Wtb - Hd Pu
 

Prefer dually or 1 ton single axle, would consider HD 3/4 ton. Prefer deisel, would consider big block. Brand preference in order- Dodge cummins, Ford 7.3 Powerstroke, Chev/GMC. 4 doors are a plus. Looking for something around 1998-2003 as I would like to keep the price around $10,000-15,000. Thanks!:)

Whacha pullin?

Enclosed trailer. I have a 1/2 ton and it's maxed.

Well, here is my suggestion, and it's going to be vague.

I have driven Jack's Dodge dually with the Cummins, and it can pull a house down. You've seen the size of his trailer and everything that gets loaded into it. The truck does a nice job, and can keep the speed up on most hills, just not the real big ones.
Bob Vautrain has a nice Chevy with the Duramax. I have also driven that. I had my small trailer on it, and you couldn't tell that it was there. That thing is a power house, and Bob had the tune only on the first setting I believe.
That truck will also pull down a house.
Ford?? Don't know

Me? Well, I bought an older GMC that has the 6.5 diesel. The 6.5 diesel is the underdog of the diesel world. It has the same hp rating as my 5.7 gasser, and not much more torque. When I got it, it couldn't pull down a shed. It had a problem with the vacuum pump that operates the wastegate. Fixed that, and now I am confident that I can pull a shed down. These are under powered compared to the other brands, but with a little finesse and some upgrades, you are supposed to be able to get them up to the hp/tq numbers of a stock Duramax. I like mine, and with the minor upgrades I've done it does well with my 28' enclosed with my car and some stuff. It's not fully loaded, but I know the truck can take more, and there are more upgrades I can do. The best part of the 6.5 powered trucks, is that they are underpowered underdogs, which means you can get them for a decent price and even with the upgrades, you are still doing good price wise compared to the others. You just can't pop in a programmer and get another couple hundred hp/tq like the others though. Unfortunately.
One other thing. My mileage isn't any where near what Jack and Bob can get from theirs. Although, a new set of injectors will probably fix it, but thought I'd throw in that little tidbit.

So, it depends on how much you want to spend, and how much you are going to use it. If I had to do it again, I'd probably find another 6.5. The DMax is real nice, but you pay for it. Alot. The Dodges are powerful too, and are cheaper than the DMax.

Well, that is all I have.
Anyone else??????????

I agree with everything you said Brian. It seems to me the Dodges are more affordable, and are more or less good out of the box (with out mods). I have always been a GM man, but Dodge makes more sense. The only downside is that I will take alot of ribbing for having a Dodge in my driveway! If it weren't for the Cummins, I wouldn't even consider it. Meanwhile, if a good deal crosses my path, I'll consider any other brand.

Oh yeah, if you aren't plowing with it also, or pulling through mud, then I wouldn't get 4wd. It is just extra weight that you don't need. (Hurts mpg) But, if you get a dually, remember that the 2wd ones aren't that good in the snow even with studded snows....or so I hear. Mine had studded snows when I bought it. I pulled them, stuffed them in the shed, and parked the dually when the salt hit the roads. I'll take it out after the snow is gone and a couple of rains hit wash the salt from the roads. (My truck is from Florida, except for the last history entry..Maine. I'm going to keep the bottom rot free if I can.)
Another thing, find out what the rear gears are. The 6.5 3500 duallys all have 4.11, but the 2500s have 3.73. Makes a difference on the highway.
The Dmaxes have 3.73s I think, even the duallys. Don't know on the other brands.
I took a peek at eBay, and they didn't seem to list too many diesels, but there are a lot of them listed on RacingJunk.

Oh, and as for the BB gasser motors, I think they can pull the weight, but I think you will be paying for it at the pump. Diesel costs about a buck more a gallon, so it will probably even out, but the diesels will probably last longer.

Thanks for all your help. This is the kind of feedback I've been wanting. I've thought alot about gas vs. deisel--- Gas trucks are by far cheaper to purchase, and the fuel is cheaper so it probably more than offsets the better milage of a deisel. On the other hand, like you mentioned, the deisel (motor) will oulast the gas 3 times over but has higher maintnance cost. Than there is the MANLY factor with the sound of the DEISEL!!!

Zero maintenance on the Diesel.... no plugs, wires, pcv, etc..... just drive it....!!!:)

Brian, I am very happy with my Ford Powerstroke diesel pickup...It has plenty of trailer pulling power (for me at least...;)) ...This is my 2nd. Ford diesel truck and I wouldn't get anything else!

Claude. :)

Claude, are your trucks 7.3's?