Which dually - 8.1 vs pre-DEF 6.6?

[CountKrunk]

It's a duramax of some sort is all i know

That’s a 1500. Not sure what engine that is, but $20k?!

 

[Grit dog]

That’s a 1500. Not sure what engine that is, but $20k?!

Gotta be a 3.0 Dmax.
But lol, anyone who gets 2 grand for pads and rotors and $200 for an oil change on a goddam half ton Chebby can’t be trusted so who knows what was actually the problem although owner noticed an oil leak and left with a new wiring harness.
That shop saw that poor sucker coming from a mile away. And judging by the myriad of unrelated repairs done, sounds like vehicle that got no maintenance or very little.
What was the point of the post anyway? Has nothing to do with buying a 20 year old dually.

 

[CountKrunk]

Gotta be a 3.0 Dmax.
But lol, anyone who gets 2 grand for pads and rotors and $200 for an oil change on a goddam half ton Chebby can’t be trusted so who knows what was actually the problem although owner noticed an oil leak and left with a new wiring harness.
That shop saw that poor sucker coming from a mile away. And judging by the myriad of unrelated repairs done, sounds like vehicle that got no maintenance or very little.
What was the point of the post anyway? Has nothing to do with buying a 20 year old dually.

Yeah scam shop and bad truck owner.

It's just a duramax is all, in the post i said it was much newer. Just a data point on a more modern duramax for the OP.

 

[CheemsK1500]

The biggest issue you’ll find with older Duramax trucks or any older electronic injected diesel for that matter, is that many have been abused by kids who threw a tuner on dad/granpa’s already well-used old farm truck and ran the piss out of it with little to no maintenance.

Look at what you’re buying carefully if you go the diesel route, many of the drivetrain components are far more expensive than that of a gas truck and a “cheap truck” can turn expensive really quickly if you get one that’s bad enough.

 

[TotalyHucked]

Cam video:

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Tow video maxxing out gcwr & gvwr/gawr:

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My tuner buddy has tuned two 8.1 swapped squarebodies (both in CCLB 4x4s) that had heads/cam from Raylar and he said they were impressive.

 

[Craig 85]

I've had three 8.1's. Loved them all. The one thing I will say is make sure it has 4.10 gears (GT5). My favorite of the 3 was this '01 2500HD. I had 285 tires, true dual exhaust, a K&N cold air kit and a Hypertech chip (that's all they had back in '03). It ran great. I could pass people on uphill grades with my 29' travel trailer no problem. I made one trip with the trailer from the Bay Area to South lake Tahoe on Hwy 50. I got 7.5 MPG, but had my foot in it going up the grade.

All 8.1 will consume a quart of oil about every 1500 miles, more if you do more freeway driving. I would guess maintenance would be cheaper on a gas truck versus Dmax.

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[Hunter79764]

The one thing I will say is make sure it has 4.10 gears (GT5).

Mine has 5.13's... Of course it also has 19.5 rims that offsets it a bit. Kodiak truck though, so different animal

 

[Craig 85]

Mine has 5.13's... Of course it also has 19.5 rims that offsets it a bit. Kodiak truck though, so different animal

@Frankenchevy there’s always this option. 8.1L.

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https://trucksales.uhaul.com/Vehicles/Details?postal=94518&sid=815064&equip=JH1707B

 

[Grit dog]

Heavy oil consumption and employee-mobile do not mix well. I know we’re talking about a single truck that the owner likely will have a great deal of control over. But in my experience, light duty fleet vehicles that require constantly checking the oil become fleet vehicles with blown motors.

 

[bucket]

@Frankenchevy there’s always this option. 8.1L.

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https://trucksales.uhaul.com/Vehicles/Details?postal=94518&sid=815064&equip=JH1707B

Those trucks are everywhere. They can be found cheaper from people that bought them and then realized they didn't need such a large truck.

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^^^ Also an ex-U-haul. They made a bunch.

 

[Hunter79764]

Heavy oil consumption and employee-mobile do not mix well. I know we’re talking about a single truck that the owner likely will have a great deal of control over. But in my experience, light duty fleet vehicles that require constantly checking the oil become fleet vehicles with blown motors.

If you go with the Medium Duty like the UHaul's, its a 10qt sump and ALOT more forgiving of oil level. It might be a bit more intimidating for an employee-mobile, but that might be a good thing? They are surprisingly maneuverable, but you also never forget you are in a large vehicle. My 34' MH can cut a U turn on anything slightly larger than a residential street but I would never dare to try taking it through a fast food drive-thru. Easy to work on, oil changes are simple, everything is pretty accessible (especially on the gas engines). Allison transmission, pretty sure an Eaton rear end. Tires aren't the cheapest, and you will want to upgrade the front shocks and possibly sway bar, but otherwise a very solid, reliable setup.

BTW, don't believe the tow rating on the UHaul site that says 7500 lbs. That's probably just the bumper rating, using a legit hitch should get you 10k plus, and doing a 5th wheel/gooseneck is going to be on up there as well.

 

[bucket]

If you go with the Medium Duty like the UHaul's, its a 10qt sump and ALOT more forgiving of oil level. It might be a bit more intimidating for an employee-mobile, but that might be a good thing? They are surprisingly maneuverable, but you also never forget you are in a large vehicle. My 34' MH can cut a U turn on anything slightly larger than a residential street but I would never dare to try taking it through a fast food drive-thru. Easy to work on, oil changes are simple, everything is pretty accessible (especially on the gas engines). Allison transmission, pretty sure an Eaton rear end. Tires aren't the cheapest, and you will want to upgrade the front shocks and possibly sway bar, but otherwise a very solid, reliable setup.

BTW, don't believe the tow rating on the UHaul site that says 7500 lbs. That's probably just the bumper rating, using a legit hitch should get you 10k plus, and doing a 5th wheel/gooseneck is going to be on up there as well.

Iirc, the rear ends in all the 4500 and 5500 rigs is a Dana 110 or a Dana 135. We have a mixed bag at work. I've got a locker for the smaller axle, but unfortunately my U-Haul truck has the bigger 135 axle.

*I could be off on those model numbers, but it's something along those lines.*

 

[bigcountry78]

Gas gas gas. All day long. Easier, cheaper maintenance. Cheaper oil changes. Cheaper repairs. No anti gel additives in cold weather, no fuel filters, water separators, no glow plugs. And if you end up running out of gas, you just put more in and go. No bleeding lines, just gas and go. And cheaper buy in for a gasser. Oh and you can replace/rebuild the gasser for what a set of diesel injectors will cost.

In my humble opinion, diesel works better in a static environment. For example, a tractor with the throttle set at 2500 rpm for 8 hours. Pickups have too much variance in rpm constantly, and I think that’s where some problems come from.

 

[CheemsK1500]

Gas gas gas. All day long. Easier, cheaper maintenance. Cheaper oil changes. Cheaper repairs. No anti gel additives in cold weather, no fuel filters, water separators, no glow plugs. And if you end up running out of gas, you just put more in and go. No bleeding lines, just gas and go. And cheaper buy in for a gasser. Oh and you can replace/rebuild the gasser for what a set of diesel injectors will cost.

In my humble opinion, diesel works better in a static environment. For example, a tractor with the throttle set at 2500 rpm for 8 hours. Pickups have too much variance in rpm constantly, and I think that’s where some problems come from.

This sums it up well. For people that spend a lot of time with a heavy trailer behind their truck and going on long trips like a hot shot driver or livestock hauler, the diesel makes sense. For all other activities, the best the diesel can offer over the gas is better fuel economy, but the price of diesel per gallon and the cost of various maintenance items can make that a moot point.

 

[Grit dog]

Gas gas gas. All day long. Easier, cheaper maintenance. Cheaper oil changes. Cheaper repairs. No anti gel additives in cold weather, no fuel filters, water separators, no glow plugs. And if you end up running out of gas, you just put more in and go. No bleeding lines, just gas and go. And cheaper buy in for a gasser. Oh and you can replace/rebuild the gasser for what a set of diesel injectors will cost.

In my humble opinion, diesel works better in a static environment. For example, a tractor with the throttle set at 2500 rpm for 8 hours. Pickups have too much variance in rpm constantly, and I think that’s where some problems come from.

Aside from repair costs (injectors and pumps). The rest of this is largely conjecture or lack of knowledge about diesels.
Hasn’t been a diesel engine in a truck in the last 25 years or more that you “crack lines” to prime.
But it is a good way to make a big mess or cause serious injury.