Best domestic full-size diesel truck?

Bella PSD

Explorer
:(
slooowr6 said:
Wow, 9000lbs, 65mph, ~18mpg. :drool:
Diesel definetly has it's charm. If the low sulfur diesel can sovled the "smell" problem with diesel, I'll get one in 10 years, I just got the Taco.:ylsmoke:

I never smell it....unless I back up real fast with the windows down!:smiley_drive: In 10 years I HOPE Toyota has a diesel in the USA!!! maybe 09. When I got the Ford, I was close to getting a Taco double cab with the supercharger added....But could not get it in a 5 speed:(
 
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My favorite "domestic" (sold by Freightliner) diesel "pickup": my Unimog U500.
Portal solid axles, diff locks, hydraulics, two low ranges (5.77 and 55.7), central tire inflation, electroautomatic 8 spd, 6.4L inline 6 with 700 ft-lb (without the problems of the recent Powerstrokes), 33,000 lb GVW. It gets 8.7 mpg at 60 mph with a 7.5X16' Unicat camper on the back, total gvw 24-25K. What would a diesel pickup do towing a big 5th wheel trailer, or with a giant Lance camper?
I love the diesel smell. My first diesel was a FJ40 converted to Perkins 4.236 in 1973. My daily driver is a BJ40.

Charlie
 
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OutbacKamper

Supporting Sponsor
jfm_stl said:
Stick a Cummins in a Superduty with an Allison tranny

:iagree: Now that would be the "Best domestic full-size diesel" possible. You can get a Ford with the Cummins engine right now from your local Ford dealer, the catch is they only put them in the biggest F series trucks (F650 and F750 I think?) I have seen several cummins transplants into F350's on other forums. I also remember seeing a Ford Bronco with a Cat diesel in a 4x4 magazine many years ago.

For everyone lusting after a new diesel Jeep Rubicon or Toyota Tundra when they become available, here is something to think about: One major problem with any new diesel vehicle is that the ultra low sulphur diesel fuel they require is not available in many places that you may want to go on expeditions, such as most of Mexico and all of South America for example.


Cheers
Mark
 

805gregg

Adventurer
Currently own 2 3500 Dodges with Cummins diesels, and 1 Ford 350 with 6.9 diesel, it's hard and expensive to keep the Ford running, constantly going through glow plugs and other problems. I've had 9 dodge trucks none have ever broken. My last Dodge a 2000 (sold to a friend) has 190,000 miles no problems.Fords don't hold up, 1 friend put in 3 transmissions and a turbo for a total of $12,000 in 80,000 miles, another put in 3 trans. in 45,000 miles.I'll stick with Dodge and Cummins.
 

zimm

Expedition Leader
805gregg said:
Currently own 2 3500 Dodges with Cummins diesels, and 1 Ford 350 with 6.9 diesel, it's hard and expensive to keep the Ford running, constantly going through glow plugs and other problems. I've had 9 dodge trucks none have ever broken. My last Dodge a 2000 (sold to a friend) has 190,000 miles no problems.Fords don't hold up, 1 friend put in 3 transmissions and a turbo for a total of $12,000 in 80,000 miles, another put in 3 trans. in 45,000 miles.I'll stick with Dodge and Cummins.

what year is the 6.9 ford?
 

zimm

Expedition Leader
slooowr6 said:
Wow, 9000lbs, 65mph, ~18mpg. :drool:
Diesel definetly has it's charm. If the low sulfur diesel can sovled the "smell" problem with diesel, I'll get one in 10 years, I just got the Taco.:ylsmoke:

gee. my stock lx470 is getting 12mpg, for eggs and milk at the store
 

jgolden

Adventurer
charlieaarons said:
My favorite "domestic" (sold by Freightliner) diesel "pickup": my Unimog U500.
Portal solid axles, diff locks, hydraulics, two low ranges (5.77 and 55.7), central tire inflation, electroautomatic 8 spd, 6.4L inline 6 with 700 ft-lb (without the problems of the recent Powerstrokes), 33,000 lb GVW. It gets 8.7 mpg at 60 mph with a 7.5X16' Unicat camper on the back, total gvw 24-25K. What would a diesel pickup do towing a big 5th wheel trailer, or with a giant Lance camper?
I love the diesel smell. My first diesel was a FJ40 converted to Perkins 4.236 in 1973. My daily driver is a BJ40.

Charlie


Can you post photos of your rig?
 
You can see my U500/Unicat at www.unicatamericas.com
Go to "Vehicles" "Amerigo". Go down to the blue Unimog and click once on it, then again. After the written specs (mine has some things the specs don't say) you can click for more pictures.
Going to Baja and then back to Alaska (from Calif.) next week.

Charlie
 

jgolden

Adventurer
I just purchased a 2001 f-450 4x4. Some differences from the f-350 are...
19.5 wheels
dually
bigger brakes
geared lower
I'm pretty sure it has bigger brakes, axles, drivetrian, etc. anyone know???
obviously a larger payload and towing capacity

I've been looking arond at converting it to SRW, but I'm not sold on anything yet. Anyone have suggestions?



parallax_ca said:
is there an opinion (of course there is!!) on the differences between the f350 single rear wheel and f450/f550
thinking of putting a provan tiger on the back to make a pseudo earth raomer at 1/3 cost
what do you gain when you move up into that level of truck (and lose too)
i think you ge manual 4wd shifting (vs electronic, this would be better right?)
is it shift on the fly or not?
beefier frame, and dually (but looks like you can remove one rim with the right rims and spacers as per earthroamer, right??)
does mileage drop severely?? (my 03 f250 dsl crew cab short box diesel 4wd is in the mid 20s (imperial))

i woudl consdier the gm line but still concerned aobut the long term costs of injectros at 1k a pop (vs 80pop in the fords) and the dodge crew cab is more of an extended cab with forward doors and love the mega cab but need a long box for the provan so no cummins in sight)

any thoughts, comments, please reply to me at
parallax@vianet.on.ca
as well as i am on dialup
thanks
gord in ontario canada
 

jgolden

Adventurer
Nice!!!


charlieaarons said:
You can see my U500/Unicat at www.unicatamericas.com
Go to "Vehicles" "Amerigo". Go down to the blue Unimog and click once on it, then again. After the written specs (mine has some things the specs don't say) you can click for more pictures.
Going to Baja and then back to Alaska (from Calif.) next week.

Charlie
 

Rhode Trip

Adventurer
parallax_ca said:
thinking of putting a provan tiger on the back to make a pseudo earth raomer at 1/3 cost
gord in ontario canada
You're going to need to be concerned with chassis flex with the Provan setup, especially with a long bed. The Earthroamer is based on a truck camper design, so there is more allowance for flex with the cabin separate from the cab.
 

Rhode Trip

Adventurer
parallax_ca said:
well to be honest, i don;t expect to do SERIOUS offroading
how "attached" is the tiger to the cab >> looks like it is just "sitting" on it but the net literature does mention ridged connection cab to coach mounting


the earthroamer DOES ave a gap over the cab

both have a walk through, so there is SOME connection, but i guess the ER allows it to "swing" a bit since 3 point mount

i am considering buying a used tiger and flipping the coach onto another chassis so i "could" emulate the 3 point (2 fixed at front, 1 pivot at back) of the ER (a chap on supercamper.com did this on a toyota, but no walk thru)

as i am in canada, i cannot buy one completed in any case (there is a federal registration system for vehicles 15 yrs and newer that lists who is admissable and who is not, and neither Provan nor Earthroamer is on the list). However, i can take my Canadian spec truck to them and have it modified no issues, what a system!

thanks for the replies, not meaning to hijack the thread since it is about trucsk not the coach on the back >> you can email me direct if you want

thanks for any and all replies as i AM new to the "expedition" rv scene (never was a A,B or C class type of RVer >> you go somewhere to get OUTSIDE your RV not to stay in it like a hotel room

Gord

Hi Gord,
I actually have looked into this a little bit. I was never an Rver either, and then I came across the ER and thought I'd like a cushy base camp like that! I'm cheap, though, so I started looking into options. The Earthroamer doesn't have a "walkthrough" connection, more of a climb-through. It has a flexible rubber bellows to allow for movement between the cab and the cabin. The Provan is rigid ( I think ridged is a typo) there's no allowance for flex with that design.
Even with my set-up there is a surprising amount of movement between the truck cab and the camper, and with a long bed dually, I don't do any serious offroading. But even with the beach and forest road travel that I do, there are numerous instances where you need that flexibility. I think Doug Harkney has some photos of a Bigfoot class c to illustrate the problem of a hard mounted cabin. I think thats why the design of the supercamper doesn't have a cab connection either, or that just a plain pickup bed is separately mounted from the cab.
 

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