Has anyone here tried the Kodiak or 4500 for towing?  I hear they are stiff without the air ride, but I'm wondering how they compare to my current 98 Dodge cummins.  Looking for advice on power, braking, MPG and overall performance.  I pull a 5 horse aluminum. Thanks in advance!

Looked on PH and could not find it, could you give a link?

thanks

I was lucky enough to get to test drive  the GMC 4500, the Ford Super Cruiser, a mini pete and freightliner, all at the same dealer. My favorite was the freightliner sportchassis, so I first bought a used one to make sure I was going to be happy with it. I liked it so much, that I went back the next month and bought a new M2 Sportchassis. My dealer gave me every $$$$ back on the used one and honored the price he gave on the new one the month prior. No regrets. The truck preforms very well and Sportchassis is one of the best companies to deal with.

Sportchassis is owned by Chrysler. I had several dodge dually's that had tranny issues so I went to the Duramax dually in 2002. We still have the Duramax and use it as a farm truck. But I prefer to pull my LQ trailer with the M2. I travel all over and alot of times I am hauling by myself. I get out of the rig more refreshed and not so road weary. The great visiblity is a factor as is the braking ability. The only downside to the M2 that I had to get over was the price.

I've had a 2004 Kodiak 4500 for about a year now. Regardless of other opinions expressed here, there is absolutely no comparison between pulling with it and a dually. It is far superior in stability and braking than any dually out there. The exhaust brake option makes all the difference in the world if you pull in the mountains any at all. It is so much less stressful to be pulling with something this "heavy". Granted it would be a much more popular truck with a more powerful motor. Most people elect to put performance chips on them. Mine is chipped and has more power than I need. I pulled up Black Mountain in NC (6% grade I think) a couple of weeks ago easily running 45-50 MPH. Going down I simply took my foot off the gas and let the exhaust brake work. I only had to tap the regular brakes a time or two all the way down. It was awesome! We use mine to pull both heavy equipment on a flatbed and a LQ trailer (steel frame so somewhat heavy). Now, the ride isn't the best but as long as you don't expect it to ride like a cadalliac it's fine. It's not something you want to drive across a bumpy field or down a dirt road. On the interstates it's fine. Mine has air ride seats but not air ride cab. It definetly rides better loaded tham empty. It handles just as good and actually turns tighter than my previous Dodge 4x4 3500. You can actually park it in a regular spot but it's pretty tight. I've even been known to take mine through a drive through or two, LOL!

A very valuable place to learn more about these trucks, and hear about their flaws, is the diesel place forum. www.thediselplace.com, scroll down to the medium duty forum. A lot of guys have had problems with these trucks, many are minor issues but a few have been serious. There are also issues with tags and weight and insurance because this is a medium duty truck and is a whole different class of truck. Mine has weighted farm tags at 26000#. Feel free to email me if you have other questions. I personally LOVE my truck but have to admit I'm a little nervous about having issues with it after the warranty runs out.