Tribute to the hired help.

I drive a monster of a truck, for those who have no idea what I drive...

2000 Dodge Ram 1500 Off Road 4x4 Quad Cab.

5.9 V8, 46re rebuilt with lots of extra parts for longevity AND a precision +200 lock up converter, 241OR jeep t-case... sct tuned by hemifever then later retuned by me...

Any doubts as to how much it can haul shall be dispelled with a few pictures.




The truck scales empty with me sitting in it at around 6000 lbs. I have hauled 9540 at my heaviest, about 900 lbs over GVWR. The truck came with a "reinforced(extra ribbing)" D44MRF Front Axle and a Chrysler 9.25/Limited Slip/Heavy Service Brakes Package which meant the GVWR went from 7400 in normal QC 4x4 trucks to 8600, same as the V8 2500. I bought it for this specific reason.

It has never failed, never left me stranded, never done anything but work it's butt off for me, so here I raise a glass to our hardest workers...the trucks, and also my kid, the newest generation is lazy as hell but at least when I am breathing down his neck he still works his butt off and he doesn't hesitate to work WITH me whenever I have a big job.

The story of how this truck came to be starts with a Chevy.

I had once been in the military and relatively flush with cash because of a small but profitable invention sold to a firearm maker called at the time Panther Arms, later to be known as DPMS which was an automatically adjustable gas block that allowed for the use of a suppressor without slamming the bolt and buffer all the way into the back of the buffer tube and possibly damaging the rifle or causing misfeeds.

At that time (Around 2005) I had purchased a 2000 Camaro SS with a then prototype air ride technologies full airbag and linked suspension system. Something on the order of 35 grand all in. I also owned this:



Which was a 1997 Chevrolet Blazer 4x4 I bought at the onset of my service because whilst having no credit there are a multitude of companies and dealers willing to take advantage of direct payment for x number of years at gazillion percent interest and with two babies I had little choice between that and my 89 chevy cavalier z24. What I didn't know is that said blazer was actually an Atlanta Airport Taxi and had 280K miles on it before I had ever got to it. Which resulted in this:



And this...



And this...



Anyways, I spent alot of money on the blazer over the years and the then wife agreed I should get something for myself. I unfortunately do not have pictures of the camaro or the truck that I bought after it.

The story goes something like this. I let a friend drive the camaro to town to a parts store while I was working on the blazer. I get a call fifteen minutes later to tell me he ran the car up onto a guard rail and is currently getting a ticket. The car let me tell you was completely destroyed, oh sure it looked just fine from the side, but underneath was wiped out and unrepairable. The insurance company cut me a check for 27,900, the value of a mint low miles 2000 maro ss at the time.

I gave up on the idea of a car right there and bought a 2003 GMC Sierra 2500HD with the duramax and all the trimmings for 33,000 and change. I had engine, electrical and fluid leak issues from day one of ownership. Both inner tie rods, both upper control arms and two u joints had to be replaced while I owned it...for forteen weeks. On week 9 the engine quit and would not start again. The high pressure cp3 fuel pump had died (siezed) and caused damage to the gear drive forcing a part to be ordered. Week 11 everything had been replaced, engine still will not start, computer is bad, week 13...engine runs, truck drives but is very low on power...injectors are replaced. Week 14, I am finally told to come get my truck it is fixed. While I am signing the work order for warranty and receiving the invoice the truck is actually on fire under the hood while idling in front of the dealership.

At this point, a mechanic is running with an extinguisher in hand to put the fire out. The ground strap from engine to body had started on fire melting all kinds of things including the harness and the plastic sensor housing for the fuel rail pressure sensor. Owner approaches me and tells me he is going to buy back the truck because he doesn't want this to go any further (I had already threatened no less than half a dozen times about this truck).

Same day: Owner of my current truck is trading his in for a brand new 1 ton duramax. I want to look at it. Next day dealer hands me the keys to a truck with 41k miles that is set up for work, hard work I might add and doesn't bat an eye when I wail on it for an hour. I bring it back, we do paperwork and I am the new owner of my current truck in October 2006 for a whopping 8700 bucks. In addition the owner of the dealer gives my a complementary extended warranty same as I had paid for with the GMC (let me remind you he was supposed to refund that warranty to me anyways).

Anyways, I've worked in the oil and gas industry, as a service tech for Scott Equipment and for CP Railroad while I owned this truck. I've had to throw my fair share of parts at it sure, including a transmission and transfer case (I had the oil pump drive wear through the case...not an actual failure) and here we are, right back at it doing hard work for my current business. The truck lived as a highway queen for a few years while I fought and recovered from Lower (pre cecum)GI cancer and a multitude of illnesses as a result. Hundreds of trips to clinics, hospitals and sometimes being left unattended for a few months while I couldn't drive anymore.

I know guys like to rag on dodge...but I'd take you hand to foot that I've spent less money and done more work with my truck than anyone here in the half ton class. I've hot shot parts for the drilling crews from Lake Charles all the way to Texarkana...hauled a forklift 3 stage mast from Alexandria LA to Tyler TX, then hauled the broken mast back to Alexandria some 3,000 lbs. Delivered my kids through snow storms and ice 1200 miles to get home for the holidays, hours and hours of drift busting on the interstate back in 2007-2008.

So here is a tribute to the best **** truck I have ever owned and what they guys who've had the pleasure to ride with me or work with me agree on...best of the best.

And yes...I lifted the truck, needed to so I could fit 37" BFG Mud Terrain KM2 tires and ensure I could get out to and across oil fields in any weather and get paid for a delivered signature. It just so happens I am 5 inches from perfect dock height, and that 2 pallets is exactly perfect.

Amen, second truck is coming soon.

I've always had Dodge trucks, ranging from a 1967 W200 Power Wagon (BEAST) to my current 2011 Ram 2500 HD diesel. They've all seen hard use, and I've never had a major problem or expense. Basic stuff like brakes, ball joints, exhaust work (PA road salt kills exhausts) and a water pump once in my 1988 W250. That's about it. I've owned manual transmissions almost exclusively, so no tranny issues. My only autos were a '73 and an '85, both with the old A727. The 727s had their share of issues as well, I guess I just got two of the good ones!

My truck is really my only hired hand, and I would be lost without it. I really can't imagine 2,500 lbs of transmissions or 150 converters in the trunk of my wife's 2013 Dart or our beater Camry

The Fords and GMs will always have their following, but I'm a Dodge guy for life.. Unless I ever get one that acts like your '03 GMC did. That thing was a lemon if there ever was one!

I like the Off-Road package trucks of the late 90s-early 2000s style. I think I still like the 94-02 style overall just a little better than the 03-up, and I say that as the owner of a newer Ram

Yea, this Dodge was my second dodge ever, the first was a 89 (if I remember right) Daytona IROC with the turbo 4 cylinder. I put a manual boost controller on it I made from a airbrush regulator. Didn't take long to toss the rods in that one.

Next truck looks to be this:

Used 2011 Ford F-150 XLT (Black Truck) | Serving Fitchburg, Sun Prairie & Madison Wisconsin | Kayser Ford

It already has air helper springs and front/rear anti sway bars with some sort of sway control gizmo for trailer towing that can activate individual brakes on both truck and trailer to keep things lined up...how that works is voodoo to me and I'm supposed to be up and up on this stuff. I had a 5.0 F150 to use for work when the dodge was undergoing cosmetic surgery from the drunk driver incident for almost a month. I loved that red bastard.



I think enterprise had no idea I would tow for 2500 miles, drive 7000 and return it with a bed full of screws and broken zip ties Courtesy truck was worked harder in one month than most of these crew cabs see their entire lives. Imagine a 4 ton shred trailer hauled off every three or four days, daily pickups, daily rounds for things like post office, fed ex, computer shops...trips to the VA on the other side of the state...yea worked very very hard. And for a 5.0 v8 it still returned a 19mpg trip average including towing.

I've heard good things about the new Ford 5.0 and the EcoBoost V6. Scrapping those abhorrent Triton engines of 1997-2010 was a much-needed move by Ford. If you ask me, every Triton ever built should be recalled and dropped into a smelting furnace. A poorly-designed piece of garbage from day one, and they kept building them for well over a decade.



I remember that red F150. Sharp-looking truck, and I think it would be even sweeter in black. It's cool that you got to really try one out before deciding to buy one. A half-hour unloaded cruise off the dealer lot is not really enough for a guy who uses a truck for its intended purpose to know if it's going to suit his needs.

Many pickups sold today live more like a Cadillac or a Lexus than a truck. I had a hard time even finding a decent-looking regular cab long bed (plus a true, 3-pedal six speed). Most of them are plain fleet trucks now, and most dealers don't stock them. The snazzy, loaded-up quad cabs are what sells, so that's what they stock. I understand their reasons, but it makes truck shopping frustrating for a guy like myself!

i am hands down a ford guy. cheap truck, cheap and plentiful part and can handle alot of abuse. I run mostly 87-95 f150's. they do everything and more i ever asked including running when other would have blown scrap chucks everywhere.

i have a 2000 dodge with same tranny ($1500 worth of parts and work in it) 318 motor. when it runs it purrs. just cant work it or it starts pissing itself ( coolant). replaced cooling system 3 times including head & intake gaskets because i made it pull a trailer. not too impressed with milage either. for a daily driver after 7500 in parts and labor its a good truck but wont see more than groceries for a load anymore.

that pleasure is reserved for my ford...

I would never own a 318 dodge, at least not the magnum motors. I made sure the truck I was looking at had a 360.

Off Road magazine claimed to have tested a 2000 dodge ram off road against a jeep tj, some weird looking stepside ford and the zr2 s10...somehow the s10 won, you can see why when they showed the specs... the dodge was equipped with the 318, a 5 speed manual and did not have the heavy duty cooling or tow package...that's not an off road that's a "sport" ALL OFF ROAD PACKAGE 2nd GEN DODGES COME WITH QUAD CAB 5.9 AUTO TRAILER TOW PACKAGE AND HEAVY DUTY COOLING. Every single one, cannot get the off road package without it. This was the last truck of all three brands ever made that had actual off road features until the power wagon was reintroduced.

I wanted a power wagon over the ford btw, couldn't do it, not enough fuel mileage and I don't hot shot anymore. If I ever did again, wouldn't even think about a different truck, Dodge all the way when you have to do real men's work.

And not to be that guy, but your cooling system probably leaked because of a known flaw in the heads that developed an exhaust side crack and forced pressure into the cooling system causing it to leak. No number of gaskets, hoses, radiators or pumps can fix it, the test is simple though. It involves plumbing a device into the system that has liquid in it, this liquid turns a certain color in the presence of combustion gases. If it turns blue you have a cracked head and it needs to be replaced or repaired. The cracks are almost always passenger side, cylinder 8. Mine eats coolant at about a quart every two or three months but I know it's going out the exhaust so I don't care to fix it. It has never gotten worse, meaning I got lucky. The 318s seem to be much more problematic.

Other simple yet very hard to find leaks are the thermostat housing, the rust corrodes the base where there are tack welds and it will leak under the powdercoating/paint not enough persay under normal circumstances but stressed itll leak noticably. Also I have installed parts store water pumps that leak right out of the box, others that don't leak unless the customer is towing and still others that leak whenever I am not watching it, I've had three in a row leak from the CASTING...from customers buying "new" pumps thinking a new over a rebuild will be better...well the rebuild started with OEM parts the "new" started with a no known standard chinese casting.

Pressure test the system to 3-4 lbs beyond what the cap is rated for. Wait for the leaks, go from there. Everything, broke down into steps, is much easier to digest and work with than trying to find it if and when it does leak.

The 318 in our 2000 is a magnum and i have already looked into the issue and done some remediation with aftermarket gaskets made to fix a fatal design flaw. they mixed 3 metals that expand and cool at different rates at intake and expect it to last. just plain stupid. massive design flaw in engine. it means the intake gasket lasts about 50-75k on them average. theres actually a recall and service bulitin on it if you check.

I have had heads checked and trued each time they were suspect. cost me around 400 a time to get them checked as they trued them and x-rayed for cracks. other than being a very minute amount out of true they have been cleared each time as being damaged. still are original heads or at least the numbers are right so are still factory year correct. previous owner may have replaced them but I never have.

the engine has pulled its share on loads in the past. even some i thought were gonna be too much for it. power wise i have no complaints on it. great power for a higher milage engine.

as for other coolant issues one simple fix is a 1/8" hole in thermostat to break the "sealed" system and allow constant flow. cant get a bubble and air lock anymore when you do that. also gives a bit more time before damage if your thermostat fails and you overheat since it still moves fluid then.

i honestly think that part of the heat issue is tranny / tranny cooler related. I am wondering if tranny isnt getting warm and transfering heat forward. (yes i turn off overdrive loaded over 500 lbs or pulling.) I have rarely towed or driven loaded more than 20 miles round trip so it shouldnt have much time to heat up that much.

most loads its pulled are under 4500lbs including trailer. though it has pulled upwards of 10k a couple times including trailer when an uncles 2012 3/4 ton dodge went down and we had to move his cattle.

after the amount of money i put into it i really wish i had done more research before buying it as we have also had the common computer and electrical issues as well. my 2000 is also a "death flash" year dodge which doesnt help matters either.

not trying to say all of them are lemons but mine was in my opinion. its cost alot more than the truck is worth to keep it happy and on road but it has zero rust (florida truck) so has a long life yet if i keep sinking money in it. after driving 2100 miles to get it i am not inclined to give it up soon. just let it retire to an easier life as a daily driver and not a work truck.

my old ford has suffered the same abuse and alot more with out any issues beyond maybe replacing a clutch more frequently than if it didnt tow a trailer.

even being a ford man i wont go newer than a 1996 because of the engines unless desiel. maybe its from the latest gen. just not impressed by the engines and trannys in newer stuff.

I preffer my bullet proof 300 inline 6 and 4 speed manuals or m5od 5 speed manuals. They have pulled everything i hooked to and had petal to spare. when a motor design barely changes for 30-40 years it proves they did it right the first time. i may not win land speed records with my truck but when i can look back at same engine / tranny being used in 15-20 yard dump trucks and still going strong after 30 plus years i am pretty sure i am not gonna be able to overwork mine any time soon.

if i cant get another ford again would strongly consider a 1999-2003 chevy silverado z71 off-road with 5.3 auto tranny. my brothers has been very good truck and barely grunted dragging our 2000 dodge and loaded trailer from ditch at combined weight of 12600 lbs -5.6k truck and 7k of it trailer and load. (yes I know a bit heavy of a load to be towing on the poor truck) his 1999 is a very ballsy truck and decent milage. great traction on and off road. never left him stranded and has only put mainance parts in it such as starter, altenator, belts, etc.