[Fwd: Re: [A/S] Airstream Pullers]

[Jim Dunmyer <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Although I had sent this to Harvey off-list, Hunter asked that replies
be posted here...



Harvey,
 We tow a 6000# Avion with a 1994 Dodge w/Cummins. So far, it's done an
excellent job, getting right at 15MPG during our Winter sojurn of 7500
miles. Ours is a 12-valve and only 160 HP/400 ft. lbs. torque, the newer
ones are quite a bit more powerful with their 24-valve heads and
electronic controls. Ours has an automatic tranny, which I'm told is a
pretty good unit. The new ones are better, and the manual transmissions
are quite good. In fact, Dodge rates the truck with a higher towing
capacity with the stick than with the auto. I'd personally kill someone
to have a 6-speed in mine. <<grin>>

I bought the truck last Fall with 108,000 miles on it, the clock now
reads 120,000. The transmission had a small problem of not wanting to
shift into 3rd when cold, so I overhauled it and installed a TransGo
shift kit while I was at it. It's really sweet now, with quite firm
shifts, and I'm told that it'll now handle 300 HP and 1000 ft.-lbs. of
torque if I want to hop up the engine. (I probably won't) FWIW: the
older Dodge automatics had a seal that caused the problem I had; the
overhaul kit included an improved seal. From what I saw in my tranny, it
probably would have gone another 100,000 miles w/o trouble except for
that blasted seal. And, the original owner had used it for heavy-duty
towing, as it had had a gooseneck hitch in the bed at one time. (I
bought it from the second owner, I think he knew about the tranny
problem.)

My engine uses NO oil, and it stays clean between changes. I took it to
Cummins to have the valves set and was told, "That truck will rust away
and fall to the ground in a pile and the engine will still be going.
They're good for 300,000 miles". The new ones should go 400,000 miles,
according to Cummins' Web Site. See
http://www.cummins.com/na/pages/en/products/dodgeram/cummins24vturbodiesel.cfm
for details. They claim 245 Hp/505 ft. lbs. with a stick, 235 HP with an
automatic, compared to mine. (see above)

If you want a biased opinion, go to http://www.setdr.org, click on
Discussion Groups, then General Diesel Discussions. Ask in there about
which truck is better and why. I'm sure there's an equivilant Ford group
and the reactions from them would be interesting as well.

Cummins is arguably the most popular engine in over-the-road trucks. The
basic engine used by Dodge is also used in MANY other applications such
as motorhomes, boats, etc. It's often rated as high as 300 HP in some of
those cases; the limiting factor is cooling.

I love my Dodge!! (could you tell?)

                                       <<Jim>>