Racerngr1

How do the Kodiak's tow, I have been contemplating purchasing one and am looking for opinions on them good and bad. The big appeal to the kodiak for me is just the fact that it's something a little different and not crazy expensive. I just sold my LMM duramax which towed my boat well but now just looking for something different or would I just be better off replacing my truck with a LML duramax?

andyt25

they tow good but the ride will be alot harsher than a 2500-3500 truck and the mileage will be alot less. I've heard the ones with the airride rear suspension help the ride a little, if you're only towing with it you would probably like it but for using it as a daily driver you probably wouldn't but the do look cool

rjr

FWIW A pro boat hauler told me that he prefers the Ford F550 because when he puts an F350 bed on it there is less attention from the DOT. His problem with the Kodiak is that it looks like a commercial vehicle, thus attracting unwanted attention.

The Ford dealer that sold me an F350 DRW said it HAS to be registered commercial because of the GVRW

A DMV (Connecticut) inspector told me that as long as my tow was private non commercial I could tow anything I wanted. He said it was federal law. I ask because my drivers license clearly states max trailer weight is 8000#. My Formula 382 & steel trailer are nearly twice that.

Throttle Fever

iTrader: (9)

I tow with a F550. Never checked with my insurance company b-4 I bought it, well being concidered a commercial my company would not cover it, along with many others that I checked with (In my state). Had to get a farm policy to get around that. I am sure the Kodiak would fall under the same ruling. The 550 rides pretty rough just tooling around. But the load capacity and brakes are what I went for when purchasing. My 2 cents...

Racerngr1

My plan is to have a little commuter car (which I already have) and a truck which will be used every now and then and also the obvious of towing the boat.

Catmando

Coming from your class 3 or 4 truck you will NOT like the ride of the Kodiak. Your boat will not be heavy enough to make it ride any smoother either. Any 3/4 ton diesel will tow your boat with ease and get much better fuel mileage to boot.

OL40SVX

The best thing about the C4500 is the turning radius...
The 3500's are terrible...

rjr

I drive a BMW 540 when the weather is nice. It's tires do not like rain or snow so I drive my F350 DRW when its snotty out. I put about 10K a year on it as a daily driver. Parking is the worst problem. Over 65 MPH it gets pretty bouncy if empty. Not a vehicle I would recommend as a commuter but you can't tow with a car and I need a truck for work. So the dually works.

Catmando

The biggest surprise I got when I bought my 2006 Ram quad cab dually was the turning radius was almost as small as my Ford Ranger SC. Making a U turn was easy. Aside from needing two spaces(or four lol) to park in, the truck was a breeze to maneuver in a parking lot.

JPD Motorsports

I had a 4500 4x4. get the air ride cab, seats, rear suspension. big difference with and with out. my 4x4 would yield a best of 11mpgs. in Oklahoma I taged it like a normal vehicle and was insured thru allstate on it no special crap. It towed like no other and the stopping power great! the ride well wish I spent the coin for the full airirde. The wow factor was pretty cool too. Steering was good real tight easy to pull in and such. Had the full monroe pkg with dually bed on it. keep away from the earlier years and lean towards the 07ish era for the 6spd trans instead of the 5spd in the older ones. they take the same programers and such along with dpf delete kits as well. It was great on long trips loaded (with spring suspesion) stretch out kids in back and sofa sleeper rear. If I got another it would be full airride. Did it for the weight I was carrying I felt a lot more incontrol than my gmc dually was.