New Welding rig

[millerman58]

Hey guys,
Y'all was so much help in choosing a welder. Now I would like your thoughts on a new truck to put it on. I'm looking at a Dodge (88-93) 3/4 Ton or 1 Ton 4x4. My question is on the powertrain. What is your opinion on the 360 V8 vs. the Cummins diesel of that period; and do you think auto or 5 Spd. I know the newer Cummins can't be beat in my opinion, but I dont know about the older ones. The 360 is a great do anything motor, I just sold a 1991 1/2 ton with a 360 built for racing. Any help is appreciated, as well as if you know anyone who has one of these 1st gen trucks.

Bryce
BB Farm Supply

[Smoking Gun71]

Hi Bryce

I used to work for a company that had only dodge,with cummings in the same model year you are looking at,as for the engine it is unstopable,they had a 89 with auto tran but it only had 3 speed,not great for highway,they also had a 92 manual 5 speed the clutch piston would let go every year.Hope it helps.
Eric

[DDA52]

IMO, you can't go wrong with diesel. They hold their value better, last way longer and are much stronger. They also have less maint. and are easier to maintain at that. All my rigs since '90 have been diesel. I went to Dodge in '99 and haven't looked back. Just took delivery of a new '07 for my new rig. Just be prepared...if a diesel breaks, it WILL cost more to fix. That is the price we pay for better technology. Good thing they don't break often.

I would also go with a std trans. I like them much better for pulling and general work. If you have a welding rig for anything and everything welding, it is only a matter of time before you will be pulling a trailer.

[Copperdog]

I know you guys in the midwest have Cummins and Dodge tattoded on your chests, in the northeast we use Powerstrokes!

[Danny]

In my opinion dodge makes crap------ but I am on my third dodge truck. Does that make sense ? I think their diesel is a great truck, and I swear by it, the rest of their stuff you couldnt give me. Thats all my family drives (we are midwest blue collars). If you look at the drive train on a manual trans it is all out sourced from other manufaturers. There are weak points in all the 3/4 tons, the front linkages and steering shafts dont last, and they are expensive to buy parts for also. If you can up a few years you can get a bit better truck, think 1 ton here too, but the price's go up plenty. The nice thing about a diesel is the fact if you find a clean one- who cares about the miles ! And that goes all the way back to the early 12 valve models. There is a guy by us that has over a million miles one. Gone through 3 front seats but still has the same motor.

[DDA52]

I know you guys in the midwest have Cummins and Dodge tattoded on your chests, in the northeast we use Powerstrokes!

I've had my share of PStrokes. I like the engine, at least the 7.3's. You couldn't pay me to get a 6.0 Powerjoke. Plenty of Fords on the roads around me...and I am betting it is about 60-70% more than what you see. Lots of Dodges here as well. I went through 3 Fords in the same time frame as my last Dodge. By went through, I mean used up ready for the scrap heap. The Ford part just can't hold up to my work.


And I am not in the Midwest...I am in Tx which is part of the WEST thank you very much. Or maybe the south...either way it ain't the midwest and besides, we couldn't care less what the rest of the country does anyway. We are practically a nation unto ourselves.

[tsalagi]

you get that new welder on that new truck and drive east for a few miniutes and we'll see how much rod that thing will burn in a day.

[Stick rod]

I`ve got a 96 Dodge 2500 CTD w/auto.It`s got 154,230 mi and still going strong.Got it loaded with all my portable gear and don`t have one complaint yet.Just took delivery of a new personal truck 06 3500 CTD,auto, srw, short bed, quad cab.It just might turn into my new welding truck.Would be careful of the Powerjokes,might talk me into a 7.3 but ain`t no way it would be a 6.0.As for the Duracrap you can`t get a manual trans in the 3/4 or 1 ton I`ve been told.
Real trucks don`t have sparkplugs!

[Photomask]

I had a '92 Dodge/Cummins 160hp&400ftlbs, 2500, Long Bed, Club Cab, 2WD with an auto, 518 tranny. I rebuilt the tranny at 260K and kept the truck to 330k. It was still running strong when I got rid of it in 2002. It was just time for new truck. The new truck.... '02 Dodge/Cummins pushed to 320hp&750ftlbs, 2500, Long Bed, 4dr cab, 4wd with 5sp manual. 120k and running strong.

[calweld]

A lot of your decision on what truck/engine to get depends on the use you intend to subject it to. Is this your only vehicle? What is your working radius? The less miles you put on the truck, the less important fuel mileage/maintenance becomes. I currently run a 1985 IHC 1900, working radius is normally 20 miles, get all the work I can handle, typical year I have 5000 - 6000 miles on the odometer, I really couldn't care less about fuel mileage. Now, obviously, I don't take this truck to do my grocery shopping, there are no personal errands run with this truck, even if I have to run parts, I come home, get the pickup, and go back out. Now, if you're going out a couple hundred miles all the time, doing quick little jobs, or doing a lot of errands, it's more important to consider the engine, and worth a few more dollars to get the right one.