YOU MIGHT THINK THIS IS CRAZY....BUT IT REALLY WORKS.

From : redneck tookover hell

Q: well heck if youre going to be serious http//groups.google.com/groupshl=en&lr=&ie=utf-8&threadm=ad370fde.040108 0425.60bfc7dd%40posting.google.com&rnum=6&prev=/groups%3fhl%3den%26lr%3d%2 6ie%3diso-8859-1%26q%3dcummins%26meta%3dgroup%253dalt.autos.studebaker well that stunk... http//makeashorterlink.com/f24712767 this link is to a very long article but its worth reading. heres an excerpt for you. i believe the writer is bias toward dodge but ive experienced some of the things he complains about with the ford as well. the ram handled solidly and felt very safe at 45-50 mph going downhill. the exhaust brake engaged quietly and could hardly be heard at an idle or on the road. it did give just the right amount of braking effort for this load and a rather steep hill. the ram service brakes were excellent and gave me tremendous confidence. the ride was smooth and tight; the steering felt stable like full weight was still on the front wheels. i easily started the rig in first gear and even in second from a stop going uphill. i did not have to touch the accelerator pedal or smoke the clutch. at the radar unit the rig was going 45 mph uphill at full power in fourth gear. the ford had a rather jarring ride and handling felt on the edge in the curves. every bump in the road caused bouncing and jumping. the driver needed to have a strong stomach and back. the truck constantly reminded me that it was heavy duty and i was not! the brakes were not good just okay. the rig was difficult to start from a stop going uphill. even in first gear i had to slip the clutch quite a bit and carefully modulate the accelerator pedal. otherwise the engine stalled regardless of the care i took. the zf aluminum cased transmission was louder than the dodge nv5600. i was especially unhappy with the difficult notchy shift from first to second. almost all of the momentum gained in the low gear was lost in the time it took to shift. the rig achieved 41 mph at the radar unit. i gained several other impressions about the ford that i want to relate. the ignition key release button is difficult to operate especially if you are not in the seat and just reaching across from outside the truck. the idle is rattly and transitions to quiet just off idle. however under load and release a machine gun rattle comes back like pouring bbs onto a steel dish. the transmission/gear train is noticeably louder than the rams. the shifter is too close to the driver and the seat in first gear. overall the shifter moves too much going through its pattern. ford/navistar needs both a catalytic converter and exhaust gas recirculation to meet the easier 2004.5 emission standards. an especially troubling problem occurs if you give the engine some accelerator pedal at a stop in neutral. first the engine goes to 2000 rpm or greater. then without any driver input it runs away clear to the red-line rpm 4000. from pulling the trailer it seemed that there was no advantage to the last 500 rpm going to the 4000 rpm red line. the power curve was moderately good but more peaky than the ram. in other words the ford needed to get up in rpm much more than the ram to pull the load. from mike simmons mikesim@fidnet.com date 2/13/2004 302 am central standard time ok boyz april fools day is still a month an a half away! in answer to the post i tow a similar rv with my 03 dr 2500 2wd with ho ctd 48re 3.73 ls axle and couldnt be happier. if you compare the towing capacity and construction quality of the ford vs the dodge you will see the difference! and there is no comparison between the cummins engine vs. the problematic powerstroke. chryco service manager member sae so im stuck in a rut back to the dodge dealership to get another crappy dodge truck. dale i second the previous posters get the ford and make certain you get the new diesel 6.6/6.8 for sure! .