Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives tell me about Ford gassers...

The 6.2 and 7.3 in a F-350 crew srw 4x4. How they pull, mileage, quirks, hints. Bossman won't dump anymore money on the '08 6.4 and is looking at gassers. The 6.4 soured him on diesels.... I live on the flats and the heaviest trailer is a 24' gooseneck stuffed with 1000 pound steers, 70 miles to the sale barn. Most miles are hiway and ranch.

I drove Dodge diesels for about 20 years. I had 2 3/4 tons and a 1 ton dually. Mostly I run empty but also do a fair amount of pulling horse trailers and hauling hay. I also towed tractors and equipment. Loved the diesels. A few years ago I got rid of a couple horses, downsized to a 3 horse trailer and got a smaller hay trailer (20' bumper pull). I also went from a diesel truck to a 2016 F250 crewcab with the 6.2 gasser. I have 170,000 miles on the Ford. The 6.2 has been totally trouble free and I intend to run it for at least another 100,000 miles. Gas mileage is 12-18 (empty) depending on how heavy your foot is and what direction the wind is blowing. Put a load on the truck and the mileage craters (7-10 mpg). Earlier this summer I made a 2,000 mile trip with a fairly light camper and averaged a little over 9 mpg mostly running interstate highways. Ive made a number of trips with a large (heavy) overhead camper and dragging 3 horses over Togwotee Pass - mileage was about 7.

I think you'll like a gasser when your running empty. I know many disagree but I prefer the lighter gas engine crawling around in the hills. On the other hand, you'll miss the diesel torque anytime you hook onto a trailer. A gasser will get you where you're going but it'll work much harder to do it. You'll spend lotsa time looking at a tachometer pointing at 4000 RPMs. You'll feel like there is a bumble bee in a mason jar under the hood.

Diesel? Gasser? Its a trade-off. The 7.3 gas might be a viable compromise.

Thanks. He seems to be having a hard time finding 7.3's. His guy is working to get one locked in north of me, but other than that one truck, all he can find are 6.2's. I'll see how it shakes out in the end....

I had a 6.2 and it averaged around 12-14 MPG. Had the big trans and breaks but definitely did not have the power of my 6.7 diesel of course. It was an awesome truck until I had transmission issues and it was never the same so I sold it. If I did not have those issues I would still have it. Went back to a half ton but may revisit in the future. My buddy has the big 7.3 Godzilla and not sure I would want one.

As I’ve said before on here, the company I work for runs a fleet of 6.2 gassers. Our fleet manager says they’re the most trouble free trucks he’s seen in his 25 years in the mechanic shop.

They tow deckovers and bumper pulls, probably averaging around 8k. The guys who drive them every day like them due to reliability. They aren’t paying for the fuel and will all tell you that you just have to put your foot in it, ignore the tach, and let her eat. They do say they prefer the older 6 speed auto over the new 10 speed, it shifts less and is more comfortable for a guy who came up when the trans hunting was a sure sign it was going to be short lived.

I know probably half a dozen guys who’ve bought 6.2 and 7.3s for feed trucks. Every one I’ve asked about them say they can tell they aren’t a diesel, but they love the reliability and the cheaper intial price. They go better out in the pastures when it gets wet too due to the lighter front end.

And lastly Dad and I both have 6.2 3/4tons and they’ve been trouble free aside from mine attracting hail storms and deer. We don’t haul a backhoe around but they handle a 20’ gooseneck full of cattle or a 6 bale trailer fine. Unloaded mileage is about 15 and loaded 9-11.

Got a 7.3 on order, its built, but stuck in shipping. Seems Ford can't ship built trucks very well these days. Reading your post, sort of wondering if I should have just gone 6.2 on it. Guess we'll see in a few months.

Well, it don't appear Donnie is gonna get a new ranch truck. Boss decided to fix the '08 because the 7.3's are scarce. Said he'd get me a new truck when he can find one. So my truck will be fixed, and if and when he gets a newer one, this'un will be a back-up feed truck and used for snowplowing.

If I were forced to get a different truck to replace my current one, and could afford one in these crazy times, I'd be looking for an F250 with the 7.3.

We're looking for a F-350 with one.....

Friend of mine ordered a HD f-250 4dr 4wd with the 7.3. Says he gets 14 mpg on the highway empty and 9-10 pulling his 30' bumper pull rv trailer. He is very happy with it. I think he said it took 5 months to get it ,58k...
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Not sure what the Ford’s are like but when I was looking for a new truck, the gas Chev/GMC’s 3500 vs 2500 weren’t much different. The 2500 was rated to tow more than the 3500 if ur towing a gooseneck and bumper rating were the exact same between the two. The cargo capacity was 700lbs more for the 3500 I believe.

Maybe it would be easier to find a F250 with the 7.3.

Just a guess but I bet they’re looking for a 1 ton dually to put a bale bed and cake box on.

I have 2 friends with nearly identical 2020 F250 4x4 crew cab trucks. The only difference is one has the 7.3, the other has the 6.2. The 6.2 has enough power for what either of them do. But based on what they are telling me there isn't any noticeable difference in fuel mileage. Other than initial cost there doesn't seem to be any real downside to the 7.3. If I needed to haul much weight, I'd go 7.3. For most people diesel doesn't make sense anymore.

Did they put the 10 speed behind the 6.2, or just the 7.3?

I bought the 7.3 f250 last year in July .... has 20k on it now and I love it. Like others have said, it ain't a diesel but unless you are towing 10k plus every day I don't see how the diesel pencils out.... the only factor I can't compare yet is long term dependability ..... we'll see but so far hasn't had ANY issues. You just have to get used to driving the hell out of em again.... like the old 460's.... everyone got used to the low end torque with the diesels.... you gotta get these gassers wound up.... no low rpm crap. My mileage is like others 13-15 on the highway 8-12 loaded.... I also have the 3.55 rear end with the 10 speed auto..... feels a little sportier with the lighter front end as well.

Ps... I went to Corwin Ford in Nampa,Id.... my father in law was in there last week and said they have a ton of trucks on the lot.

https://www.corwinfordnampa.com/sea...d&Model=F-350SD&Displacement=7.3

FYI .... they currently have 9 f350's with the 7.3 in stock.

Assuming they fixed the lower end issues they were having with the 7.3 when they first came out?

Good luck on finding one. I have a '22 F250 diesel that is racking the miles up and thought I would replace before it gets to 50,000 miles. I can't find anything similar with a reasonable price, gas or diesel. Would order a 2023, but they are over a year out according to our dealers.

Just drove through Eastern Colorado, where it appears you live. I had no idea how sparsely populated that area is. We saw a random tornado cruising through the pasture outside of Limon and apparently doing no harm to anyone and then drove into a hail storm.

I'm 30 miles west of Limon, and you didn't stop?......

I should have. From your posts, I think we share an addiction--.22 handguns and could have had some great discussions. There is nothing I would rather own or shoot than a good .22 handgun.

Though, it was a tough trip and you wouldn't have wanted to be exposed to me that weekend. We moved my daughter from Lubbock to Boulder. We left Central Texas Friday morning and headed to Lubbock and then loaded and to Lamar. Saturday was Lamar to Boulder and unloaded and assembled furniture and then to Amarillo. Got up Sunday and drove home. Along the way, I discovered I was sneezing and coughing the whole time because I had one them viruses the Chinese supposedly invented.

To make all this semi-applicable to the thread, I cleaned the manure out of our 16' foot Big Bend gooseneck to haul her stuff to Colorado. I would guess loaded we were running 10-12k trailer weight and got 17 MPG between Dumas and Lamar and 15.5 MPG from Lamar to Boulder with my 2022 F250 6.7 Powerstroke. The rest of the trip was around 14 MPG. Diesels definitely have their drawbacks, but I feel I get as good or better MPG loaded than most people report with gas 3/4 tons empty. And with the 6.7s torque, I have to be careful not to forget I'm towing a trailer because it's not that noticeable.

My condolences to your daughter. I couldn't imagine living in Boulder, I just wouldn't mix well with the majority of the people up there. I'm sure she had a good reason to move there, lets hope she finds a better one to leave soon.

I currently live 35 miles West of Lamar, and grew up 45 miles Southeast of Limon. Colorado has sure forgotten about anyone that doesn't live on the front range or a ski town. I miss the old days when basically three counties didn't decide the fate if Colorado.

I spent the better part of a year in the Slaton/Lubbock area for work. Considered moving to Slaton, but we couldn't sell our house in Colorado Springs in 2012, and by 2014 I had promoted at work to a job that has me tied down in Southeastern Colorado for a few more years. Looking at Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas for retirement.

You could get the 10 speed behind the 6.2L in the F350 only if you ordered it. That was in 20 or 21, not sure if it is still that way.

Was that the ticking sound? That was addressed in 20 when they came out.

I was able to get a 7.3 F250 off the dealers lot in late December. It has the 3.55, CCSB, 4x4. I really don't need the 4x4, seems kind of silly in a truck that big. There are virtually NO 2wd trucks anywhere. I really don't need 4wd on the mean streets of SoCal. It is also Iconic silver which is usually a color only available on order and is $300 more than the standard colors. I recently checked the dealer where I bought it and they had NO new F250/350s on the lot. The 10 speed can be a little clunky at times but the downhill hold in tow/haul mode is amazing.
I made my decision based on the fact that I won't be towing more than 8500 lbs. and am only pulling 7200 right now. With the diesel being and $8000 upgrade and diesel being about a buck a gallon more, it was going to take a while to make up the difference. As was said, not even considering the maintenance upcharge and fuel additives etc. I also don't have to worry about fuel contamination at out of the way gas stations which we do from time to time. I haven't pulled the trailer since May so I would be paying the diesel premium for the occasional trip to HD and hauling a 220lb. dirt bike and gear. I can easily hit 80 with my trailer but am not real into that with a bumper pull trailer. I've seen short periods of 17 MPG but it's hard to get a nice long run like that in SoCal. I did see 19 once at 60, on a slight down grade for about 3 miles. (I might have had a tailwind too) I did see 6.7 in a 35 mph headwind. Imagine having to accelerate going downhill to maintain 60 mph.
I'm very happy so far with my truck though I only have 7700 miles on it.

I believe they are putting the 10sp in all of the SD trucks now. Our new F350s at work are stripped down XLs and they have the 6.2/10sp.

I'm somewhat of a fan of the 10 speeds, but haven't had mine long enough to have any trouble. I realized that on the diesel, first gear in the 10-speed was close to a granny gear and then gearing went up from there so I ordered a 3.31 rear and haven't regretted it in any way. It effortlessly pulls everything I hook onto it. Haven't driven one, but I would think a 10-speed would keep a 6.2 or 7.3 on the boil even with a 3.55 rear.

She's there for grad school.

I'm probably related in some way or another to 25% of the people in Slaton! Maybe an exaggeration, but not by much.

Sorry to hear what has happened to the politics of your state. Eastern CO reminds me of the towns I grew up around in the TX Panhandle when they had water to grow corn.

That's good, why wouldn't they?

I see no reason why they wouldn’t but another poster asked if the 6.2 could be had with the 10sp.

Was at the local Ford dealer this morning having my f-150 serviced. As I left I drove thru the new vehicle lot. Spotted a f-350 Tremor model 78k had the 7.3l gas engine. Looked at the dealer sheet on it and noticed it was marked sold. Normal f-150 work trucks were 47k....mb

The Ford 7.3 gas does not spend all its time at 4,000 rpm pulling a load, it makes a lot of power down low.

I bought a 2022 F250 Tremor with the 7.3 gas. It runs a 4:30 with gas and the Tremor package.
I’ve had a couple diesels but decided I don’t really need one anymore. Looking for a new travel trailer now and will be less than 12k. Rated for 15k bumper pull.
It really likes going to the gas station but it sure is fun to drive.

Buddy just bought an F-450 w/7.3l and a steel flatbed and is pulling 20,000lb trailer loads. Said it’s no diesel but no issues other than fuel mileage, but no emissions BS, DEF etc…

I have one and pulled a 34’ camper trailer with it. I never wanted for a diesel and I went from south Mississippi to Maine and back.

Life changes causing me to get rid of mine now, but if it were a need I’d buy it again.

what is it?

Huntsman, I pull a 24’ stock trailer loaded with calf’s, probably about 18 head avg. @ 575# a piece, trailer weighs 6,500 empty with a 3/4 ton 6.2 flatbed and cake box on truck, 60 miles to SaleBarn and a lot of hills, it does OK . I prefer my Dodge Diesel by far with deleted 6.7, by my Ford 6.2 will do the job, guys with new 7.3 say you can’t even tell you have a load behind ya, and they were all 6.2 Ford guys.

I drove Tundras from 2008 till now. Very dependable but gas hogs for what they were and not terribly strong.

Just picked up this 7.3 gasser Tuesday after ordering it on Feb 4th. Dealer in Iowa has sold them all year at 2% under invoice out the door. This one is a fully loaded Lariat 4x4 and was under $58,000. The long drive home it averaged 16.1 mpg. Very impressive power and comfort. Hoping it will hold up well for us. In this market, the only way to get a decent price is to order and wait 6-8 months. That price was around $9,000 under current MSRP.

2021 F250 crew cab 4x4 with 7.3

Not to change anyone's mind, but the common thing I see in this thread is people with gassers are getting about 14mg empty and 7-9 hauling loads.

It is not a Ford,but my 18Chevy 2500HD Duramax gets 23 empty running 80 mph and 14 mpg with a total load of about 17,000 pounds (truck, camper, 3 horse bumper pull, animals,tack, feed ,40gal of water) running 60-65 mph.

That is about double what the gassers are claiming. With gas at $4 /gal (maybe a tad less) and diesel at a tad less than $5 a gal. That is false economy to think you are saving money. You get about a 20% cost saving on the gas, but almost a 50% loss in mileage

Realizing of course the higher initial price of the diesel and more cost in maintenance. But a large increase in pulling capability.

If you want to compare, compare apples to apples.

Cost of def?
Increased cost of maintenance on a diesel for oil changes? Etc…?
Initial cost of Diesel engine is $10k minimum over a gas burner.

I don’t know all the answers, and each person must weigh their options. Just make sure you compare all the details.

It seems the diesels hold their values, but even repairing injectors and such is extremely expensive.

I did mention initial cost and repairs. Def is $15/2.5gal good for about 3K miles. That is less than 1/2 cent/mile. Figure it out you will spend about $7000 more in gas than diesel over 100,000 miles. 14mpg vs 23mpg. Compare the 7-8 mpg vs 14 mpg hauling heavy loads and it is even more than that. That will pay for injectors or an injector pump. Factor in diesels are quoted as commonly running 300K vs 200K for gasser. As you mentioned they hold their value more, so you get that back if you sell it. What is the GVCR rating for a big gasser vs a big Diesel? 1 ton diesel go about 30K + pounds.

A person has to decide based on what they need vs the price.

I get free oil changes

Nice score, 30338! Let us know what you think of it after you've used it some.

Definitely a situational comparison is warranted before one really knows what they “need” because your weight example brings into a whole nother matter of what a person who is pulling a load needs to be aware of.

Also, per your math, if a person buys new, and does not ever keep a truck past 100k mile mark, then it would cost them more to own the diesel than the gas burner because the higher initial cost of the diesel motor as an option would never pay for itself in the fuel efficiency it holds over the gas within that 100k miles of use.

A person who keeps vehicles longer than 100k miles of use may actually benefit from the initial diesel purchase.

Each person just needs to look at their overall use and what makes sense for them.

No comparison when you start talking about towing capabilities and torque, but a person really needs to understand all this in order to make an informed decision.

My last diesel, a 98 Dodge I had just shy of 20 years.Sold it for 1/2 of what I paid for it.

Never get rid of that truck.....I have had a 99 dodge diesel....2003 dodge diesel.....just sold a 2016 f350 deleted diesel......still have a 2018 f350 deleted diesel....and have never gotten any where near the milage you are claiming.......bob

Yes they pull better but how about stopping with all of that weight behind a 10k# truck??

Are the diesels equipped with heavier brakes?

Some of the guys that haul cattle around here have gone to smaller 4900 International, Freightliner and other single axle tractors for hauling cattle. They found it easier on the trucks and also easier to control if needing to stop quick, fast and in a hurry.

Same way semis stop pulling 80,000 pounds.Trailer brakes and compression brakes. I pull and descend 10,000 foot passes with no problem. I very seldom touch the brakes except maybe for a swithback tight curve. Stopping quick is always challenge no matter how much you are hauling. I try real hard not to get into that situation.

Some guys claim to get phenomenal mileage. I had a 2011 Duramax LML and saw 14.5 mixed/empty and 10.something towing.

I did a 1200 mile round trip from my place to the Grand Canyona a year ago, empty. I did mostly 80-85 the whole way on I-25 and then 40 going west. Solid 23 mpg on my 2018 Duramax. Going 60- 65 with a 17K total load, I get a tad less than 14 mpg.

pretty much in line with what I got with my dodge and ford trucks.....know a guy very well that claims he gets up to 28 mpg sometimes with his duramax...bob

Getting milage like that would be great. My 1 ton Ram gets 18 and sometimes 20 empty at 70 mph. Pulling a 28ft camp trailer it averages 10 and quite often less.

My ‘22 Chev 2500 with 6.6 gas got 19-20 mpg yesterday otw home from bow hunting. Best I’ve got out of it yet.

Rob, is that canadian or US gallons?

Be US, just used a conversion site online. 12L/100km

That is good mileage for a 3/4 ton 4wd!

You have to consider fuel prices in different parts of the country. Here gas is 3.09 right now and diesel is 4.39.

I drove nothing but diesels for 25 years straight, of every brand, I never once saw 14 mpg pulling that heavy except with pre emission diesels (read that 93 to 1999 or so), and never saw 23 on a regular basis except with a two wheel drive first generation cummins.

I'm not saying I'm doubting what your saying, again I think its a geographical thing. My diesels (and the 7.3 gas I drive now) always got better mileage at higher altitudes than they do here at home in Texas.

My 6.7 powerstroke only averaged 3 mpg better than the 7.3 gas I'm running now, loaded and unloaded. The 7.3 pulls, and pulls well. I've grossed around 24k with and it did fine.

I am at 7600 ft+. I go to Denver about every other month. 5600ft and my trip to Grand Canyon varied but they were 23 mpg.
My elk hunting where I am at 17,000 pounds is going over two 10,000 ft passes the rest of it varies from 5000 ft to 8000 feet. 300 miles each way That varies somewhat between 13 and 14 depending on how heavy my foot is. These are not one time trips. This is what truck computer is telling me.

Before I had this Chevy, I had a 98 Dodge diesel, 5 sp Std, Stock rear end . It got 12mpg pulling the same load, same trips and about 18 on open hwy.

Here where I live its up and down and I don't get quite the open hwy mileage.

Different gearing makes a big difference.

Man, I’m dying to hear about the 7.3 buddy. I’ve been thinking it might be a lot easier than any of the new diesels. My 3500 has been in the shop now for 2 months waiting on recall parts. I’m slowly getting tired of new diesels and the BS wrapped around them.

Did you order anything special with yours? 4.30 gears?

I’ve got a 2020 3500 and haven’t ever recorded more than 17 empty. Love the power but the mileage isn’t even close to my two older Ram diesels.

Beretz,
I saw the other thread where you were asking about pulling. I pulled a 34’ bunkhouse that weighed close to 10k loaded (bumper pull) from Mississippi to Maine and back. No issues. Did fine in the Poconos and up through the New York side. If you don’t mind a little higher rpm’s than the diesel, I never had an issue with power. Never got real wound up and made short work of my requests on that trip. My mileage averaged around 7 mpg on that trip.

Okay, thank you. 10k is a pretty normal load.

I have a 40ft toyhauler that’s 15-18k loaded and a 26ft Gooseneck I use to pull my tractor and implements around that is probably 10-15k depending on what I’ve got on it.

It’d be nice if you could hook up a trailer that weighed 10k at a dealer just to get an idea of what it does!

I’ve had 3 Cummins powered trucks and they’ve been pretty easy pulling but from the sounds of it, the 7.3 has a good amount of grunt as well.

Which gears do you have in your truck?

I’m not sure on the gears. I recently sold it.
Life changes have me in a transition period and I’m unloading things I don’t need. That’s was one of them.

Now I’d I can get rid of this camper……

Mine has 3.73's

I called the dealer where 30338 got his rig at, they aren't taking orders yet though.

If not in a hurry, they seem to offer a very strong pricing structure. Got my engine break in done I think. That big sucker is getting 15 plus mpg driving around town. Kind of hard to believe. So far so good. Need to kill a deer and get some blood on the thing.

Yeah buddy, I am thinking it's about the best deal going right now for a new truck. I think one they open up the books for ordering I will explore it. A one way flight to Iowa with a nice break in ride coming home with a new truck wouldn't bother me a bit. The 7.3's are supposed to get a bit of a power bump for 23 as well.

15 MPG's for a big truck ain't nothing to sneeze at. That was just about unheard of before 10 speed autos and such.

I'm wishing I'd held out for a 7.3 -- or at least something with the newer 10-speed transmission. My 2019 F350/6.2/6-speed/4.30 is averaging just south of 10mpg.

Great rig though, never lacking for power as a farm rig that pulls the occasional (big) trailer.

I used to get 14 mpg mixed driving with the 6.2 and the 6 speed , 4x4 super crew F250

I got an email from Ford today about the updated 2023 super duties. It looks like they dropped the 6.2 and replaced it with a 6.8, but still have the 7.3. There were no hp or torque specs listed. Doesn’t make much sense to me, but what the hell do I know.

I think they are waiting on Ram and Chevy to release numbers so they can do a last minute tweak if needed. Ford seems to wanna be the king of HP and TQ across the board this year.

I see Chevy/GMC are coming out with the Allison 10sp in the gas HD trucks. That will be a nice feature.

Saw that myself. It can't do anything but help.

Now this makes sense.

How are you getting that at altitude? I'm at 1600' and traffic here is similar to Denver. I was there 3 years ago for a week. I an getting a combined 13. I can get 15.5 if I can get an open stretch of 10-2 miles of uninterrupted traffic.

In the roll out video for SD's they mentioned a new intake manifold and tuning for a power boost but no numbers.
Figures, I would finally pull the trigger on a 22 and it gets a power upgrade in 23. If the 6.8 numbers match the current 7.3 power numbers and is the standard motor then that would seem to be a good deal.
There are a lot of creature comfort upgrades and the electronics seem to be getting better or more complicated. I keep my trucks for a long time so this is a concern in the back of my mind.

2022 f250 super cab short bed 7.3 4.30 gears right at 6000 miles.. by computer...12.5 maybe a little more on a long stretch. I drive fairly briskly.....4500 elevation ...bob

I don't drive in Denver traffic, and if I do its in a 4runner usually. I live outside of town and my non highway driving is usually not nearly as much stop and go as Denver. In addition, I set this one up with the 3.55 gears. I'm new to these Super Duty trucks so not sure why but the computer says 15.4 on it right now for all miles driven since I bought it.

Next time I do a long hunt will hand calculate it to see. I live at 6,700 foot elevation. Most of the miles are driven around 5000 though. Tires are set at 65 and 80 front and back.

I read somewhere that the new Ford 6.8 will be the exact same motor as the 7.3 but with a shorter stroke. Well a shorter stroke means a higher reving motor that makes its power, both torque and HP, higher in the RPM range and usually means less torque and more horsepower. My thinking is the 6.8 engine will be marketed to those who want high performance and may only tow lighter loads like a boat, but not needing the low end torque of the 7.3 for towing heavy loads.

How many of those new 6.8 will hold up and how long will it take them to work the bugs out??

Easy pass for the first year or 2.

The 6.8 is a destroked 7.3 - pretty much all same components between the two.

I get that. Can the design handle increased RPMs? Like I said if it were me I would let some other guinea pig work the bugs out of first or 2nd year stuff.

My 22 7.3 with 4:30 gears is an absolute beast. Towed a 10k trailer a good bit last month and they got the transmission right. In tow/haul mode the trans is a joy even in the hills. Really good engine braking automatically set in that transmission shift points. I’m really happy so far.

7.3 already has a 6k redline. The 6.8 will make less ho and tq than the newer version 7.3, guaranteed. Looks like a good replacement for the 6.2, which was a good motor, but made poor low end power.

That’s good info.

What sorta mileage did you get?

I’m currently heading west and my 2020 3500 HO Cummins with a tall 20ft enclosed cruising at 75 is doing about 9. I can’t imagine a gasser doing much worse.

My brother traded his '18 Ram 2500 diesel and bought a '22 Ram 2500 6.4 gas with .373s. He made his first camper trip with it to Talladega last weekend. His camper is under 10,000 lbs. On a round trip right at 700 miles, he got 8 mpg.

My '16 F250 with 6.2 has been a reliable truck. It has .373 with 6 speed auto. The truck is a beast and fun to drive. I tow a 16' trailer with small tractor often enough. When towing to the NC mountains it does drop to either 4th or 3rd gear going up the mountain but will maintain the speed limit around 3K rpms.

This was my first Ford anything and I have zero regrets buying this truck. IMO the 6.2L is a solid motor. Its a cast iron block design.

However, being honest, be ready when decide on a tune up to spend some $. The motor has 16 spark plugs, 8 coils and 8 wires. Coils may not need to be replaced but 16 of those plugs and 8 new wires plus labor will sting.

I was averaging just under 11 mpg in the hills towing.