Looking to get a truck for a daily driver and to tow my Jeep. I really like the ford super duty's, for obvious reasons. I just want to get more info about them, and what to look for when buying one. I am still unsure what engine I should get, it seems like they all have plusses and minuses. My main question is will the 5.4 V8 suck when towing a 4000+ Jeep and trailer? I have driven a f150 with the 5.4 and the performance is not too inspiring. What does everyone think about the V10? Or maybe diesel?
I want any and all opinions, good and bad...
Dan

well do you want gas or diesel? as far as the 5.4 its a slug, even if you get Holleys Thunder system for it.

go diesel or go home. you can't afford to feed
a V-10.
alot of guys say you can't afford to "buy" a diesel. whiners...

I say 7.3 PSD....

been a loyal 1990 f-250 xcab 4x4 owner since new.
dad has an 86 6.9 with a ATS turbo and gear vendor
OD on a c-6.... that thing FLIES!

I would stay away from the E40d trans..mine died
at 125k. and cost me 2300 to get it fixed. I don't
trust it.... looking for an F-550 PSD now...
--Sherpa

you said " I have driven a f150 with the 5.4 and the performance is not too inspiring" that should say enough!
same motor in a lighter truck and it was still bad.

I have one so I hope it doesn't skew my advice too much but go with a 2500 dodge. It will pull all day, get 16-18 pulling on the highway, my advice is get a manual tranny as the auto is pretty weak and will break often.

The one I use has 257K miles and it still feels very fresh! I say go 95 (i think this is the remodel year) or newer. it may cost a little more but over 5 years I guarantee it will cost less!


As always YMMV








:beer: :beer: :beer:

Originally posted by SHERPA RIG
go diesel or go home. you can't afford to feed
a V-10.
alot of guys say you can't afford to "buy" a diesel. whiners...

I say 7.3 PSD....
--Sherpa

What he said...7.3 PSD...you won't be out pulled with this motor...the V-10 does good but it is a gas hog...if you dont mind the rumble:D of a diesel then 7.3 any day

I pull a CJ with one ton axles and drivetrain and 42" TSL's on a tandem axle trailer with my 2000 F250 SD V10 and it doesn't break a sweat. i figure the jeep and trailer combined are close to 6500 lbs. i plan to upgrade to a gooseneck to haul 2 jeeps and i know my ford will pull it. its factory rated at 17000 lbs with a gooseneck or fifthwheel. yeah the v10 is a gas hog, i get 15 on the highway and about 10 around town. funnything is that i get the same mileage fully loaded as i do empty and it rides a hell of a lot better loaded! around here 87 octane is about 30 cents cheaper then diesel so i would never see a return or even breakeven if i got the deisel. there was a thread a while back about gas vs. diesel and how long it would take to recover the initial cost difference ($650 for V10 vs. $4500 for Diesel). if you take into account the cost of oil and filter changes and other maintenance as well as the cost of fuel it think it would take like a half a million years to see a return for the diesel. but if you plan to keep the truck for 15 years then it may be worth you while. i dont plan to keep my truck more then 5 years because by that time they will have developed something new that will make both the current V10 and PS diesel look weak.

just my $.02 worth

I would get a powerstroke with the 6 speed. Also I would recommend looking at an F-350 over the F-250 because these trucks are heavy, especially when you add the diesel and the F-250 does not end up with very much payload left. They will both haul a lot but the F-350 will haul more legaly. Check out http://www.ford-diesel.com


Stephen

We have a 2000 F250 extended cab V10. We have a 18' trailer that we haul our CJ's with. It is great. No diesel fume, was over $3000 cheaper & honestly, we wouldn't have been able to afford the truck for another $3K. No worrying about if the gas is available at the station you go to.

The V8 wouldn't have been enough power.

The diesels are nice, but the V10 is certainly well suited enough for towing a Jeep.

-Mel

I am not saying get the V10 over the diesel (That depends on YOUR needs) but those of you who say the V10 is a gas hog are out of line...

I kept extensive records for the first 15k I owned my V10 Superduty, and it is nowhere near as bad as some people would have you think.

-Unloaded-
Average mileage - 13.6 mpg.
Best tank - 15.8 mpg.
Worst tank - 12.4 mpg.

-Loaded- (tagalong trailer and my Toy trail truck)
Average - 11.5 mpg.
Best - 12.3 mpg.
Worst - 10.3 mpg.


Keep it under 2k rpm - and your can get over 15 mpg all day long... the hard part is keeping your foot out of a motor that will flat out MOVE on the highway :cool2:

I have a 2001 f350 ex cab psd pulls my jeep and trailer at about 16-17 mpg
I also have a 2002 excursion v10 (wifes rig) pulls the same at about 13-14 mpg.

I've got a '01 F-250 crew/SRW/psd/auto w/3.73 and love it.

check out www.ford-trucks.com there is a disel forum and a SD forum loads of info. (i think a v10 forum also)

if you tow lots or throgh moutains id go for 4.10s i like the auto and with the 40/60 lockup converter it hold hills just fine (to a point) with out excessive heat build up.

I pulled my trailer + zuke (~3500#) to tellico over black mountain in the dark and didnt realize I was in the hill till i started passing people. Got it the end of oct. '01 and got over 15k on it so far.. no probs.

Get a big drain bucket if you change your own oil :-D

-yag

Depends on what you want to pay and how much you plan on pulling. I would get the F350 just to stay legal (as stated above)

For me, I wanted the PSD so that is what I got. It costs more, sometimes have to look for fuel, its loud, its smells, but I wouldnt trade it for a V-10 anyday.

rides a hell of a lot better loaded! around here 87 octane is about 30 cents cheaper then diesel so i would never see a return or even breakeven if i got the deisel. there was a thread a while back about gas vs. diesel and how long it would take to recover the initial cost difference ($650 for V10 vs. $4500 for Diesel). if you take into account the cost

Here in Cali according to the use truck guide (kelly blue book) when you go to trade in a 99 ford truck if it has a psd they add $4200 to the actual cash value of the used truck, if it is a V10 they only add $725 bucks. But in the real market (I attend dealer auctions) a V10 with all the toys is usually worth about $4000 LESS than the truck guides suggested trade in value. A PSD on the otherhand will usually sell for about 2 to 3 grand OVER the truck guides suggested trade in value. These are real world figures, that means that the $3800 dollar difference will actually pay for itself plus a couple of grand. With the V10 you would loose about $4000 grand.:flipoff2:

I have a F-550 with PSD and 6 speed set up as a welding rig. It never weighs in less than 15,000# and it gets better mileage than DRM has given us for his V-10. Also is faster than my 22RE 4Runner.

Good points for the Superduty are:
Solid front axle with real hubs.
Leafs in the Front
Excellent diesel engine/manual transmission
Large aftermarket support for "upgrades"
Easy to make exhaust brake (Use EBV warmup system)
Buy parts from International for less$$

Bad points are:
Unit bearing Dana 50 in 250 and 350 srw up till 2002
HEUI injectors good or bad depending on who you talk to, I don't like them $$$.
Not many gearing choices for the 10.5" sterling rear.
Electronic engine controls are prone to failure, I.E. CPS
Automatic transmission not known for it's strength/endurance
Most Ford mechanics/Dealers don't have a lot of experiance with these engines.

Early 99 were a little different than 99.5+ trucks, the important changes being:
Larger turbo
Catalytic converter removal
New injectors
Lower restriction intercooler

http://image.photoloft.com/opx-bin/OpxFIDISA.dll?src=/PhotoLoft/Asset18/2002/02/12/8976/8976636_0_1999.fpx,0,0,1,1,256,170,FFFFFF

diesel: F250 :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :usa:

I did the numbers before I bought my 2001 F250 V10, and there was NO WAY I would have recouped the cost difference between it and the diesel in 5 years (which is as long as I will keep it). On top of that, diesels smell, they're loud, it's harder to find fuel and you can't share fuel with your trail rig (unless it's diesel). My V10 laughs at my tandem axle trailer w/ my toyota on it. I don't see an acceleration difference when towing that light of weight, and gas mileage stays above 12mpg. The V10 gets ON IT power-wise. I just can't see how it would be practical for the average wheeler that is towing his rig to buy the diesel. Now, if you are going to tow serious weight, or keep it for 300k miles, I begin to see where the diesel could have its place.

Originally posted by scramblin
These are real world figures, that means that the $3800 dollar difference will actually pay for itself plus a couple of grand. With the V10 you would loose about $4000 grand.:flipoff2:

No, in real world figures you more than likely paid for that truck on CREDIT - so add in all that INTEREST you are paying on a $4k higher total truck cost.....

I worked ALL the math before I bought my V10.... and I mean from EVERY angle.

Fact is, the added cost of a PSD would have taken me FIVE YEARS to break even with the cost of the V10. That takes $.10-.20 a gallon), 20,000 miles per year, loan interest costs, etc....

Over 20,000 miles a year - the diesel starts making a lot more sense....

No answer to this question...but I vote for diesel. Anyone who says a V-10 or Powerstroke can't be outpulled hasn't driven a Dodge yet :P

I've got a 98 Dodge 2500 Turbo Diesel with a 24 foot deckover gooseneck for my Jeep...it tows awesome, like the others have said. I've got some aftermarket stuff on the dodge which makes it fly, I haven't met a hill I can't accelerate up, it's pretty neat.

We have fun with the tow rigs on long trips. One friend has a Dodge 2500 that hauls two jeeps and another has an F350 Crew Cab Dually with the PSD. We race up mountains all the time, it's fun..we'll draft too, it's fun to see how many trucks you can get up the mountain with only two or three feet between each other. I guess it isn't the safest thing but it is fun. We always leave the 1/2 tons and gas guys in the back.

CJ