Don’t see much comment on pickup trucks. Have any of you bought a Chevy 1500HD crew cab. How do you like it? gas mileage? I’m tired of trying to squeeze passengers into the extended cab back seat.
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'not familiar with Chevys (a Ford) guy, but be sure to check the cargo capacity. A 1/2-ton chassis doesn't have much of a GVWR. A heavy, full-size crew cab's going to use alot of that. I wouldn't be surprised if you can only load a few hundred pounds in the bed. Find out what it is, and make sure it is adequate for your needs.
You guys don't know what you've started.....
http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=tp-breaktime&msg=25749.1
what the heck
was I thinking?
Edited 1/17/2003 4:00:19 PM ET by Heck
Edited 1/17/2003 4:01:47 PM ET by Heck
The 1500HD is rated at 8600GVW if I'm not mistaken and has good payload and towing capacity. The standard engine is the 6.0 liter, 300 hp and 360ft/lbs of torque. 12 to 15mpg is what people tell me. The 5.3 in the regular 1500 gets quite a bit better mileage but you lose payload and towing capacity. The rear in the crewcab is far more comfortable than the extended cab imho. A lower step in height compared to Ford and Dodge, especially in 4x4 versions. The only bad thing I've heard is CSK- cold start knock. Some trucks were affected with an engine knock. GM has offered an extended warranty and in some cases, new engines. The problem supposedly has been fixed for the current model year. Ford's Supercrew is its only real competition. Nice truck but it doesn't have the 1500HD's payload or towing capacity and has a smaller box (5.5ft). You'd have to move up to the Superduty line to get similar payload/towing capacities. Dodge's extended cab has 4 real doors but not the rear room you are looking for. The new Hemi does have a lot more power (345hp) than Chevy or Ford.
Crew cab is the only way to go.
Walt, Bought my Ford F350 crewcab new in '93. Use it every day for my construction business and also on weekends for hauling kids, boat, dog, skis, dirtbike, etc. It has never failed me and I can imagine replacing it some day with another one. It has a 5.8 litre gas engine and 2 tanks. Don't really care about gas mileage since it is always working for me. It has an 8' bed which I would recommend. Most crews come standard with short bed these days and are a little short of being useful. I stay away from diesels simple because every time I visit my Ford service center some mechanic is changing out a failed diesel in a low mile truck. Keith
Funny you should ask... I just bought one!
I just jumped ship from Dodge due to a series of bad experiences with my local Dodge service department.
I don't have much in the way of empirical advice on the chevy yet (it only has 120 miles on it and 80 of them was the drive home from the dealership).
The one I have has the "suicide doors" I can see one big "plus" and one potential "minus" with this style; There is no center post between the front and rear door so it makes it really easy and comfortable to get in and out of the back seat, especially for your "larger" friends. The minus is due to this configuration, the rear door must be closed before you close the front door. I look at this as only a matter of time before someone tries to close them in the wrong order, especially if you have kids. I can only hypothesise that this would only need to happen once to make the doors never work quite right again.
Let me know if you have any other questions,
Is anyone here plowing with a newer pickup (say four-five years old or less?)...reason I ask is, the new trucks seem to be less truck than the older ones, now that so many people are buying them as passenger vehicles rather than work trucks. A Ford salesman basically said the same thing to me when we were test driving a car, as an aside, that all the manufacturers had given up some truck to make them more like cars. Then yesterday, I was talking to someone ....we both have long driveways, and we're getting a lot of snow this year, and we were debating pickup/plow or tractor....and he said the same thing, the new ones can't take it. I don't see too many plows on new rigs here. Anyway, just curious.cabinetmaker/college instructor. Cape Breton, N.SWAY too conservative to be merely right wing
Adrian,
I just bought a 2002 Ford 350 utility body with the 7.3 liter diesel. I put a nine foot plow on it and plow for the local highway dept up here in MA. This truck plows better than anything I've ever owned. We've had a ton of snow up here this year (about 40 inches or so) and I haven't had any problems with the truck, ran her for 19 hours straight Christmas night. Wish I could say the same for the plow itself! Yeah they took some of the "truck" out of them....the uncomfortable vinyl bench seat is gone, the manual transmission is gone, the factory black rims are gone and so is the AM radio!
Chevy is in my blood, but if I had to buy a plow rig it would be a Ford. Actually, if I manage to kill the GMC I will probably buy a F*** diesel one ton. I have a bud with a F*** one ton diesel, Fisher V, and I want to play with it. The plow has issues, but I learn to live with issues.
Nods to DP.
Btw, I plowed drives, and I'll go with the standard, thank you, whole different thing. I was this close <two fingers really close> to buying a big block GMC with a 6 speed. Sweet truck, but I drive too many hours to make those numbers work.
And the plow issues? You are plowing straight line, what can go wrong? lol, Btw, you on 4 tires or 6?
Only four tires, but with a ton of tools, a generator, a compressor and about 300 lbs of hoses and cords in the bed I don't have traction problems. I hate to trash a company like this but please don't anyone ever buy a Curtis plow. I heard awesome things about them and bought one. At the same time, my boss bought three of them for his trucks. The hook with these plows is the built in hydraulic jack. Push a button and a jack comes down and takes the weight off the plow for removal. Extended recievers allow you to be off center by three or four inches when attaching and still not have problems. I can literally take this plow on or off in a snow storm solo in 2 or 3 minutes without any hand tools. Perfectly engineered mounting. HOWEVER, four plows total and in six months.... 2 wiring harness total failures....2 headlight failures...one cracked, unusable frame...one broken main locking pin...one installation mishap resulting in no headlights on the truck itself. It's just too early into the warranty to have these problems. On a good note they have replaced, not repaired, everything that has gone wrong.
You haven't even broken anything yet, push them for a year or two and tell me what you had to weld back together or replace. You'll be ok, just don't thrash the blade, you have a lot of truck behind it. And when you do, (lol), just blame yourself, they all break.
My bud has the same truck, in an extended cab, but with a Fisher. I do want to play with it because I never used a v plow, and I just know he wants to show it off. Ok, I admit, I want to play with it because I am a child, I was Tonka toy deprived.
Edited 1/18/2003 5:22:49 PM ET by Qtrmeg
Well, it has been some time since they made either a plow, or a truck to push it.
I stopped plowing, but if I still did I would have much heavier metal than I used to get away with. You don't have a choice, you pay up front for the bigger truck, or you pay to replace the car drivetrains. It used to be your daily driver would cut it, and the daily driver had to be economical daily.
And the minute mount plows? Please, I've twisted several push beams, do you have any idea how long it would take me to turn a minute mount into scrap?
And what is it with the minute mount feature? Me and my bud were drinking beer from cans one day, and he goes those things are great. I say they sux, and you can kiss my arse if I can't hook up just as fast. So the bet is on. The deal is I have to be away and drive up, hook, lift, and back away. One minute twenty seconds, loaded, (me, lol), and I didn't hurry. Maybe it helped that I had only done this like a thousand times, and maybe it pissed him off when I grabbed a beer and opened it as I strolled over to back out.
Regardless of how big of a pain I insist on being, I am a fan of a full frame plow. That little lift on the front has a lot of potential use. My brother asked me if I could find him full frame setups, it seems I am not the only one that thinks it matters, and they are becoming scarce. It is a great little tool, with many options.
Had been plowing with an old '85 Chebby 1 ton with a 9' Fisher plow ......tough as nails, tougher than a new model, imho. 150,000 miles and original engine and trans. Had to replace the transfer case last year when some Bozo borrowed it and drove it a ways in 4WD on dry pavement and destroyed the transfer case.Chevy has switched to IFS on newer models .......... I think a solid front axle is better suited to plowing. Dodge and Ford still use a solid front axle on their 3/4 above trucks but both (and to a lesser extent, Chevy) have had problems with their automatics. The newer automatics with overdrive don't seem to hold up as the old 3 speed automatics (C-6, Turbohydramatic 400, Torqueflites). I've heard good things about the Allison GM uses with the Duramax and big block gas engine. Ford's new Torqueshift promises to be a good transmission but it hasn't been out long .......... time will tell. These days, if you really work a truck hauling, towing, or plowing, you almost always have to go to a 3/4 or 1 ton; 1/2 tons just aren't up to the task- in particular transmissions, frames and front suspensions.
My old plow truck is an '86 F-250, with a Boss 8'2" Vee plow. My new replacement is a 2000 F-350 4x4 dually dump. This will be getting a 9'3"Boss vee. They build Boss plows nearby. Been running one for over ten years, in some pretty brutal situations. They're GGGGRRREAT!! There are some serious frame issues with some newer trucks, when it comes to plowing. And IMHO, you have to have a solid front axle. Seen way too many independent front ends running around with the front tires toed in at the top from carrying a plow. There is a reason that Western came out with the plow with its own carrying wheel! Also the introduction of the poly blade plows. Serious work requires serious hardware.
Brudoggie ( Yeah, my truck rides like a buck board)
Are you kidding? They don't have 4 doors like the old style?
Lovely...
Since you asked, here's my two cents,
GM/Ford/Dodge - Dunno, I use GM and can only comment about them.
Crew cab - yes, troops/kids appreciate the full seat and leg room. MIL sits in back!
C/K 1500 - no, C/K 2500 with air load leveller better , C/K 3500 best.
Full length box - yes!
Diesel or Gas - your choice (I have both and they both do what I need them to)
Dually or not - your choice (again I have both)
Auto/Man - your choice, I have auto on both, the diesel has a Gear Vendors splitter that makes the 4:10 rear end usable on the highway yet does not compromise the low gear rearend when haulling a loaded gooseneck. A $4500 extra that will pay for itself by reducing engine wear, ask anyone who has a diesel dually about zipping down the highway at 60-70 mph if they would prefer 2500 rpm or 1950-2100 rpm. BIG difference! Other has a 3:73.
I haven't had a problem with my '98 GMC K3500 other than I replaced some (3)glowplugs in it two days ago. The alternator was replaced in Oct 02. I got 183,000 km on it almost all highway haulling a gooseneck trailer (weekdays) or my boat (weekends, which really doesn't count as it is no load). The other is an '80 K3500 (The Ditch pig)@ 326K and it is unkillable. Slavish about maintenance, so maybe it is paying off. Anyhoo...
Have fun making your decision!
adrian....follow your instincts...
forget about plowin with your transportation.... keep the plow on the tractor and spend the other 8 months driving what you like.....
if it's that deep , stay home and play with claire while elizabeth is out plowing the driveMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Funny you say that....bought her a dandy shovel last week. Dandy.cabinetmaker/college instructor. Cape Breton, N.SWAY too conservative to be merely right wing
spoilin here again , are we ?
making a snow broom out of the twigs from the firewood was good enough for your mom & mine...Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
The amount of snow you get you could remove with a spoon, lol.
Doesn't the size of the fuel tank on that thing scare you a bit?<g>
Personally I've driven enough tracked vehicles to last me a couple lifetimes. Most of them really suck on ice.
I've also driven a lot of tracked vehicles, and love 'em. More power and all.
Never drove one on the ice, though.Keep working, millions on welfare depend on you.
Actually, if I could take that and just tear off acrost the desert it'd be a blast. Tracks tend to really tear up the ground where you steer though. Might be I'd get real unpopular real fast. But, it'd be fun. Sure would smooth out the bumps too.
I wish I had a video of the 2 hours we spent once trying to move a howitzer 50 yards up a small hill to park it in the drill hall. It was icy and refused to go straight. Would have made a good comedy movie. Of course if you take the rubber road pads off they go good on ice. But, w/o the pads they tend to tear up the pavement.
So you never had the pleasure of riding a bulldozer down a sidehill of frosties? You don't know what you are missing. Tracks are a trip when they let go.
Nothing that exciting. Probably my most exciting experience was having a dozer slide sideways on the ramps when I was trying to load it on a truck.I'll do anything for money, except work.