Cheap tow-pigs: Ford vs. GM

Curtis said:

Nice low mileage 7.3L but doesn't satisfy your 5-person needs. But if you could find this as an extended cab long bed, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Not a bad bet, but it makes me wonder how it was driven to need a new Allison at 75k. Fits your 5-person rule, but not long bed.

One of the things you'll run into is that Chevy didn't offer much in the way of extended cab long bed.  Ford did for a bit longer but aren't many of them.

You'll find plenty of 1-ton crew cab long beds, but 90% will be dually which is overkill.  Do you already have the slide-in?  Might it be possible to find an adequate 6.5' slide in, or are you set on 8'?  The reason I ask is because of the above thing.  Truck beds keep getting smaller these days.  Its just getting harder to find extended cab or crew cab trucks with long beds because the market doesn't want the big turning radius and their need for 8' beds seems to be waning.

As you look at the trucks, keep in mind that there are big differences in the weight class.  Chevy now has a 1500HD that is almost identical to a 3500SRW truck that it did in the late 90s/early 00s.  They played around with light and heavy 1/2, light and heavy 3/4, and light and heavy 1-ton classifications.  I say that so you don't get caught up in nomenclature.  You might think you don't need a 1-ton truck, but it might just be a 3/4 with a different sticker.  I was looking for a 3/4 when I bought my F150, but its functionally a 3/4 because its the "heavy duty 1/2."  They basically took an F150, boxed the frame, and stuffed it full of F250 axles, brakes, springs, and transmission.  Use the GVWR to help you find what you are looking for and skip the badge on the side.

I'll also add that a 1/2 ton from the last 5 years will likely outperform towing duties than many 3/4s from 15 years ago.

Like I said, this thing will be fully loaded with 5-6 people, fishing/dive gear/a ton of ice, a ton of fuel, etc for 200 miles minimum each one way trip. I'd rather have the space of a long bed for gear storage. This is more of a pipe dream but I like the idea of the larger slide in for the long bed so I could travel a la Java for adventures/ski trips. The extra size would go a long way with a small family.

I've thought about a newer F150 compared to a older diesel, I just don't know how well it would do for my "forever vehicle" requirement for these loads. Since I'm daily driving a Corolla I don't care if this thing is a monster as long as it's comfortable and safe for my loads. I wouldn't be opposed to a dually either.

Your needs are very realistic.  Crew cab long beds aren't what I would call plentiful, but enough of them out there that you should be able to find what you need.

F350 work truck. Long bed crew cab, 134k  This is a lot of truck for 10k.  The 6.4L wasn't a highly celebrated engine, but its fine as long as the updates have been done; specifically a recall for a tune that caused the DPF to catch fire.  Ford cleverly branded it as a "thermal event."  Yikes.

This is hard to ignore. LLY Dmax with 116k. He's asking $14,500, but I think you could get it lower.  If the air ride was done properly, it is perfectly serviceable, or you could return it to regular springs if you wish.

97 Ford 7.3 stroke with 92k. He's asking for $16,500 and it may bid that high, but I think $12k would be a bargain on it.

7.3L with 177k. Its a flatbed, but sell the flatbed for $800 and buy a junkyard bed for $400

These aren't necessarily in your area or things you would actually like, they are just ones that I happened to see on Ebay in my searches as suggestions for things that would trip my trigger if I were in your shoes.

Curtis: 

I've really enjoyed the expertise aND learning so much about diesels on this thread.  I inherited my dad's relatively pristine 96 F250 crew cab LWB 2wd 7.3 TD, love it's simplicity, dubbed "The Mule'.

Quick question....'wait to start" light not coming on and don't hear relay kick on/off to warm glow plugs.  Thoughts?

TIA.

This is Donald Truck. He was $2,800. In a former life he was a NH DOT vehicle. Now he has 245k miles. Compression numbers are all good as new. No weird noises. 6.0 with 4L80E. Never struggles with my trailer. 

I put new rockers in it,  brake lines and a new tow hitch. 

I'd buy that for 2800 bucks all day!

Ovid_and_Flem said:

Curtis: 

I've really enjoyed the expertise aND learning so much about diesels on this thread.  I inherited my dad's relatively pristine 96 F250 crew cab LWB 2wd 7.3 TD, love it's simplicity, dubbed "The Mule'.

Quick question....'wait to start" light not coming on and don't hear relay kick on/off to warm glow plugs.  Thoughts?

TIA.

Glow plug relays are a common issue.  But that doesn't explain the lack of WTS light.

A quick primer on 7.3L WTS lights and GPRs:  The GPR operates independently of the WTS light.  The computer operates both.  When you turn on the key, the computer turns on the GPR (via grounding the ground side of the relay) and the WTS light.  Given atmospheric conditions, it may click the GPR on and off or leave it on for a while.  The computer tells you when its ready by turning off the WTS light, but it may continue to cycle the GPR on/off for a few minutes independently of the WTS light.  They did this to help with cold start emissions and rough running on the 94-95 trucks.

My first guess with the WTS light is that the bulb is blown in the dash.  My guess with the GPR is that it just needs to be replaced.  They're easy (on top of the manifold) and not very expensive.  Part number will be either GPR104 or GPR109 depending on if its the plug-in harness kind or the lug style.  NAPA has good quality replacements.  AZ or Oreilly or Advance is a bit of a crap shoot.

Its also important to note (for the future) that the GPR clicking is not always an indicator that its working.  The points on the high-amperage side of the relay get corroded, and the activation coil might click but no juice flows to the glow plugs.  The way to tell the difference is to watch the voltmeter.  When you turn on the key, it should pop up to 14v or so for about half a second, then drop a couple volts when you hear the click indicating that there is juice being sucked by the plugs.  If it doesn't move (or moves very little) chances are the relay's contacts are toast and you need a new GPR.

Another, less common problem is the (believe it or not) valve cover gaskets.  The glow plugs are under the valve cover and the way they get power to them is through a harness connector molded right into the valve cover gaskets.  If that harness fails, juice won't get to the plugs.  (but that is only if you get a click but have really rough/white smoke during cold starts since it usually only affects a couple plugs)

Another (very rare) possibility is that the IAT sensor is shorted which would cause the computer to think its about 230 degrees outside in which case it wouldn't use the glow plugs at all.

Most strokes will start without glow plugs down to about 50F, so if its starting OK I wouldn't worry too much about it, but for non-summer weather I would fix it to prevent liquid fuel from coking on the injectors

Running 5W-40 or 10W-30 can also help cold weather starting behavior greatly on the 7.3s and 6.0s compared to 15W-40.  They tend to run smoother after a cold start and chug less with the thinner oil, as the injectors are operated by oil pressure.  

Curtis do you have diesel thread? I have a few questions lol. 

yupididit said:

Curtis do you have diesel thread? I have a few questions lol. 

I would second having a diesel sticky on the site

yupididit said:

Curtis do you have diesel thread? I have a few questions lol. 

I don't.  I can answer questions, but I will admit that my diesel tech knowledge is suited to older diesels.  I kinda got out of the game in 2008 with the newer EPA stuff.

I think a stickied tow rig/diesel thread, a stickied trailers thread, and maybe a stickied RV thread we have had some great discussions about all of these that always get lost.

One of these days I'll get around to making a thread that maybe someone will sticky?  Or Jaynen?

Curtis said:

yupididit said:

Curtis do you have diesel thread? I have a few questions lol. 

I don't.  I can answer questions, but I will admit that my diesel tech knowledge is suited to older diesels.  I kinda got out of the game in 2008 with the newer EPA stuff.

 Lol then never mind. It was a 6.4 question.