Will my truck hold up on long distance trips?

[Ejenkins]

I admit that I grew up during a time when 100K on the odometer meant you had a old vehicle. That is what is clouding my judgement.

I drive a 2008 Chevy 2500 with a Duramax Diesel. The truck has 134K miles on it. I will finally be retiring in May, 2019. I have a half dozen bucket list trips in mind that are several weeks long and several thousand miles in length.

I know that nobody can speak to my truck in particular but I would appreciate hearing thoughts of long distance travel in today’s trucks that have over 100K miles. Is this risky?

[GLS3950]

Diesel engines can run 250,000 or more if taken care of. The rest of the truck should be good also with proper maintenance. With that said anything an fail at any time. New cars don't need a tune up until 100,000 miles now.

[mlh]

Yes your truck will hold up on any trip. Of course we don’t know what kind of shape your truck is in. I’d change all the oils in it, transmission, rear end and engine. The brake fluid probably should be changes. It attracts water and water boils at 212 and that affects stopping power.
Enjoy.
Lynwood

[scattershot]

My Ford Superduty has 150,000 miles on it, and I wouldn’t hesitate to take it anywhere.

[Montana Man]

Longevity usually depends on how it is driven and maintained. Doubling those miles is doable but you will changing some parts on the way.

[waynemoore]

Of course that depends on how well you have taken care of it. Like Lynwood said change all the fluids.

That said think about the following.

1. How long are you going to be RVing after you retire?
2. New trucks have all the new updates like engine brake and higher HP with a whole lot more torque.
3. It will be less expensive to buy a new one now as aposed to say in 2020 when the old one gives up the ghost.
4. You are still,working now with a higher income that may allow you to pay off the truck before you retire.

Yes some of the above items can be added to your existing truck.

Just my 2 cents.

[jeffba]

Then there is the issue if your truck can safely pull it. There is a learning curve when going with a 5th wheel.

3/4 ton trucks have more limited selection of 5th wheels they can tow without exceeding GVWR.

[1retired06]

If you have maintained it faithfully, don't worry about it.

[Ejenkins]

I have maintained the truck well.

I have taken two long distance trips in this truck (Louisiana to Colorado) and the trailer did fine both times.

Waynemoore. My truck is paid off now but I am considering buying a new truck in 3 to 4 years. It would be nice to go that long without a note. I know buying a new truck won’t gurantee I won’t have a breakdown but I assume it would lessen the odds. I plan on pulling a 5th wheel for another 10 years or so. Buying a new truck now would give me a little more peace of mind. I just wanted to see about the xoeriences if others who have made long distance trips with trucks that have 150K to 175K miles.

[Bad Moon]

Good advice here.^ Lots of guys running Duramax's 400,000 miles and more. As mentioned, change ALL fluids now, if you haven't already, including front and rear differentials, transfer case, transmission (TES-295 fluid only! And spin-on filter), brake fluid flush, hydro boost fluid flush, and (very important) cooling system flush. Brake pads are probably good for another 50k, but the pins should be cleaned and lubed. No guarantees, but if you haven't abused your truck, it should take you to 300,000 no problem. Consider deleting the EGR and DPF, as these can cause problems.

[Texan]

Sure your truck can go 300,000 miles plus. The only problem is many people don't want to replace the belt's and hoses until one breaks. Be pro-active and constantly maintain as your truck gets older and you shouldn't have any problem. The items that sometimes cause problems from age that we don't replace till they break are starters-alternators-water pumps. These items can leave you stranded but that's the gamble we all take when driving older vehicles. I plan on getting a new truck at about 150,000 miles. Sure i can go further but the little things are what can strand you. I figure one more truck and i will probably retire from RV life.

[mlh]

Turbo hoses go bad and pop off without warning. I always carry an extra set along with the clamps. We had a discussion about that a short time back. Several people here have had this problem.
Lynwood

[jimandlaurie]

My feeling is that considering your mileage,that whatever issues powertrain wise would've happened by now . So with good maintanence and taking care of the belts, hoses etc , you should be good with going as long as you want
.

[awheeler]

If you can wait a couple of years the new trucks will be capable of backing and parking the 5'er for you. Yes, it is good to know how to do this yourself and yes one should think twice before relying solely on technology. With that said, I will be purchasing a new RAM 3500 as soon as the backing technology is proven reliable.

[Troutn]

I have had diesels into the upper 300's and no problems with towing.

[rohrmann]

We have a little over 192K on our truck, and I have no hesitation to take any length run with our trailer. That being said, we had our turbo replaced last year while traveling, had our EGR coolant bypass valve replaced earlier this year, and prior to these, an assortment of other parts have failed at various times. We just get things fixed as they fail, so being full time and not having a hard fast agenda and schedule has its advantages. We do meticulously maintain the truck, but that does not always prevent a component from failing. Just enjoy the trip, and don’t panic if something needs repair while enroute.

[bethandkevin]

264,488 miles on my 2008 2500HD D/A. Not retired yet, but I'd take off for California tomorrow with it (if I actually had a desire to go there of course).

[Ram Montana High Country]

When I pit crewed - if the engine started the plug would not be change. Ya so - new trucks are better butttttt - you might get the 1 in 10,000 that has issue. I'd be inclined to treat it like DW, pamper, invest and go. As long as the current really handles what you have. Newer trucks sit higher being a pain to level them for transit.

Just food for thought, lots of good advice above.

[richfaa]

We are just about to turn 100K on our 2008 F-350.It is used primarily for pulling the Montana. Ford does all the corrective and routine maint on the heavy use schedule paying close attention to turbo hoses, clamps, etc.

[mazboy]

'06 chevy. at 200K blew head gasket....replaced engine. this truck can/will go another 200K easy.


p.s. blown headgasket my fault....went from phoenix to flagstaff tooooooo hard.