What is your choice? powerstroke 6.0, powerstroke 6.4 and Ram3500

Halligan

Adventurer
I'll vote for the mighty inline Cummins wrapped in a Ram. Not sure what your budget is but I'd buy the latest model year you can afford. The 2010 and on trucks (4th gen) are pretty decent. Find the cleanest one you can with little to no rust. Once it's in your possession replace all the fluids', filter's and belt. After that Fluid Film the heck out of the undercarriage being sure to get inside the frame and rocker panels to preserve that metal for as long as possible. Then take real good care of it because the big 3 no longer offer a manual transmission so this rig's got to last you for a long time.

Also FWIW, I owned a 2008 F-350 and occasionally drive a 2009 F-350 at work and those truck drive horribly compared to both my previous 2004 Ram 2500 and 2010 Ram 2500. My current 2015 Power Wagon blows them all away but it has a different suspension set up so not a fair comparison.
 

plumber mike

Adventurer
I heard Fiat is going to discontinue the Aisin transmission in the Ram trucks...
That’s a bummer because the 68 felt like it was always trying to eat itself. Probably the worst transmission I’ve owned. I had never even considered transmission tuning until I got that tranny.

The stock clutch sucked on the 2011 G56 I had as well.

The Cummins really is the only redeeming quality about those trucks...IMO
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
My Aisen is pretty darn clunky. Not smooth at all. So I won't miss it. Should be easy to make something better. Regular auto transmissions are pretty mature science.

About one shift flare per week. (I don't count the shift flares when cold, there's a ton of them, but operator error, if you baby it until warm they clear up) Downshifts are hilariously bad. I can't help but wonder if the truck was accidentally ordered with a program designed for the most durability, but least amount of smoothness.
 

MTVR

Well-known member
The paddle-shift ZF 8-speed in my wife's BMW Track Pack car is downright telepathic when we let it shift in automatic mode. I heard that Fiat is considering going with either Allison or ZF in the Ram pickups...
 

Regcabguy

Oil eater.
6.0 is crap
6.4 is crap
6.7 is good but Dodge interior doesn't historically age well.
Throw a dashmat on one. My '07's like new after 13 years in the California sun. The 4th and 5th generations are downright plush. I put seat covers and a Dashmat on every vehicle I own.
 

Regcabguy

Oil eater.
My Aisen is pretty darn clunky. Not smooth at all. So I won't miss it. Should be easy to make something better. Regular auto transmissions are pretty mature science.

About one shift flare per week. (I don't count the shift flares when cold, there's a ton of them, but operator error, if you baby it until warm they clear up) Downshifts are hilariously bad. I can't help but wonder if the truck was accidentally ordered with a program designed for the most durability, but least amount of smoothness.
They're sturdy but can shift like my old DTT upgraded 47re. I use a shop here that services Rams of all years and the owners love them for auto transport,hauling livestock,toyhaulers basically anything heavy within their ratings. Smooth? Nope and no tuning to my knowledge. They've supplied Toyota for ages.
 
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Regcabguy

Oil eater.
Dash mats don't stop rattles

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33 Baja trips for me and my friend's had thousands of miles offroad in the Pacific northwest of Baja with nary a rattle. Neither my 2nd gen or my present one have rattled. Now my older Chevy rattled like crazy. That's one of the best things I've liked about both trucks is how tight they've been. Both have been beat up pretty good down there with a 2K wet popup on both. My friend's got an aluminum flatbed with a Phoenix popup on it. His is quite heavy. I can't speak to the newer ones.
 

quickfarms

Adventurer
I was shopping vans vs trucks heavily last year, spoke extensively with diesel experts and Chris at Ujoint. Basically the 6.0 (with major bulletproofing work) is ....ok-ish. Nobody seems to trust the 6.4.

I went with a 3valve V10 F250 and for my uses it's great. (Low miles, local towing, looks good and carries a lot of gear for my business.) I pay for it in fuel mileage but at 5-7k miles/yr, it would take a VERY long time to offset the additional $15k initial cost and additional fuel/maintenance costs.

That said, I'll probably look at a 24v Fummins conversion at some point. My chassis and suspension is all set and it would be a good project for my shop.
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Is this your shop?

It looks like an old hanger
 

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