Looking good, sir.

Finally got around to taking a pic of my whip

Nice!! Man it looks warm and green there - i am leaving on an ice fishing trip with mine Sunday morning. Different world my friend but at the end of the day i chose to be on this forum because on a per capita basis i am pretty sure Texas has more people like me then anywhere else on this planet except maybe Alaska.

Glad to see the public perception of Texas is still the same....sadly, that's probably not the case though.

Texas has changed quite a bit in the last 20 years and not really for the better. The rougher stock has largely died off and Texas has become increasingly Urban and Suburban. It's a big state and there is still some "no man's land" to be had, but between the increasingly sprawling cities and suburbs, the large population escaping those areas and settling into formerly isolated rural areas, its become crowded. Lots of expats live here from other areas and they have brought their civility and progressive values with them. Even isolated areas by and large are rich with natural resources (Oil) and even these areas are heavily populated with workers in these fields. I used to be able to hit an isolated highway and drive for 30 mins or an hour and never see another car, that is rarely the case now. The hills around where I live are now dotted with Custom Homes and its hard to find a place to pee on a backroad that you won't get run up on.

Texas is a great place to live and has a robust economy but its lacking in truly wild places and capable people are the exception, not the rule.

The “rougher stock” that I became acquainted with when I moved to the Hill Country in ‘83 have all truly died off. They were real men, and spoke their mind.

Nice ride.

So 2200 miles on the truck already. So far very happy. Included in that was a 1200 mile off-grid trip that included 50 miles of this:





To get to the trailhead here to snowmobile another 6 miles through the bush to access 225,000 acres of crazy good back lake ice-fishing:

One thing I’ve noticed is that the truck will idle around 1000 rpm if left sitting for a minute or two

Can't believe it took so long for this to be added to the programming to help us out with customers sooting up their DPFs from excessive idle time. I think what you describe is an attempt to quell such as the L5P engine doesn't have near the issues as the 2016 and previous.

I thought it was a little odd. None of my Fords did it unless it was real cold outside.

This one idles for 30-45 seconds then goes into high idle at just under 1000 rpm no matter the temp

My first 6.7, I had a high idle switch. Im at 215k on this 6.7 with no high idle and same DPF

I’m at 85k on my current 6.7, had to go in for a manual burn @ 80k. Getting the high idle occasionally now. Gonna make run to north panhandle tomorrow. Dumped a bunch of Archoil fuel additives in the tank yesterday. Hoping it helps with some more DPF cleaning.

For what it's worth, on the GM trucks when it needs to regen (which you can't see unless it's been idled too long) the best speed is about 60-65 MPH. Faster than that and the exhaust velocity is higher so it doesn't get as hot.

8700 miles on the odo now. Liking the truck, my body does not get fatigued after an all day drive like it did in the ford. Mileage isn’t great but unloaded on the highway I’ll see some 17 mpgs if hills and headwind are not terrible.

Low end power is fine, but mid range, the 40-60 mph range, when you get on it, it does not get up and go like the Ford did. The Ford took off like a rocket. This one goes but won’t put you back in your seat. Drove my buddies 2024 F-350 yesterday to make sure I wasn’t imagining it and it’s an extremely noticeable difference. Don’t know if it’s a detune computer setting because the power between it and my previous fords were about the same. That said, heaviest load I have pulled behind it is 4600 lbs and it pulls it at highway speeds no issues.

Nice! Sounds like you found what works for you.

Just rolled 13k miles.

Truck is comfortable and seems to do fine off road. Got it in a bit of mud today but nothing serious.

Getting front and rear replacement bumpers on Monday. Only complaint I have is fuel mileage. It does have big tires but at highway speeds I’m only able to squeeze 17mpg at best, usually it’s around 15 mpg. Drop it to 60-65 mph and it’ll get 20-21mpg on flat ground.

Towed my mule yesterday to Ft.Stockton and it got 9-10 mpg on the interstate in high winds.

Took at backroad on the way home and cut speed to 65-70 and it improved to 12.5 mpg. Got back on interstate and back to 9-10mpg

Fuel mileage will probably drop a little after replacement numbers are installed.

I’m expecting that.

They have on every other truck I’ve had

Should a kept with the 3.0 duramax you had looked at. Pull 4,600 lb easy and get the same mileage you get empty towing.

I thought about that the other day.

Power wise, they are about the equivalent to an older 96-97’ 7.3 liter powerstroke. But, the trucks are bigger as well, a 1/2 ton now is bigger than a 3/4 ton of yesteryear.

Biggest question is, I know it will pull 4600 lbs, but how well? I don’t see any half ton, gas or diesel, keeping speed up in the hills. My last 1/2 ton with the 5.3 liter, would tow my single axle trailer and single seat Polaris, but keeping it at 75 mph was a struggle. It was more comfortable at 65, which is gonna put me in the right hand lane getting passed by truckers. I can pull either one of my trailers with either machine at ease doing 75. Zero struggle. I also doubt on I-10 between boerne and junction the 3.0 is gonna get better than 12-13mpg with that load….and I would bet it could go lower.

And then there is the occasion where I have to pull a big trailer. Every so often (1-3x’s a year) I’ll hook up to a flatbed and tow a car, tractor, RV, etc. long distances on the highway. It’s nicer ( not to mention safer ) to do it with a HD truck. Then you have to factor in bigger tires, front/rear replacements, etc.


It was a hard call, I looked real hard at the half tons, but I have a difficult time getting away from the HD platforms.

4600 is not a lot, even for a half ton gas. Pulling a trailer at 75 MPH is not something I look for in a truck's capability.

He got at4x, no real bed size option in 1500

Its something I have to consider with every vehicle. I leave my house, go down the main drag and a mile later I hit the interstate, have to take a left or a right, either way its 75 mph. I get on that road and 9/10 times I'm on it for at least an hour, many times with a trailer in tow. The difference in time saved going 75 vs 65 is huge when your driving 100+ miles each way.

Last year I pulled the boat to Alabama, did 75 mph pretty much from Louisiana to Alabama. Being able to do that vs. going 65 saved a bunch of time. Pulling the boat with the ford I was getting 14-15 mpg ish.....much less drag than the Can-Am or Polaris.


I put the Tractor on the trailer its over 11,000 lbs total...again not huge but imo too heavy to be hauling with a half ton. Lots of different needs for towing, If you lived in an area that was flat or gently rolling with a bunch of FM roads that the speed limit was 60, your needs would be different than the interstate where you having people wanting to run 85 mph in places


4600# isn't heavy but it isn't light, from my experience with pulling with half tons its getting around the weight where a person would want more capability, if not just from a suspension standpoint.

Stopping power needs to be factored in with load also. Stopping the 4600# is more effort with 1/2 than 3/4 or 1 ton. Even with brakes on trailer.

Only thing I tow 75 is empty flat bed. For my expectations 4600 lbs is easy on the 1/2 ton diesels but I’m not the hold it to the floor type. I’ve exceeded the ratings on mine and never felt unsafe but I was using weight distribution E tires not going 75.

No doubt the stuff I’ve done with my little diesel that it works for the Cummins duramax etc we have do with absolute ease. For my daily use the little truck is so much better. Any time I need a bigger one I’ve got one I can use.