Looking to buy a new truck? Thinking FORD

Brent Zappe · Oct 19, 2021

Right now I have a 2006 FORD Super duty with a 6.0 diesel and heavy tow package. Yes It has been the first one diesel engine I have ever owned. This past weekend the truck got damaged and is now salvage. I know I need to get another one that size for tractor hauling. Looking for suggestions on a heavy duty three quarter ton truck. Yes I do a lot of towing plus long hours in going to tractors. When I was younger I use to tow with gasoline engines (never again). The diesel engine 6.0 was a good engine. I was thinking looking at Dodge trucks. So I will ask you if you own one is it good or alright. Please leave G.M. out I have had lots of them back in the 1980's which always broke down on me. I am not really a G.M. fan. Like always any good suggestions will help. thanks again.

big jt · Oct 19, 2021

Have a friend who used to be a tech for a small Ford dealer. They sold a number of Diesals. His advice to me was if I wanted a rattler line em up in a row. IE buy a Dodge.

YMMV

jt

Bruce from Can. · Oct 19, 2021

Buy pre emissions. Trucks with DEF cost big $$$ no matter what breed. I have a friend that just dropped 7 Grand into his 2015 ,3/4 ton Dodge diesel, because the DEF system plugged up. And my son Drives a F550 diesel for a feed store doing delivery work. The truck is less that 5 years old, and has eaten nearly 10 grand to keep it on the road. His boss is looking to go to a big gas engine next time. DEF systems just arent designed to last at this point. The DEF fluid seems to go into scales, and plugs up the systems like lime plugs up a coffee maker. And the only cure is new manufactures parts.

newhollandnut · Oct 19, 2021

Id go drive the new Ford 7.3 gas with the 10 speed before I totally ruled out gas. I have a 2016 6.0 Chevy company truck and a 2021 7.3 F350 for personal and farm. There is not way of even comparing these trucks. The Ford is light years better and more truck than the Chevy. The 6.0 gas does have a pretty solid reputation for reliability I will give it that.

redih55 · Oct 19, 2021

I agree with the others, don't buy one that you have to put the DEF in. I have a 2011 Ram Megacab dually with the 6.7 Cummins and a 6-speed manual transmission. This has been the best truck that I have ever owned. It does not have DEF and I use it to pull my 30 foot flatbed gooseneck trailer. It pulls this trailer like a dream. I traded a 04 Ford Powerstroke for it. That Powerstroke was a maintenance nightmare from day one.

jon f mn · Oct 19, 2021

If you live where there is salt stay away from the dodge, just look at some locally to make sure. Otherwise I think they are ok, and I drive Ford's. But those new Ford gas engines are really something, and the aluminum body won't rust.

Janicholson · Oct 19, 2021

Ford Gas engines are worth the look and drive. Every dodge more than 3 years old is rusted in the rockers and above the wheels. Central MN just eats them for lunch. Chev. bodies last two years longer, then show the rust.

MSD · Oct 19, 2021

THE ALUMINUM BODY'S WON'T RUST. Are you sure about that? We do body shop work on semis and the Peterbuilts are aluminum bodies. They have corrosion at the rivets, seem laps, around the mirror holes and about any other spot. It's not rust but just as nasty to deal with.

jon f mn · Oct 20, 2021

Been driving semis for many years and have yet to see an aluminum body on one rotted away. I have seen some minor corrosion in some places tho. There are 30 year old trucks with no rot, show me that in a steel body that runs in the salt belt.

Geo-TH,In · Oct 20, 2021

Z-tech works for me in the rust belt. Before I brought my new GMC home, I stopped off at Z-tech, undercoat, sprayed in bed liner, and wax job. Best $1000 I've spent. Truck is 14 and zero rust.
All trucks rust in my hood. Even frames.

Aaron SEIA · Oct 20, 2021

If you want Ford and a diesel, you have 2 options. 7.3 or 6.7. The 6.0 can be made decent with deletes, etc, but it's still a gamble.
AaronSEIA

JMOR · Oct 20, 2021

(quoted from post at 07:19:09 10/20/21) If you want Ford and a diesel, you have 2 options. 7.3 or 6.7. The 6.0 can be made decent with deletes, etc, but it's still a gamble.
AaronSEIA

think he is talking about a "new" truck, so all the talk about DEF and past generation engines is irrelevant? As for Dodge, the only thing going there is a near cult following for a non-Dodge engine. The rest of the Dodge will make you cuss a lot.

Nat · Oct 20, 2021

I've had Dodges since the first diesel I owned in 89. my current truck is a 2012 Ram 3/4 ton 4 wheel drive. I have 140,000 on it now and in the 9nyears I have pulled a 10,000 pound camper across the country many times, trips of 8-12,000 miles and so far I have put one set of batteries in it and one set of tires on it. Still have the origional brake pads, I change oil every 7500 miles, have changed air filter 3 times and fuel filter 2 times. other than that I just drive it. If anyone else gets that kind of service out of any truck I want to hear about it

moresmoke · Oct 20, 2021

I agree, dont rule out todays gassers. Very capable and none of the diesel hassle. The only downside is fuel mileage for car use. Hauling heavy loads there is little difference in mileage.

I went from a Ford 6.0 to a 6.8 V10 a number of years ago. While I have no plans to trade, I would go gas again without question.

Ken Macfarlane · Oct 20, 2021

Our farm has a couple of superduty's now, a 2001 and 2013, and a 2012 Ram 3500 dually with cummins. They all rust in the salt belt if you don't wash carefully every spring and have them undercoated. The superduty's seem to be a bit cheaper for parts on average and there's a lot for used parts available for them.

All have eaten a lot of brake pads, rotors, caliper slide pins and front axle knuckle U-joints. The cummins you can't unlock the hubs so you have to fix 4wd stuff right away which has been a pain in the budget.

DRussell · Oct 20, 2021

I have a 2000 F550 with a 7.3 diesel. The advantage of this truck over a 250 or a 350 is the additional braking capacity especially with towing. The brakes on my truck are massive.

I've found that 550s are generally cheaper to buy than a 250 or a 350. The overall physical size of the truck is pretty much the same, the 550 has bigger axles, springs, brakes, etc.

Brent Zappe · Oct 20, 2021

to JMOR thank you for your honest remarks. Sad to say that you are right. I had a 2006 FORD F-250 with a
heavy tow package. that caught on fire last week and burn to the ground. My insurance tells me they will pay
it out and send me a check. I tow my tractors with this truck and use it to haul stuff. Hate for stopping for
fuel like always. Use to getting my 14 to 16 miles to a gallon towing tractors behind it. Trying to keep it
down to speed limits when towing up hills. so I am out of one good truck. I have read lots of bad about the
6.0 engine. So I took extra care on mine making Shure that if one thing broke it was carried threw to fix the
whole thing. Just any other engine in any other car I own that is what I do. I have always bought a Ford.
Due to a good deal, interior, and they way the drove. thank you again for your kind words

TomA in CA · Oct 20, 2021

I guess I am a contrary ol fossil. For 20 years I have been saying I will never own a truck newer than 2000. I have since lowered that to '96 due to wiring and airbag hassles (mouse heaven). After working on my '92 F250 I am ready to go back to the'60's.

You are into antique tractors, why not consider a classic? Look around your area for a first gen Dodge Cummins. You could find a rust free one there. Maybe one owned by an old man who died. Way better than all those plastic fluff ridden pos they are making now.

Fordy20 · Oct 20, 2021

Just bought a 2021 Ford F-250 with the 7.3 gas engine and 4:30 rear axel. It's rated to tow 18,800# with a CGVW of 26,000#. it has 430 hp and 475 ft. pounds of torque. Best mileage I have seen is 15.3 on the Interstate empty at 75 mph and 17.5 on a two lane driving less than 60 mph. Overall around 14. Haven't checked towing but maybe 7 plus / minus? Very simple engine. No turbos or anything exotic. Some folks need to have a diesel even if it's only used as a grocery getter. The later ones especially have a potential for a lot of expensive maintenance and repairs.

Ken Macfarlane · Oct 20, 2021

The brakes on the 250/350 have grown steadily over the years too, currently the F350's are almost the size of your older F550.

Rear axle sizes on the newest super duties have grown as well, even the srw diesel trucks having big dana axle M300 (11.8 ring gear), putting them part way between the old S110 in the 450's and the 135 in the old 550's. A lot of people think it was just a paper race with the trailer towing numbers but the drivetrains on these trucks have got heavier and heavier over the years to cope with the torque of the newer engines and the braking.

JMOR · Oct 20, 2021

(quoted from post at 12:07:31 10/20/21) Just bought a 2021 Ford F-250 with the 7.3 gas engine and 4:30 rear axel. It's rated to tow 18,800# with a CGVW of 26,000#. it has 430 hp and 475 ft. pounds of torque. Best mileage I have seen is 15.3 on the Interstate empty at 75 mph and 17.5 on a two lane driving less than 60 mph. Overall around 14. Haven't checked towing but maybe 7 plus / minus? Very simple engine. No turbos or anything exotic. Some folks need to have a diesel even if it's only used as a grocery getter. The later ones especially have a potential for a lot of expensive maintenance and repairs.

ust browsing Ford site & looks like diesel option is extra $10,000. I didn't expect it to be so much.

T in NE · Oct 20, 2021

My dad bought a couple new 2500s with the 6.4 hemi, due to the extra cost of the diesels.
They'll pull anything he puts behind them way faster than he needs them to, but watch out for the fuel mileage.

But his fuel mileage loaded is on par with both varieties of 6.7 at work.

MarkB_MI · Oct 20, 2021

With new vehicle availability what it is, you'll probably have to take whatever you can get and pay whatever they ask. If you can wait, consider spec'ing out the truck you want and ordering it. Which means ordering a 2022 model truck.

Schoolman · Oct 20, 2021

Get a Ford with the 6.7 power stroke . You will like it.

docmirror · Oct 20, 2021

Dodge/RAM 3500 Tradesman. Best value with the Cummins TD. I have the gas engine, I just don't get paying $10k extra up front to burn D fuel.

Various cab and bed options. I got the quad cab, 6.5' bed 4x4. I don't like gewgaws, so I got manual 4WD engage, and the 6sp trans for towing.

Other Ram options avail with higher levels of trim and gewgaws. I had a Ford 7.3 TD crew 4x4 and it went 240k miles was doing fine when sold. Would NOT get a Ford D anymore. Having a lot of oil feed, and emission trouble these days.

Brent Zappe · Oct 21, 2021

When you say it is 10,000 for they option. When I bought my 2006 F-250 with heavy tow package, Plus the 6.0
diesel engine and transmission that came to around 9500.00. I was glade I bought it why because towing heavy
farm equipment up a 12 % grade made it worth the money. I live in California where we have high mountains
with 9% to 12 % grades to climb. Willing to pay the price on a new truck.

Brent Zappe · Oct 21, 2021

this last truck I had bought new in 2006 was not just to drive myself around town. My hobby demands a good towing truck. To understand I count weight as I load up the car trailer behind it. This I have to do in the state of California. Here is an example. Car trailer 1,400 pounds (my small One) 1950 John Deere G 6,600 pounds. total 8,000 pounds on trailer. towing threw the highs Sierras which has a 9% to 12% grades. Yes right now a diesel is in mind. Need the power and need the fuel miles going threw to a tractor show. I would get 15 miles or better while I am towing.

Brent Zappe · Oct 21, 2021

I have to say thank you for being honest. I had a 2006 Ford F-250 with every thing on it and till last week when it got damaged. I use to ask people what they liked about the dodge truck. I heard them saying the Cummings engine is great. the rest of the truck well I can not say. O have always been a Ford person but thought that maybe I should try some thing different this time. Not to Shure about the dodge product.Thank for your replay.

Looking to buy a new truck? Thinking FORD

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