Jefe 4x4
Tremor Member
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2020
- Messages
- 21
- Reaction Points
- 49
- Location
- West slope Northern Sierra Nevada
- Current Ride
- 2020 F-350 XLT 7.3L gas
- Current Ride #2
- 2001 Dodge 2500 Cummins TD 4WD 6 speed manual
This is jefe. I joined this forum intending to buy a Tremor.
I bought a 2001.5 Dodge 4WD SB 2500 HO Cummins TD, NV5600, Camper Package, new in 2001. It is singularly the noisiest oil burner you will ever hear. I built the front axle to Dana 70 specs and the rear Dana 80 both with True Trac torque biasing, clutchless limited slips. The rear springs have 8 leaves: 3 on the upper overloads, and 5 in the main pack with Stable Loads, and on and on with a build. It has no D.E.F. tank or smog device.
On the bed is a new 2350 pound (dry) Northstar Laredo self contained truck camper.
It really is a reliable and worthy beast to haul my truck camper. With a 3 inch lift and 35 inch tires we do off-road with this lashup and it's predecessor the 1998 Lance Lite 165-s.
However, time marches on and with the camper on, Jeanie doesn't want to drive the 6 speed manual anymore, and it's so loud (we call it the rattler) we can't carry on a conversation while on the road; and we're out camping and travelling a lot, especially during Covid Times.
We've had 7 diesel motive devices over time and it was time to reconsider. One reason is the cost of No. 2 in CA. We live at 4K feet on the West Slope of the Northern Sierra Nevada. On a recent 60 mile trip from CA to NV, the price of diesel dropped from $3.75/gallon to $1.99 in NV, in 90 minutes.
I think we're done with diesels.
So to make my queen happy, the dilemma was to replace the Dodge HO Cummins with a gas engine truck with an automatic trans. that could take the load and move a truck camper. This means GVWR trumps towing capacity.
Looked at RAM. The Hemi is a good race car or small pickup engine but not a good goods hauler.
Looked at GM. Pretty good, but the mpg dropped way down with a load and the thing was screaming to keep up.
The fact is, the 7.3 gas has no competition. The only distant competition would have been the discontinued V-10 Ford or Dodge.
Tried to find a Tremor with most of the upgrades I did to my RAM Cummins already on board. None found.
So after more cogitating, I looked up the specs on a 2020 Super Duty XLT, F-350, SRW, 4WD, 7.3 gas engine, 10 speed auto trans, 11,400 pound GVWR, super cab, SB pickup and found....a winner. It has a 4066 pound payload capacity. Now we're talking. I searched some nearby dealers and found what I was looking for.
TODAY
we bought a new 2020 XLT F-350. After a bit of negotiating we got it for invoice price. That's about $4K under sticker (msrp).
It has the torquey, quiet, and capable gas engine we wanted and the transparent 10 speed auto. The only thing it doesn't have, compared to the Tremor, is the 2 inch lift, slightly lower crawl gear, front limited slip, trimmed air dam; and maybe higher load rated springs on the XLT. I can do much of the rest of this aftermarket.
Once we have it a while I'll report back a comparo between our CTD RAM, manual trans, and the new XLT F-350, 7.3 gas auto trans.
No, I'm not selling the RAM. It will still be in the mix for those wild off-road trips.
I bought a 2001.5 Dodge 4WD SB 2500 HO Cummins TD, NV5600, Camper Package, new in 2001. It is singularly the noisiest oil burner you will ever hear. I built the front axle to Dana 70 specs and the rear Dana 80 both with True Trac torque biasing, clutchless limited slips. The rear springs have 8 leaves: 3 on the upper overloads, and 5 in the main pack with Stable Loads, and on and on with a build. It has no D.E.F. tank or smog device.
On the bed is a new 2350 pound (dry) Northstar Laredo self contained truck camper.
It really is a reliable and worthy beast to haul my truck camper. With a 3 inch lift and 35 inch tires we do off-road with this lashup and it's predecessor the 1998 Lance Lite 165-s.
However, time marches on and with the camper on, Jeanie doesn't want to drive the 6 speed manual anymore, and it's so loud (we call it the rattler) we can't carry on a conversation while on the road; and we're out camping and travelling a lot, especially during Covid Times.
We've had 7 diesel motive devices over time and it was time to reconsider. One reason is the cost of No. 2 in CA. We live at 4K feet on the West Slope of the Northern Sierra Nevada. On a recent 60 mile trip from CA to NV, the price of diesel dropped from $3.75/gallon to $1.99 in NV, in 90 minutes.
I think we're done with diesels.
So to make my queen happy, the dilemma was to replace the Dodge HO Cummins with a gas engine truck with an automatic trans. that could take the load and move a truck camper. This means GVWR trumps towing capacity.
Looked at RAM. The Hemi is a good race car or small pickup engine but not a good goods hauler.
Looked at GM. Pretty good, but the mpg dropped way down with a load and the thing was screaming to keep up.
The fact is, the 7.3 gas has no competition. The only distant competition would have been the discontinued V-10 Ford or Dodge.
Tried to find a Tremor with most of the upgrades I did to my RAM Cummins already on board. None found.
So after more cogitating, I looked up the specs on a 2020 Super Duty XLT, F-350, SRW, 4WD, 7.3 gas engine, 10 speed auto trans, 11,400 pound GVWR, super cab, SB pickup and found....a winner. It has a 4066 pound payload capacity. Now we're talking. I searched some nearby dealers and found what I was looking for.
TODAY
It has the torquey, quiet, and capable gas engine we wanted and the transparent 10 speed auto. The only thing it doesn't have, compared to the Tremor, is the 2 inch lift, slightly lower crawl gear, front limited slip, trimmed air dam; and maybe higher load rated springs on the XLT. I can do much of the rest of this aftermarket.
Once we have it a while I'll report back a comparo between our CTD RAM, manual trans, and the new XLT F-350, 7.3 gas auto trans.
No, I'm not selling the RAM. It will still be in the mix for those wild off-road trips.