Fix it, new engine, or junk it?

[ChoppyChoppy]

My hope is no major repairs on the engine for several years — if you do the math, they have averaged nearly $3,000 a year since I bought it, on top of maintenance. And I also maintain 4 other vehicles including a chipper. Cheapest to maintain has been the chipper— but I bought the Bandit Eliminator (15 in) new. I grease the hell out of it! Those $6 tubes are a lot cheaper than a rebuild, but it is annoying that Napa doesn’t discount it by the case.

Case of grease runs me about $30 at Schucks.

 

[capetrees]

Case of grease runs me about $30 at Schucks.

$15/tube or $100/case

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

$15/tube or $100/case

I'd cry!
Some equipment takes 2-3 tubes!

 

[capetrees]

I'd cry!
Some equipment takes 2-3 tubes!

If I had a fleet, I'd cry too. I just have the one chipper and some smaller equipment. I went with the Parragon 3000 because the dealer uses it. I blew out the bearings years ago in the chipper (very expensive fix) and decided to do whatever the dealership does so they can't blame me for inferior products.

 

[Dave1960_Gorge]

6.4s are bad news, like previously posted their's no bad years, there all bad, what your doing doesn't mean your troubles are over.

Great. I just want it to last 2 or 3 years without blowing up again. Fuel pumps, seals, cracked block all at the same time—- couldn’t be all that likely I hit the trifecta again on a few years, is it?

Do you think chipping it and increasing air flow contributed to the failures? It’s not like I punched it just for the hell of it ( OK, I did a few times); I just bought in to more horsepower for about the same mileage. Made it a breeze to merge on the highway, and it towed my Bandit Intimidator ( 9,000 lb) chipper with ease.

I have been using my ‘79 Ford F-350 dump bed to tow it, and it struggles even though I had a new 400 cu in gas motor put in it.

I have a Kodiak 4- wheel drive diesel that towed it with ease, but it has been awaiting a new front end since September!

The local mechanics love me.

 

[Dave1960_Gorge]

That winch, bumper and slightly larger tires added ~3000lbs to the weight of the truck?

Don’t know what the truck weighs ; I think the sticker on the door is around 9000. The custom bumper, winch, headache rack, rims and tires all add some weight, plus the sprayer ways another 300 empty, 700 full.

 

[Dave1960_Gorge]

Local municipalities are going with gas engines. The diesels aren't worth the up price on the original cost ($10K) and then the fuel is more expensive, the DEF, recalls etc.. Not worth it. The 6.2 gas is a strong engine. My old V10 Ford is solid as a rock. I see Ford has now made a new 7.3 gas engine, the Godzilla. $1100 up price and around 14 MPG.

My 08 doesn’t need DEF, which is nice.

 

[Harmon]

I would imagine putting a chip in it then towing the bandit (1590 you said?) on the interstate while keeping up with traffic was a quick way to find the weak link! Sell that turkey and get the front end on yr kodiak fixed. A chipper like that is worthy of an actual truck.

 

[Dave1960_Gorge]

I would imagine putting a chip in it then towing the bandit (1590 you said?) on the interstate while keeping up with traffic was a quick way to find the weak link! Sell that turkey and get the front end on yr kodiak fixed. A chipper like that is worthy of an actual truck.

It’s the 1390. I ended up buying one with some options that cost me $58,700 from a dealer in Portland. Has the Perkins diesel 122.5 hp, winch, adjustable chute, upper feed wheel lifts for feeding logs. The guy really wanted to make the sale, and threw in two additional sets of blades, a spare jack, and spare winch rope. And a couple caps that have all disappeared.

The Kodiak 4500 is a great truck to tow it, but I literally have been waiting for 6 months to get a front end shipped from AK. If I knew it would take this long I would have driven up to Seattle and taken a ferry to get it!

Today, I thought the ‘79 Ford was leaking brake fluid, but it turned out it was just the auto transmission fluid overflowing and the heating core failing and spewing coolant at the same time. Made for a nail biter coming down around 1300 ft. elevation in a few miles getting pushed by the chipper.

Has a solid 4 speed and of course I added a trailer brake controller under the dash. Came down in third to stay off the brakes. Just have to reroute the hoses to bypass the core until it comes in.

 

[blades]

I really liked my F350 V10 but those 4.77 gears in it were tough on the wallet. At the time when I got it gas was around $4.00/gal and diesel was $1.5 more than that /gal. So getting the v10 was a better choice. I think the upcharge for the diesel (1999) was around 6k back then (7.3) . Quit the snow plowing biz about 3 seasons back and got out of heavy towing( short jumps) also at same time so no need for that unit anymore plus a guy was badgering me like crazy for it so sold it.

 

[Dave1960_Gorge]

I would imagine putting a chip in it then towing the bandit (1590 you said?) on the interstate while keeping up with traffic was a quick way to find the weak link! Sell that turkey and get the front end on yr kodiak fixed. A chipper like that is worthy of an actual truck.

Its the 1390XP with a 122.5 Perkins diesel. Has a few extras: winch, chute adjustable two ways, upper roller lifts for feeding wood, etc). Sales guy really wanted to make the sale: he gave me two extra sets of knives, spare jack, spare winch rope. Works great paired with the Kodiak. $57K new in 2016. Just had it serviced last Fall, everything fine except the winch won't take grease on one side; gotta replace some parts there. And one of the rpm buttons in the back quit

 

[Dave1960_Gorge]

Been aw

That winch, bumper and slightly larger tires added ~3000lbs to the weight of the truck?

Been away for awhile. I would say the custom bumper and winch together add around 350 lbs. Since I posted the last time about the truck, got a custom made Eagle trailer for my sprayer and tow it with my modded 1986 Jeep Cherokee; got really tired of getting help to haul the 300 lb (empty) sprayer in and out of the Ford!

Just sprang for a new transmission (around 7k); shifts very smoothly and takes off quicker with the same gas. The old tranny seemed to have to spool up to move the truck, shifted hard sometimes, had metal shavings in the fluid, and ground when putting it in park. Didn't help that I was towing my 9,500 lb chipper (Bandit Intimidator 1390XP 15 in.) around when both my dumps were out of action for a few months. Went for a new (and beefier stock Ford tranny) on the advice of the local garage (where I have spent around the same as my home mortgage over the last 10 years). Definitely more dependable now. Basically have paid around 60% over my initial cost of around $30k for the truck used (2008, one owner, which was the province of BC). So now I have a $47k truck with around 155k miles on it. Now that it is such a fancy ride I might even get a new tailgate and vacuum it out (thick layer of dust and not a few chips in it from when I was towing the chipper -- who the hell left the windows open again??!!).

No more getting my jollies leaving the little Kias and Subarus in the dust getting on the highway (doncha love how they tailgate you on the ramp, thinking you drive like grandpa, positioning to pass you by cutting off that semi in the center lane). If I drive it like grandpa, maybe it will last till I am one (son is 29, serious GF, no kids).