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A contractor i work with has 346,000 miles on his 2001 F-350 CC SRW V-10. he actually just bought it from the company and its sitting in his driveway on a nice retirement. Just pulls his bass boat on the weekends.
Still looks like the day he bought it and runs great.
while i WAS a died in the woll ford diesel fan the 6.0L changed that for me.
I thought that was damn impressive for a gas engine.
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1994 7.3 I.D.I. Navistar 444 CI
ATS Factory TURBO E4OD Red On white Crew Cab DRW 4:10 w/ AUBURN LIMITED SLIP
3" ATS Exhaust and turbo housing, Banks Trans Command, calibrated pump, K&N filter, Gruss style coolant filter, 203K+MI not a lick of trouble with the motor. now on 16th trans. 10 under factory 100K mile warranty
Alpine CVA-7878 XM radio 6cd changer 3 8" phoenix gold subs 75x4 Sony mobile ES gold 4ch amp, Sony 500W 1ch amp MB quart components in Q forms kick panels. 1 farad cap.
Pro car parts jewel cut headlamps and turn signals
APC clear cab markers, suvlights.com harness silverstar bulbs and L.E.D.'s in the fenders. IT's paid for and its MINE!
Family Toys and tools,
00'F350 psd CC Drw 2wd Bright Amber Western Hauler
SOLD 01' Peterbilt 330 4Dr. Texas trucks conversion cAt 350hp
02' Psd Excursion Limited ultimate Estate Green helliwig swaybar 101K miles
1996 fetherlite 4 horse GN, 2003 sooner 6 horse GN with midtack
I know gasoline is about 20% cheaper to buy, but they will never see the lifespan of a gas engine equal a diesel.
True,
When the gas engine is worn out, pull it & install another or have it rebuilt.
butchcassidy1
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2000 F250, 2WD, XLT,(AKA "THE DINOSAUR RELIC") - Only used when I can afford to fill the tank, otherwise it sits in the yard and I now carpool or take the bike. Not a daily driver for me!!!
There was a time about a year ago that Ford said they could not fit the new diesel in the E series vans, and that the 6.0 would not be available. It was only then that we considered going to a GMC. And that would have been a diesel. The weight was going to be an issue, I forgot what the E450 would carry vs the similar GMC. Point being for us, no diesel, no sale. Our assistant chief and the folks that drive them really preferred not to go with a F series. Driveways and turning would have been a pain.
Craig
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03 F-250xlt 6.0, crew cab, 4x4. ALSO 2000 Windstar, lite green, brown leather, 3.8liter V6, K&N filter (Tymar didn't make one for it) Auto with OD. 69 Shelby GT500, 428 Cobra Jet, 4 speed toploader. IAFF 3520 http://www.eastpiercefire.org/index2.htm
67 Fairlane 500, 347 Stroker, AOD trans, 3.25 rear end... work in progress. I am looking for parts that I thought I had so carefully put away...............
Work "Truck" 110 foot, 1999 Spartan/ LTI quint, Detroit Series 60, Allison auto. Work "Engine" 06 Pierce Arrow, Detroit Series 60, 475 horse, Allison Auto. Work Medic unit, 05 E450 6.0 by Northstar.
I am a fire guy too and my experiance with gas is all trouble the Diesels are just so much more reliable in emergency services. I am just suprised to see this EMS provider switch back to gas. With that said, they really have their maintenance down to a science and if the've decided to go gas, they have a good reason.
I think that speaks to how damn complex the new diesels have gotten. That exactly why I ordered a pre-2008 diesel.
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2007 GMC HD CC lbz dmax/allison 6 speed superchips, Bully Dog Exhaust, PPE Airbox Mod, Nav Radio, 285 Revo's lots of other stuff. wow this thing flys!
SOLD 2005 SD250 CC 6.0 Auto Black SB loaded 315r-17 BFG KO. MBRP duals, Pace Edwards Jack Rabbit & tooltop toolbox, Garmin StreetPilotIII, XM Radio, Motorola Handsfree.
Traded 2004 Ford SD250 CC 6.0 Auto Blue/Silver, Edge, 285 Revo's, MBRP Exhaust.
99 SD250 sc swb 4x4 psd auto 3.73ls,lariat, oxford white, leather, loaded, curtis snowplow 110,000 miles
I've been known to work part time for the largest private ambulance service in America and we have just lately received 2 brand spanking new Ford PSD ambulances.
Gas motors will not provide the same dependability and level of care a diesel powered ambulance will & yes the gasser will be cheaper.
What's more important saving a few bucks or making sure that ambulance gets to where it needs to go???
I've been known to work part time for the largest private ambulance service in America and we have just lately received 2 brand spanking new Ford PSD ambulances.
Gas motors will not provide the same dependability and level of care a diesel powered ambulance will & yes the gasser will be cheaper.
What's more important saving a few bucks or making sure that ambulance gets to where it needs to go???
Part of the problem IS reliability problems with the the new emissions and how complex they are. They are not getting the mpg's they used too and the upfront cost AND maintenance is more.
I am a diesel guy too.
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2007 GMC HD CC lbz dmax/allison 6 speed superchips, Bully Dog Exhaust, PPE Airbox Mod, Nav Radio, 285 Revo's lots of other stuff. wow this thing flys!
SOLD 2005 SD250 CC 6.0 Auto Black SB loaded 315r-17 BFG KO. MBRP duals, Pace Edwards Jack Rabbit & tooltop toolbox, Garmin StreetPilotIII, XM Radio, Motorola Handsfree.
Traded 2004 Ford SD250 CC 6.0 Auto Blue/Silver, Edge, 285 Revo's, MBRP Exhaust.
99 SD250 sc swb 4x4 psd auto 3.73ls,lariat, oxford white, leather, loaded, curtis snowplow 110,000 miles
Gas or diesel, I wonder how their spanking new GM vehicles will hold up in comparison?
I remember about 20 years ago the city of New York, for some reason or another, decided it wasn't going to by new Ford ambulances and gave the whole contract to GM.
About 6 months later it was all over the news, the city of NY had parked all the remaining GM rigs that were still functioning and was demanding that GM give them their money back, because the GM vehicles were not built strong enough to handle the rigors of NY city streets. It cracked me up. Aparantly within 6 months, most of the things had suffered major suspension damage, broken frames, etc etc. and most of them were in the shop. They hadn;t had those problems with the Ford rigs before them.
I was driving a big truck into NY every week at that time and was getting a real kick out of following that story. Granted, NYC ambulance drivers give those things a serious workout. Between the giant potholes, cobblestones, and having to jump curbs every block or so when the traffic is jammed up, it's no picnic on the things, but 6 months, come on.
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'92 F-350 7.3 5 spd, Crew Cab dually,ATS turbo, 4" Exhaust, Air seat, Western Hauler bed. My Gallery
When the gas engine is worn out, pull it & install another or have it rebuilt.
butchcassidy1
I agree.
I used to service Fords and Cop Cars use the Modular V8's basically trouble-free for 150K until they dump them for new rigs.
They are sold at auction to Cab drivers that run them up to 300k. Not exactly easy use for any vehicle.
I see no reason why the gas V10 would not provide the same level of reliability and length of service that a PSD equipped ambulance would. The 7.3 wasn't exactly simple for a Diesel, the 6.0 even less so.
The V10 was designed specifically for big trucks that are pulling heavy loads all the time. They are good engines.
> Apparently one of the other big issues is the new diesels with all the emission stuff are just very complicated and expensive to work on.
I think you hit the nail on the head. Not only will 2010 diesels have even *more* emissions stuff to break, but engines left to idle extensively (PTO or otherwise) are going to consume both fuel and urea! (plus states are adding anti-idle shutdown laws just to make life interesting for aftermarket conversions)
They might be shooting themselves in the foot but congress should exempt emergency vehicles from the new Diesel emissions control standards.
It wouldn't cost much more to strip down a 6.4 and manufacture the necessary block-off plates specifically for ambulance chassis.
I think what most people are forgetting about here is safety!!!!!. Diesels are just safer to run period. Some states might require diesel engines in these units just for that reason. Why? If an ambulance is involved in an accident on the way to the hospital. A diesel powered unit is just way less likely to catch fire and/or blow up. Fuel trucks in my state are required to run diesels just for safety reasons.
The other note that i have is I have seen powerstrokes get over 500,000 miles. They just need to be properly maintained and have the crap ran out of them quite alot. At least that is what my neighbor did. So I say that instead of ambulance or fire companies buying new units and having to deal with the new pollution crap. They should just rebuild the old ones. Our local fire dept has found out that it is alot cheaper and the rebuilt unit will be alot more reliable and cheaper to operate than a new one.
On the gasser issue. My brother-in-laws boss just got a great deal on a chevy work van for his business. this is because the local college dropped their order. They did this when they found out that the fords got better milage and required less repaires that chevy or dodge. This college was all chevy but decided to try some fords and dodges the last time they changed out their fleet to see if they could save some money. threw trial and error they found out that the fords just cost less to run. this make me wonder why such a company has switched manuf. for their chassis. Even if they are switching to gas much of the chassis remains the same. It seems that ambulance companies that are running fords will already have parts in stock and/or the knowledge to work on and fix and quirks associated with these vehicles. Oh well just my .02.
Brother-in-law runs the ambulance dept for a big city hospital, he prefers the 7.3 over the 6.0 or 6.4. The new onits he now orders are w/ the v10 gas engines. I asked him why gas over diesel, his response reliability issues w/the 6.0 / 6.4 diesels. He had too many breakdowns w/ these engines. He still keeps a couple of old 7.3 running as backups. (> 650,000 miles on both).
Before using diesels in his ambulances, he ran all gas units. They didn't have the longevity of a diesel, but he would have them (gas) rebuilt, or a reman unit dropped in.
The 6.4 is too much of a fuel pig, especially at the current price of diesel. Also he mentioned the many issues w/ the ULSD that are still causing probelms w/ the diesel powered units.
butchcassidy1
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2000 F250, 2WD, XLT,(AKA "THE DINOSAUR RELIC") - Only used when I can afford to fill the tank, otherwise it sits in the yard and I now carpool or take the bike. Not a daily driver for me!!!
Brother-in-law runs the ambulance dept for a big city hospital, he prefers the 7.3 over the 6.0 or 6.4. The new onits he now orders are w/ the v10 gas engines. I asked him why gas over diesel, his response reliability issues w/the 6.0 / 6.4 diesels. He had too many breakdowns w/ these engines. He still keeps a couple of old 7.3 running as backups. (> 650,000 miles on both).
Before using diesels in his ambulances, he ran all gas units. They didn't have the longevity of a diesel, but he would have them (gas) rebuilt, or a reman unit dropped in.
The 6.4 is too much of a fuel pig, especially at the current price of diesel. Also he mentioned the many issues w/ the ULSD that are still causing probelms w/ the diesel powered units.
butchcassidy1
Exactly! That is the same conclusion MMR has apparently came up with. They order 8 GM rigs. We'll see.
We just bought a 08 GM Duramax one ton for a grass/utility rig.
Dick
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2007 GMC HD CC lbz dmax/allison 6 speed superchips, Bully Dog Exhaust, PPE Airbox Mod, Nav Radio, 285 Revo's lots of other stuff. wow this thing flys!
SOLD 2005 SD250 CC 6.0 Auto Black SB loaded 315r-17 BFG KO. MBRP duals, Pace Edwards Jack Rabbit & tooltop toolbox, Garmin StreetPilotIII, XM Radio, Motorola Handsfree.
Traded 2004 Ford SD250 CC 6.0 Auto Blue/Silver, Edge, 285 Revo's, MBRP Exhaust.
99 SD250 sc swb 4x4 psd auto 3.73ls,lariat, oxford white, leather, loaded, curtis snowplow 110,000 miles
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