Info needed about the Duramax

[RBurgett]

I have been a Dodge diesel owner since 1991 and I'm currently driving an 03 3500 w/Auto 4X4
Pull a 3 horse trailer some and haul a 10 foot cabover camper often.
What can the Duramax & Allison tranny offer me that the Dodge cannot.

The good and the bad please.

[Mark Rinker]

Welcome! Glad to help - you'll find plenty of opinions and facts here. I moved this thread to the general 'Duramax 6600' forum in hopes you'll get even more responses.

My company www.markrinkerenterprises.com tows daily with Duramaxs and 30' trailers. Seasonally, we also tow large cruiser boats - one weighing ~12K went from Oakland, CA to Anchorage last year up the 3,600 mile Alcan, behind the '01 with 130K already on the clock. Road crews would pause, point, and give my son and me the thumbs up as we rolled by, the boat fairly dwarfing the regular cab 2500 series pickup. www.mremarine.com

I believe that the BIGGEST factor is the nearly bullet-proof combo of the Duramax and Allison transmission. My business put ~200K heavy towing miles on three Duramaxs (a used '01 purchased with 80K, used '02 purchased with 120K, and a new '05) last year with only normal wear and tear items replaced and both of the 'high mile' trucks receiving a new set of warrantied fuel injectors FREE at over 150K miles. The '05 got a lightning fast 80K in ~12 months before I sold it for economic reasons - with nothing but lube, filters and a set of tires needed.

Secondly, if you jump in the '01 or '02, with 160K and 180K on the chassis, respectively, they drive out like new. No loose anything, no broken door handles, no ragged seats or anything. Just like new - still with original suspension, A-arm bushings, wheel bearings, etc. Both trucks have received a new set of shocks, rear brakes, and rear axle seals. The '02 got a transfer case, it leaked and went dry without getting proper care during a busy summer hauling. The '01 has a new waterpump and starter.

The bad? Without additional filtration onboard, you'll probably need injectors every 100-150K miles. If you stay within your warranty, you'll never get out your wallet. The transfer case leaks are prevailent on early 01-03 models; search the Drivetrain forum for more information.

My very limited experience with high mile Dodges is the chassis, suspension and general ride shows the wear sooner than the Chevys. Won't try to comment on other things that I don't know about in the drivetrain department. Hopefully someone else will chime in and share their experiences.

[cowboywildbill]

I would have never driven anything but a Dodge with a Cummins.Tried a Ford PS once, didn't like it as well as the Dodge and the Ford didn't pull as hard " or as strong as our Dodge did. And we tow Horses and cattle all of the time. I couldn't believe anything could out pull our beefed up and turned up Dodges. Then in 2002 I tried the GMC 3500 D/Max Allison. We bought it at the AQHA. The rest is history as they say. A lot of the people that we Rodeo and Team pen with, have switched from their Ford PS and Dodges to the D/Maxs also. They are totally impressed and won't go back to thier previous brands either.
I am on my second no make that third Duramax. A chevy and it jsut saved our lives to be in it. We were T-boned at 60 mph. See the other post. I won't go back to a Dodge now. I still think the Cummins is a super great engine but These D/Maxs with Allisons get better mpg ,pull much better, are smoother, quiter, stop better, and have much less problems than our Dodges ever did. And the new D/Max is unbelivable. Don't be afraid to try one. Let us know if you do. Ride safe.