International diesels usually seem to be pretty top-notch. At least the 7.3 powerstroke has seemed to do quite well over the years. I don't know anything about the new 6 liter. If I wanted a Ford diesel though I think I would wait until they had the Cummins. That is 2005 or 2006 right? At least that is what I've read and been told.

 

Being a Toyota owner myself I can see your points. I was also VERY concerned with the whole "will it last question" when I bought my P650. Now I dont have massive miles on mine yet (only 500) but so far I am pleased. I have towed way too much weight (close to 2000lbs) and had no problems with the belt. I am just getting ready to adjust it but really I dont even know if I need to, no noise, no problems. I bought a spare for $70 and doubt I am going to use it anytime soon.
I have NOT had an overheating problem like some. It seems that MOST of the ones that overheat may be able to be prevented. Everyone says clean the rad's good, that is SOOO true. When you think all the mud is out you only have 50% of it gone so just hose it down good after each mud ride and it will be fine. I also added a little extra mud protection around the rad. (something that Kaw. should have done) to help keep the area clean and cool. If you are still concerned about overheating, spend about $40 dollars and wrap the header pipe, that will do a lot to avoid the problem. The others are saying by adding DG's "black box" it will add power and LOWER temps so that is also another option.
Anyway, the whole thing comes to this, yes there are a few small problems, but both are EASILY and cheaply fixed. Don't forget we also do not know if the "new" Hondas will be as good as the old. I agree that Hondas are GREAT machines, but they too have problems. Just hit something with the front of the new rincon and yo are spending $$$. It is going to be VERY hard to beat the old foremans and 300's, they were SIMPLE and bulletproof, but only time will tell for the new ones. I look VERy closely at the Hondas, but they just did not have the features and the price was unreal. I got my Kaw for $1100 less and with the ext 4 year warr. I figure I can spend $1000 in parts over the next 10 years and still have less $$ invested.
Good luck with which ever machine you buy!!!

 

2006 is when the agreement runs out (pretty sure) but I don't think you'll ever see a Cummins in a Ford (factory anyway) because both companies have so much invested in their powertrains. Besides if that ever happened no one would buy anything but a ford truck with a cummins engine. You may seethe Mercedes engine as an offering in dodge pretty soon though

 

If Ford has anything upstairs they will try and get a Cummins in their truck. Nobody would buy anything else - isn't that what they want?

Good post Code54 - points noted and well taken on this end.

 

thanks, now that's the kind of insight I'm looking for. right on

 

Hey Longgun and Thomez
I work for Ford Motor company in there warranty division.
the problem with the Injectors was a manufacturing flaw from navistar
it has been fixed started replacing all the ones on the assy lines last month and dealers have been getting the new injectors since then also
havnt truly heard of the trans problems though have seen some here and there go but that is expected with any thing (sell 100k vehicles some of them is going to have a problem cant make every single one perfect gotta consider the human factor)
also dont think we will ever see a cummins in a ford "small truck" when ford is making a killing off them buy selling to other mfg's such as all the rv and equipment people that use them
I do think they are putting them in the f650's along with the CAT engines
Have a friend of mine that I help with his drag car
he tow's between 15-20k lbs every week end (48' gooseneck car trailer with living quarters fully loaded down)
He had a 2000 7.3 crew cab dually and it had 95k miles on it when he traded it in a few months ago
nothing major ever went wrong with it only thing he did was maint and brakes
also the truck was modded with an aftermarket ecm in it which made a huge difference in power over stock
but a few months back he bought a new 6.0 crew cab dually
and that thing is stronger stock than the old 7.3 was
he did have the injectors replaced as soon as they came out with the new one's (he's a ford tech at the dealer I used to work at)
so if that tell's you something about the new engines I have also got 2 other friends at the same dealership both of which are tech's that have bought the new 6.0
thing is these things will last forever as long as you dont use them beyond there means and keep them maintained plus they have a 100k warranty [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Doc I agreewith you. The point I was trying to make is that there were thousands of trucks with the injector problems and bell housing leaks, diluted oil problems with a ton of reflashes on the tranny comp. You can read all about these on thedieselstop.com My point is, I see quite a few of complaints about belts and overheating on these forums and I 'm trying to make sure that it is a small percentage of the prairies and not the majority of them like the fords 6 liter. The truck owners that didn't have the problems yet were bragging that they didn't have any injector problems and they had 3000 miles on thier trucks. That's nothing, and the fact is most of the bad injectors happened after the first 3000 miles. I'm not trying to make anyone upset or make this a truck discussion, I'm simply trying to make an informed decision. There are quite a few of you who shed some light on the issue and gave me some good info. Thank you. I wish there was a consumer reports type magazine that did follow the typical guy who buys an atv and tracks problems / extra cost incurred . That way the manufacturers feet would be held to the fire and we would get a better product. I do an awful lot of shooting hence the name longgun, and am quite familiar with the gun market. I get sick and tired of these gun magazines doing a review on the latest whatever, and praising it to heaven, never really saying more that what the advertizement for the same item on the following page says, and if you buy one, it's a POS. But hey, they got thier advertising dollars and no doubt thier free gun. You guys have the experience and the answers I can't get from one of the atv magazines.

 

You sound informed enough that you could probably make a Polaris last 10 years. Anything with good maintenance will last you, provided you dont try and tear it up. I dont think Kawasaki is new at belt drives, they have been using them in Mules, and the entire Prarie line, not to mention the Kawasaki 300cc drivetrains used in Club Car golf carts. They keep improving them with every new machine.
Its my belief that even if my belt does require some more maintenance than a gear drive, it will be cheaper in the long run replacing a few belts, than rebuilding a burnt up trans.
If a Honda meets your needs, goes fast enough, hauls enough, fun enough for you, then it probably will be more reliable, I wont argue that. You are doing the right thing by asking around, magazines and websites are crap, awards for bikes are crap, all money driven. Go to your dealer and check out whats there for maintenance, see how many miles are on it and what its there for, a good indicator. Guess I should quit rambling and find something to do around the house...... good luck!

 

Thanks Range Rover, I don't mind doing routine maintenance, just don't want to end up owning stock in Kawasaki because of all the parts I had to buy from them. But I agree with you about the cost of a belt from time to time, no big deal as long as it's not that frequent, or expensive. Besides, I don't abuse equipment, I don't plan on mudding, just a whole lot of climbing and exploring our drawn down resevours and lakes here in Colorado. Plus I need it to carry elk, deer, and antelope out of the mountains.

 

Rincon looses out there. Tiny racks and no low range.
Other no-no's.
Drum brakes
No locker