# New truck question



## caz41 (Nov 29, 2004)

I was planning on buying a new dodge 3/4 ton with the cummins this fall, but now with the deal on the GM trucks it almost seems like that would be a better way to go to save around $10K. I want a diesel so I would have to go with the Dur./Alls combo. Do you guys think the Chevy is as heavy duty for a working truck as the Dodge is? Thanx.


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## Chevytruck85 (Nov 22, 2004)

Go with the chevy


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## sam973 (Jan 20, 2004)

I'm in the same boat as you. The Dodge has a 5200 pound front end and Chevy has a 4800 pound front end. The other thing I just don't like is how low the front ends are on the Chevy trucks. I see myself getting hung up when I have to push snow back over curbs. I'm looking more toward Dodge and possibly Ford. Test drove an 05 Cummins today and it was quiet and had tons of power.


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## karl klein (Jan 28, 2001)

i would say the Chevy would work great you can get a one ton single rear wheel if you want for the added weight. the front ends are a Little lighter than dodge but out the rear you can;t beat the Allison and duramax in my book. all you need on the front is some timbrens and a couple turns on the bars.


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## Jto89 (Apr 7, 2005)

go with the chevy.


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## LwnmwrMan22 (Jan 20, 2005)

I just went through this today.

Here's what I came up with.

I bought a Dodge 2500, Cummins.

Here are the reasons why.

1. Dodge has the heavier front axle, plus you can get snow plow prep on the truck, even with the diesel engine.

2. Chevy / GMC will not warranty the truck if you put a plow on a truck with no snow plow prep, which you cannot get with the Duramax / Allison combo, therefore no warranty.

3. Chevy / GMC WILL warranty the truck if you get ahold of the district rep, convince them that the only reason you'll buy a Dodge over a Chevy / GMC is because of the lack of warranty. They will only warranty the truck for the original 36k warranty.

4. Dodge has a 70k warranty on the drivetrain, not just a 36k.

5. Dodge has more torque that the GM product, if you get the new 610 HO Diesel.

6. My dodge, an SLT, which would be "comparable" to a GMC Sierra SLE, listed for $41,520. The Sierra that I was looking at listed at $43,780.

7. I bought the Dodge for $31,250, with a trade difference of $11,500 and my 2002 Dodge 3/4.

8. The GMC dealer wanted $15,000 and my truck.

If you buy enough vehicles, or find the right dealer, you can get that $10k taken off of any vehicle.

Remember, GMC isn't going to be selling vehicles at a loss, they're still going to be making money.


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## sixspeed (Oct 22, 2004)

Hi caz41 - Hate to use the "F" word but did you check out Fords? The Cummins is awesome (always has been) as is the Dodge solid front axle but the GM is really not that bad of a truck - even with the weaker IFS front axle and the crappy GM warranty the rest of the truck is as heavy duty as Dodge or Ford... Nevertheless you owe it to yourself to check them all out since they all have good and bad. Drive all 3 as much as you can before making up your mind!


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## Turfmower (Dec 20, 2003)

LwnmwrMan22 said:


> I just went through this today.
> 
> Here's what I came up with.
> 
> ...


HUH
I have plow prep on my GMC Duramax/Alison
I had the deal in stall the plow to get in in the 0% financing too and the upfit credit for the because it a commercial truck $ 38,000 for Diesel auto 4x4 2 yard mason dump 8 1/2 foot western Pro plow


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## Turfmower (Dec 20, 2003)

sixspeed did Ford get their trans fixed yet. I remember reading here people having a problem with the torque shift trans. If I was to buy one in off the lot I make sure it had the up dates done to the transmission.


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## sam973 (Jan 20, 2004)

I have a F 550 with the 5 speed auto. The truck is on it third recall already. The first was a software problem with the PTO, the second was for the sprag pin replacement( It would shoot through the trans pan while going from drive to reverse), and now the third one i was just told about today is for a Wire Harness that has a bad connection that has caused some trucks to shut off while driving. I have yet to have the shut off problem and hopefully wont before it goes in for the recall. I do think I have a bad injector though because the truck smells like its running very rich. If Ford wasn't staying on top of these issues I would not be considering another, but so far they have fixed everything thats gone wrong. It is become annoying having to make all these trips in to the dealer though.


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## sixspeed (Oct 22, 2004)

Dunno if Ford 's got it's shift together with those Torqshift problems  
IMHO time is the cure-all for bugs and problems and GM has had more time to work out bugs with the Allison than Chrysler or Ford with their 5 speed autos... 

IMHO, with all honesty they all have had problems and some black holes in their past. All 3 have had diesel reliability and trans problems and none shines more than the other in this respect. 

There is something to be said for a 70000 mile warranty though. I guess one could argue if it's 70k of problems the length of the warranty might not matter.


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## LwnmwrMan22 (Jan 20, 2005)

Turfmower said:


> HUH
> I have plow prep on my GMC Duramax/Alison
> I had the deal in stall the plow to get in in the 0% financing too and the upfit credit for the because it a commercial truck $ 38,000 for Diesel auto 4x4 2 yard mason dump 8 1/2 foot western Pro plow


One thing about getting the snowplow prep.

They won't put it on a crew cab, at least not new, 2005, but they will put it on a regular cab.

Is your dump a regular cab?? Or crew?

Here is the window sticker out of the GMC I was looking at buying....
http://www.gmc.com/ws/nvlWindowStic...BDtest&driveD=TBDtest&GMS=junebug&isGMFF=true

Here is the window sticker out of the Dodge I did buy....
http://www.forestlake.fivestardeale...ntory-results.cgi&postalcode=55082&rid=u&dc=1

You'll have to search for the 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 "white" color at the top.

Mine was one of the bottom 2 for $41,520.

I couldn't figure out how to send the link from the window sticker right to the screen.


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## William B. (Jul 22, 2004)

GM won't put the plow prep on trucks that are C/C with the Diesel. They figure you are going to plow with 5 grown adults in the cab and that it will overload the front axle rating. Extened cabs and regual cabs are avalible with the plow prep package.

William


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## ratlover (May 5, 2003)

Chevy has less of a weight rating up front but still is plenty. The duramax also isnt as heavy IIRC. Fisher said I could stick a 9.5' v plow up front(witch is what I run) and with the proper ballast it carys it fine. I also have the plow prep on my truck. 

The only "bugs" the allison had is the NSBU switch. Its well known. Its an easy switch to replace that can be done on your back in a parking lot if need be. 

I'm not to concerned about what company has the most HP or torque for a given year. Its a marketing ploy. Next year Chevy or Ford will have the highest by 5 or 10 and then it will change again. You wont feel 5 HP but if your a power freak the duramax will make 450-500 hp with just a chip. Stock everything else.

Lotsa people dog Chevys "weak IFS" I have 48k on my 03 Chevy and am on all the factory front end parts. Someone better tell my truck its weak since I cary said 9.5' V blade just fine and also drag race it(launch in 4x4 and leave it in for the 1/4 mile) and cut mid to high 1.6's 60' times and run 12 flats on Nitrous (hope to break into the 11's next time at the track  )


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## caz41 (Nov 29, 2004)

lawn22, I don't know if you are just interpreting the dealer wrong or what, but I have talked with three seperate Chevy deals this week about the warranty issue. I was informed the exact same by all three; they stated that if the truck that you have does not have the plow prep package then certain items may not be covered by the warranty. Those items being something that must be damaged or faulty in direct relation to the snowplow being on the truck. They also said that it is based on a case by case basis and must be deemed to be directly related to the plow. So who ever told you that you needed to contact a district rep. and tell them you are buying a dodge if they don't warranty your truck is blowing smoke somewhere you don't want them to :crying: 

Also convincing a dealer to knock $10k off the list price of new truck is a feat that I surely cannot accomplish, nor could many here I suspect.


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## lawnandplow42 (Mar 22, 2005)

ratlover said:


> Chevy has less of a weight rating up front but still is plenty. The duramax also isnt as heavy IIRC. Fisher said I could stick a 9.5' v plow up front(witch is what I run) and with the proper ballast it carys it fine. I also have the plow prep on my truck.
> 
> The only "bugs" the allison had is the NSBU switch. Its well known. Its an easy switch to replace that can be done on your back in a parking lot if need be.
> 
> ...


i like your attitude ratlover GO CHEVYYYY


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## LwnmwrMan22 (Jan 20, 2005)

caz41 said:


> lawn22, I don't know if you are just interpreting the dealer wrong or what, but I have talked with three seperate Chevy deals this week about the warranty issue. I was informed the exact same by all three; they stated that if the truck that you have does not have the plow prep package then certain items may not be covered by the warranty. Those items being something that must be damaged or faulty in direct relation to the snowplow being on the truck. They also said that it is based on a case by case basis and must be deemed to be directly related to the plow. So who ever told you that you needed to contact a district rep. and tell them you are buying a dodge if they don't warranty your truck is blowing smoke somewhere you don't want them to :crying:
> 
> Also convincing a dealer to knock $10k off the list price of new truck is a feat that I surely cannot accomplish, nor could many here I suspect.


caz -

The (2) dealers I deal with that sell GM parts, one flat out said no way that I could even get any warranty to cover the truck if I put a plow on without the plowprep, because it would cause me to be overweight for Fed. guidelines.

The second dealer, the one I mow, finally got the district rep to say they would warranty everything on the truck, including the front end if I put a plow on the truck. Again, a case by case deal.

Next time you're in Forest Lake area, and looking to buy a Dodge, I'll hook you up and get $10k knocked off a new Dodge for you. I deal with the dealership manager, gotta get around those salesmen. Basically on my deal, they make the $100 that Dodge sends back to them if they make the quota for the month. After that it's just another vehicle that they can say they sold xxxx # of vehicles for the month.


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## caz41 (Nov 29, 2004)

That's crazy that the dealers could be so much differend even though we really aren't that far apart. Two of the dealers I talked to were in the Duluth area and the other was on the Range. Still haven't decided what I'm going to do yet, so I still may take you up on the offer about the Dodge. Thanx.


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

something else missed- the Cummins has a 100K mile engine warranty on Dodges, no one else does. 70K is on the trans itself.


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## sam973 (Jan 20, 2004)

Ratlover, I'm not trying to down your truck here, but your running a plow that is almost 1,000 pounds complete. With a front axle limit of 4800 pounds, that means you should have an empty weight of less than 3800 pounds( due to the plows center of gravity being several feet away from the center of the axle). There is no way you are within that limit. It may be working out for now, but the question is for how long? All of your front end parts, including brakes are going to be much more likely for early failure. Any dealer who is aware of the actual weights you are running would deny you warranty on all of those components (unless by some chance your friends with the service manager). All of those issues are in addition to the fact that you are driving around ILLEGAL. If you get in an accident with that set up you could really find yourself up a creak. We all drive around overloaded from time to time, but you have to realize your operating beyond the trucks set limits and the responsibility of anything that comes from that is 100% yours. I have overloaded many trucks, but I would not go recommending some else go and do the same since I felt it worked out ok. Just because it may appear to handle it does not make ok or safe.


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## LwnmwrMan22 (Jan 20, 2005)

sam973 said:


> Ratlover, I'm not trying to down your truck here, but your running a plow that is almost 1,000 pounds complete. With a front axle limit of 4800 pounds, that means you should have an empty weight of less than 3800 pounds( due to the plows center of gravity being several feet away from the center of the axle). There is no way you are within that limit. It may be working out for now, but the question is for how long? All of your front end parts, including brakes are going to be much more likely for early failure. Any dealer who is aware of the actual weights you are running would deny you warranty on all of those components (unless by some chance your friends with the service manager). All of those issues are in addition to the fact that you are driving around ILLEGAL. If you get in an accident with that set up you could really find yourself up a creak. *We all drive around overloaded from time to time, but you have to realize your operating beyond the trucks set limits and the responsibility of anything that comes from that is 100% yours*. I have overloaded many trucks, but I would not go recommending some else go and do the same since I felt it worked out ok. Just because it may appear to handle it does not make ok or safe.


That's the reason the second dealer said they wouldn't warranty the truck.


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## Frozen001 (Oct 20, 2004)

sam973 said:


> Ratlover, I'm not trying to down your truck here, but your running a plow that is almost 1,000 pounds complete. With a front axle limit of 4800 pounds, that means you should have an empty weight of less than 3800 pounds( due to the plows center of gravity being several feet away from the center of the axle). There is no way you are within that limit. It may be working out for now, but the question is for how long? All of your front end parts, including brakes are going to be much more likely for early failure. Any dealer who is aware of the actual weights you are running would deny you warranty on all of those components (unless by some chance your friends with the service manager). All of those issues are in addition to the fact that you are driving around ILLEGAL. If you get in an accident with that set up you could really find yourself up a creak. We all drive around overloaded from time to time, but you have to realize your operating beyond the trucks set limits and the responsibility of anything that comes from that is 100% yours. I have overloaded many trucks, but I would not go recommending some else go and do the same since I felt it worked out ok. Just because it may appear to handle it does not make ok or safe.


Notice that Ratlover stated that he uses the PROPER ballast. This will take some of the weight off the front end. So he might be close to the front axle rating, but with the ballast he will be further away that you think...


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## JRKRACE (Feb 5, 2004)

I did this awhle back.....Although my dealer said it was "OK" to put a plow on a non prepped truck, Fisher said "NO WAY". Sure I COULD have done it but if something happens, I'm sure the dealer would walk away and leave me with my ****in my hands. It just boggles my mind why GM can't beef up the front ends to handle a plow on a crew when Dodge and Ford have. I had to get the gas engine in order to get a plow legally put on with the GMC, but next time it may be a different brand. I'm a GMC man at heart, but enough is enough......


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## Frozen001 (Oct 20, 2004)

I have a feeling that GM will have to beef up there front ends...much like the HP wars that go on... one up the bar and the others will leapfrog ahead...


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## ratlover (May 5, 2003)

I talked with fisher and they said I could run it with proper ballast. I have moved my blade around the lot when I had the ballast out and it would be bad juju to run it without the ballast. No ballast I would say its unsafe and an accident waiting to happen.

Also, with my ballast, my plow, and my truck weight I have about 200#'s to spare withing my 9200# GVRW. 

Bottom line is dealer or whom ever has to prove that what you did or didnt do caused the problem. The "plow pre" on a duramax really adds nothing other than a switch for a blinky light. If you are under the FAWR and have a problem I would like to see Chevy argue what you possibly could have done. 

IIRC all diesels have a 100k on the motor....I know Chevy does anyway. The 36 or 70 or what ever is for the rest of the truck. Oh and BTW the NSBU switch is covered for 100k since its considered an emmision item.

I think mid 1.60 60' times on N2O is harder on front end parts than even my plowing  Has been fine for 48k  Its fun to eat F bodys on N2O and slicks up outa the hole and to the end of the track in a big diesel PU truck


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## ratlover (May 5, 2003)

Oh....and for the record. At the time Fisher said I couldnt put a 9.5' er on a dodge or a ford with a diesel but I could on a chevy IIRC  Must be those darn aluminum heads that are going to melt off and blow gaskets left and right


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## sam973 (Jan 20, 2004)

Looking at Fisher's website they don't allow you to spec out a 2500HD or 3500 diesel with either V plow. This tells me they either made a mistake back when your truck was setup, or have since had issues with that application. I'm shopping around for trucks right now myself so I have been figuring out what plows can be run on what trucks. 
Just a quick note on proper ballast. A 1000 pound plow hanging 6-8 feet of the center of the axle has more like a 1500 pound load on the axle due to the distance of the load from the axle. If you wanted to reduce the load on the front by *HALF* you would have to run an equal load at an equal distance from the rear axle. In other words, you would have to have 1000 pounds hanging 6-8 feet off of the rear axle. I have never seen a truck set up like that. Most people run weight over or just behind the axle in the bed. This is helpful, but does not reduce the weight nearly as much as you might think. The plow acts like a lever since it hangs so far off the truck. Think of how you use a long bar to move a heavy rock, its the same principle. 
I'm not saying Ratlover isn't running enough, or proper ballast, but it would have to be an impressive set up to keep the front end at its rating. Remember that looking ok and driving ok don't always add up to are ok.


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## JohnnyU (Nov 21, 2002)

sam973 said:


> Just a quick note on proper ballast. A 1000 pound plow hanging 6-8 feet of the center of the axle has more like a 1500 pound load on the axle due to the distance of the load from the axle.


Thats incorrect. The vertical load is still 1000#, no matter where you put it, the force vector points straight down. Now the moment about the front axle created by this weight would be different. Since the center of the weight will be about 36" from the mount, which is about 24" from center of the axle, you have 1000# * 5', which equals 5000lb-ft. That's what the ballast is for. If the Ballast is only 10' from the front axle, you would only need 500# to even out that moment. Since the blade loads up with snow, and the rear axle carries some of this load, you need to run more ballast. I typically run about 1000# of ballast, plus salt, spreader and tools/equipment.

Oh, BTW, you aren't supposed to run a snowplow at all on a half ton, and I've been doing it for 5 years.... You can't always beleive everything you hear.....


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## sam973 (Jan 20, 2004)

I understand they you may be able to run a plow, but we were talking about warranty issues, and the potential for legal issues if in an accident or caught by the scales(yes plow trucks do get weighed sometimes, many police departments now have portable scales). 

The ballast issue was explained to me differently by the plow dealer, and it still makes sense to me. From the sounds of what you wrote before it would seem like you are thinking of the truck as a sea-saw with only two levers and one pivot point. However the truck has 4 levers and two pivot points( 2 levers to each axle). Its more like 2 sea-saws that are connected, and aren't anchored to the ground. The levers on the front axle are:
1. everything from the center of the axle forward.
2. from the center of the axle back to the point that equals the applied force of the front lever on the axle. Thus the length of the lever can very as the weight changes on the front lever.

The levers on the rear axle are:
1. from the end of the fronts back lever to the center of the rear axle. The front's back lever and the rear's front lever are connected by the frame. This lever also verys in length as the outer weights change
2. from the center of the rear axle to the end of the truck.
The number I used in the previous posts were not intended to be spot on. They were to show the lever effects on the truck. The point is that chances are you are not cutting as much weight as you might think off of the front because your not putting the weight far enough out from the axle. It is possible to add to the rear axle weight without reducing the front if the weight is not behind the axle. If your not concerned about warranty and legal issues though, feel free to run whatever you think is safe. Its your truck.


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## Frozen001 (Oct 20, 2004)

sam973 said:


> Looking at Fisher's website they don't allow you to spec out a 2500HD or 3500 diesel with either V plow. This tells me they either made a mistake back when your truck was setup, or have since had issues with that application. I'm shopping around for trucks right now myself so I have been figuring out what plows can be run on what trucks.


If you look at prior years like 2002+ Fisher specs out up to a 9.5' v plow for regular cab diesels... now the front ends have not changed on these trucks (as far as know)... That and with my 700+lbs straight blade my truck drops like 1/2" so ~180lbs more for the 9.5' vee blade does not seem unreasonable even with the diesel...


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

Snowybowtie said:


> Thats incorrect. The vertical load is still 1000#, no matter where you put it, the force vector points straight down. Now the moment about the front axle created by this weight would be different. Since the center of the weight will be about 36" from the mount, which is about 24" from center of the axle, you have 1000# * 5', which equals 5000lb-ft. That's what the ballast is for. If the Ballast is only 10' from the front axle, you would only need 500# to even out that moment. Since the blade loads up with snow, and the rear axle carries some of this load, you need to run more ballast. I typically run about 1000# of ballast, plus salt, spreader and tools/equipment.
> 
> Oh, BTW, you aren't supposed to run a snowplow at all on a half ton, and I've been doing it for 5 years.... You can't always beleive everything you hear.....


it's symantics, but you're closer to the truith, just not 100%.
The moment and the static are identical for the situation, the weight of the blade 36" out from the frame is acting rotationally (moment) reguardless of the trucks motion- now multiply that by a bump when the trucks moving and the forces go up exponentially from accelerational forces) The force vector will be different because the blade is cantilevered causing rotational force changing the force vector.

Ballast MUST be BEHIND the rear axle, and can never be in front of it. Remember you have a two axle rotational model, not a single axle. You're example figures for a single axes only- adding weight behind the fulcrum will reduce the moment, but not the static because it woll reduce the tortional force of the blade- however the weight (full weight) of the blade is still on the front axle and you have now the added weight of the ballast sitting on the front axel- so you have worsened the situation not improved it.

In order to reduce the weight on the front axle the ballast weight must be behind the rar axle useing the rear axle as the fulcrum against the entire front of the truck. Force times length means 100lbs time 3feet from the rear axle (Dodge says within 10 inches of the tailgate) equals 300 ft lbs of balast weight, now the blade (ignoring the weight of the truck itself) is1000 Lbs at (guessing)9 feet from the rear axle creating 9000Ft Lbs. Simple subtraction follows and we have to add about 400 lbs of ballast at the tailgate to reduce the 1000 lbs plow weight back to where it should be.

Now remember adding a 100lbs cutting edge adds 300 ft lbs to the front, adding 80 lbs wings....30 lbs snow foil....

Make a scale model- a board on 2 scales (bathroom scales will work), measure the fulcrums and add weight to the from (plow) a scale 3 feet from the front end and check the weight effect the ballast has in front of the rear fulcrum and behind the rear fulcrum.


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## ratlover (May 5, 2003)

I remember all my classes about simple machines back from grade school. Screw, the science lessons. I have ran this blade effectivly and have done things that would make the GM designers wet thier pants and my truck has preformed flawlessly. Bet the GM guys would freak out if I told them I have pulled the left front durring a 4x4 launch  Have you weighed a 03 reg cab with a 9.5' v and proper ballast??? Do you know what the front and rear axel come out to??? I HAVE. If I showed you a picture of my sticker showing the FAWR and GVW and a pic of the CAT scale ticket would that be ok for you??? When I bought my truck in 03 Fisher said I could run the blade I run. Simple fact. A side note that the front ends have not changed. If you are under the FAWR what are they going to tell you??? 

Never mind.....What I'm doing is definatly illegal, over the capabilities both listed and actual of the truck and I'm going to burn in hell.....


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

Easy Ratlover- I wasn't aiming at you. I just wanted to make sure it was clearly stated that ballast has to be in the correct place to be effective.

I am going to weigh out my Ram with and without ballast this summer as soon as my DOT friend has some time to scale it for me. I've done some stuff with this Ram that surprised quite a few people- especially towing a stuck city truck up a hill out of the gully in a blizzard with 16" on the road. Bigger trucks are usually designed with safety factors in the ratings, the smaller the capacity of the truck the less the safety factor.

This whole discussion, remember, started over someone _trolling_ about plowing with a 1/2 ton Quad cab......


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## Yaz (Apr 13, 2005)

There’s a lot of bull with factory specs, safety and liabilities. GM and plow manufactures lawyers are just protecting their buts. How many people can say they have always plowed with the proper ballast. I can say I have not for 10 years. How about never running ballast ever in a ½ ton Yukon, ext pickup both to over 75K. They are both running perfect! Fisher said it was OK to have a plow, GM didn’t. I never had any problems ever. I could find hundreds of people out there doing the same that never had a problem (so does that make it OK?) but you bet for every guy that breaks something first thing they say “ it must have been because it plowed snow with out a plow prep” that’s bull. O I also towed a boat and trailer that weighed over 9000 pounds with 373s. no problems ever! You might think I’m crazy but think of this. You axle tow capacity is rated forever. That’s even when the truck is old and beet. I would rather have towed with my newer truck that I know with good breaks tires and maintained well that a U-Haul beat piece of crap that has a higher rating. What do you think is safer? LOL 
OK so I’m off the plowing thing…Fisher told me the rating recommendation is 62% of the max front GVAW. Who came up with 62% the government. They tell us 55 MPH is the safest speed. Well heck just drive that fast and see how fast you get run off the road! I agree with rat lover…. Push it a little, have fun and grow some nuts!


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## ratlover (May 5, 2003)

No worries  

I like CAT scales, they have it set up to weigh different axels, It will list whats on your front axel, rear and combined. Unless your DOT budy is easy to get at then that would be free. The truck stop only dings me for a few bucks when I weigh not the full amount since I'm not a "big rig" duno why but I aint complaining.


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

Yeah, he's a bit tough to get at schedualing wise because he's MA state police DOT so he carries the portible scales all the time- I want to weigh her empty with the blade, loaded with the blade, and loaded with ballast and the blade (I run with varying amounts of ballast because the ballast is my working sand/salt mix). I don't think the truck stop would be too pleased with me taking up the scale or parking lot for an hour loading and unloading 1000lbs of sand/salt bags in their parking lot near the scale...  They'd think I was some kind of  . If all esle fails I'll look for a Cat scale tho- didn't know they did wheel weights. 

Yaz- you forgot something- the Govt tells us 55 is the most economical speed too, it's more that than safety. All vehicles get better milage and produce less emissions at 55 mph than 65mph. The 55 speed limit was introduced in the 1970's gas crunch. I expect it to return shortly with the gas prices what they are and these analysts claiming gas to be at $3.00 per gallon in a year.


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## Yaz (Apr 13, 2005)

Just me... I really hope the analysts are wrong about the fuel prices. We all do! 

It's funny every time mopar comes out with a hemi or all manufactures in general produce cars with more HP, the speed limit goes down! 

V8 cars and SUV's will be selling cheap.


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## ratlover (May 5, 2003)

A CAT wont do side to side but they have(or the ones I have seen) have tha ability to do axels. Just dont park yourself all on one platform.


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## sixspeed (Oct 22, 2004)

A buddy was doing some work up in Long Island (in the Hamptons) and diesel was $2.93 a gallon up there last week!  

Any of you diesel guys think about tranny tweaks to increase fuel mileage??? Never owned a diesel but came real close - I hear that with a diesel fuel consumption is really much more RPM dependent than a gasser so things such as lower shift points and more tranny gears/higher rear gears(lower numerically) lower RPM's can really help mileage... 

Any truth in that????


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

yes, there's alot of truith to that, however automatic transmissions depend on oil pressure to function properly and for the clutched and bands to engage properly. Dropping the engine rpm is a drop in the input speed which creates a low pressure issue for alot of setups- low pressure causes slipping. The pressure can only be boosted so pmuch before there are other problems like risking blowing a seal when hauling a load and your foot on the pedal. An auxilary OD unit is a reasonable (if expensive) solution, but not a complete one.

I'm more looking at alternative fuels- making biodiesel or running SVO.


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## sixspeed (Oct 22, 2004)

Alternative fuels absolutely looks like the right direction!! Screw them and their oil... All of them!!! 

I see aftermarket 3 speed transfer cases now! Cool! 

I'd probably still have my 96 2500HD if I'd have got the Cummins!


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