Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Ford diesel motors

I'm looking for a 2nd truck to pull my enclosed trailer this winter that weighs about 6k lbs fully loaded. My Dodge Ram 1500 can pull it easily enough but she drinks the gas like crazy so I want something with a bit more power and easier on the fuel. I will be using this to tow just this trailer and nothing else.

I've been searching for a used Ford F250 or even a F350 with a diesel motor and I know the 7.3's are good ones but what about the 6.0? I've read some negative stuff on the net but wanted to get firsthand info from those in the know. Also, what about gas motors, which one would you recommend?

I had a 04 f250 with the 6.0. At 52000 miles #5 injector stuck open, filled cylinder diesel and hydolocked the cylinder. Bent rod and blown head later ,Warranty replaced the engine. Cost me $100 deductable and was down for about 2 months. Loved the truck, Hated the engine. Had decent power in the mid to high rpms but nothing in the bottom end. I will never purposefully own annother 6.0 powerstroke.

The guy standing next to me has a 2004 and it's on the 3rd engine with only 45,000 miles.

You couldn't pay me to buy a Ford truck with a 6.0 in it.
I'd look for an older one with the 7.3, those motors were just about bulletproof.

Yep, stay away from a 6.0

I've had both.

7.3 is a big ole engine lumbering along at around 50% of it's potential in stock form, built like an anvil.

The 6.0 is a volitile little creature strung out like Jacki Chan in a fight scene. It operates at exactly 115% of it's potential in stock form, built like a fragmentation grenade filled with pop rocks, jolt cola and C-4.

Both will have similar MPG unloaded, the 6.0 will consume and spray parially depleted raw fuel out the tailpipe when loaded heavy. Actually I believe the fuel consumption rate under load can be calculated by cubic inch displacement X engine RPM.

I believe the air intake closes and the engine goes into "fuel only" displacement mode when loaded.

So, volitile like a fragmentation grenade, displaces 6 liters of fuel per engine revolution when under load....

That's about all ya need to know.

But.....the 6.0 (2004 & 2005) is one of the simplest of the Fords to do the Cummins swap. I have one and just waiting on the 6 point oh no! to crap out on me so I can do the swap.

I am afraid it is going to outlive me.

In that case it will last forever! The whole "watched pot" syndrom. lol!!

A guy that hunts with me at deer camp has a Ford like an early 2000 model,extended cab, F250 with the 7.3 Powerstroke. So far it has about 177,000 miles on it and I think he had to replace one or two injectors. Other than that I think it has served him very well and it averages around 19 MPG on the open road.

I have heard alot of bad things about the 6.0. I think i would avoid it like the plague.

I had a 7.3 Powerstroke for about five years and traded it with a little over 150K miles. The guy that bought it from the dealer lives a couple of counties to the east and I see still the truck from time to time, 6 years later. Never gave me any problems, but I don't know what he has had to do to it.

You have no idea how right you are. I have a 12 valve Cummins on my shop floor just waiting. I will end up with the most reliable 6.0 on the planet that will develop some annoying rattle just to push me over the edge.

Unless you pull a massive amount of mileage per year, you will not save enough in diesel to pay for the truck. If you pulled that much, you would probably have a diesel already.

I am a big diesel fan. I say get one if you want it, but between the increased price of diesel oil, increased maintenance expenses, and more costly repairs, you will not save money. I swapped a gasser for a diesel and am very happy, but I am not saving any money.

You can bet on it, lol!!

You guys pretty much confirmee what I had been hearing/reading about the 6.0 so i'll stay away from that time bomb. I might even attach a plow to this thing to help me recoup some of my money.

Now if I could just find a '97 F250 shortbed crewcab with a 7.3 for a reasonable price i'd be golden.

There's been an '99 (I believe) in the classifieds recently, pretty clean looking truck. Located in Nebraska if memory serves me correctly?

EDIT: Here it is
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth..._WTS_1999_Ford_F250_Lariat_S#Post5871468

Weee bit of a drive, but I know of more than one person that flys to the lower 48 and drives something back up there to sell with the prices you all have.

I have a 99 F350 4 door 4wd with 193,000 on it, it's been a great truck. I put a turbo and heavy duty transmission in it, but that's to be expected over that many miles. My biggest complaint for a hunting truck is that the 7.3 is like having an anchor tied to your front axle. I don't feel they are a very capable truck offroad or on snow or ice. I may be biased though, my old hunting truck has a locker in the rear axle so it's pretty good in those situations. My 7.3 really benefitted when I added a 4" diamondeye exhaust and mild 40hp towing chip. A neighbor just bought a 97 from his uncle and added the same chip and exhaust, it really helped it also.

Anyone heard anything bad about the new 6.7? I'm looking at trading my 99 this winter.

I have had all of the Ford Diesels, 7.3, 6.0, 6.4 and now the 6.7. The diesel forum guys are not seeing many problems with the 6.7, and a few of them are getting over the 100,000 mark.
I have never had major problems with any of them, including the 6.0.
The 6.4 was a pretty good engine, but the mileage sucked (14 empty).
The 6.7 has a lot more power, is smoother, virtually no turbo lag, and mileage is up around 17.5 empty, and around 14 pulling 8000 lbs.
The new 6 speed auto is very nice, especially in mountainous country.
The 6.7 is shaping up to be my favorite.

What chip if you don't mind me asking?

Diablosport tuner. I never tried running it on anything past the 40hp setting, it can go up to 120hp. I figured if I tried the higher settings I'd like the power and screw something up. Plus I tow alot on the ranch and the higher settings come with weight limits for loads.

What about the 7.3?

The 7.3 is the only way to go period. I have owned five of them , bought all of them with over 100k drove them all for another 100 thousand plus and sell em, usually only out of pocket a grand. You can count on replacing the water pump at 110k an again a 220k thats about it. I did just throw my first tranny but thats if you add them all up on over 500,000 miles.