plow truck with double cab recommendations?

[robr]

I know zero about trucks, and the more I look, the more I realize I don't know. I'm looking at replacing my wife's SUV and if you recall my post about the insane driveway, I'm looking for something that will handle a plow. I liked the Ridgeline but it appears that's not up to the task.

So I'm looking at leasetrader.com for:
- Pickup with
- 4WD
- ABS
- Can plow
- Double cab (to fit two baby seats, rear and front facing - from my reading, crew cabs may be too small for this)
- Possibly diesel for fuel cost considerations

 

[KooLaid]

hands down, the MOST RELIABLE trouble free diesel would be the Dodge Cummins I-6. Followed by the Chevy duramax built by... mitsubishi I believe, then lastly the Ford Powerstroke. This is all consumer reports stuff though. Cummins has had ZERO recalls/TSBs in the last few years, followed by chevy w/ 40 TSBs, numbers are off the top of my head, then the ford w/ HIGH TSBs, and lots and lots of recalls.

I was a big powerstroke fan till I read that and started listening around to more people's experiences w/ the ford. Seems there is alot of bugs to be worked out still and lots of big problems. I was never a dodge fan but this made me look their way more in terms of diesel trucks.

The chevy will give a better ride, but the ford and dodge will have a better load capacity upfront, due to the solid front axle. The chevy has IFS. The plow shouldn't affect either one very much though because of it's relative low weight.

Cab comfort, I'm 5'7" and the back crew cab of the chevy was much more comfortable to me than the ford. I even rode in the backseat w/ a date to go wine tasting in sonoma. That was a 3 hour drive. We were comfortable. The short jaunt in the Ford to the lake w/ the boat kinda sucked. Wasn't too bad, but it sucked in comparison. Now the mid 90's ford dually crew cab was pretty damn nice. As for Dodge, haven't rode in one that I remember yet. All I know is, that Dodge Mega Cab is WAY roomy, but not sure if it's offered in the diesel. I'd look into it.

No problems that I know of in the Dodge diesel trannys, auto and 6 speed. Chevy.... I don't know much about. Not sure if they even offer a 6 speed, sure they do though. They offered two different allison autos but one of them somehow boosts the power big time, adding like a huge gob of torque using the same motor. One problem I've heard w/ the allison is, they were locking up completely, siezed up completely, like an allison ROCK, while people were driving down the freeway. So rear wheels would lock up and slid/skid w/ no warning. Doesn't seem wide spread though. Ford autos were blowing up when you modded the power in the truck too much w/o adding extra cooling and beefing of the trans. 6 speeds seem to have no problem.

Oh yeah, that Ford Ranch King in the diesel is WAY AWESOME. Super thick leather, feels really nice.

 

[robr]

Thanks for the info. No worries on the 6-sp, the wife only drives an auto.

 

[KooLaid]

Oh and Diesel crewcab 4x4's seem to be the weapon of choice in colorado for soccer moms. Not too many suburbans and SUVs.

 

[robr]

You definitely see about ZERO soccer moms in a pickup in the northeast. I was surprised my wife expressed any interest in a truck, then she tells me she's always wanted a pickup. So I figured I'd see if I could combine that with the fact I need a plow and perhaps work in some OK gas mileage .

She has a RAV4 now and there just isn't enough cargo space. She has this one massive double stroller that pretty much takes up the entire back.

 

[KooLaid]

Gas mileage, the diesel rules. My buddy w/ a chevy 1500HD pulls a 21 ft trailer around with him EVERYwhere he goes. His is gas, but averages 10 mpg. Without the trailer, like 13 mpg. Now I can't confirm the diesel mileage, but owners have told me 17-20+mpg w/ no load though.

This is something folks dont mention too much. Rear axle RATIO. RPM's in a diesel motor are vitally important when it comes to mileage. Just a few mph faster or slower could mean the difference between 15 or 20 mpg. So unless you are always gonna tow a massive load, go for the 3.xx ratio rear end instead of the 4.xx ratio. Just that ratio alone is huge difference in economy. The beauty of a gas motor is the difference between going 65 mph and 75 mph is very little in terms of fuel economy. So hell, that's why I always say screw the extra 1 mpg and drive it faster. Now diesel..... it's a bit different story.

Here's a webpage I went to and read through alot when I was originally diesel shopping. You'll find it VERY useful, along w/ polled information and more indepth info than what I've shared here.

http://www.thedieselpage.com/mileage.htm

 

[robr]

I had NO idea about the whole gear ratio, speed sweet spot thing as it related to mileage. That sort of makes me reconsider. You'd get run down here doing 55-65 on the highway.

The Nissan Titan Crew Cab looks pretty roomy as compared to other crew cabs I've seen pictures of. Not sure if it's cut out for plowing though, haven't googled that yet.

 

[nchopp]

I had NO idea about the whole gear ratio, speed sweet spot thing as it related to mileage. That sort of makes me reconsider. You'd get run down here doing 55-65 on the highway.

The Nissan Titan Crew Cab looks pretty roomy as compared to other crew cabs I've seen pictures of. Not sure if it's cut out for plowing though, haven't googled that yet.

General over-view of the Titan, from people that know how to beat the living sh*t out of trucks.

http://www.freshalloy.com/site/cars/nissan/2006/titan/

 

[KGP]

Personally, I have a Ford powerstroke (7.3). No major problems with it (88k miles), but a few minor issues. In fact, the cam/crank sensor went out last weekend and left me stranded in BFE. If it were only a matter of engine choice, it would be a no-brainer IMO; Cummins in the Dodge. My father in law has been running a fleet of them for years. They have tried a few Chevy and Ford diesels now and again, but the reliability of them, at least in their commercial application, can't match the Cummins. Again, that's only if the decision were to be based on engines. On the trucks themselves, I favor the Chevy at this point. The Dodge and Ford suspensions just don't measure up. Chevy has the least leg room in a crew cab.

RPM's in a diesel motor are vitally important when it comes to mileage. Just a few mph faster or slower could mean the difference between 15 or 20 mpg.

Amen. If I keep mine at 72 or less while on the highway, I get 19 mpg. At 75 mph it drops to 15.5 mpg.

 

[robr]

General over-view of the Titan, from people that know how to beat the living sh*t out of trucks.

http://www.freshalloy.com/site/cars/nissan/2006/titan/

Pretty impressive... down side appears to be that the only plow available for the Titan run $4K. Ouch.

 

[steveny]

General over-view of the Titan, from people that know how to beat the living sh*t out of trucks.

http://www.freshalloy.com/site/cars/nissan/2006/titan/

I have had every make and model of every manufacturer when it come to pickups. The Dodge is a gas guzzling POS. The Chevy is a pretty tough truck but you will ruin the 1500 series pretty quickly if you plow with it. I trashed a Z-71 in 28k miles plowing our apartments. The 150 Ford is also not great for plowing. You should also check out warranty issues with the 1500 series Chevy, 150 series Ford or 1500 series Dodge and the Titan as well. If you break the truck because of plowing they won't cover the repair. There is no way you could plow that driveway with a Ridgeline, you would bust the truck VERY fast.
Currently I have a Titan and it is one tough truck. If the people buying Ford, Chevy or Dodge get a chance to drive a Titan the American truck makers are screwed. The Titan is the best truck I have ever owned, hands down. I have already ruined the rear end in my Titan but I beat the crap out of my trucks. One rear end in the Titan = 3 in the last Ford.
If you are going to plow with a new truck IMO you are crazy. You will scratch, ding, dent, and probably break the thing. I would pay someone else to break their truck and get stuck and have to lay on their back digging their truck out of the snow bank in zero degree weather, while snow melts down their crack, and I sit and watch from the warmth of my living room.
If you are die hard and just want to plow the thing yourself get a used POS and plow it. I have 89 4x4 Chevy with a power angle plow you can have for a grand if you want to come get it. It is rough but it runs and plows.

 

[steveny]

Quad cab trucks can flex a lot more when you strike something hard with the plow.