It looks like I may have been test driving the wrong vehicles

[Diamondpilot]

Are your two trucks really the same as to axles and frames? You didn't mention cab style which would be an obvious difference. But what are the dimensions on the frame? Could it be that one is .050" thicker? How about the height and width of the beam? Not likely, but different alloy? Now take that axle. Because they are both the same ratio, doesn't mean they are the same. Could one be a Dana and the other be a Sterling? And about those leaf springs. Same thickness (3/8" vs 7/16") and length? The naked eye won't always identify the differences.

As to the no contest between F-250 and F-350 choice, I agree 100%!

Good point. Both trucks are 4x4 diesels and they both are the same extended cabs with short beds.

Chris

 

[LBrown59]

As far as the difference between the F250 and F350, I really don't know if a leaf is the only difference or not. However I could perceive a difference in ride smoothness over potholes and what not with the F250 vs. the F350 SRW so I know there's got to be something.

Go with the one 1 0ne Ton :
It's well worth the very small difference.

 

[medicshawn]

The only suggestion I have is inquire a little bit about the tire pressure monitoring system. We have a 2011 gas f-350 superduty cab and chasiss at work. They apparently had the system start alarming when the weather got cold. There was a 10-15 minute procedure that sounded pretty involved for resetting and recalibrating the sensors.

You might want to also check out the operation of the 4X4 shift lever. We have a manual shift lever and it wasn't super easy to get it in the proper gear. The shift knob is also just stuck on the lever and that came off.

Otherwise it seems like a nice truck but it only has 500 miles on it.

 

[Lt CHEG]

Go with the one 1 0ne Ton :
It's well worth the very small difference.

I agree that as far as work capability the 1 ton single rear wheel trucks are probably the best value going. However, both my wife and I could perceive a difference in the quality of the ride between the 3/4 ton and 1 ton, and my wife wanted the better ride so that's why we're probably going to stick to a 3/4 ton. Ideally what I need is a car that has 4 wheel drive and can tow 12,500 pounds as ride quality is very important to my wife and I. Since there isn't a car that can tow 12,500 pounds a 3/4 ton truck is the best compromise for me. I do appreciate all the input and advice but a 1 ton is not an option for me right now. I've even tried talking her into keeping my half ton and me picking up an older 1 ton, and she vetoed that as we really don't have the space for a third vehicle right now. Believe me, when I was looking at 1 tons my wife was not at all enthused about them, but now after test driving the 3/4 tons she's actually enthusiastic about me getting a 3/4 ton. I realize that a 1 ton would be better for hauling, but since this isn't just a hauler for me I've got to go with the best overall package and for me that's a 3/4 ton right now and for the foreseeable future.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Not to try to sway you toward a SRW 1 ton but have you drive a 2010 F-350 SRW and compared it to the 2010 F-250 you test drove?

I just wonder what the actual difference is???

Chris

 

[Lt CHEG]

Not to try to sway you toward a SRW 1 ton but have you drive a 2010 F-350 SRW and compared it to the 2010 F-250 you test drove?

I just wonder what the actual difference is???

Chris

The first truck that I actually test drove was a 2010 F350 Crew Cab XLT. I'll admit that the difference wasn't great but it was noticeable. It was even more noticeable to my wife. I really don't deny for a second that the F350 would be a more capable truck for pulling, hauling, etc. and it would certainly be a great value. However the F250 offers the best compromise for us based on only being able to have 2 vehicles of our own (I also have a take home car from work). As as aside my wife also preferred the ride of the 2008 and newer Fords to the 1999 through 2007 style Super Duties due to the 6.4 liter being quieter than the 6.0 liter.

Chris, I greatly appreciate your help with all of this and I know that you're not trying to sway me in a different direction. I actually made sure to concentrate on the higher GVWR packages on the F250 largely based upon your recommendations. For all I know in some areas the difference may very well be imperceptible. However, in this area the roads are so riddled with potholes that the difference in ride quality between the F250 and F350 is perceptible. Plus with a $9 billion budget deficit next year, it's not likely that we'll be seeing a whole bunch of new paving projects any time soon unfortunately.

 

[Dmace]

A new truck is always a good thing! :thumbsup:

Personally, I feel the new Powerstroke is still too new to be trusted or deemed reliable especially with their track record lately but you may get lucky...

 

[Diamondpilot]

Sounds like the 3/4 ton is for you then. I just wanted to make sure you did not make the $45,000 mistake like I did.

Everyone has different needs and circumstances so get what fits you.

One last thing. Make sure the truck you are getting is the later version build. They upped the HP and TQ slightly.

Chris

 

[Lt CHEG]

Sounds like the 3/4 ton is for you then. I just wanted to make sure you did not make the $45,000 mistake like I did.

Everyone has different needs and circumstances so get what fits you.

One last thing. Make sure the truck you are getting is the later version build. They upped the HP and TQ slightly.

Chris

Believe me, I appreciate it. I've also thought a lot about what "could be" etc. and I really think I've come to the best compromise. We're in no position to be buying any more land any time soon and even if we did my tractor is already oversized for what we really need and could easily manage twice the land that we have currently. I'm not much of a boat person (sorry, I know that's a big hobby of yours) and neither is my wife. The biggest boat I could ever see myself owning would be a row boat or a canoe. My wife doesn't like camping (we tried) so I don't have to worry about accommodating a slide in camper or pulling a huge camper. So since I won't be hauling a bigger tractor, already have the heaviest implement for it that I would ever have use for, would never be adding a slide in camper and would not be towing a boat of any size larger than even a small car could handle I really think that I've covered all the bases with this truck. The largest trailer besides my equipment trailer that I could ever see towing would be a toy hauler for a couple of ATV's or snowmobiles and the F250 would be able to handle anything I'd be looking at in that department. Also our land has natural gas which we will be using for heat, and we don't have much in the line of trees on the land so I don't see myself hauling anything of any real substance in the bed, besides my ATV or maybe a sled. Since the F250 would be able to tow the equipment trailer and any toy hauler that I might ever want just fine, I really think I've got my bases covered.

Now if I ever got into trolling around on the water with one of those beauties like yours Chris , I could see the need for a bigger truck. However with my hobbies decidedly more land based (except for scuba diving) and my wife's general fear of water I don't see any of our pleasure activities leading us in the direction of upsizing. The only real fear I have is that I will really miss my crew cab. That is however balanced by my lack of children, the extremely few passengers I've ever had in my truck and also the desire to keep the truck somewhat compact (since I can't get a super short box on a F250 or 350 a crew cab pickup would be over a foot longer than an extended cab) I'm really leaning towards signing the papers on the new truck tomorrow. Heck, worst case scenario since I'm buying the truck for about $500 below invoice, combined with $6000 in additional rebates I should be in no worse shape in 2 years than I am with my current truck. Since I should have plenty of equity in the new truck if I have to upgrade something in 2 or 3 years it won't be the end of the world. I really can't forsee circumstances changing though, at least not if I wish to remain HAPPILY married. I'll definitely keep you updated.

 

[Lt CHEG]

A new truck is always a good thing! :thumbsup:

Personally, I feel the new Powerstroke is still too new to be trusted or deemed reliable especially with their track record lately but you may get lucky...

The truck I'm looking at is a 2010 leftover with the 6.4 liter International Powerstroke. I'm not looking at 2011's as frankly the deals aren't there to support doing so. From what I've read the 6.4's are thirsty but they have been doing pretty well for the most part. First thing I will be doing after the warranty though is removing the DPF and all other extra emissions crap to bring the fuel economy to where it should be though. The nice thing about the older DPF engines is the ability to remove them, I'm thinking that the newer urea injection engine owners are probably stuck with all that stuff forever.