Full Sized Trucks--When Will The "Size War" End?

I have a 93 & 95 3/4T with the legendary Cummins 5.9L Diesels , and rust is a big issue and the auto trans didn't last long with that engine especially when towing etc. The earlier Gretag 360 5 sp std in the 93 and earlier isn't as tough as the later manuals. I think the electronics/electrics went downhill also and there is more of that on the new ones. On the 1/2T trucks they went IFS (independent front suspension) on 4X4 versions with less ruggedness there. Rust still looks to be an issue and the poor warranty shows they haven't improved there. | would recommend looking for a 90's truck due to the simpler nature & solid axle if you want a 4x4 1/2T. Likely have to look away from the rust belt though! I'm driving a 87 1/2T 2WD with the good ole 318 and enjoying the ease of maintenance and repair. The new trucks (most new ones of any brand) do have the advantage of greater safety in an accident though and do brake and handle better than most old ones.

If you want newer in your area a Ford with the aluminum body might be the best bet however as the 2015+ 1/2T and later SD with that feature should stand up much better to rusting if maintained well. Avoid Ford 2004-08 F-150 Club Cabs due to frame rust out (they tried what Toyota uses in their frames)
 
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Rust is the usual complaint. Everything seems to rust pretty bad anymore though. I think its got more to do with the garbage on the roads than the vehicles themselves.
 
Yes, they sure dump nasty salts! Here they used to just use sand with just a small amount of salt till about 15 years ago!
 
I had an 08 Dodge 2500 PU with a Hemi and a six speed manual trans mission . Truck ran great but ball joints were an issue . Trans squealed after warranty ran out but I nursed it for 75,000 miles .
 
Apparently the ball joints on my 95 3/4T Diesel I bought used with 330K KM or 220K miles are the 3rd set so I'm not surprised.

According to Peterson's 4 wheeler Magazine Dynatrac sells rebuildable ones for around $600 or so that don't have to be removed to do so which is a bonus for labour saved and wear on the axle parts they are pressed into. Eventually after too many changes with regular ball joints those wear parts are no good as the ball joints fit too loosely. You can get knurled ball joints (from Dynatrac also) , but they are only good once so they are the best choice for sure in that case.

The other option is to replace the ball joints with king pins like on the 93 and earlier axles, but new ends and knuckles have to be welded on and purchased etc. Gets rid of the throw away hubs also for traditional locking which are rebuildable.

Dynatrac and a competitor sell kits to get rid of the throw away hubs also , keeping the ball joints though. Will save fuel and wear and tear as you end up with manual locking hubs.
 
Shadowdog said:
Apparently the ball joints on my 95 3/4T Diesel I bought used with 330K KM or 220K miles are the 3rd set so I'm not surprised.

According to Peterson's 4 wheeler Magazine Dynatrac sells rebuildable ones for around $600 or so that don't have to be removed to do so which is a bonus for labour saved and wear on the axle parts they are pressed into. Eventually after too many changes with regular ball joints those wear parts are no good as the ball joints fit too loosely. You can get knurled ball joints (from Dynatrac also) , but they are only good once so they are the best choice for sure in that case.

The other option is to replace the ball joints with king pins like on the 93 and earlier axles, but new ends and knuckles have to be welded on and purchased etc. Gets rid of the throw away hubs also for traditional locking which are rebuildable.

Dynatrac and a competitor sell kits to get rid of the throw away hubs also , keeping the ball joints though. Will save fuel and wear and tear as you end up with manual locking hubs.
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hmmm, wouldnt kings get rid of any caster changes and severely limit camber changes? I know on my fords of olde with kings that I could only do minor camber/caster with bushing changes on the radius arms - with no dodge counterpart...

how bad are these ball joints getting beat on such that you are only getting 70K on? I typically put 100-120 on my chevies and 150-175 on my fords per set
 
Never had to adjust the camber/caster on my 93 with king pins and pretty sure you can fully adjust everything according to the manual.

The wt. of the Cummins 1,100-1,200 lbs must be the factor in only 70\k life.
 
The ball joints are a problem with the Dodges. I don't think its got much to do with how they are used so much as the front end geometry. Chevy S series 4x4 stuff eat ball joints like candy too.
 
The solid axle Dana 60 on those HD Dodge Rams is also used on the HD Ford 3/4T -1T and takes the same ball joints.

Only on these big trucks King Pins were last used on the Dodge version in 93 and Ford went to ball joints much earlier.

The HD GM big trucks (again 3/4-1T) had king pins till they went to the IFS around 1990.

The Cummins is by far the heaviest engine and still is which eats ball joints and can even bend those Dana 60's if abused by driving to hard or fast in the rough stuff!

The 2012 GM HD 3/4-1T (still IFS) trucks are supposed to have a much stronger front end with much bigger parts including ball joints.
 
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Unexpected consequences.
Going to the VA for a follow-up check, there are three of them in the lot and I can see that parking next to any of them in my mid-size Impaler is going to leave little room for either of us to open doors. Standard size parking space no longer adequate for them?
 
Shadowdog said:
Apparently the ball joints on my 95 3/4T Diesel I bought used with 330K KM or 220K miles are the 3rd set so I'm not surprised.

According to Peterson's 4 wheeler Magazine Dynatrac sells rebuildable ones for around $600 or so that don't have to be removed to do so which is a bonus for labour saved and wear on the axle parts they are pressed into. Eventually after too many changes with regular ball joints those wear parts are no good as the ball joints fit too loosely. You can get knurled ball joints (from Dynatrac also) , but they are only good once so they are the best choice for sure in that case.

The other option is to replace the ball joints with king pins like on the 93 and earlier axles, but new ends and knuckles have to be welded on and purchased etc. Gets rid of the throw away hubs also for traditional locking which are rebuildable.

Dynatrac and a competitor sell kits to get rid of the throw away hubs also , keeping the ball joints though. Will save fuel and wear and tear as you end up with manual locking hubs.
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Mine were replaced at 10 k , 20 k, 37k , 50 k , and were ready again at 70k . Down the road she went .
 
Yikes! |I wonder how those Dynatrac would do?

What brand of ball joints were used?
 
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peerson said:
Dodge Trucks used to have a bad reputation for transmission issues. I have known a couple of people that had them and did experience problems. I have never owned a Chrysler product. So, I cannot speak from personal experience on this. However, they sure do look nice.
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I have owned two late model Rams. 2014 Express 4 x 4 Reg cab, and now a 2018 Big Horn 4 x 4 Crew Cab. Both with 5.7L Hemi and 8 speed trans. Traded the 2014 in on the 2018 last January. Never had any issues with it just wanted a nicer truck and I wanted another Gen 4 body/front end before they were all gone. Not crazy about the looks of the 19's yet. The 2018 has had no issues to date except for a burned out high mount brake light bulb.
 

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RT Fan said:
It doesn't look like there is a lot of love for Dodge Ram P/Us from the truck owners in this thread. Any reason why? I am giving a passing thought to buying a used P/U down the road when I retire and replace my, now 15 year old Jeep Cherokee out at the house. Years back when I worked delivering TV's and such we only had Dodge Vans and those things took serious abuse from multiple drivers and mostly 100% NYC driving. Having a favorable experience with a company skews one's viewpoint, so I am prejudiced in favor of Dodge were I too buy a Pick Up. Any reason to avoid them?
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^ My intent was to help answer your question in the first place but I quoted the wrong posting.
 
BrocLuno said:
I remember back in the 1960's when they advertised the lowest loading height as a feature. Now days I can't even jump up to the door sills ...
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They are definitely getting too large for standard parking slots, a pain in the ass to deal with in parking decks.
 
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