2010 Dodge 3500 with Cummins

[MARK33062]

what are the pros / cons ya'll have experienced with this truck and motor over the Ford F350 with the 6.4?
Looking for advice and real answers , not BS 25-29 MPG stuff.!!!!!!

[bigbunkhouse]

I have no experience with either but that is a good question, I wonder if anybody on here has used both?

[rpfan]

I drove a 2010 Dodge 3500 HD with the Cummins and the new 6 spd auto, CC, Dually. It was an awesome truck. Very comfy! With the 3:73 gear, in 6th gear...1600 rpm. I had priced it out loaded but without the navigation for 48,500, plus tax. I thought it was a really nice truck, heated steering wheel, heated & cooled seats, moon roof and more. If I had to buy a truck today, it would be that Dodge but, with the 4:10 gear to get the 16,500 lb tow capicity. The Fords are nice but, WAY over priced. An F 450 cab & chassis built like my 05 would be close to 80K. Just can't do it

Rich

[tschmalz]

A friend of mine recently bought a 2010 3500 SW Dodge Laramie with the 6 speed auto. He pulls a 32 ft. 5th wheel with 3 slides. He has experienced a shudder from the drive line when starting from a complete stop. Dodge has told him it's a loading problem and not their issue. They did tell him he could help the problem by installing air bags, which he did, and it still shudders. I've researched the the problem and found a TSB on the same problem with the 2004. Seems some of the vehicles have an issue with the angle of the drive line when loaded. I would be leary of buying a new one before finding out if Dodge is going to fix the problem.

[Mike Clay]

Both my Chevys do/did it also this new one not as bad in fact very little. Its axle wrap and throws the carrier bearing angle off. On the Dodges they use to put a shim in to drop the bearing down a little. Towed many miles with both the Dodges and Chevys and never had a problem, if you let off just as it starts to shutter then back on the throttle it stops right away.

[rwlouks]

I had a 2008 F350 w/ 6.4 and a 2009 F350 w/ 6.4 ( I work for Ford and get a new truck every year) and both of them pulled my camper with no problems at all. In my opinion, they are all very capable trucks. If they weren't they wouldn't still be in this market. Every year the manufactures tend to leap-frog each other offering new features like integrated brake controlers, factory hitch mounts, 120V. outlets in the cab, tool boxes integrated into the truck bed, ... It all comes down to who has the features you want and how much you are willing to pay for them.

[dieselfreak21]

I haven't driven either on but did convoy with both in my 03. They both had similar trailers and GCVWR of both were with in 300lbs of each other at 19K. The Ford was the lightest. They both averaged about 11 mpg going from the STL area to Branson hand calculated. Both had the automatics and both where 3/4 tons. We were running 65-70 the whole trip. I was supprised that either could keep up with me on the hills west of Rolla. I only had to down shift for 2 of the hills through the stretch to waynesvill, due to EGT's. Their automatics had to down shift on every hill. Unfortunatly the Ford had to drop 2 gears on the hills I had to down shift on and he was losing ground. The Cummins only had to drop the 1 could maintain 60, not sure what the finaly speed was of the Ford as we got into traffic and I couldn't ask then forgot about it but my buddy was cursing about it having to drop 2. It was in the upper 90's and both trucks ran cooler than mine. IMHO the Ford Truck is the better of the 2 trucks and the 6.4 is leaps and bounds over the 6.0 but neither are a Cummins. My perfect truck would be a Ford with a Cummins in it. My 03's interior isn't holding up the, the HVAC doesn't work right and seat are horrible. Luckly the drive line is holding up to my abuse.

[Pooleparty]

Just returned from California ( home is in Canada ) pulling our 30WBLE with a 2010 3500 SLT 4x4 diesel crewcab SRW and it performed flawlessly. Tons of power going up and over the mountains between California and Canada and lots of stopping power coming down. With the tow/haul gear mode and the exhaust brake you really don't use the brakes that often and part of the hill coming down is 6% for 8 miles. HIghway we went 65-70 all day. Over all very impressed.


Kevin

[Chief409]

Over the last year we've pulled the 'Bird 10,000 miles, Mexico to Canada, thru CA, OR, WA and NV with our '09 F350 6.4. I figure the power is adequate if you can accelerate from 40 mph on a 10% grade at 7500' elevation with a 12,400# trailer. In Tow/Haul, going downgrade, maintaining speed without using the brakes isn't a problem. Mine is a Tow Boss, 4:33 gears, so at 2000 RPM it's doing around 62 mph according to the GPS. In the summer we travel with the airconditioner on, usually in 90 - 100 degree heat, the temps stay in the middle of the guages at all times.

[kwralph]

MInd is now made up !!

My next new truck won't be a dodge. I have owned two and l I'm still stuck with the second one. Both 3500 4 door with the cummins. The 99 had a 5 speed with 4x4.
the 2005 automatic 4 door 4x4. I have had very good luck on fuel mileage and the pulling factor has been great. The 99 went to the dealer with a cracked block and the I guess the normal problems. 99,000 miles and no warrenty left. today I just went to the dealer to retrive the 2005 after what I thought was more transmission problems. was lucky i guess. Was only the throttle valve. Only cost me 378.83 this time. The list is long.
Maybe I'm not supposed to post this type of message here but I thought maybe it would give some us some things to think about.
But who to say maybe the new one's are just great. I hope so.

KennyR

[snoking]

Urea or not? That is the question. The Dodge pickups have not been switched to Urea injection yet! And regen is via the normal 6 injectors, so there are issues with engine oil dilution from all the extra diesel that is injected for regen. Oil changes can be as low as 3200 to 3500 miles. The computer monitors this.

Given that I am a Cummins man (have three) I am disappointed in with Dodge.

For my money the new 2011 Chevy is the best one out there right now. It walked all over the new 400hp/800tq Ford in the "Rumble in the Rockies" and has a better exhaust brake than the new Ford.

Given all that the Dodge is the cheaper to buy, with dealers more willing to deal.

Chris

[Diesel Dave 04]

MInd is now made up !!

My next new truck won't be a dodge. I have owned two and l I'm still stuck with the second one. Both 3500 4 door with the cummins. The 99 had a 5 speed with 4x4.
the 2005 automatic 4 door 4x4. I have had very good luck on fuel mileage and the pulling factor has been great. The 99 went to the dealer with a cracked block and the I guess the normal problems. 99,000 miles and no warrenty left. today I just went to the dealer to retrive the 2005 after what I thought was more transmission problems. was lucky i guess. Was only the throttle valve. Only cost me 378.83 this time. The list is long.
Maybe I'm not supposed to post this type of message here but I thought maybe it would give some us some things to think about.
But who to say maybe the new one's are just great. I hope so.

KennyR

The list is long, You have not seen long till you owne a 6.0 ford. that list never ends Thank god they stoped useing that engine.Im a powerstroke machanic and i did every delete and did the head gaskets and head studs. then came the injector issues, and wire harrness issues. I gave up! I went back to dodge.
So I guess it works both ways.
Dave

[bigbunkhouse]

One of our 6.0 FORD plow trucks has had 17 injectors and 2 injector control modules. Originally maintained by ford with all records, they said " well it must be your fuel" when the first 4 went, the next 6 they said " I see in your records bad fuel caused the bad injectors, the 4 originals left must have been on their way out and the other 2 well you must have had bad fuel left". Then when the next 3 went they said " it is your fuel filters, NAPA filters are terrible so anything in the fuel and your dun" so I asked what about the first 10? to which we got " bad fuel, and you use junk filters" but sir YOU guys maintained it up till the last 6 so what filters do you use? " you know filters dont stop everything" YIKES

soo switching back to fORD filters and 2 months later 4 more injectors, to which FORD says " you must have switched the filters like thismorning to try and fool us" sure, since it has been out of warranty for 50k miles and we are gonna pay anyway.

Luck of the draw I guess cause we have 3- 04's and 4- 06's with 6.0s and only major issues with that one.

One bad experience with anything can change our loalty in a heartbeat, which I guess is not bad cause we get to experience other things that we normally would not.

[Chief409]

The lease terms on the trucks we drive at work call for turn in at 130 - 140 thousand miles. My job requires a 4X4 3/4 ton PU and I have around 112,000 miles on a '08 F250 with a 5.4 gasser. So fairly soon I'm up for the "Lotto" again. Too bad, this has been the best truck I've had at work. It just goes, and goes. If my 6.4 diesel does as well, I'm a happy camper, despite not getting better the 10 mpg towing - but it only has 16,000 miles on the odometer.

[PaulandTammy]

Dave,

Just noticed you have the Dodge in your picture. LOOKS GOOD.