Are you happy with your diesel P.U. ?

[FC]

MOOG is good stuff, the best of the aftermarket replacements.

[danrabe]

180k on my Ram 2500.  So far all my maintenance has occurred after 150k.  I have replaced both front hubs, a u-joint in the rear driveshaft, and both front u-joints.  I have 35" tires with no lift and still get 25mpg driving at 70mph.  Cummins makes the best engine.  Being a straight 6, there are less moving parts.  They sound the best as well.  Every truck has their problems, Dodge's being their front end and their auto trannys.  Get a manual and you are golden.  I will never drive a gas vehicle again.  After towing throughout the country, i have never lost power going up a hill.  I believe the dodge got a new transmission in 09, not sure how they perform though.

I run my truck very hard as well.  They are not comfortable on the off road.  I have split my exhaust pipe on a stump as well as high centered my truck twice (broke 3 tow straps in the process).  My wife had to push me off of the bank with her old lifted ramcharger.  I think the only way a diesel is truely worth the money is if you either:
     1. Tow heavy loads on a regular basis
  or 2. Drive the truck for its entire life

[Gutpile]

I love mine but you know that don't ya? Your just dying for a new rig aint ya??

[Woodchuck]

Jackelope and FC i believe are correct, go aftermarket MOOG and they will last somewhat longer, i however also believe that Dodge's issues are in the geometry and therfore will always eat front end parts

[Big10gauge]

97 Dodge Cummings, 139,000 miles. Had the tranny rebuilt and several front end parts. I use it mostly for a hunting rig and tow a small cat and tractor with it. I had to put a burner under the engine in -18 deg weather during a hunting trip to get it to start one time. The oil changes are x2 the cost of a gas engine. It looks like hell but runs great, 22 mpg unloaded 14 mpg when towing. Looking to buy another Dodge in a year or two

[buckmaster_wa]

I have 170k miles on my 02' F350. The only thing that I have replaced is the front wheel bearings. I have all the aftermarket goodies ( AFE Stage 2 cold air intake, Edge with juice programmer, Shift kit in tranny, 4'' mbrp exhaust, 6.5'' pro comp lift and 35'' BFGs) with all the goodies I get 20 mpg highway and 15-16mpg in town. I am waiting to see how the 2012 Duramax is gonna turn out and may buy one of them used in about 2015.  

[high country]

cold starting.....I used to carry a generator when hunting, not for the microwave, but for the ford. the dodge and chev start very well at low temps...the ford, not so much.

[engelwood]

I just bought a 2008 Ford F-250 Super Duty, Crew Cab, 4X4, 6.4 Liter, Lariat Short Bed 2 weeks ago and still have a smile on my face. Last weekend I pulled my father in laws 22 foot Custom Weld Jet Sled up to Yale Reservoir, from Carson (up over old man's pass, etc) and I couldn't be happier from a towing perspective. The built in tow package is awesome, just push a button for more brake, etc. The lariat is nice cuz it has the leather which stays clean, power seats, etc as well as the one button fold in/out mirrors as well as extension for pulling trailers. IMO the Ford is the best looking model (obviously since I bought it). Good luck in whatever you buy and post pics so we can see it.

[BLUEBULLS]

why isn't anybody talking about the old 12V cummins

Probably because they were LOUD and only made 160hp. They couldn't pull a greased string out of a cats ass.

Best diesel ever made? Not by a long shot.

we put $400 bucks into one and it spanked all over a 05 24V with 120hp injectors, chip and exhaust. Also truly got 23 with it pulling a 20ft bass boat. that one has 500,000 miles on it now.

The 12 valves are unstoppable and you can double their power in your garage.

I'm calling BS on spanking an '05 that started with 325hp and had injectors,chip,and exhaust.  It would cost you way more than $400 to beat a truck equipped like the '05. Then again,this is the interwebs,where we all know ANYTHING is possible.

you don't have to beleive me, the guy with the 05' didn't either..... at first.

ask the guys at Deisel Performance Unlimited in Pasco. super cheap to add a whole bunch of horsies to a 12V, the most expensive part is finding the right clutch to handle it.

also, the 05' has a new motor now, can't run 7500 RPM's for too long

[Woodchuck]

7500 rpm diesel? 

[Skillet]

I have a '06 F250 4x4 with the 6.0 and auto, 4.10 gears.  Overall, good rig.  Did my research and felt an '06 Ford diesel was ok to take the risk with - seems like the '03 and '04 6.0 Fords were fairly problem ridden. 
My experience to date, over nearly 60,000 miles is-

Warranty work-
High Pressure Oil Rail fittings - replaced at 20,000 or so.  Common problem I've heard; causes hard starting (won't start if they are left to get really bad).

Injector shuttle valve - had one stick intermittantly at about 45000 miles (two days before I left for a 4000 mile round trip in the dead of winter to the upper midwest - interesting conversation at the dealer on that one).

EGR Valve.  Man, that is not a good design on these motors.  Sticking open is common (mine went in twice for the issue - once at 28,000 and once againg when they were trying to figure out what the problem was with the shuttle valve), and they serve no purpose other than to gum up your turbo vanes, IMHO.  At 60,001 miles, mine is being replaced with an EGR delete kit.  I have the kit already...

Power rear window slider just sucks.  On day one, worked great.  On day 10, the electric motor sounded like it was working way too hard and the window would just barely move.  Had them adjust it a couple of times; still sucks, but not as bad.

As far as performance is concerned, empty and on the freeway at 65MPH, I get 19-20 all day long.  Push it to 75, and the 4.10 gears start taking their toll on mileage, though.  Actually wish I had the 3.73's for freeway driving.  Pulling my 3000# boat over the Stevens Pass regularly nets me 15-16 mpg for the trip.  Usually a lot of idling involved in those trips, and I'm happy with those numbers.  When doing heavy towing (10,000# - mini-ex in a dump trailer, or 2+cords of wet wood on my flatbed and in the bed), mileage will drop to 11-12 in town (that and a 7,000 truck is a lot of weight to get rolling) and 13-14 on the highway on average.  I pulled a 24' Glasply from Aberdeen to Spokane a few months back, and only got 13 mpg on that trip.  Lots of windage involved there at freeway speeds, though.

Still on the original set of BFG's (but looking for tires soon), no other issues with the truck.  Overall, it isn't perfect, but I'm happy with it, even though I made a compromise in getting the auto over a manual, which is what I really wanted... I agree with what others have said - they say 325 HP and well over 525 ft/lb of torque - I don't believe it.  I think they de-tuned these things pretty bad when the warranty issues came up in '03 and '04.  But still PLENTY of power for 99% of what I need to do.

[MHWASH]

Well I admit it, I envy you guys with the diesels. But I decided I just can't justify it right now. Basically I would be getting the exact same truck, just with a diesel. The 6.0L gas does fine, I just won't win any pulling races, except to the gas station. 8mpg on a 26 gallon tank don't get ya far.

[jeepasaurusrex]

I average 8mpg more than the same truck with a gas motor. Diesels just have a better power band for towing.