Running a 1 ton dodge that I can load 3 tons on. Looking to up-size, and would like some recommendations. The wish list of item in order are: 1. Fuel economy 2. load size, 3. dependability/cost of repairs. Looking at 6 wheelers right now have 8-10k. The cummins and the dt466 are good engines, but not sure what combination would be the best blend of my list. Share your wisdom.
trucks The DT466 is probably the most reliable engine ever made. I have owned 4 trucks with this engines and had no problems. The International 4700 & 4900 are good trucks, for you to look into. A lot of State owned trucks used this engine, with automatic trannys, very good combination. They are not power house engines, but they do the work. They are the cheaper trucks, on repairs, but nothing is cheap anymore. A single axle truck should carry around 8-9 tons. This depends on the weight of the truck it self. They are the better of the trucks on fuel ecomony, but when you go to a dump truck, you are looking at 8-10 mpg, at best with a single axle I like the Cummins engines also, I have also owned a few of them If you can find a truck that is not electronic, it will be cheaper to get worked on Post any trucks you find and we will give you our 2 cents worth. You should not having any problem finding a good truck in your price range. Check Craigslist in your area
If you buy a state truck make sure it wasn't plow/salter truck. If it's going to be truck used daily hauling then a diesel would outlast a gasser. If you look into gassers, I'd lean towards late 80's GM's easy to work on and parts are easy to find. Something with air brakes vs. hydraulic/vacuum whatever. Look around and you can find something decent for 5-6k or around 2-3k if you want to put some elbow grease into one. A good used diesel should be upwards of 8k and above depending on the spec's. Stay away from the "conversion" dump trucks which are usually a converted box truck, unless it was a class 8 single axle road tractor they do well. Like Willis said watch Craigslist and some auctions, it's usually one of those things being in the right place at the right time. Good Luck!
Come to Ca., you can find a decent truck and equipment trailer for 5-10k.... thanks to new smog laws everyone is trying to dump their diesels cheap!