Hello folks. I have been the proud owner of a 2003 F-250 6.0 for almost 4 years now. I have had the engine removed twice for an oil leak, and pages of warranty repairs that I will not go into. On the way to Colorado a couple of weeks ago, pulling my 12,000 lb 5th wheel, my coolant fan died, engine overheated big time, and my family of 5 sat on Raton Pass (I-25) for 5 hours waiting for the tow truck. Also, my intercooler popped off twice on the way home, but I could fix that myself. Basically, I will either camp with my family next year in a Dodge, or go it alone with my 6.0. So, here I am.
Please help me with my decision, as I meet with the Dodge dealer on Saturday. I only use my truck for towing the 5th wheel. I dive a VW diesel to work and back, and around town. My trailer weighs 12,000 lbs. I am interested in the 3500 Mega Cab Short Box (Short Box, so that I can fit it into my garage.) I am looking for the grey color, with grey color coded bumpers. My questions for you:
Stick Shift vs. 4 speed Automatic Tranny? 3.73 vs. 4.10 rear diff? Install factory approved Jake Brake? Buy now, or wait for the 2007 new engine? (I don't think I want to expirement with unproven engines any more.) Thanks guys. I look forward to being a part of your discussions.
David

 

First off make sure that you can go with the short box and a 5th wheel. It was my understanding that you needed the 8' bed for a 5th wheel.

 

Not a fan of buying cars or new motors right when they first come out....give them a year or 2 to get the bugs out. The Cummins motor coupled with the manual transmission is a powertrain setup that should last you for a million miles, pulling 12,000 lbs or just cruising down the highway. The auto is good too, but personally id stick to the manual. As for the rear end the 3.73 should suffice for you unless you really want the extra ooooph and slighly worse mileage. Then again you mentioned you use it only for towing so mileage shouldnt be a major factor as its going to suck the diesel down reguardless.......in your situation, go with the 4.10's..that way you will get that load going alot easier and quicker. However, there are some cummins owners on here who say to save your money with the 3.73's. So thats ur call. Also i noticed u said u were looking at a 3500....dually??? if not maybe consider a 2500....lighter and cheaper. Jake Brake if you drive in hilly/mountainous area (like ui said colorado) or alot of brakeing...depending on how much it costs. Any way you go here you should have a very reliable, dependable truck that will get the job done for you while running circles around your current F-250.

EDIT: As far as short box for a 5th wheel, i have the 6' (SB) on my 98' and it has a 5th wheel, so you should be good there unless the new ones arent a tru 6'.

 

the auto w3.73's might lug the engine a bit much, but will do the job quite nicely. the 4.10's will only make towing easier, but will hurt unloaded fuel mileage. the 6spd is only available w/3.73's since the final drive of the G56 is so high but it makes for a great towing rig. the 48re auto is much improved over the old auto's dodge used to offer. it is realy only a valve body , input shaft, and torque converter away from handeling anything you can toss at it. I personaly dont know about the longevity of the G56 since it came out in 05.5. I have an 04.5 with the old bulletproof NV5600.

as of 06 you can have the exhaust brake installed on auto's, which makes it VERY nice for those that pull for a living, or only use their trucks for towing.

if you want my $0.02, get rid of that 6.0h-no ASAP. it will only give you more problems as you have seen. I have a bit over 33K on my truck and it has yet to see the dealership for any major work. the only time I took it in was to get the drip edge door seal replaced under warranty work, havent been back since. Get the 06, the 07 price tag will only go up since the new emissions crap will drive the price up.

 

Like I said, I wasn't sure. I just remembered my father saying something about it back when he was buying a truck to tow his 5th wheel. He wound up buying the 8 foot bed to be safe and was obviously fine. I only mentioned it because I remembered there being some discussion about it back then. I'd rather throw it out there and be wrong, then not throw it out there at all.

 

You can do a shortbox if you want to go to a slider hitch.. a few more $$$.. but if you get the Mega cab shortbox it is 247" overall length and the quad cab lwb 3500 (dually) is 249" overall...not much difference...

 

DocDave, I feel your pain! The truck in my sig replaced an '04 6.0L. I had a stack of problems with my Ford as well. I opted for a 6 speed manual because I had problems with the TorqueShi t in my old truck and I like deciding which gear is right for a situation. The 3.73 gears when coupled with the 6 speed is plenty low enough to tow your rig. This truck tows my camper (8500lbs) way better than my Ford did. Hills that would have the old one downshifting I can pull in 6th at 60, 65, or 70 at will, and if someone gets in my way and slows me down, I can accelerate without downshifting. I would try hard to get the 06 because it doesn't have an EGR or a VGT turbo. It is a simple machine that runs great, pulls hard and oil changes and fuel filter changes won't take you to the poor house. I would like to have the exhaust brake and will some day retrofit mine with one. I have heard the same thing about needing a slider hitch for the short bed. So far 4000+ miles I am thrilled with mine. BTW the 2500 truck in my sig is rated by Dodge to tow 12750lbs. So consider the 2500 in your search.

 

Is he talking about a Jacobs exhaust brake? They don't make engine brakes for the cummins now do they?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

That would be the final piece to my dream truck.LOL.

 

I sure appreciate everyone's comments. Yes, the Jacobs brake is now an option installed directly at the Dodge dealer, under warranty. Well, I have some options to consider. My current truck is a short bed, crew Cab Ford, and I can pull the 5th wheel without a slider hitch. My plan was to get another short bed, but with the Mega Cab. Does anyone know if the distance between the rear axle and the cab is less than it is on my Ford? If that is the case, then I would have to get a long bed. I wanted to fit this new Dodge into the garage. My Ford Crew Cab Short Box barely fits in its spot (about 6 inches to spare.) Does anyone know if the MegaCab Short Box is much longer than my Ford? If it is not going to fit in my garage, then I might as well just get the Long Bed and park it outside.
The way you guys talk, I am starting to lean either towards a stick shift, or that 6 speed automatic that is out there. I guess that is called the G56. I hope to pull the 5th wheel, and get maybe 11 or 12 mpg doing it smoothly. My Ford currently only gets 10 mph, maybe. So, basically, the length of the bed, the tranny, and the rear diff are my last decisions to make. Your comments are great.
Dave

 

Join the club brother!

I got rid of my '04 SD a little over a month ago and couldn't be happier. Just the overall fit, finish and attention to details on this truck is what initially impressed me. After driving this Cummins, all I can say is......"What the hell took me so long?" Absolutely awesome.

It's nice to get into a truck that you don't "have" to modify all the stock components jsut to get them to work like they should have from the factory. The LS unit actually works, the power steering is effortless, there is no crazy clunks and rattles, and they didn't skimp on the insulation just to save a buck.

Overall, I've been extremely happy with my decision to get rid of my SD and get the CTD.

And yes, you can get the Jacobs brake on it now. It's a little over $1k for it.

As for the 5th wheel. You don't "need" a slider hitch, but it makes tight manuevers much less worrisome. You have to watch out for the 5th hitting the cab if you don't have a slider. Spend the bucks and get the auto slider and you can do it right from the cab and don't have to get out and adjust, manuever, get out adjust, drive, etc.