Truck time

I have an 05 Ford F-250 with the ever-dreaded 6.0 diesel engine.

It has been perfect for us over the past 2 years and just crossed the 100k mile mark. Right now I have the option of writing a check to pay the remainder of the truck off, about $7k, but I'm honestly worried that I have a ticking time bomb on my hands. When we bought it, the truck had a binder full of service receipts at Ford dealerships, but that doesn't mean I won't have an expensive failure soon. Also, with the big trailer fully laden, the truck doesn't have enough braking to make us feel really comfortable.

SO, I've talked SWMBO into considering a new(er) truck.

Primary truck uses:

Hauling 26' gooseneck horse trailer all over hill and dale. I don't know who dale is but that bastard has been run down countless times now.

Hauling my race car all over hill and dale. Repeat bad joke.

Hauling my toy tractor to fairs.

Hauling my farm tractor places to do things.

Serve as an unstoppable towing machine when we hold winter races and people get stuck in snow banks.

Requirements:

Newer than what we have. Trucks get real salty around here and body condition becomes an issue with anything older. Plus, we like modern amenities like heated mirrors.

At least one-ton capacity but no DRW. More is more in this case.

Diesel

Great reliability record

Can be had for less than $25k (arbitrary number that I like)

Does cab size, 4x4, or transmission matter?

• Lee

I imagine he wants 4X4 if he is pulling race cars out of snowbanks?

Friend of mine has the excursion with the same engine. Her's just went pop last week to the tune of $9000 to R&R it

4x4 and extended cab. Doesn't have to be full four-doors.

8' bed is preferable.

I'd do a fly and drive if you want to avoid salty trucks. I've done fly/ride and drive for my last three vehicles. Treat it with rust prevention right away before driving in salty conditions and you should be good to go.

Buy the best (Texas) '97 or earlier PSD F-350 you can find. Save 60% of your money, you don't need heated mirros.

so you're asking ram 3500 srw or silverado 3500 srw as teh 6.0 is out. Silverado is the answer, the cummins is nice, but the truck around it isn't as nice as the silverado.

I had understood that the aftermarket fixed the problem areas on those trucks via an EGR removal and other such 'mods'. Did you happen to do any of those?

Those mods aren't cheap and I'm not into spending thousands on a truck just to make it reliable. It also doesn't solve the problem of the truck just not feeling great when we're pulling the big trailer with 3 horses in it, any one of which could be worth more than the whole truck and trailer itself.

I don't NEED heated mirrors. That said, it's my money and I want them. They come in handy when towing with the mirrors extended.

The 6.0 wasn't offered after 2006, so Fords made after that are up for question.

I'd consider a fly and drive, but I want eyes on the thing before I buy a ticket.

3 horses in it, any one of which could be worth more than the whole truck and trailer itself.

I think the value of the truck and trailer will be much higher than the horses if you wait about 35 years. Scrap value on corpses is perennially very low.

I support the fly and drive idea. Down here rust is just a non-issue unless the vehicle lived right on the coast. My dad just bought an 01 pickup locally and i'd bet money there isnt a single stuck bolt on the whole thing, let alone any rust on body panels. Usually the worst rust on a 10 year old truck around here is under the battery tray.

Atlanta craigslist is your friend. And we have a lot of members in the larger Atown area. There are also a number of reliable diesel shops ( I imagine, I'm not a diesel guy) that would give it the pro eyeball for a little change. We have a ton of those kind of trucks around south GA too, but they tend to drop value a little quicker in the more urban areas.

As long as you buy new enough (or old enough) to avoid the 6.0, I'd go Ford all day long.

I have a hard time planning a fly and drive on a vehicle this expensive. A challenge car? Sure.

Maybe if it was something already owned by a GRMer. I've had awesome luck buying cars from you guys.

I don't speak diesel, dreaded 6.0?

Known for leaking EGRs, blown oil coolers and lifting the heads off the block.

Around here, there are a few shops within a half-days drive that bring nice southern trucks up north.

Are there any of those around by you? Look online, talk to a few other truck guys, farmers, delivery people, construction guys. They always have the hookup on nice trucks.

Well, i'm ASE Master Certified going on 10 years now but to be honest i dont have much diesel experience. Depending on how much diesel-specific experience you're looking for, i'd be happy to check out trucks in San Antonio, TX for a potential fly and drive, or even deliver a truck part or all of the way to wherever you live (although it would be more expensive than driving it yourself or buying closer).

I've got 140k on my '03 Dodge 2500 with the Cummins. I pulled an enclosed race trailer with it since new and it has been extremely reliable. For awhile I was pulling a 28' trailer with two cars in it. I've had to replace a rear diff seal, some hoses and done some electrical work that may have been the fault of a bad brake controller. And there is something odd going on with the blend doors in the climate control. Other than that, just routine maintenance. The weak point in this era Dodge is supposed to be the tranny, though I haven't had any trouble with that, yet.

If I were looking used, I'd look for a pre-2007 Dodge when the low sulphur engines ruined the mileage on all diesels. I think the transmissions were beefed up in '05. I'd stay away from GM diesels of that era. My step son was a service writer for a Chevy dealer and their diesels had some real problems. He bought a Dodge diesel when he needed a tow vehicle, despite the fact he lived and breathed bow tie. Though he did buy a Chevy later (2009) when he felt the problems had been sorted. His main complaint with the Dodge was the solid front axle that came with 4 wheel drive made for a harsh ride. Mine is 2 wheel drive, so that's not been an issue for me.

Oh, and mine has heated mirrors, even though it doesn't have much in the way of options.

My previous employer had lots of srw 1 tons that we beat the living crap out of in the oilfields

The dodge drivetrain was the best, but the rest of the truck was a thousand little annoyances. The 4wd ride is really stiff and unfriendly

We had lots of luck buying used trucks in areas around the active oil/gas/cracking areas.

The trick is to find a loaded luxo truck. Those were usually for high level managers that didn't see much abuse.

It sounds like it spends a good amount of its time hitched to something big. Get a dually. Once you've towed with a dually you'll never want to go back.

ebonyandivory wrote: Buy the best (Texas) '97 or earlier PSD F-350 you can find. Save 60% of your money, you don't need heated mirros.

Why pre '97? He can get the 7.3 all the way up to '03 in the same body style he has now. IIRC he'd get forged rods too if he found a '99 or '00.

In reply to Carro Atrezzi: Not really "pre '97". The F350 was OBS until '97 unlike the lighter duty trucks which took on a Taurus-like appearance.

Just better trucks IMO. But I've been known to be biased!

http://s108.photobucket.com/user/diesel_brad/library/?sort=6&page=1

As much as it hurts to say this, keep what you have and fix the problems before they become problems. Sure you have to spend $4k at once, egr delete, oil cooler, studs, and coolant filtration, but most of the recurrent problems I see with 6.0's is just band-aiding problems instead of fixing them the right way, IMO.

The only "good" Fords anymore are the ones that get upgraded before they break or are Cummins swapped.

Yes, why not a dually? I am on my third and I won't go back either. It is a really nice Dodge Laramie and it spends half its time pulling 14000 pounds and half making sales calls. It looks really good doing either.

The weak point in this era Dodge is supposed to be the tranny, though I haven't had any trouble with that, yet.

Also dashboards and that blend door thing.

With that size of trailer i'm surprised by not at least considering a dually. I haven't owned one but everything i've ever heard is once you have a big enough trailer to justify it it is a good thing. It just makes thing worse when you ARENT towing.

You have the right truck, but wrong engine. Swap a cummins.

However that doesn't solve the rust issue. I suggest moving.