modern truck miles?

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diymirage

diymirage

HP@idle > hondaHP@redline
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hey guys
im fixing to pick up a "new" plow truck here in the next few months or so and im hoping to keep it about 2000 or newer

it looks like the only trucks in my price range (about 5K) are well over 150K miles
is that something i should worry about?

im mostly hoping to find one with a hemi and i really do not want a diesel (just personal preference, i dont like diesels for anything that isnt a farm implement)

anything else i should look for?

(im hoping to find a short box cab and a half, whatever dodge calls em nowadays)
 
257,*** on my '01 Ram 2500. 5.9 gas motor. Daily driver, runs great.
 
110,000 on my 07 hemi ram. Never missed a beat
189,000 on a 2010 hemi jeep. Never missed a beat
70,000 on a 2015 hemi charger. Never missed a beat

on the 02+ body style rams (if you care about aesthetics) look very close at the bed wheel arches. Thats the worst rust prone spot on them.
 
thanks

its gonna be a winter work horse, so i wont be putting a ton of miles on there, but they will be hard miles and i DONT want something i cant rely on, or i need to work on in zero degree weather and blinding snow (if i wanted that, i'da kept the ford)
 
diymirage said:
thanks

its gonna be a winter work horse, so i wont be putting a ton of miles on there, but they will be hard miles and i DONT want something i cant rely on, or i need to work on in zero degree weather and blinding snow (if i wanted that, i'da kept the ford)
Click to expand...
38 below zero F and my '01 Ram never failed to start this winter. No garage, no plug in, just the battery and truck against old man winter.... LOL
 
As a person who plowed with Dodge trucks for almost 25 years. This is what I have to say.

That many miles now a days is not much. Plow trucks don’t always start out brand new. A well maintained 150k truck is no issues.

Make sure your drivers seat is not falling apart. A good seat is the best help to a tired driver/ back. Truck can be rotting away but a good firm seat make a world of difference in moral.

Transmission heat is the worst killer of plow trucks. Add an aux cooler no matter what the truck came with factory. It can never be cool enough.

Change fluid and filters (trans and engine) before and after season. It seems like a lot but fluid is cheap compared to a rebuild. If just doing your driveway and say a neighbors then once a year BEFORE snow season is best. The back and forth is a lot on these new transmissions. Fluid has consumable metals and additives that disappear with heat. Color goes brown ooops! When black- trans is done.
Don’t forget about new fluid in transfer case too!

Add a temp gauge to the truck in the pan is best for the trans that is in the cab- temp goes over 210f then stop. Put truck in neutral and let cool off. Auto trans fluid does not like heat. A larger pan with more capacity is also helpful. Factory gauges suck!

Good antifreeze and mixed properly with a good t- stat is really important. Nothing like middle of the storm and you overheat. Suck!

I know this is a lot for your original question.
I appoligies but knowledge is power!
Also never buy a used plow truck. Get a truck with no plow or has never been plowed and add your own plow. People only get rid of plow truck because something is wrong they are not telling you.
Good luck!
Joe
 
I’ve got 150k on my 07 Ram 1500. Live the Hemi other than plug changes. Had the tranny rebuilt because of abuse from PO. Rebuilt the whole end for less than $300 with parts from Detroit Axle.
 
Low mileage is a reason to run nowadays. You want a vehicle that's been driven, not sitting. Sitting kills vehicles. I make my money with my trucks, and 300k doesn't scare me in the least.

....now comes the part that you don't want to hear. For a plow truck you want a good trans, rear, and front suspension/steering. I'm sure you know that Rams aren't exactly blessed in these categories. Look for a GM truck.
 
Pascamp said:
Low mileage is a reason to run nowadays. You want a vehicle that's been driven, not sitting. Sitting kills vehicles. I make my money with my trucks, and 300k doesn't scare me in the least.

....now comes the part that you don't want to hear. For a plow truck you want a good trans, rear, and front suspension/steering. I'm sure you know that Rams aren't exactly blessed in these categories. Look for a GM truck.
Click to expand...


I donor agree with this statement one bit.
Gm has pages and pages of front end issues, engine issues and driveline issues. Plus they are really ugly.
Ram has transmission issue- yes I agree but with the 5 Dodge Ram trucks I own now- not one trans issue. All but one over 100k and driven all over New England daily.
Utility bodied. They all were ordered with HD cooling and alternators for that extra. Let’s face it all 3 brands in big pickup are made for looking pretty and dump runs with plenty of cup holders and power windows- also a bonus when plowing. But not as HD as trucks years ago. More plastic and less metal.
 
Syleng1 said:
As a person who plowed with Dodge trucks for almost 25 years. This is what I have to say.

That many miles now a days is not much. Plow trucks don’t always start out brand new. A well maintained 150k truck is no issues.

Make sure your drivers seat is not falling apart. A good seat is the best help to a tired driver/ back. Truck can be rotting away but a good firm seat make a world of difference in moral.

Transmission heat is the worst killer of plow trucks. Add an aux cooler no matter what the truck came with factory. It can never be cool enough.

Change fluid and filters (trans and engine) before and after season. It seems like a lot but fluid is cheap compared to a rebuild. If just doing your driveway and say a neighbors then once a year BEFORE snow season is best. The back and forth is a lot on these new transmissions. Fluid has consumable metals and additives that disappear with heat. Color goes brown ooops! When black- trans is done.
Don’t forget about new fluid in transfer case too!

Add a temp gauge to the truck in the pan is best for the trans that is in the cab- temp goes over 210f then stop. Put truck in neutral and let cool off. Auto trans fluid does not like heat. A larger pan with more capacity is also helpful. Factory gauges suck!

Good antifreeze and mixed properly with a good t- stat is really important. Nothing like middle of the storm and you overheat. Suck!

I know this is a lot for your original question.
I appoligies but knowledge is power!
Also never buy a used plow truck. Get a truck with no plow or has never been plowed and add your own plow. People only get rid of plow truck because something is wrong they are not telling you.
Good luck!
Joe
Click to expand...
Every single thing in this post is dead on. Especially never buy a used plow truck.

Also I know you mentioned it, but it deserves restating. No diesels! Once upon a time diesels were for contractors. Modern diesels are for...1. Rich rich retired guys who drag expensive toys and like to spend their pensions at the dealership 2. Middle aged guys that hate their lives 3. 18-21yr old kids that want to blow smoke. In almost no situation does a diesel even remotely make sense anymore.
 
Syleng1 said:
I donor agree with this statement one bit.
Gm has pages and pages of front end issues, engine issues and driveline issues. Plus they are really ugly.
Ram has transmission issue- yes I agree but with the 5 Dodge Ram trucks I own now- not one trans issue. All but one over 100k and driven all over New England daily.
Utility bodied. They all were ordered with HD cooling and alternators for that extra. Let’s face it all 3 brands in big pickup are made for looking pretty and dump runs with plenty of cup holders and power windows- also a bonus when plowing. But not as HD as trucks years ago. More plastic and less metal.
Click to expand...
In my personal experience Ram trucks have driven me nuts. Paying employees to work in the warehouse because their truck is down gets old. I have millions of miles on GM trucks and have nothing but praise. Of course all our experiences are different. I have zero loyalty to any brand when it comes to paying the bills (toys are different). I absolutely loved the Dodge vans from the 80's-90's. Just in my personal experience their trucks have no place in my company. There's an *** for every seat.
 
Syleng1 said:
I donor agree with this statement one bit.
Gm has pages and pages of front end issues, engine issues and driveline issues. Plus they are really ugly.
Ram has transmission issue- yes I agree but with the 5 Dodge Ram trucks I own now- not one trans issue. All but one over 100k and driven all over New England daily.
Utility bodied. They all were ordered with HD cooling and alternators for that extra. Let’s face it all 3 brands in big pickup are made for looking pretty and dump runs with plenty of cup holders and power windows- also a bonus when plowing. But not as HD as trucks years ago. More plastic and less metal.
Click to expand...
My son's '04 Ram Hemi has 238,*** and tranny shifts perfect.
 
Pascamp said:
Every single thing in this post is dead on. Especially never buy a used plow truck.

Also I know you mentioned it, but it deserves restating. No diesels! Once upon a time diesels were for contractors. Modern diesels are for...1. Rich rich retired guys who drag expensive toys and like to spend their pensions at the dealership 2. Middle aged guys that hate their lives 3. 18-21yr old kids that want to blow smoke. In almost no situation does a diesel even remotely make sense anymore.
Click to expand...
Obviously you live somewhere flat and don't pull anything, there is no gas truck made that will come even close to out pulling a diesel. PERIOD!
 
pauly said:
I’ve got 150k on my 07 Ram 1500. Live the Hemi other than plug changes. Had the tranny rebuilt because of abuse from PO. Rebuilt the whole end for less than $300 with parts from Detroit Axle.
Click to expand...
I recently clicked 322,000 miles on my 2007 Ram 1500. Original EVERYTHING except EGR, spark plugs, battery....
07 Ram Forest Hill 2.JPG
 
A408Cuda said:
Obviously you live somewhere flat and don't pull anything, there is no gas truck made that will come even close to out pulling a diesel. PERIOD!
Click to expand...
Well, there isn't flat ground for 200mi in any direction, and I drag equipment and materials every day. Does a diesel pull better...yup. A gas truck can do it too, and will keep on doing it while the diesel is in the shop. This isn't the old days when gas trucks were good for a 100k miles, and a diesel lasted 500k trouble free. Now it's reversed .Gas trucks last forever, and diesels are used up by 250k. Insane boost levels, fuel pressures, emissions, and space shuttle complexity have turned off most people who actually would buy a diesel to make money. Diesels also don't get the MPG they used to. Anything goes wrong on a diesel it's a fortune and a long down time. They are no longer for doing work. They are for pulling toys 2 times a year, and bragging rights. I hardly ever see contractors buying them. It's always got *** warmers, and TV screens. The popularity of diesel trucks has skyrocketed and it sure as hell isn't from people who are gonna work them. It's guys with extra money who wanna pull a bass boat, and brag at the watercooler.
 
My 99’ Dodge Ram 2500 CTD 4x4 is dead nuts reliable. The VP44 that comes stock is questionable cause of the vibrations the engine produces and the solder joints break. I replaced mine and with the FOSS lift pump, fuel pressure gauge, it’s gonna go forever. Mine is all stock, no tuner or engine upgrades. Just changed the factory front brakes at 140k, engine oil changes at 7k, trans just serviced. Best of all, 420ft.lbs. at 1400 rpm!
 
Depends on which truck you get. If you're stupid enough to get a Ford with the 5.4 3 valve motor, you deserve what you get. lol

If it was ME, I would look for a Chevy/GMC no later than 2002 so you can stick with the first gen small block. I'm not crazy about the LS engines as they had camshaft/lifter/valve train issues.
 
Didn’t the LS engines appear in 99’?
 
5.7 hemi said:
Didn’t the LS engines appear in 99’?
Click to expand...
Only in cars. Trucks were later. Some of the very earliest truck motors had the idle set really low and would wipe a lifter/cam. They solved that pretty quick and haven't heard of it happening in a long time. Never heard of it in cars as they had a higher idle speed.
 
buy a tractor. nothing beats the reliability of a tractor. a tractor can used all year. I wouldn't waist my money on a truck to plow snow in my driveway. a pickup wouldn't touch the 10 foot drifts we get every now and then.
Trucks are for single lane roads and 3" s in a parking lot. lol
 
Only 168,000+ on my 96' 2500 V10 Ram but it looks like 500,000 mile due to our Michigan winters. It is rotting away around the edges. 23 years old and still 90%+ original. This truck owes me nothing. Been beat on, hauling, towing it's whole life and just won't die.
 
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