ford versus chevy!

S

seavulture

New member
just wondering wich is the better truck to buy ford f-550 or chev 5500? ive always been a ford guy, but have heard about a few problems just wondering if anybody has any stories about either??both pos or neg got invited to bid on large contract and must have either one with 12 or 14ft box 4x4,its 11 hours a day 28 days a month for 8 months straight and working in extremely remote area (oilfeild work)i am looking for reliability!! any thoughts or comments appreciated steve
 
My neighbor has a Ford F-450, with the 6.0L diesel. That POS breaks down almost monthly, and it is almost always related to the oiling system or injectors.

FWIW, Dodge has entered the HD market now. Although they have introduced a larger displacement version of the venerable Cummins, it's smaller 5.9L counterpart has proven its durability and reliability for about the last 20 years. If I were in your position, I would consider a Dodge 5500 as well, or at least use one as a bargaining tool at the other dealerships.
 
I have had the same experiance with the POS Ford. I now have the Chevy with the Duramax/Allison with 60,000 trouble free miles. You will love this truck, if you go with the 650 ford you can pick and choose your engine and drivetrain.
 
The 6.0 was known for some problems, but for all the people who say that they are a pos, you will find just as many trhat have had no problems. Plenty of people who had issues also had performance mods such as tuners, and also had a lack of maintenance.
The new 6.4 has been really solid since the beginning. There were some tailpipe fires in the early version, but that was a particulate filter problem, not the engine, and has been resolved a long time ago.
I have a F450 with the new 6.4 and have had zero issues in 7 months and 10,000 miles. Nearly 8000 of those miles are while towing my washer and I tend to keep both tanks full on a pretty regular basis.
Starting in 2007, diesels are supposed to run the new 15 ppm "ultra low sulfur" diesel and from folks who I have talked to, not all areas have it. Use of the older "low sulfur" can cause the dpf to clog prematurely and that can lead to break downs.

Super Duty rocks!
 
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hmmm.. Curious, I have a 6.0 and it has never broken down. 70,000 miles at 35k a year and counting. Most of it towing, but not all.
 
For the record, I like Ford trucks. I have witnessed too many problems with the 6.0L, by the people I personally know who own them. I have not heard too many horror stories about the 6.4L, so hopefully Ford has another reliable diesel...one the likes of the 7.3L. Unfortunately, rumor has it, Ford plans to scrap the 6.4L for an in-house built diesel in 2010.(according to Truck Trend, Petersen's Four Wheeler, and other magazines)
 
Actually, for a lass 5 truck for this purpose, I would be tempted to by an international or freightshaker. but that is just me. I did like the f550 I had though. Good running, and tight turning.
 
The problem is that the 6.0 likes to run. So you gotta run it up and blow it out every once in a while to keep things working right. The guys that seem to have the problems either have a chip, or baby them beyond belief. Just my observations.
 
The new to me 03 F250 is a 6.0 with a programmer(lowest setting)Had 71k on the clicker when I bought it in Oct has 82K on it as of today with zero problems.I agree with Scott these engines need to be pushed somewhat to blow out all the trash.
Most of the guys I know that have had problems with their 6.0 engines do a lot of stop and start driving in heavy traffic at low speeds.EGR valve and turbo coking are two of the biggest problems caused by stop and go low speed driving.
 
I happened to see this International driving in Miami Beach. Don't know much about them though, but if your looking for big...this truck looks like a beast.
 

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Scott Stone said:
The problem is that the 6.0 likes to run. So you gotta run it up and blow it out every once in a while to keep things working right. The guys that seem to have the problems either have a chip, or baby them beyond belief. Just my observations.
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I loved my 6.0, dont get me wrong. I ran the piss out of it everyday with a load on. No chip, just exhaust and cold air intake. This beautiful truck left me stranded 3 times in 3 different states, it was always some electrical bullcrap or some sensor, but none the less i was stranded :mad: I also had a oil leak from day one that they tried to fix 3 times but it still leaked oil? If i am spending over $45,000 for a truck, i want it to work!! I had all 3 and my opinion is the Chevy is by far superior to Ford or Dodge, again this is my opinion.My friend runs a tow truck company in N.Y. and he runs fords, they have all been great trucks for him except the 6.0.


I am sure there are thousands of 6.0 out there with no problems, but as the post reads, looking for help in picking out a truck, well i am giving you my reason for choosing Chevy Power!!:D
 

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ford?chevy?

thanx to all who responded!it kills me to say this but chevy it is!!!(being a ford guy with 7 old fords in my boneyard-my hobby is rebuilding old 429 big blocks and stuffing them into broncos!!) after talking to about a dozen or so couriers it seems chevy has fewer problems and after test driving chev 5500 4dr and a topkick also the new dodge,the chevy5500 was the smoothest ride! thanx again steve
 
Ive noticed in large construction sites that the guys with ties drive up in a chevy, the guys with mud on thier boots and thier trucks loaded down drive up in a Ford. Your right, chevy has always the nice plush car like ride......................if I want that Ill buy a car.
 
RMedbery said:
Ive noticed in large construction sites that the guys with ties drive up in a chevy, the guys with mud on thier boots and thier trucks loaded down drive up in a Ford. Your right, chevy has always the nice plush car like ride......................if I want that Ill buy a car.
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Not mine buddy!!
 

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