Posted by Jeff Claymore on Wednesday, February 20, 2002 at 9:33PM :
In Reply to: off brand diseals posted by Jon in Mississippi on Wednesday, February 20, 2002 at 4:57PM :
I have an admission to make....I've towed trailers for the past 6 years. We have 6 trucks, 4 f450 with the 7.3 International, & 2 Dodge with the Cummins. We put 30,000 miles on these trucks per month delivering trailers up & down the West Coast. Until 1999, to compare these trucks was fairly close. Half way through the year Dodge switched the motors to the 24 valve design.
Up until that point, the Dodge was the less expensive engine to run(Fuel & mainenance wise) but the Ford had considerably more power & out-lasted the cummins by almost double. Neither engine was ever a source of mechanical problem....I don't ever remember a serious warranty claim for either other than the Dodges needed new fuel sending units on a monthly basis because the diesel kept dissolving the floats. I always liked the Dodge & my personal truck was a Dodge. I own a 46 WDX Power Wagon & have good reason for my Bias.
Since 1999 when Dodge switched to the 24 valve, we've had nothing but trouble with them. We're just selling off the two 2001's we have & as much as I love the Dodge name & look forward to their new engine, the ones they're selling right now can not be compared with the Fords, I'm sad to admitt.
If your buying a truck tomorrow & you want a high quality truck, trust me, whoever told you the Ford was a lemon is mistaken, the Ford is the best sure bet on the market.
We are going to buy a couple of the Dura Max's & I'll give you an update on them when they hit 400,000 mi next Feb....as for the Fords...still running strong with over 500,000mi & antisipate all 4 will make 1,000,000 mi.
I love my Dodge Flat Fender, but if the truth isn't told, Dodge has no reason to fix the problems. The new Dodge sounds promissing, but so does the Dura Max & I'm still not sold on it either. It will take 2-3 years of the new Cummins on the market before I'll stake my business on them.
I know this isn't going to go over well with you Dodge boy, but I'm on your side....unfortunately it's the truth.
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