I know I was asking how the Diesel/Ethanol blend was treating the Chevy Duramax Diesel which is powering the new C(rap) 4500. That question obviously went over your head.
FORD is still warranting them to 100,000 miles. Had one Chevy with a fuel rail issue, but nothing like the Fords yet. The Ford 6.0 is JUNK !!!
Yeah. They don't call them 6.0(no) for nothing! That's not too bad. My 7.3L is still got it's 100k warranty, there for modifications yet. My friend had two 6.0s. One lasted two weeks, the other lasted a year and traded it after it's problem started at 90k, then bought a 6.4L F-450. It's only problem is sucking fuel! Know another 450 with cooling system problems. If my truck was wrecked tomorrow, I'd be looking at Dodge. I'm not a fan of the recent looks or comfort of GMs HD line.
It's kind of a shame. I think while more expensive(the freightshaker) I do highly believe it will outlast the GM in the long run. Any idea how they're working out for the FMs?
freighliners is the worst chassis to build an ambulance on..the ncpd trucks are the same box's remounted onto chevy 4500's, a 4500 is nothing more than a ford e or f 450, just a bigger cab. personally i like the 4500, mechanically you cant beat the allison trani but it also makes you feel like your in a lot bigger of a rig
the reason the county remounted onto chevy chassis and not freightliner is not only the cost, but the box is too small for the freightliner chassis. (honestly, i fell that the freightliner or international busses are overkill for nassau county agencies.)
the chevy bus is a nice upgrade for EAB, and hopefully they will get more of them in the future! the only problems are that it's got a hard ride to it and the seats in the cab don't have arm rests
the chevys ride hard but mechanically and safety wise they are a lot better plus the extra cab room. whats now becoming popular is the dodge 45/5500s, same body style as the dodge rams but come with the cummins 6.7 and now are available for ambulance use
the allison transmision used with the DMAX that comes stock is nothing fantastic. it has the name allison on it. its built strong and yada yada but like every transmission its going to fail.
the only problem with the dodge 6.7 is the fuel mileage is the worst of all 3 big diesel makers. i know because i have one. and an empty truck gets 11mpg around town. a little heavier duty application and ur looking at 7-9gpm.
freighliners is the worst chassis to build an ambulance on..the ncpd trucks are the same box's remounted onto chevy 4500's, a 4500 is nothing more than a ford e or f 450, just a bigger cab. personally i like the 4500, mechanically you cant beat the allison trani but it also makes you feel like your in a lot bigger of a rig
The GM Medium Duty Twins are more for, weekend warriors pulling trailers and playing with dirt in the yard. How do I know I've seen them go to crap with less then 40,000 miles on them. Freightliners "Medium Duty" can also be speced up to a Class 8 tractor with GVW of 80,000 pounds? Which is the best bang for your buck? A truck that's to be a truck or a weekend warrior mobile?
the allison transmision used with the DMAX that comes stock is nothing fantastic. it has the name allison on it. its built strong and yada yada but like every transmission its going to fail.
the only problem with the dodge 6.7 is the fuel mileage is the worst of all 3 big diesel makers. i know because i have one. and an empty truck gets 11mpg around town. a little heavier duty application and ur looking at 7-9gpm.
I beg to differ, the F-450s are a lot worse on fuel. Empty milage is 8mpg.
I beg to differ, the F-450s are a lot worse on fuel. Empty milage is 8mpg.
they all suck on fuel..the main reason people are trying the dodges and chevys is 1-everyone's getting tired of the fords and 2-even though the chevy 4500 is nothing more than a ford f450 with a big cab, a lot of departments like the fact that its the same price wise but they get to feel like they're in a big truck
yes i agree with you if you want to go big you might as well go for the international or sterling or whatever else but those trucks are overkill for long island and plus the pricing
Still pretty bad. Anything after DPFs fuel has gone down. They need to go back to regular low sulfur and no cats like my truck. I consistently average between 17.5-19 mpg empty or pulling at max. Dodge 5.9s where even better. Damn EPA.
they all suck on fuel..the main reason people are trying the dodges and chevys is 1-everyone's getting tired of the fords and 2-even though the chevy 4500 is nothing more than a ford f450 with a big cab, a lot of departments like the fact that its the same price wise but they get to feel like they're in a big truck
yes i agree with you if you want to go big you might as well go for the international or sterling or whatever else but those trucks are overkill for long island and plus the pricing
The longevity of buying the bigger truck makes up for price and "overkill" in the end.
The longevity of buying the bigger truck makes up for price and "overkill" in the end.
you are correct about the longevity pays for itself, if its a volunteer dept then yea it could be a good thing to try being the unit is kept so much longer than like ncpd for example which is about 4 years then a remount, which is the average time that paid 911 depts keep their units
i do agree you are right, i'm only saying the other side to it because my dad owns an ambulance/rescue truck dealer so i hear and see a lot of the agencys likes and dislikes on a daily basis
you are correct about the longevity pays for itself, if its a volunteer dept then yea it could be a good thing to try being the unit is kept so much longer than like ncpd for example which is about 4 years then a remount, which is the average time that paid 911 depts keep their units
i do agree you are right, i'm only saying the other side to it because my dad owns an ambulance/rescue truck dealer so i hear and see a lot of the agencys likes and dislikes on a daily basis
I drive them and help a lot friends and people from the horse world spec their trucks and trailers, I deal with it personally daily. Well if county bought rigs that would last more then 4 years like a class 6 or 7 truck, it'd save money in the long run. Which in these times is more important(I'd think) then the original shell out price.
I drive them and help a lot friends and people from the horse world spec their trucks and trailers, I deal with it personally daily. Well if county bought rigs that would last more then 4 years like a class 6 or 7 truck, it'd save money in the long run. Which in these times is more important(I'd think) then the original shell out price.
this is true, like i said i agree with you. but the departments/agencys dont look at it like that, some of the chiefs and fleet people do see it the way me and you see it but when it comes time for purchasing it all comes down to the people cutting the checks, they want to know why they're paying $150,000 for an international ambulance when the f or e 450 which will do the job is only $115,000, which is also a big reason why not many places run medium duty. now i just moved back up from fl after 6 years and down there ALL they run is medium duty but they also carry rescue tools on the ambulances as well as a fire pump on the ambulance so for small jobs like a car fire they'll just a roll a bus
I drive them and help a lot friends and people from the horse world spec their trucks and trailers, I deal with it personally daily. Well if county bought rigs that would last more then 4 years like a class 6 or 7 truck, it'd save money in the long run. Which in these times is more important(I'd think) then the original shell out price.
also a lot of countys and depts have a standard set time frame of how long to keep a vehicle, so if policy is remount or trash or w/e at 4 years it doesn't pay to step into the medium duty, but like you said if its more than the 4 it definitely makes sense but they like knowing at 4 years they have a new truck, pretty much rather get rid of it before they worry about it breaking