Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Ford F350 460 or F150 5.4????

Im at a cross roads right now and having trouble deciding what to do... So im turning to you guys.

Right now i drive a 02 f150 4door with the 5.4 and 3.55's. Up until recently it was my daily driver but the last 6 months it has just sat. No need to drive it when my car is getting 30mpgs.

Last year right before hunting season i bought a camper. 20 ft maybe 6000 pounds but big and lofty. I towed it on several occasions last year and just wasn't happy with the set up. My truck would scream at 4000+rpms the second a hill was in sight. I know the 5.4 likes to run high but thats just not me. On another note i had to pull it back from a hunting trip almost 500 miles in a blizard and the truck was just pushed all over the place. Im sure with all my gear and fuel/water, not to mention the quad i was at or slightly over my max......

The truck got 7mpg's for all those miles and while i hated it i was ok with it. This truck has been my baby and is fully loaded.

I cant afford another truck payment for 2 to 3 years and so im looking short term right now. here are my options.

Im sure i could add air bags and do some work to the truck and get it a little better. But it will never truly be able to handle heavy loads. its a half ton. But im sure it would work.

I think i could sell it for about 6-7K. Im thinking of maybe down grading and buying an older(95) F350 crewcab (5K asking price) with the 460. We have the same truck in a powerstroke on the ranch and i know how they handle weight. My trailer would be no problem. its a crew cab so that solves the family thing.

What would you guys do? Just suck it up and deal? Or pay the extra at the pump since it wouldn't be a daily driver. I could probably walk out of the deal with a grand or more in my pocket.

Something im looking at is resale in 3 years and im thinking its goign to be a wash. Also the 95 f350 has less miles then my F150.

The '95 body style is Badazz, especially with the crew cab.

The 460 is Badazz, loved the several I've had over the years.

Buy the '95, be a Badazz, and just keep the damned thing until you retire.

I love the looks but have never personally owned a 460. I know they will pull though.

This trick is clean inside. The back seat looks like it has never been sat in. The bolstering is as clean as ever.

1/2 ton pickups just are not meant to do any serious hauling or towing. On a 1/2 ton, the rear axle shaft carries the weight. 3/4 HD and up, weight is carried by the axle housing. Much, much better. Brakes on the bigger ones are far superior to the 1/2 ton.

The 460 likes gas but so does a little engine when it's overloaded. I just bought an eighteen foot motor home that is on a F350 chassis and has the 460. Eight to nine miles to the gallon with power to spare and brakes do a very good job of getting the rig stopped.

No question in my mind. Buy the F350 with the 460.

The 460 sucks on gas. Period. Best I remember, mine did 12mpg empty, and pretty close to that loaded or towing. Had singles and a dually, auto and a manual. Don't really remember much of a difference.

It's a stone cold reliable engine, though. Take care of it and it will take care of you. Look at a few for sale and you'll see most have way over 200K miles.

*Edit to add my first 460 was a 1984 carbed unit and I don't really remember the mpgs on it. I was speaking of the EFI engines.

This one had 150000 miles on it. It was an older couple that towed horse trailer for miniature ponies. The bed shows lots of use but the exterior looks like it should for a 20 year old truck.

Do you think that price is fair with a 5 speed?

Yeah, that 460 is going to be running long after that overloaded little engine bites the dust. The 460 is made for that, the 1/2 ton isn't.

Besides, a half ton pulling all that is not safe. It'll pull it better than it'll stop it and it doesn't pull it all that well. You could get in a real bind with too light a truck when the tail starts wagging the dog...

DF

Did you say 5-Speed? That simply increases the Badazz level. I wouldn't sweat 150K on that truck if it's been well maintained and you check it out thoroughly.

I had a 94 f350 crew 5spd that hit 300,000 miles.

The friend I got it from worked it hard hauling equipment to put up steel buildings.

Sure wouldn't mind having another one.

Yeah..... I like the truck. But it's 7 years older and mine is getting old as it is.....

It has less miles and it's obviously more capable. It's just the unknown that i fear as with any other thing.

3.55 kinda sucks for towing. Other than that, you're probably just over your ratings. The weight you listed, is that dry weight? Real weights tend to be a lot higher.

If you decide to keep the 150, get the truck and trailer weighed properly to see where you really sit. Load up like you're going camping. People and gear. If you can, weigh the axles separately too.

Are you using a weight distribution hitch with sway control? That'll maybe make a lot of difference. They often add 1000 lbs or so to a half ton's capacity.

Me? I'd go with the F350 if I knew it had been taken care of. I prefer diesels, but that 460 is way more than capable of pulling that weight.

I'd keep looking for something else. A 20 year old truck is going to give you problems simply based upon the age, no matter what the mileage. The 460 is a HUGE gas hog, you're going to go from a truck that can be used as a daily driver to one that's going to be a dedicated camper hauler. When you're not hauling the camper, which is 99% of the time, it's just going to sit. At least with the half ton you can use it as a daily driver if the car quits.

Maybe sell the half ton and look for a newer 3/4 ton, that'll handle that little camper fine and will still be more usable as a daily driver than a dually with a 460 in it. Gas isn't going to be $2 a gallon for long. 20 year old trucks that sit 99% of the time are usually a PITA to keep running. If you've got to get rid of your current truck then look for something better.

For most of my life I drove Chevy's but Ford changed my mind 1996 when they offered the F250 Crewcab with a 6' bed. I thought the 4x4, diesel, 5spd with a bench seat and four full size doors was badass...had daughters in 94 and 95 so it never happened.

To the OP, if the truck is not a DD I would definitely go with the 460, diesel if that is an option.

If you don't need it as a daily driver, go the 460 route. Take care of it and it'll last you a lot of years.

Our old 460 pretty much got about 12 empty, with a light/medium load it still got 11-12 and loaded up it was 8-10.

Does your area use a lot of salt on the roads in winter?
Check the 95 carefully for signs of rust.
Ford has never figured out how to build a truck that didn't rust out around the wheel wells and cab corners.

Do you know the axle ratio of the 95? If it has the 460, a 3.55 ratio will be fine, but a 4.10 would suck gas and the engine will howl at 60 MPH.

I would much prefer the 460 for towing, and the gas mileage won't be any worse than the 5.4 overloaded.

Myron

What is the HP/TQ specs on the 460?

Get the F350. With that F150 you're asking a boy to do a man's job.

I never could see the use for a half ton. It's like having a 13 year old. Cost just as much to feed as an adult, not good for much of anything and whine like a girl when you ask them to do any work.

for a 95 7.5l (460)
hp 2454000
tq 4002200

Which is a nice way to say she's a stump puller for sure

This is what happens when you tow with a 1/2 ton.

The big "C" on the front fender would suggest that's a diesel rig.