27k on the used market. Chevy trucks start rusting when they are about 8 or 9 years old. At that time, they still have about 200,000 miles left in them before they are worn out mechanically. I'd be more inclined to put out the big money if the bodies would last as long as the mechanicals!
*John....Ya can't buy a truck to save money....Now you sound like my frickin girlfriend and her whacky logic.near the stream thinking you can buy a lot of parts for the $800 a month in bank payments...ajAs to me...I fought off the urge to buy at the last minute a few months ago...But Would love to jump on a Demo HD marked down ten grand.
*The way I see it some of you guys who don't like Chevys are whiners. All this crabbing that they can't pull a trailer is pure crap. I have had 14 Chevys over the last 30 years and only one ford. My current truck is a Chevy K1500, 350 V-8 Auto, 3.73 rear end. I live in serious hill country with lots of snow. In addition to construction I have a retail hardwood lumber business I pull 7000lbs with no sweat. Also pull a New Holland skid steer with steel track combined weight trailer and loader 8500lbs. I haul it 200 miles to my dads place, no sweat. The one ford, a 1980 3/4 ton trailer special lasted 6 months never looked at another one since.
*SamD-Issaquah-now renamed-Sammamish-east of lake Washington-east of lake Sammamish in the beautiful foothills of the Cascade Mountains.
*Go get um Armin :-)
*What about the gears in the rear end?I wasted two sets in four months pulling the same weight you talk of.near the gear boneyard,aj
*Armin, By pure coincidence, I almost got killed today by a guy with a rig exactly like yours who was pulling a Bobcat on a trailer. It was on a 4 lane highway and we were coming at each other both going down hill. All of a sudden the tail started wagging the dog and he came across the highway and just clipped the back of my truck before the whole rig flipped and went in the ditch. I suspect you must balance the load better if you've been hauling what you do and are still alive after 30 years.
*I never had any trouble with rear gears, the key is know your limitations and drive within reason, the fact that you blew out two sets or gears tells me there is something else wrong, possibly you got two sets of crappy gears or your driving methods need to change. Excessive horsepower is no subsitute for lack of experience, just because you have 400 hp that doesn't mean your should go 80 mph with a 7000 lb load.
*I never had any trouble with rear gears, the key is know your limitations and drive within reason,big loads need to start slow, the first few seconds are crucial, the fact that you blew out two sets or gears tells me there is something else wrong, possibly you got two sets of crappy gears or your driving methods need to change Excessive horsepower is no subsitute for lack of experience, just because you have 400 hp that doesn't mean your should go 80 mph with a 7000 lb load. G. LaLonde, I have seen several instances like what you described, I suspect the trailer was not designed for the load, the driver was going to fast and had a negative tongue load. The problem was not the truck but the inexperienced driver, unfortunately a lot of people assume a big truck is a subsitute for safty. the point I'm trying to make here is, unless you haul max loads day in and day out you don't need all that big of a truck.
*Armin....My tennis setup is a max load and too much for a 1/2 ton rear end....I babied the hell out of it...Going up grades, I would let it slow way down to twenty miles an hour or less...Never pushed the gas pedal farther than half way to the floor...The gears are not made for it...As to Bobcats...I would say for daily hauling and safety to pull with a minimum of a dually one ton...Then there is way more margin for error and much more control of the entire assembly going down the road. No excessive power used...near the stream,ajGlad you have had such great luck...
*Armin, How many sets of cam & lifters have you gone through on those small blocks? Notorious for eating cams, those small blocks are. Between that and those lousy TH350 auto's they seemed to put in EVERYTHING, including 3/4 ton 4x's, we were always working on Chevys. S.
*Sam and Adirondack Jack, I have never had engine trouble of any kind pulling the loads that I do. Many of my friends drive Chevys pulling 5th. wheel campers, some of these rigs are really big, none of these guys have had any problems either. I certainly don't know why you have the problems that you do, from the sounds of it you drive in a responsible manner, who knows maybe you got a crappy truck, every manufacture has a few of them out there. I certainly agree if I hauled my loader on a daily basis I would want a bigger truck, however since I only move it a few times a year I chose not to waste the gas on a bigger engine. As a final note, I don't buy my trucks off the lot, all are ordered trailer specials, oversize tires, after market springs and last but not least my trailers are custom built with oversized brakes on all 4 wheels, to me being able to stop fast is more important than being able to go fast.
*I have a 1997 F-350 with the Power Stroke and pull a skidsteer with steel tracks and a 24 foot Pace tool trailer. The Ford has 157,000 miles on it. Have had no trouble with the motor or the transmission, cause I pull in the underdrive.
*What the heck is underdrive....?Does one wear it under his regular drive?near the stream in third for pulling,aj Chevy boy...but like the rest too.
*My '66 Chevy has an underdrive as well but I prefer to call it a granny gear. It definitely has understeer, though... and lots of wear under.fv
*John, After waitng 14 weeks for my HD I can heartily recommend that you get the 8.1 with the Allison and the 4.10 rear end. This thing is a brute of a truck with power to spare. The first thing I did was get rid of the wimpy 245s that come with it and put on a set of 285s. The dealer will reprogram the computer for you. Forget the diesel get the big block. Happy Motoring... Scott
*Scott, I'm curious to hear what kind of gas mileage you get with that beast. I've heard lots of different figures depending on the use I suppose. I realize when you buy a truck with this kind of uummmpphh , you aren't primarily concerned with gas mileage. Do you really need a 4:10 rear end?? What kind of revs do you see at 65 mph? Does the stiff shifting Allison bother you?
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I know the subject has been covered before, BUT I like beating a dead horse and I want to hear some recommendations and/or opinions. I'm thinking about taking the plunge and getting a 2500HD (4X4,long bed,extra cab) and I want to hear from somebody who's got one. I'd love to get the diesel just for pulling power and fuel efficiency. I ran the numbers and figured that I'd have to run about 95k miles to break even. I will be pulling a bobcat or tractor on occasion (about 10,000# with trailer) and want to know if the 6.0 would do the job. I heard from someone that the big block(8.1?) with the Allison transmission gets the same mileage because of the extra gear. Any truth to that statement?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
John