Buliwyf
Viking with a Hammer
That's news. Same on the 2500's?
Ford F550 vs. Ram 5500
- Thread starter Oshkosh-P
- Start date
That's news. Same on the 2500's?
flylow4500
Observer
Interesting opinions here. Especially coming from a flexy frame Ford owner.
Hydroforming is cheap compared to what? Have you ever seen this process or know what it takes? Cheap never crossed my mind. I'd call it current technology.
Yes it is easier (cheaper) to drill and bolt something to a c-channel. I don't think easier is always better.
It is possible to bend any frame with enough ignorance and stupidity.
Exactly. Simple engineering concepts tell us a boxed frame is always stronger than C-channel for a given weight (cross sectional material area).
If cost of both production and upfitting is no subject, I'm sure Class 8 trucks would use boxed frame as well - but bolting on a 5th wheel or box van would be nearly impossible, not to mention tooling to hydroform such a large frame.
It's funny, when Ford first introduced a fully boxed, hydroformed frame to the light duty market (2004), guess who was showing videos of trucks going over alternating speed bumps and bragging about chassis rigidity!?
Yet now that the competition has caught up, and surpassed them in the HD segment, they keep quiet...
It's not just the size of each piston/rod, but also the I6 configuration, which is generally regarded as superior to a V-block for heavy duty work and longevity.
I have a Detroit 6V71, which is considered a 500K engine. The inline version, 6-71, is a million mile engine. Everything is nearly identical (pistons, rods, blowers, injectors, valve-train, etc), except the inline engine has a lot more main bearings. Thermal and mechanical stresses are easier distributed in an inline configuration. It's not by chance nearly all commercial diesels are in-line!
We can debate all day based on opinions, but the simple fact is this: ISBs are used in hundreds of thousands of school buses (grossing 36k lbs), mini buses, small transits, class A motorhomes, and Class 6/7 trucks, day in day out. The number for Powerstroke / Duramax is nearly zero.
Not saying PSD/DM are bad engines - I'd take them in a heartbeat (except 6.0PSD...) in a pickup truck. But if I'm hauling commercially, I'd pick a Cummins (or Cat, or Detroit, or Mack, or International...)
I wouldn't use that as a basis for reliability. PMCS'ing these vehicles is a major pain in the posterior and parts are always breaking. For short trips, it's not so bad. For anything over 100 miles, please put us on a bus and the trucks on a flat bed.
