FEATURES
In Your Own Words
What are you Driving?
Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.
“This should spark some interest, what are you guys running and why?”
Maryland
“Powerstroke! When was the last time you drove by a construction site and didn’t see a Ford Super Duty and CAT equipment? If you didn’t see either one, there wasn’t anything getting done. I’m not just saying that because that’s what my job sites look like. Just an observation.”
Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.
“You mean powerjoke! I’ll back you on CAT’s equipment though.”
North Carolina
“Fords and Cat”
Hampstead, Md.
“Dodges (Cummins) for me. The new ones, though. Cat here as well.”
South Dakota
“Both [Ford and Chevy]. The Ford is my favorite though.”
Kentucky
“I bleed blue and love CAT power also.”
Indiana
“I love my Isuzu NPR/GMC W series truck. Someday I want a new one. I can haul several tons in the dump bed and still get 16 mpg, and I can turn around in no space at all. I had a 1-ton Dodge Cummins, loved it, but this truck can go through a yard and mash tracks a lot less. Lower weight PSI on the ground, better mpg, tighter turning radius, much larger bed size, much more actual load capacity and, believe it or not, a lower cost to buy and maintain and insure, even new. And, no question from the IRS that my fuel or miles turned in is work related. You’re not gonna take your best girl out in this one.”
Kentucky
“I agree that the NPR is a workhorse, we have one and run the pants off of it. It is pound for pound probably the most useful truck we have. We use it for everything from tree work to landscaping, it hauls mulch or topsoil or gravel with no problems. It has a 12-foot dump bed, it looks rough, but it sat for almost 10 years in storage before I bought it.”
Colorado
“How many tons can you haul with your NPRs? Also, how much and how well do they tow?”
New Jersey
“Dodge for me. Just got a 2004 1500 with a 5.7 [liter] Hemi. I don’t think I’d buy anything else.”
Tennessee
“I run my F-350 dually with the 7.3 [liter] day in day out, with no downtime. The Dodge that I started out with was replaced years ago; the engine constantly needed tweaking and sputtered a lot, but by far I say junk your NPRs and go with the new Ford LCF. Just had my first one delivered two weeks ago with 18-foot, drive-up bed; 200-plus hp; 6-cylinder turbo diesel; and a greater payload than the NPR. Can’t wait until my next one gets delivered soon with the dump bed and removable dovetail.”
Texas
“2002 F-250 with 7.3-liter. Getting the truck lifted 3 inches today so I can change out the shocks better, plus it looks better.”
Missouri
“Three Dodges.”
New Jersey
“Are any of them the new models, like the new mason dumps?”
Missouri
“Nope, not yet. I am one of those people who just can’t buy brand new, even if I can afford it. I just feel cheated with all the depreciation in the first few years.”
Oklahoma
“Three Ford 1-tons and an ’06 Ford LCF for us.”
North Carolina
“Run both Ford and Chevy. Prefer Chevrolet because they don’t ride like a bucking bronco bull.”
Texas
“GMC and Ford, no Dodge! I have a Duramax now. I will probably purchase a ’95-’97 Powerstroke come summertime. Powerstroke and Duramax, the only diesels you’ll ever want and need!”
Mississippi
“I run Ford, I have always been partial to them because of my dad and grandfather.”
Pennsylvania
“I am a Chevy man, always will be. My current truck is an ’82 K30 Silverado with a dump bed on it. She works pretty well, but hopefully I can find someone to do my engine upgrade. Can anyone say Cummins 12V?”
New Jersey
“That’s a nice truck, even cooler ‘cause it has a dump body. A guy in my town has a pickup like that, mean lookin’ trucks.”
Pennsylvania
“Thanks man, yeah, I like it. I always wanted a boxy style Chevy. You’re right, they just look so mean.”
Washington
“I have an ’06 Chevy Duramax. The 6.6 [liter] Duramax is definitely the best diesel available right now. The 7.3 [liter] Powerstroke was a good engine. Unfortunately, the newer Powerstrokes aren’t as good. A lot of people have been having trouble with the new ones. The Dodge Cummins has problems as well, and don’t get the old 6.5 [liter] Chevy, they can be rather expensive to keep running.”
Pennsylvania
“The Duramax is a great motor, I drove an ’03 2500 before I bought my ’82. Yes, I will agree with you on the 7.3s. Total workhorse. The 6.5s are better then the 6.2s that GM used to use, but not by much. The heat would get to the 6.5 injector pump (I think) and cause major problems. Also, the heads liked to crack. Anyway you cut it, any of the motors will have problems eventually, just depends [on] how they are treated.”
Virginia
“I’ve had, or do have, the Fords and Chevys, but nothing comes close to the Isuzu. Ours is the larger version with the sleeper/extended cab section and a 19,500 GVW. We can put three crew [members] in the front with an extra two behind the seats if needed. We run an 18-foot bed with 8-foot toolboxes double stacked on the first 8 feet (both sides) and stakes the rest of the 10 feet. We load the toolboxes with all [the] tools needed regularly, fill the bed with [a] full load of whatever, [and] then put a rubber track John Deere behind it on a trailer. It will run 75 down the freeway. Got it with 160,000 miles on it, done nothing but filters and lube for two years we’ve ran it since. Awesome! We’ll add another to the fleet this year.
“I did not want to offend anyone, so let me add that I currently have a new Chevy Tahoe LTZ and a ’99 super-duty diesel crew dually 4WD on 37s in the driveway. I do love American!”
Washington
“The Isuzu is as good as an American truck. You can buy Chevys and GM, which are virtually identical. I assume the Isuzu you are talking about is a cab-forward design (flat-nose)? Also, does it have the diesel engine or the gas engine in it?”
Pennsylvania
“I looked at those Isuzu trucks, they look pretty nice. The next big truck I am going to get is a GMC 5500 with a stake body dump bed that actually comes off. I think it’s an outstanding idea because you can leave a dump bed full of mulch for people to push out while you go pick up another load with a different dump bed. That must be a big dually on 37s. I have a ‘98 extended cab on 38s, gotta love lifted trucks.”
Virginia
“Yeah, it’s pretty large. My next personal truck is going to be the new 5500 Chevy being put out by Monroe with all the goodies and a pickup bed. I’ll probably run single floatation tires (like the fronts of cement trucks) they measure out to 44s by like 18 inches wide on 22.5-inch rims.
“You are talking about the hook lifts similar to the roll-off. I have been looking at those myself, but if I go that route I will be doing a CDL multi-axle truck. The bodies and system take up a lot of weight, and with a 5500 you will be close to your gross before you put anything in the bed. If I do one it will be for moving equipment, materials, cleanup and possibly renting roll-off containers to keep a full-time driver for the truck.”
Canada
“Duramax for me. I had an ’03 that pulled a 14,000-pound pintle trailer daily. I put 200,000 on it and changed the brakes once, a window motor, and that’s it. Flawless truck that was worked hard. Also, ran a 135 hp programmer from new until I sold it to my dad.
“My ’06 is a little over a year old now and has over 100,000 on it. Running a 100 hp programmer and pulling a 15,000-pound gooseneck and the same pintle hook trailer daily. Works great. No complaints. Fuel mileage isn’t quite as good on the new one though, about 1 to 2 mpg less.”
Pennsylvania
“Well, I won’t be able to get one of them 5500s for a few years. By then maybe I will find a 7500 that I like!”
“In Your Own Words” is contributed from the forums at www.landscapeconstructionsite.com. Visit them, and join in the discussions.
