Who actually makes the best diesel truck… Ford, Chevy, or Dodge?

Advice Needed
21

Zuri said:
Give me a Cummins engine, a Ford rear end, an Allison transmission, the ride quality of a Chevy, and the towing capacity of a Dodge. That’s the perfect truck.

I’d throw stupid amounts of money at that truck.

22

@Fionn
Same here.

23

Zuri said:
Give me a Cummins engine, a Ford rear end, an Allison transmission, the ride quality of a Chevy, and the towing capacity of a Dodge. That’s the perfect truck.

Why would you go with a Ford rear end, though? Chevy and Ram use AAM axles, which are way better. I had a Dodge with a Dana 80, and it leaked all the time. Never had that issue with the AAM 11.5.

24

@Skylar
Totally agree on the axles. I’m running an AAM 11.5 on my '03 Ram with 338k miles, and it’s never needed any work.

25

Rory said:
@Skylar
Totally agree on the axles. I’m running an AAM 11.5 on my '03 Ram with 338k miles, and it’s never needed any work.

Yeah, but manual transmissions like my old NV4500 wrecked my knee. I’m a slushbox fan now.

26

@Skylar
Fair point. I’m still sticking with my manual as long as my knee can handle it, but I get why some folks prefer automatics.

27

Zuri said:
Give me a Cummins engine, a Ford rear end, an Allison transmission, the ride quality of a Chevy, and the towing capacity of a Dodge. That’s the perfect truck.

I’d swap the Allison for the ZF8. That transmission is a beast and would be amazing behind a Cummins.

28

Zuri said:
Give me a Cummins engine, a Ford rear end, an Allison transmission, the ride quality of a Chevy, and the towing capacity of a Dodge. That’s the perfect truck.

Chevys suck off-road, but they do drive nice on pavement.

29

What size truck are we talking? For ¾-ton and bigger, I’d go with a Cummins for the simplicity and reliability. In half-ton trucks, I think the 3.0 Duramax takes the win, but honestly, those engines are all kind of underwhelming.

30

Cummins makes the best engine, but Dodge’s transmissions and front ends are weak. Ford and GMC build better trucks around their engines, and their motors aren’t bad either. I’m sticking with my 5.9 Cummins and G56 manual.

31

@Emerson
The Aisin transmission has a solid reputation.

32

Quirin said:
@Emerson
The Aisin transmission has a solid reputation.

It’s definitely reliable, but there are rumors Dodge might move to a ZF 8-speed or a new 9-speed Allison.