Tow Vehicle - Page 2 - Montana Owners Club

trukdoc · 02-14-2005, 03:04 PM

This is a response to Kozzy45. Cummins certainly a good eng. Why Dodge cannot build a body to hold tight around it is a mystery to me. If they did in my opinion they would have one heck of a truck. Now the new Ford diesels are another matter. I believe it is a serious competitor to Cummins. And this is coming from someone that used to swear Ford could not build a diesel. As for the loose driving??? If anything one of the downsides to a Ford is the stiff suspension.
Have not had time to research the Turbo temps. Busy getting ready for Ca. trip.

richfaa · 02-14-2005, 03:35 PM

Although retired I am a part time bus driver,Drive diesels nearly every day, Cummings, Ford, Chevy, International, The company policy is to run them for 15 mins before pulling out.Oh yea..by the way..no matter What anyone says...diesels ARE smelly and noisy... Folks who have them just say they are "not all that bad"because they don't want to admit they paid 40 to 50K for a truck that is smelly and noisy.I'm sort of kidding..buy the motor that suites your needs..BUT Diesels are smelly and noisy....

padredw · 02-15-2005, 03:38 AM

Just in good humor, but also being perfectly honest about it, I can say that we never notice sound or smell from our Chevrolet Duramax. The sound is a bit more than our previous Chevrolet gasoline, but not so much as to be noticed in use. As for smell, I've never noticed any except on my hands at the fuel pump after refueling. Can't speak for others, of course, just from my experience.

richfaa · 02-15-2005, 04:27 AM

I have a special pile for my "bus drivers clothing" because of the diesel fuel smell..You see diesel folks are like smokers they never notice how bad they stink because they are used to it but a non-smoker(non-diesel person) can smell a diesel 20 feet away and hear it 50 feet away.But you have to remain in sef denial about the smell and the noise after spending 40 0r 50K on a truck that sounds like a garbage can full of ball bearings. ( I wanted a diesel but wife said "they are smelly and noisy)..so no diesel...

trukdoc · 02-15-2005, 01:50 PM

Well Richfa As you can tell I also have a diesel. I would be a liar if I said it was every bit as quiet as a gas eng. But at hiway speeds it is very very close. And the smell is nowhere like the old engines. My wife did not want me to get a diesel till I test drove one. She is hooked too. As for price. I got a Lariate with almost all bells and wistles includeing the luxury package. Only difference between my Towncar and the truck is the seats sit higher. If you paid $40K you paid $3500 too much!
All the diesels have come a long way in the past couple of years. Wait till the Camless engines come out, be quieter and less smell even yet.

tbhd · 02-15-2005, 02:36 PM

So what's a camless engine? Only camless engines we've got are in our snowmobiles---called two strokes. REALLY smelly and noisy LOL.
What's the story on the camless engines?

azstar · 02-15-2005, 02:59 PM

tbhd,
It uses an electromechanical coil to activate the valves instead of a cam. Problem is, it is very un-stable. Don't know if it can ever be perfected. It requires a coil for each valve. On the new Ford V10 that would require 30 coils. (KISS?)

sreigle · 02-15-2005, 04:09 PM

Rich, you must not be very current on your diesels! My Ford is noisier than a gas engine on the outside but inside it's remarkably quiet. Sound deadening in the cab helps a lot! And the only time it's smelly is for the poor folks behind me when I decide to run off and leave them. Yes, diesels have come a long, long ways in the past few years.

Padre, diesel fuel is smelly and people just don't clean up the pump when they get done with it, me included. I have a leather glove in a door compartment that I wear when pumping fuel. Sure took care of diesel smell on the hands. I also don't smell it in the cab even though the glove is in a door pocket.

Montana Sky · 02-15-2005, 08:00 PM

Another option for helping keep the smell off your hands at the pump is to go to your local supermarket and buy a box of latex gloves. They come in powder, and powderless, and once your done fueling up, just throw it away. Works great! I got a box of 100 gloves around $4.99

padredw · 02-16-2005, 02:02 AM

Thanks, friends, but I really do not have a problem about the "smell" at refueling. I was really responding to friend, richfaa, about the "smell" of diesels. I really meant to emphasize "I've never noticed any except.... That's all I could relate to his comment about "smell". As for being a "diesel person", I ordinarily drive an Toyota Avalon automobile and use the pickup only occasionally. Don't want to beat this one to death, but my original comment still stands. Still in good humor and willing to listen.

richfaa · 02-16-2005, 04:07 AM

Oh I'm just pullin your chain about the smell and Noise.Like to hear all the excuses instead of admiting they are kind of smelly and noisy.Diesel IS a better motor, actually I got the Lariate, Crew cab, long bed with Luxury pkg and all the lites and chimes execpt for the PSD on the Ford X plan for 35,653.00 with a 1,000.00 rebate due on delivery.Understand the camless Diesel may be out in 2007 and will get one of those.Now THAT should be a good motor...By the way did all of you know that the Montana BIG SKY is no longer made.I somehow missed that...

sreigle · 02-16-2005, 05:36 AM

Heckuvadeal, Rich. Sure wish I had known a Ford employee when we bought ours. We had a trade so I'm not sure what we **really** paid but I'm sure we didn't get that good a deal. Sigh.

trukdoc · 02-16-2005, 01:35 PM

To coment on the Camless enging. Sturman industries has a couple of working trucks that are camless. It is not just a electromagnet solenoid valve rather a hydraulic actuated electromagnet valve much like the current injectors used in the 6.0 PSD. Able to vary valve timing and even cut out cylinders. Unlike the camed engines that tried to cut out cylinders being able to vary the valve action may make it work. As great a potential of an engine this is, I absolutely will not be buying one the first year out!
Chek out this link: http://www.sturmanindustries.com/html/press-ppihc.htm

azstar · 02-16-2005, 03:49 PM

Rick,
I hope they get the bugs worked out but it's a monster of a problem. Notice the date of the publication on this link. June 2000.

I was part of a team that was going to revolutionize the Trucking industry, with a Turbine engine. We actually had an 18 wheeler with our Turbine Engine traveling the US demonstrating it's potential. After about a 50 million dollar investment we had to throw in the towel.

Some of these things look great on paper but in the real world, that's a different kettle of Fish.

I couldn't agree with you more, I too would stay away the first year or two.

Happy Camping

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