time for a new pickup - Diesel Forum

mathis21 · 04-20-2005, 07:48 AM

Hello all. Long time lurker, first time poster. Time for a new truck.

I am driving a '94 F250 with the 351 (5.8L) gas. It has been a good truck but it burns a lot of fuel and doesn't do well with a heavy trailer. I need a truck with greater payload and towing capability. I am looking for a DRW 350 4x4 with a standard transmission. The 6.0 PSD sounds like a work horse but I do not want to spend the extra four thou on that option and nervous about its shaky track record.

I cannot fork over enough cash to buy a new, top of the line truck. So I'm thinking of either trying to find a good used 7.3 diesel or maybe a new (or nearly new) V10.

On my off hours, I do delivery of building materials, machinery and sometimes hay and feed. I bought a nice trailer but it is too much for my 250. The 250 does OK up to maybe 6 or 7000 pounds. Bad news is the trailer weighs about 5000 empty. So with any load at all, I'm dogging along in the slow lane.

How does the V10 do with a heavy trailer? What options should I look for to help the towing?

fredvon4 · 04-20-2005, 08:10 AM

Look for 2001 or newer 310 HP V10, skip the dually the SRW will haul the weight and you have more flexible tire choices, get the lower gear set like 4.10:1 as the 3.73:1 is a great highway gear but the lower gear moves heavy loads much better.

If you do not need the Crew cabin then seek out a supercab long bed because it is a little lighter and give good all around loading and hauling capacity.

Try to shy away from farm or commercial use trucks and find one that a rich urbanite had, usually they were not road hard and put away wet as often.

Inner big city used V10 are much cheaper than rural lots as most city folks think of the V10 as PERFORMANCE engine and they are hard to sell. Truth is the V10 is the best gas option for heavy work and relative to the old 460CI variants is the most fuel efficient gasoline motor Ford put in a SuperDuty truck.

Do check out here and the FordTrucks web site in the new buyer forums as there are several programs selling new 05/06 SuperDuty trucks at below invoice and all rebates and many deals are real close to what a good used truck will sell for.

Bobby Williams in California
Cochise Willis in Houston
and Jeff Clark in New York
are all super to deal with and can get you best deals!

jstrauss · 04-20-2005, 09:37 AM

fordtrucks.com reports the 310hp started in 2000. I hope so because that's what I have. I guess it doesn't matter, I am very happy with the power I've got.

KWoolbright · 04-20-2005, 12:00 PM

I have a 2000 F250 CC V10. It will pull anything. It is a real work horse and still going strong. MPG is the only issue with this truck. Seems to be 10 - 11 MPG pulling our 36ft 5ver or with no load. Great truck, but I've found a 04 F250 6.0L PSD CC that I will go take a look at this weekend.

Charlie_in_TX · 04-20-2005, 04:06 PM

I am not nocking the v10 but you sound like a perfect diesel candidate and the 7.3 PSD is an outstanding choise. There are specific times I would recomend a diesel.
1. Heavy pulling (as in you need a one ton). The v10 can do it but the 7.3 makes it almost effortless. Starting with a 5000# trailer is what I call heavy pulling.
2. High milage. If you put over 20,000 miles or so the D starts making sence.
3. Just want one. Self explanitory.

I would recomend a F350, cad of your choise, 5speed, 4.10, 4x4. I bet you will still have that truck when the odometer turns 400,000miles.

nutz · 04-20-2005, 05:53 PM

mathis21 - I had the V10 and it is a very thirsty engine. Go with the diesel you won't be disapointed. Enjoy [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/warmsmile.gif[/img]

fredvon4 · 04-20-2005, 09:07 PM

If you folks want to keep coming down here an recommending the diesel it sure would be nice of you to post ALL of the truth. Maybe a little discussion or consideration to buy-in cost, maintenance, current fuel prices, costs associated with out of warranty turbo or injector replacements and repairs...you know full disclosure.

Certainly the diesel will haul more, faster, and for less MPG but that alone does not mean that the reliable, cheaper, V10 is not up to his hauling question.

In case you have not checked the used truck market lately, let me clue you in the 7.3L are not a dime a dozen. Many folks got out of the 6.0 (sick liter) and scarfed up almost all the good used 7.3L they could find because they need reliable long range heavy haulers.

My company looked at 22 broke, wore out, used, 7.3L before we forked over the cash for two new 6.0L PSD... They both work hard and haul heavy but are mostly a disappointment reliability and fuel efficiency wise.

You don't think the original poster Mathis21 has figured out he is on a diesel site and has more than enough smarts to check out the multitude of PSD forums?

There is a good argument to be made that perhaps the PSD is a better choice and he does say he is looking used at 7.3Ls vs V10s. I take his question down here in the lowly gasser forum to mean that he is interested in the direct question. Will a V10 haul the load....IT WILL! If so, what configuration would be best? I say 01 or later with a 4.10 rear gear.

nutz · 04-20-2005, 11:01 PM

Sometimes the truth hurts! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Berol · 04-20-2005, 11:38 PM

You say the trailer is 5k empty. I may have missed it, but how heavy do you load it up?

The V10 has proven itself to be a very reliable motor. And for only $600, I have found it to be a viable alternative to the diesel for my needs. I test drove an '05 with the 3V heads and they seem to be more impressive yet.

I'd buy another V10 (2V or 3V) in a heartbeat.

Sport · 04-21-2005, 10:21 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Sometimes the truth hurts! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe if you got a V10 it wouldn't hurt so much. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]

Geting back on topic, the V10 should do fine. My only wish is that I had the 4:30 gears, but that is only sometimes. If you are hauling heavy AND staying on the road all the time (like the big rigs), then diesel is definatly the way to go. If you're buying a preppy grocery-getter then a gasoline V8 is the logical choice. If you're somewhere in between (like most of us) the decision is far from being a no-brainer. Everyone has to look at his/her own situation and balance their wants and needs against their finances. For me the V10 was a good choice that I've never regretted. I have wished a time or two that I'd opt'd for 4x4, but never the diesel. For me it was too heavy, too noisy, and I just flat don't like the diesel smell. I could afford it, just didn't want it.

mathis21 · 04-21-2005, 10:55 AM

Thank you for all of the info.

I've been looking at the local car lots and checking the papers and haven't found much yet but am still looking.

To answer the question about the trailer: I have a 16 foot bumper pull trailer with the deck between the tires. I've pulled it for years and my 250 does a good job of pulling that trailer. With the trailer weighing about 2000 lbs empty and 7000 at max load, that is about right for the 351. The 250 pulls that trailer pretty well on flat ground. I can often tow in 5th but downshift to 4th on an incline of any size. I have to shift down to 3rd or even 2nd in the mountains but I can live with that since most of my deliveries are in the foothills or flatland.

The good deal I got on the new gooseneck trailer may end up costing me a lot of money since it is too much for the 351. When carrying square bales of hay on the 16 footer I usually run about 100 bales or right about 7000 lbs total including trailer. That was a good fit since the trailer was maxed out and the truck was at the top end of what it could reasonably pull. The new (used) 30 foot gooseneck will carry 200 - 250 bales. The most I've dared load up was 200. It was really too much for the 351. It'd do OK around town as long as I didn't get in a hurry, but on the highway I had to run in 3rd and 4th instead of 4th and 5th. Most of the time I'd end up in 3rd at high rpm and 45-50mph. When I made that run, my buddy kept wanting to make a bet on what would break first, the engine, axle or a tire? I didn't think his smart comments were too funny at the time.

That is the biggest load I'd like to tow. I don't tow that much very often but I'd like to be able to relax a bit and know that the truck will get where we're headed in one piece. If I had a stronger truck I might be able to pick up more work like that but for now I try to stick to shorter runs and lighter loads.

Berol · 04-21-2005, 10:54 PM

If I understood correctly, 7k was about what you're comfortable with for the 351 but the new gooseneck is well beyond that weight with the 200 bales.

Too bad you haven't weighed that trailer, but I'll make an educated recommendation. I would think it all depends on what you want to do with the truck. If you're pulling those 200 bales twice a year for 2 miles, I think a V10 would fit the bill for that. If you pull that load more than 4 times a year for more than 30 miles each run, the least I would have would be an '05 V10 with the new heads and a set of 4.30's. The diesel would be an option to consider, and may be even more justified since you do pull the fairly substantial 7k load besides the heavy gooseneck.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

mathis21 · 04-22-2005, 08:35 AM

Yeah, I may have messed up by buying this bigger trailer. 7000 lbs or so is OK with the 351 but things go downhill beyond that. With 200 bales, the new trailer is probably at about 15000 lbs. I won't do that again unless it is just to deliver across town. Of course then I could just make two trips. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

I looked at truck trader and ebay last night and didn't find anything that was an exact match for what I would like, but I did find this V10 F450 which looked very, very tempting! I don't need a crew cab or lariet trim and I do want 4x4 and standard shift, but still this rig looks really good.

I wonder what the rear end is in an F450? I think I've read that the 450 and 550 are geared lower than the 250 and 350? Maybe that would be a good thing for the V10? For towing 15000 lbs, what rpm would I want to run with the V10?

That is sure a nice truck. I hadn't really thought about a 450 but this one looks to be priced about the same as the 350 duallys I saw. And the flat bed is nice. If it was a 4x4 and standard shift, I'd be on my way to AZ to try to buy!!!! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

jstrauss · 04-22-2005, 09:42 AM

[ QUOTE ]
If you folks want to keep coming down here an recommending the diesel it sure would be nice of you to post ALL of the truth. Maybe a little discussion or consideration to buy-in cost, maintenance, current fuel prices, costs associated with out of warranty turbo or injector replacements and repairs...you know full disclosure.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, they never seem to mention the 14 qts. and $20 filter needed for oil changes, do they?

F350Heavy · 04-22-2005, 09:55 AM

When I got my '03 F450 the base truck was V-10, 4.88 axle, and 6-spd. I sold my old diesel and got it. It is a really good setup I can tell you. Mine is very long and heavy and not what you would be looking for. Last summer I hauled my camper and towed the Jeep on a car trailer to Alaska and back. It was a very nice trip and the V-10 is a real smooth and quiet engine. The rig weighed right at 20,000# total.
But I think 20k lbs is about as high as you want to go with the 4.88 for any long trips because the performance starts to fall off at that weight. If I pull the Jeep on the ground at 18k lbs the performance is better in mountains.
At 65mph I run 2500 rpm in O.D. The V-10 is an overhead cam engine and likes the rpm's. I wouldn't want a slower reving axle like the 4.30 (a no cost option on the '03.)
For the Alaska trip I got 8.2 mpg. If I pulled a trailer camper my mpg would be higher because the truck camper makes a bigger wind block like a motorhome. Once when it was brand new I ran to S. Fla and back (sea level, flat as Olive Oil's chest) cruise control at 65 and got 11.5 mpg. It weighs about 9k empty.
The truck you are looking at is really nice. I definately prefer the 6-spd but an auto is probably better on a daily driver anyway. If you are going to haul heavy loads you should really work on the transmission cooling for the 4R100 in it. You will kill it if you don't.