Ridgeline is your tow-rig pick?

John Brown wrote:

ignorant wrote: as a weird aside... why don't we get the brazillian F250 with the cummins 3.9 4 banger in it.. 250 horse and 400 lb-ft of torque and nearly 30 mpg.... WHY!

Ford likely sees the Cummins brand as Dodge territory in the US and would hate to be looked at as someone who had to copy a 5th rate truck manufacturer... I think it would be a great idea.

IIRC, Cummins is actually some part of Ford, but Dodge has exsclusive rights. not 100% on the details. Aside from the cummins being an I6 and the power stroke being a V8, the power stroke is built like a baby cummins.

neon4891 wrote:

John Brown wrote:

ignorant wrote: as a weird aside... why don't we get the brazillian F250 with the cummins 3.9 4 banger in it.. 250 horse and 400 lb-ft of torque and nearly 30 mpg.... WHY!

Ford likely sees the Cummins brand as Dodge territory in the US and would hate to be looked at as someone who had to copy a 5th rate truck manufacturer... I think it would be a great idea.

IIRC, Cummins is actually some part of Ford, but Dodge has exsclusive rights. not 100% on the details. Aside from the cummins being an I6 and the power stroke being a V8, the power stroke is built like a baby cummins.

ford does not own cummins.. it owned some stock a while ago but no more..

stop the rumor.. They might be a shareholder like any other stock purchaser but no..

The power stroke built like a baby cummins? ummm no. no no nonononoooonononoonononononnonononnonknononononnononononoonononononononononononononno no no

no no no no

no

maybe our new light duty would equal the ford powerstroke "medium duty" engine..

but probably not.. we don't build engines that weak. sorry.

neon4891 wrote: IIRC, Cummins is actually some part of Ford, but Dodge has exsclusive rights. not 100% on the details. Aside from the cummins being an I6 and the power stroke being a V8, the power stroke is built like a baby cummins.

Without all that pesky reliability, performance, or ease of service.

since the cummins is a 6cyl, doesn't that mean that it has to withstand higher per-cylinder loads and thus requires the giant rods, while the ford can make the same/similar power with more pistons and doesn't need as heavy duty rods. or is that something that is just conveniently ignored by ignorant? maybe next you'll want to talk about hp/liter?

Strizzo wrote: since the cummins is a 6cyl, doesn't that mean that it has to withstand higher per-cylinder loads and thus requires the giant rods, while the ford can make the same/similar power with more pistons and doesn't need as heavy duty rods. or is that something that is just conveniently ignored by ignorant? maybe next you'll want to talk about hp/liter?

shush.. do not discuss things like rotating mass..

no reason needed here.

how would it be to take the driveline from a newwer ('94+) diesel ram and drop it into an older ram ('82)

my friends granfather's ram has a bad frame and might be getting rid of it. I have an older ram in need of a new engine(among other things). If only i could buy the 'Cuda sitting their barn

neon4891 wrote: how would it be to take the driveline from a newwer ('94+) diesel ram and drop it into an older ram ('82) my friends granfather's ram has a bad frame and might be getting rid of it. I have an older ram in need of a new engine(among other things). If only i could buy the 'Cuda sitting their barn

I've seen it done, but I'm a engine guy so I don't know cradles etc..

but I imagine it should work good, as long as you use the drive train from the later ram and reinforce the frame if it is not a 3/4 or 1ton

ignorant wrote:

neon4891 wrote:

John Brown wrote:

ignorant wrote: as a weird aside... why don't we get the brazillian F250 with the cummins 3.9 4 banger in it.. 250 horse and 400 lb-ft of torque and nearly 30 mpg.... WHY!

Ford likely sees the Cummins brand as Dodge territory in the US and would hate to be looked at as someone who had to copy a 5th rate truck manufacturer... I think it would be a great idea.

IIRC, Cummins is actually some part of Ford, but Dodge has exsclusive rights. not 100% on the details. Aside from the cummins being an I6 and the power stroke being a V8, the power stroke is built like a baby cummins.

ford does not own cummins.. it owned some stock a while ago but no more.. stop the rumor.. They might be a shareholder like any other stock purchaser but no.. The power stroke built like a baby cummins? ummm no. no no nonononoooonononoonononononnonononnonknononononnononononoonononononononononononononno no no no no no no no maybe our new light duty would equal the ford powerstroke "medium duty" engine.. but probably not.. we don't build engines that weak. sorry.

Oh, great. Now that we've seen this picture he's gotta kill us all.

naa thats a current ISB 5.9 rod.

tuffburn wrote:

"diesel is more expensive then gas though........ but then again, i wouldnt be afraid to dent an olld chevy or dodge, i think older trucks make better tow rigs because they are tossable, not handling wise but dent and " i dont care if these rocks scratch up my bed and cab" kinda way."

Yes, diesel is more expensive but if I'm getting 50% better millage than a comparable truck and 25% better economy than an ugly jack-up car it kinda makes up for it. Now, that's talking driving unloaded. Drop 3,000 lbs in the bad and see what happens, oh yeah, the Honda will break. So, let's put a 6,000 lb trailer behind there. My Dodge won't even know it's back there, and I may loose 1 mpg with that weight back there. Yes, I know I'm comparing apples to oranges here (real truck, chick car with open trunk) but it was voted best tow vehicle or something, right? And about that trunk. What happens when you need to get a jump or have a flat tire and can't get to the trunk because you have a bed full of feminine hygiene products?

Tim Suddard wrote: Yeah, Ridgelines suck. Towing your Tiger 800 miles to Kentucky in complete comfort at 78 mph, with the stereo and the nav system humming away while getting 12 mpg (20mpg, when not towing 4000 pounds) totally blows. Which I had a rough riding, gas hog, hard to park F350.

Get 15mpg towing 4000lbs in my 06 tundra double cab (2WD.) Also the bed has 2 sets of tires, jack etc. No NAV here but do have air and CD. Also, gets 18 mpg in everyday driving and gets 20+ on the highway. Not saying that the Ridgeline is crap, just pointing out that some real trucks, even gas not diesel, can do better mpg towing and almost the same day to day. Compared to diesel its no contest on the towing and mpg, but you are right about the parking and maneuverability.

Also, the 7000lb tow rating makes towing 4000lbs a non event even under braking.

I have said it before and I will say it again.

The reason the Fridgeline is the "grassroots truck of the year." and the real grassroots trucks get no attention is the guys selling the true grassroots trucks (Chevy diesels with peeling paint and Cummins Dodges wuith 300k+) dont spend money to advertise with GRM.

As soon as used truck dealers like me (i'm a guy like me!!) starts spending money on an advertising campaign, you will hear about how GRM bought a used 1996 Dodge Cummins for $4000, rebuiilt the front end using parts they got for free from Redline BMW, CRC, or someone else, and its the greatest thing since sliced bread and puts the Ridgeline's mouth on the curb, so to speak.