Posted 2012-01-19 9:04 AM (#140126) Subject: Truck totalled--need replacement advice
Member
Posts: 16
My truck was a 1996 F250 diesel 4x2 crewcab. It was my daily driver. My trailer is an old all steel Hart from 1992 and I had had some modifications made that made it even heavier than the manufacturers rating. My F250 almost couldn't handle it--MPGs went from 17 without trailer to 9 with. It was a replacement for a totalled 95 regular cab F250 with the 4.11 gear ratio.
I don't haul very often, but when I do, it's long distances.
My funds are severely limited and I need a gooseneck hitch. I have two options--buy another OLD F? with high miles and use the difference to buy a cheap car for daily use or put more money into a newer truck. I want to stay with the 7.3L engine which means 2003 or earlier. I'd only be interested in trucks that hadn't come from snow states, I think. I've been told to avoid the 6.0 motor.
Questions, and there are lots of them:
4x2 or 4x4? I've been told in the past that a 4x4 that has had the 4x4 used a lot is a BIG risk and to avoid farm trucks and hunting trucks and trucks that had been used in mud competitions.
Regular, extended or crewcab? My first diesel was a regular cab and got much better MPGs than my crewcab. I always drive solo, so the extra seating isn't important. So I'm thinking regular cab or extended cab only.
Short or long bed? My regular cab had a long bed which I really liked, but it wasn't crucial. But I never learned how to back the short bed crewcab properly. Turning radius was terrible, and I couldn't see what was directly behind me. It was a bitch to back in small parking lots.
Interior trim? My 95 was the base XL, and really that was all I needed. 96 was XLT. I'd almost be happier with the lesser trim option, since I carry dogs often.
Now the biggie. F250 or F350? What is the difference in the factory towing capacity? With an F350 is the axle ratio as important? Does one assume that an F350 comes ready to haul whether it's 4x2 or 4x4, and that all come with factory tow packages?
Mileage? I've been told to look for 150,000 or below; but for only occasional use, if I go with option b, would higher miles suit?
Please help me figure out what I need and/or can get by with to haul my horses to the hospital and to an occasional training session.
Posted 2012-01-19 9:15 AM (#140127 - in reply to #140126) Subject: RE: Truck totalled--need replacement advice
Member
Posts: 16
Addendum:
Axle ratio? My 95 had the 4.11 axle ratio while the crewcab had a 3.73 (?). I've wondered if the differences in MPG that I got were due to the axle ratio difference.
To add to the difficulty, I do not want a dark colored truck because it gets so darned hot here.
If I go with option b and an older truck with the 7.3L diesel for just occasional hauling, would the mileage make a difference if the truck was mechanically sound. Should I pay a diesel mechanic to go with me to look over the truck, even if it's a couple of hundred miles away?
Posted 2012-01-19 12:23 PM (#140130 - in reply to #140126) Subject: RE: Truck totalled--need replacement advice
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
You will have to decided what your finance will allow.
Butfrom from my experience , Get the Crew Cab, Dogs can sit in the back seat. Either cover it with old blanket and fold the seat up. The extra Cab space is GREAT. Sleeping bags and camp gear, tools, or dogs all fit in.
I had two of the short beds and the last two trucks have been Long Beds If you are not trying to park in a parking terrace or tight lots. go the long bed. better ridem less worry about the trailer bumping the cab on tight turns, more room to carry hay, water or the Dogs.
4x2 will get slightly better mileage. But I can't live with a 4x4 truck. Snow in the winter, mud in the other season, mountain or desert back country roads. 4x4 is a must for me. The newer trucks have monor maintenance issues with the 4x4. It's not a big deal to maintain.
All of the Superduty Fords in a Single rear wheel come with 3.73 gearing. It will work great behind any of the diesels. The 7.3L came with the EO4 4 speed Automatic, which does burn up occassionally. The 6.0L and 6.4L came with the TorqueShift 5 speed. Which is a much better transmission. You get some engine braking with the Torqueshift, so you will go thru less brakes. My 7.3L truck had warped rotors almost every 36,000 requiring a brake job. Where as the brakes on my 6.0L easily ran 60,000 miles towing even heavier trailers.
The 7.3L is a great engine and will be a bench mark for Ford for a long time. But the 6.0L aren't a terrible engine. I had two of them that I ran 100,000 miles each, They had a few problems , But they never left me stranded, Folks who did have problems usually ended up spending $3000-$5000 to fix the recurring problems and then never saw any on going problems, The Oil Cooler, Egr, FCIM, HPOP were all common problems. Head studs if you chipped the engine and ran at higher turbo pressures. The 2005 and newer trucks seems to have worked out a lot of the bugs in the 6.0L engines, they also got larger brake rotors and shaper turning radius. If you get a 6.0L, run it stock and resist the urge to add any kind of after market programer or chip.
As far as a 250 vs a 350. There is almost no difference in cost, But you can legally haul a heavier load. So why not get the F350. Any 4x4 truck is going to ride rougher than a car. But I just don't feel much difference in ride between a 250 vs 350. Buy the 1 ton if you have the choice. Some states and insurance companies may ding you for the heaver truck, But around here, it makes almost no difference in property taxes or insurance.
Posted 2012-01-21 4:11 PM (#140175 - in reply to #140126) Subject: RE: Truck totalled--need replacement advice
Regular
Posts: 83 Location: Minnesota
Regarding the poor turning radius on pre-2006 F250/350: I had a 2006 F250 and loved the tight turning radius. When we decided to go with a heavier living quarters trailer, I looked for an F350 dually with low mileage. I settled on a 2005 with only 20,000 miles, exactly the truck I was looking for right down to the interior/exterior colors. But after having been spoiled with the tight turning of the '06, this older truck was driving me nuts. On the back of the hubs there are some stops that limit the distance that the wheel can turn. I did some measuring and found I could cut or grind about 3/8" of the stop off without the tire hitting on the frame when I turned the wheel all the way. I also added some 1/2" spacers that fit between the hub and the wheel. There is still plenty of thread to fully tighten the lug nuts. I was very satified with the improvement of the turning radius. It might not be quite as tight as the '06 was, but very close. Also, the '06 was a short box and the '05 is a long box ... that might be the difference. I would also tell you not to worry too much about the 6.0's. I'm on my third truck with a 6.0 now and have had none of the problems I've heard so much about. Both of the other ones had over 100,000 miles on when I sold them. I recently talked to the guy who bought my '06 two years ago and he's added another 50,000 trouble free miles to it. I did have the EGR eliminiator put on this latest truck and it has run great since. I've got the 3:73 gears on it and I get 19-20 without a trailer ... 14-15 with the trailer.
Truck totalled--need replacement advice
