Chevy Kodiak

[GlobalMonkey]

Just for fun tonight I picked up a Truck Trader and started leafing through the pages. (it's a bad habit that's hard to break!)

Found three trucks, that I thought you might find "interesting":

#1 - 2005 GMC C5500 Kodiak Crew Cab 4x4 w/nice utility body - $39k

#2 - 2004 GMC C6500 Crew cab, w/CAT engine (can be uprated to 350HP once declared as an "RV"), currently has a pick-up bed on it that you could use to either hold a slide-in truck camper, or remove and sell it. (very rare to find one on this model truck) - All it really needs is a simple 4x4 conversion, but the savings on the older truck may make this a bargain to do. - No price but listed as "must go!"

#3 - Left field option: 1985 Ford F700 4x4 rural fire truck. Only 5,000 miles and only $18,000. You'd have to take off the pumper body, but $18k for a virtually 'new' condition 4x4 F700 with the CAT engine could be a pretty nice deal. Especially with that cool remote control joystick water cannon on the roof!

I'm just saying...


Cheers & Happy Chassis Hunting,
Jay.

Thank you Jay, I can tell that you are pretty resourceful man. This is a great forum and we have learned so much just from the replies on our Kodiak thread. This is what we have learned:
1. we will go with a bigger truck (bigger than Kodiak),
2. we will try to stay away from new completely computerized engines needing high quality (low sulfur) diesel
3. extended cab will be enough (not opposed to crew cab)
4. cab-over style (no nose)
5. possibly buying a truck in Europe and licensing it in Switzerland (that's where my girlfriend is from)

Thank you all again, we hope to hear from all of you, your experience and opinion is a huge help for us,
Tomas & Marianne

 

[Gold Boy]

it would be very tempting to put an Alaskan camper on the back of a Kodiak.

this thread has got me thinking.

 

[Crookthumb]

At work we use Chevy Kodiaks with the 6.6L Duramax '04 model year. It is only two wheel drive though. We have had several problems with the Allison transmission. We do use a PTO setup to run equipment of the back end of the truck. The Allison transmission does like to go into safe mode. That is it will stay in one gear. This could be a problem if you have to make any uphill accents, stop and go, or any thing where you might need to shift gears.
We did purchase an extended warranty to cover any problems and we are glad we did. There were times when we had a truck into the shop six times in one month because of transmission failures. It is an ongoing thing we have had our trucks since new in '04 and the transmissions only hold up for about 3 months top before they need to be serviced.

Since GM decided to use Allison transmissions you will run into a problem. General Motors dealerships do not work on Allison transmissions. You will have to find an Allison shop to work on the transmission if you have warranty coverage. These are usually large semi and bus shops. So sometimes it can take a while to get in or worked on. Sometimes all it is is a speed sensor. Othertimes it is GM wiring that goes into the Allison transmission. Even though it is in the transmission it is not covered in an extended transmission warranty. The engineering of mating up the Allison transmission to the GM platform is terrible.

This is not a fluke problem with our franchise. Nationwide franchises were having problems with the Kodiaks that corporate has changed platforms for our trucks. In '07 Allison removed the PTO gear from the transmission. So you won't be able to run equipment off it anymore. In your case a generator might have been an option or even a PTO winch if you wanted.

That is just the transmission. We have had problems with the injectors, dash gauges going out, fuel pumps going out. Some are easy fixes or possibly could be avoided. One of the times the fuel pump didn't operate it was a blown fuse. There have been other times when one was needed to be replaced. Make sure if you purchase a used one that they have the updated coolant recovery tank.

IMHO I would never purchase a Kodiak for personal use. I have had to many problems with them at work that I know I could not rely on one for expedition use. I know there are others that love them. If you were to get into one get a '07 or newer one and just avoid putting any additional strain or usage on the Allison. If you need a winch get an electric one. If you need a generator get an auxillary one.

There are others out there that it might be allright if it is just used for recreation or hauling goods around. When it is put to the test it has failed.

I own a Land Rover Discovery. I know they have a bad rep for being unreliable. They aren't that bad if you know what you are doing. My point is my Discovery is more reliable than the Kodiak has ever been. The Kodiak I am always worrying about when will it break down next. It would cost too much to go to a new platform to retro fit all the equipment.

 

[Crookthumb]

And when you do find that shop....Get ready to get "bent-over". They are VERY proud of their association with Allison ($$$$$$). I've suffered through that experience! The mechanics will even give you false info, thus to better guarentee more work from you.

A few months ago we got one of the Kodiaks back and they wanted to charge us something like $1700 for repairs. We told them, but you have never fixed the problem we keep bringing it back for the same thing. They let us have it no charge. A week and a half later boom. Safe Mode transmission light on and we are back to the Allison shop. I was pissed that they were going to try to charge us that much and it didn't even last two weeks. Now they are wanting to run monitoring equipment until the next time it fails. That should tell you something. They know it is going to fail and they just want to know what they aren't doing. This is after four years of them working on them. We use to pay now we are at the point were we tell them you charged us before for this and it didn't work why are we going to pay you now. We just want them to replace the dang thing.

 

[kerry]

I've been planning the same thing for a while. Having owned a camper overseas, I wanted one that was serviceable everywhere. I previously owned a Mercedes camper but their 4wd trucks are not readily serviceable in North America. The Mitsubishi Fuso FG seemed like the best choice but the crew cab is not available in NA. I decided to settle for a standard cab. Since I bought mine, I've changed my mind about the desirability of the crew cab. (perhaps as a result of necessity). The crew cab does not tilt. The standard cab does. Since I do my own mechanical work, a tilting cab is such a HUGE advantage in accessibility that I now think it trumps the crew cab.
I bought a used FG with a service body and have just about completed installing a Texson (Northstar) TS 1000 on it. I'd have uploaded pictures of the process but I can't upload from my computer anymore since the forum is having problems.
I was under the impression that Mitsubishi was planning to introduce the crew cab 4wd to NA. I thought I read it here.

 

[charlieaarons]

I've been planning the same thing for a while. Having owned a camper overseas, I wanted one that was serviceable everywhere. I previously owned a Mercedes camper but their 4wd trucks are not readily serviceable in North America. .

Wait a while. It is really very sad, but in 5 years Ford, GM and Chrysler may not exist. There will be auto and truck factories in the US, maybe even in the North Central States, but they will be owned by companies like Mercedes, Toyota, Hyundai etc. We may see a globalization of truck designs. Although Freightliner (owned by Mercedes now) Volvo happily make conventional cab trucks in North America.
Basically we are going to see a consolidation of the world car and truck industry.

Charlie

 

[mhiscox]

I was under the impression that Mitsubishi was planning to introduce the crew cab 4wd to NA. I thought I read it here.

You did read that here a number of months ago, but one of us took the initiative to write Fuso and, if I recall correctly, got a pretty solid "no plans whatsoever" reply.

My reading suggests that Fuso isn't in the best of organization these days. Lots of the previous administration gone, and the buy-in-then-bail involvement of Daimler (Mercedes) didn't help any. On top of that, Mitsubishi's big Japanese financial arm was having problems major issues, too. Others know more about the medium-duty truck market than I do, but I personally don't expect much model expansion from anyone in the segment, and perhaps least of all from Fuso. Just my humble opinion, but I suspect we probably should count ourselves lucky that the FG--which used to get offered in 2 wheelbases x 2 transmissions--still gets imported in any form.

 

[FusoFG]

the buy-in-then-bail involvement of Daimler (Mercedes) didn't help any. On top of that, Mitsubishi's big Japanese financial arm was having problems major issues, too.

Daimler still owns fuso. Don't confuse fuso with the mitsubishi car company. They're different companies. I read daimler was going to start making fuso's in portugal and india as well as japan.

 

[Gold Boy]

At work we use Chevy Kodiaks with the 6.6L Duramax '04 model year. It is only two wheel drive though. We have had several problems with the Allison transmission. We do use a PTO setup to run equipment of the back end of the truck. The Allison transmission does like to go into safe mode. That is it will stay in one gear. This could be a problem if you have to make any uphill accents, stop and go, or any thing where you might need to shift gears.
We did purchase an extended warranty to cover any problems and we are glad we did. There were times when we had a truck into the shop six times in one month because of transmission failures. It is an ongoing thing we have had our trucks since new in '04 and the transmissions only hold up for about 3 months top before they need to be serviced.

Since GM decided to use Allison transmissions you will run into a problem. General Motors dealerships do not work on Allison transmissions. You will have to find an Allison shop to work on the transmission if you have warranty coverage. These are usually large semi and bus shops. So sometimes it can take a while to get in or worked on. Sometimes all it is is a speed sensor. Othertimes it is GM wiring that goes into the Allison transmission. Even though it is in the transmission it is not covered in an extended transmission warranty. The engineering of mating up the Allison transmission to the GM platform is terrible.

This is not a fluke problem with our franchise. Nationwide franchises were having problems with the Kodiaks that corporate has changed platforms for our trucks. In '07 Allison removed the PTO gear from the transmission. So you won't be able to run equipment off it anymore. In your case a generator might have been an option or even a PTO winch if you wanted.

That is just the transmission. We have had problems with the injectors, dash gauges going out, fuel pumps going out. Some are easy fixes or possibly could be avoided. One of the times the fuel pump didn't operate it was a blown fuse. There have been other times when one was needed to be replaced. Make sure if you purchase a used one that they have the updated coolant recovery tank.

IMHO I would never purchase a Kodiak for personal use. I have had to many problems with them at work that I know I could not rely on one for expedition use. I know there are others that love them. If you were to get into one get a '07 or newer one and just avoid putting any additional strain or usage on the Allison. If you need a winch get an electric one. If you need a generator get an auxillary one.

There are others out there that it might be allright if it is just used for recreation or hauling goods around. When it is put to the test it has failed.

I own a Land Rover Discovery. I know they have a bad rep for being unreliable. They aren't that bad if you know what you are doing. My point is my Discovery is more reliable than the Kodiak has ever been. The Kodiak I am always worrying about when will it break down next. It would cost too much to go to a new platform to retro fit all the equipment.

very disappointing, but an excellent informative replie .

maybe a manual transmission is the answer...

 

[West Coast Mags]

No problem on my end with a Duramax Allison in a 2500HD long box crew cab. At work we have six and love them all to death. I believe the Allison in the Kodiaks is a bigger model AT3000? maybe? I can't speak about them but the allison in a light duty truck is fantastic. The AT1000 is only rated for 680lbs though, I'm sure running a PTO that jams or gets bound up probably puts a lot more strain and shock load on it from what it was designed. Generally the heavy dutier applications also have a much shorter warranty than what the regular passenger vehicles do because the manufacturer knows they will be working as a whole in a much harder environment. I'm planning to put a large custom built camper on my crew cab and feel very confindent that it will be a great set up eventhough it will still be a little on the big side for all practical purposes . But to each their own, I think a Kodiak is a little big of a platform, I'd figure out how to travel with less, it will be easier, more efficient and more practical. And I love my Duramax/Allison.

 

[explore this]

At work we use Chevy Kodiaks with the 6.6L Duramax '04 model year. It is only two wheel drive though. We have had several problems with the Allison transmission. We do use a PTO setup to run equipment of the back end of the truck. The Allison transmission does like to go into safe mode. That is it will stay in one gear. This could be a problem if you have to make any uphill accents, stop and go, or any thing where you might need to shift gears.
We did purchase an extended warranty to cover any problems and we are glad we did. There were times when we had a truck into the shop six times in one month because of transmission failures. It is an ongoing thing we have had our trucks since new in '04 and the transmissions only hold up for about 3 months top before they need to be serviced.

Since GM decided to use Allison transmissions you will run into a problem. General Motors dealerships do not work on Allison transmissions. You will have to find an Allison shop to work on the transmission if you have warranty coverage. These are usually large semi and bus shops. So sometimes it can take a while to get in or worked on. Sometimes all it is is a speed sensor. Othertimes it is GM wiring that goes into the Allison transmission. Even though it is in the transmission it is not covered in an extended transmission warranty. The engineering of mating up the Allison transmission to the GM platform is terrible.

This is not a fluke problem with our franchise. Nationwide franchises were having problems with the Kodiaks that corporate has changed platforms for our trucks. In '07 Allison removed the PTO gear from the transmission. So you won't be able to run equipment off it anymore. In your case a generator might have been an option or even a PTO winch if you wanted.

That is just the transmission. We have had problems with the injectors, dash gauges going out, fuel pumps going out. Some are easy fixes or possibly could be avoided. One of the times the fuel pump didn't operate it was a blown fuse. There have been other times when one was needed to be replaced. Make sure if you purchase a used one that they have the updated coolant recovery tank.

IMHO I would never purchase a Kodiak for personal use. I have had to many problems with them at work that I know I could not rely on one for expedition use. I know there are others that love them. If you were to get into one get a '07 or newer one and just avoid putting any additional strain or usage on the Allison. If you need a winch get an electric one. If you need a generator get an auxillary one.

There are others out there that it might be allright if it is just used for recreation or hauling goods around. When it is put to the test it has failed.

I own a Land Rover Discovery. I know they have a bad rep for being unreliable. They aren't that bad if you know what you are doing. My point is my Discovery is more reliable than the Kodiak has ever been. The Kodiak I am always worrying about when will it break down next. It would cost too much to go to a new platform to retro fit all the equipment.

It would be helpful to add some details rather than just a blanket bash... What series of kodiak? What Duramax? LB7 or LLY? LB7 is the original and has had known Bosch injector issues. What Allison? 1000 / 2000? PTO? What are you using on a PTO to play into the issues? Dump, pump, etc.? by who? What is the application of the truck. Allison has a pretty stout reputation in the medium automatic business... It sounds like you are talking a LB7 with a light duty 1000... Not discounting your problems, but w/o details it's hard to get much value out of the assessment.

 

[btggraphix]

Tomas - congratulations on making a plan....

Kind of sorry it isn't a Kodiak, and being done here in Denver - but in reality, I think you would probably be better on the direction you are going.

As far as the tranny goes, I believe in the 4WD versions of the 4500/5500 they only get the 1000. Not even the 1000RDS (rugged duty service) version.

Metapoint and explorethis have good points, it's hard to translate the bad experience with the Allison when we don't really know what is being done or if it is even within the limits of what the manufacturer says it is capable of....perhaps the PTO was just not a good idea in that Ally1000....it wouldn't surprise me at all.....they stopped offering it, perhaps there is a clear weakness and they never even should have put it in. Some marketing genious told them they had to in spite of engineering saying they shouldn't. The same thing is true relative to the year 'round oil field work, which is brutal on equipment.....a bigger chassis would be a good idea there as well.

What is interesting to me, is that I don't seem to ever find anyone/anything that has an Allison 2000 series at all. I talked to the CDOT guys at the ski expo this weekend, they had a IH7300-based plow truck there: Allison 3000. Met an F650 tow truck driver on Saturday, Allison 3000. The tow truck driver (big Duramax/Ally3000) told me he gets 16MPG. Wow (though that may be with only the aluminum deck on and not loaded?)

As much as I love my Kodiak so far, I can't disagree that the next step bigger (F650+, C6500+, W6500+, IH 4800/7300) would be that much stronger.......but in the right context (such as mine, much as I'd rather go bigger someday) the Kodiak is probably a great choice. I know it has worked well for me so far. Cost just a little more than a 3500. I hauled 15 loads of 10,000 pounds of dirt over the last week, carry my camper and pull my skidsteer concurrently and the rig doesn't blink at any of that stuff. No question it's a big step up (in all but perhaps, engine/tranny/transfer case where it is perhaps about the same) from the 350/3500 class of trucks though.

I've been meaning to comment on some of those other sale vehicles, but haven't really had the chance. I like some of them up there (having a spare 60' boom-box sitting around would be cool when I'm helping work on houses....I wonder how hard that would be to take on take off?)

I also wonder how feasible it would be to change out some of the drive train stuff on a Kodiak..... Though it might be cost prohibitive.....but could one change out to an Allison 3000 and/or bigger transfer case? Could you change out axles? I would think you could recoup a lot of dough selling off those parts as they change right into the smaller (350/3500 trucks) for people trying to upgrade or fix those trucks, so maybe that would be possible.

Interesting thread in any case....lots of good info and fodder for dreaming.

 

[GlobalMonkey]

Gm

As of July 2009 General Motors stopped production of Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC Topkick.

 

[btggraphix]

As of July 2009 General Motors stopped production of Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC Topkick.

Sniff....sniff.... What a bummer. I have not been able to find out exactly which models that means. 4500 all the way to 8500? What about the W series and T series?