2005-07 vs 2008+ F350?

[ME83]

I am looking for a used F350 SRW V10 Auto for towing my 14k dump trailer, plowing snow, and other truck duties around the farm. I work a normal job during the week which is only 9 miles from home and I don't tow that often, so hense the V10. I am looking at a 2005 as the oldest due to the upgarde to the torque shift tranny and 3 valve heads. I also know the Super Duty's cabin and suspension were also updated in 2008. I plan to keep the truck a long time and put only 7-8k miles a year on it. For a year or two I will be driving it to work everyday until I get a car, then the truck will only see 2-3k miles a year. So, is it worth going to a 2008 over a 2005-07? The 2008s cost about $3-5k more with similar milage.

 

[wallace]

Did they 08 have the V10 option?

 

[ME83]

Did the 08 have the V10 option?

Yes it did, Ford got rid of the V10 for the 2011 model year. Replaced the 5.4 V8 and V10 with the new 6.2L V8.

 

[Diamondpilot]

You are on the right track. My uncle has had 2 Ford V-10's. The first was a early 2000's F-250 and his current is a 2005 F-350 SRW. Both Extended Cab and Short Beds. The 05's and later had the coil over front suspension which gave them a extra 18deg of steering. His 05 just turned 50,000 miles with not one single issue. He has 4.30 gears and pushes snow with a V plow. Its a Hauss. It averages 10 to 12 MPG and will still get about 8 pulling his 25,000# boat. We did upgrade the hitch to a 2.5" unit after I broke the one on my 04 Ford Diesel.

Its a great truck. I have never personally had a V-10 but I currently have a 04 F-250 Diesel and a 06 F-350 SRW Diesel and have had great service out of them.

Chris

 

[dstig1]

V10s are very hard to find used, and of course that is the only option to find one anymore. First off, I hope you want a Crew Cab Short Bed, because that is probably 70-75% of the production run, best I can tell. I think V10s were probably less than 10% and maybe even less than 5% of production (my own WAG). If you want a diesel CC SB you will have plenty to choose from, but you are in the same type situation I was. I don't drive it a ton, so I wanted to stay away from the diesel as people seem to say modern diesels have "issues" when they sit around too much - more so than gas engines. Since I really wanted an Ext Cab LB, I took the first decent gas engine I could find in that configuration (pretty rare combo), and mine was the V8. It's no diesel or V10 for sure, but it gets the job done just fine for me. It might work for you too, depending on what your needs are. Something to keep in mind, and at least look into/try out if the right vehicle pops up. Never read a bad word about the V10s other than they suck gas. One of the best kept secrets out there in 3/4-1 ton trucks, it seems.

Only common issues to watch for are the early 05's had a transmission issue (mine was one, and was repaired under warranty by the PO) where the case can crack due to a design issue with one of the internal retaining rings. They changed the design pretty early on when they caught it. The other one is the sticking plugs in the V8&10. They also did a design change on that at some point, but I'm not sure when. Maybe 06 or 07. So if you can find an 07 or 08, you should avoid the only real known issues for sure.

Good luck. It took me close to 6 mos to find one that fit my needs in this area (near Minneapolis St Paul Metro)

 

[bdeboer]

Don't know how far away you are looking, but saw this one in south eastern ohio near Marietta.

2005 Ford XLT 350

 

[ME83]

Actually, I am looking for a Crew cab short bed, which does help. I seem to always be carrying tools, people, or golf clubs with me, so I prefer the extra room inside. I have a 14k 16' dump trailer so anything long I would just take the trailer. I have driven a few trucks with the V8 5.4L, they just seemed way to underpowered to pull anything over 10k lbs. With my tractor in my trailer the weight is almost 14k lbs, and it doesn't take much in stone or dirt for the trailer to be at its weight limit.
I knew of the spark plug spitting problem that was fixed with the 3 valve heads, but I didn't know about the stuck plugs which looks like it was fixed in 07. It looks like there are a few tools out there that make the stuck plug removal go easier, so that doen't look like a deal breaker.
Some of the reviews I read said the suspension was revised in 08 and they rode smoother, but I wonder how smooth a F350 can really be. Has anyone riden in both that can tell a difference? Are the cabins much better in 08?

 

[Diamondpilot]

We just went thought he stuck plug thing on my BIL's F-150. It cost $80 per plug to get them out and replaced at the Ford Dealer. We did the ones that were not stuck to save a few bucks but either way it would be about $600 worst case. His truck has 108,000 miles, a 2006 F-150 4x4, and its the first dime he has spent on it other than one set of front brakes, one set of tires, air filters and oil changes.

The plugs would not concern me either since there is a fix. I agree though, skip the 5.4 in a F-250 or larger.

Chris

 

[dstig1]

I tow about 8k with my tractor on the trailer, and the V8 handles it just fine. But if you are looking to tow 14k, then you probably want to stick with the V10 as it may be beyond the V8 rating. But man the V10s are hard to find... You will find 40-50 diesels to 1 V10 (and 3-4 V8s). A lot will depend on how much patience you have and how far you are willing to go to pick one up. Local markets do vary, and maybe they are more common where you are...

 

[ME83]

When I do a 200 mile radius search on autotrader it usually comes up with about a dozen trucks, 8 or so are crew cabs and the rest are supercabs (extended cabs). I must be lucky in my area since V10s aren't that hard to find.

 

[sld]

You will really like the V10. For a gas engine, it has tons of torque just off idle.

The only thing I would suggest is to get the 4:30 gears. Depending on the year they can range from 3:73 to 4:30. I have the 4:30's and I am not really giving up anything in mpg from the other gears. Actually the city mileage is probably better.

There is a very noticeable difference in pulling power between the 3:73's and 4:30's. Not as big of a difference from the 4:10's but if you ever want to add a slightly larger tire the 4:30's are the only way to go.

Bottom line - try to avoid the 3:73's if you are going to be pulling a heavy load.

 

[jgrreed]

Not to start a storm, but why not diesel?

I have an '08 350, and the interior is very nice. The engine, from the factory, is a fuel pig. The -'07 diesels are either really good, or complete lemons. They get much better mileage than the '08-.

-Jer.

 

[Dargo]

Although it's different, I bought my wife an Expedition with the 5.4 V8 and it was a bit tight for our family of 7. With a luggage carrier on top, it constantly shifted in and out of overdrive on the interstate if the speed limit was 65 or more. I wouldn't want to have towed anything much heavier than our Jet Skis with it.

I sold it and bought her an Excursion with the V10 and the engine was a FAR better fit. It never wondered between gears or felt underpowered. Also, I would have to say that it was the smoothest running engine I've ever owned. I wish I hadn't sold it now.

As far as the spark plugs; um, my dad drove to a job that was over 50 miles each way for years in his truck. At somewhere around 160k miles I asked how often he had changed his plugs. He said he never had yet. Oh well, it still runs just fine and the fuel economy hasn't changed. I bet the little tip is gone on all the plugs by now.

 

[Diamondpilot]

You will really like the V10. For a gas engine, it has tons of torque just off idle.

The only thing I would suggest is to get the 4:30 gears. Depending on the year they can range from 3:73 to 4:30. I have the 4:30's and I am not really giving up anything in mpg from the other gears. Actually the city mileage is probably better.

There is a very noticeable difference in pulling power between the 3:73's and 4:30's. Not as big of a difference from the 4:10's but if you ever want to add a slightly larger tire the 4:30's are the only way to go.

Bottom line - try to avoid the 3:73's if you are going to be pulling a heavy load.

I agree 100%. My uncles F-250 V10 had 4.10's and his current truck, a 05 F-350 SRW V10 had 4.30's. That thing is a beast for a gasser.

I came real close to buying a used F-250 V-10 last year. Close till I realized it had 3.73's after crawling around it.

Chris

 

[ME83]

Almost all of the trucks I see advertised around here say they have the 4.10 gears. It is very hard to find them with the 4.30 rear. I have been looking for the 4.30 but I will probably have to settle for the 4.10.

I haven't gone to look at any trucks yet, I want to get through Christmas first (hopefully my wife won't surprise me with another Very large credit card bill) and start looking at the first of the year. As an engineer I tend to research and analyze everything I purchase, best of all it drives my wife nuts :laughing:

 

[Diamondpilot]

Almost all of the trucks I see advertised around here say they have the 4.10 gears. It is very hard to find them with the 4.30 rear. I have been looking for the 4.30 but I will probably have to settle for the 4.10.

I haven't gone to look at any trucks yet, I want to get through Christmas first (hopefully my wife won't surprise me with another Very large credit card bill) and start looking at the first of the year. As an engineer I tend to research and analyze everything I purchase, best of all it drives my wife nuts :laughing:

Also be aware that the gears dont tell the whole story. There was a HP jump, new tranny, and a new front suspension with much better steering introduced in 2005 or so. The early ones were 305HP and 420TQ. The post 05's are 362HP and 457TQ mated up to a better 5 speed tranny that is really a 6 speed.

It only uses 5 speeds at a time. When the temps are cold or in tow haul mode it shifts into a gear hidden between the normal 4th and 5th gear if I remember correctly.

So normal driving is something like 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th.

Tow Haul/Cold its something like 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th.

 

[alaskakubota]

You are on the right track. My uncle has had 2 Ford V-10's. The first was a early 2000's F-250 and his current is a 2005 F-350 SRW. Both Extended Cab and Short Beds. The 05's and later had the coil over front suspension which gave them a extra 18deg of steering. His 05 just turned 50,000 miles with not one single issue. He has 4.30 gears and pushes snow with a V plow. Its a Hauss. It averages 10 to 12 MPG and will still get about 8 pulling his 25,000# boat. We did upgrade the hitch to a 2.5" unit after I broke the one on my 04 Ford Diesel.

Its a great truck. I have never personally had a V-10 but I currently have a 04 F-250 Diesel and a 06 F-350 SRW Diesel and have had great service out of them.

Chris

If your towing 24k and getting 8 mpg with a gas motto you must be doing something I don't know about. I had a 97 7.3, 2001 v8, 2005 6.0, and now have an 09 v10 all with manual trannies and no way in heck I could get 8 mpg with any of these gas motors. The diesels would get between 9-11mpg and the gassers are 6ish. The gassers tow just as well and I like them better than the last two diesels. The 09 has been my favorite so far. Oh yeah, I tow 24k all the time. Jd 450 dozer on my 35 foot gooseneck trailer. I have the 4.10's and don't wish I had 4.30's. These gears are perfect. Just don't use 6th much towing heavy. I like the gas motors as I don't have to worry about them starting when it is 40 below at the parking lot when I come back from the cabin. I used to have to carry a generator.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Just going off what I saw riding along on a 30 mile trip via the dash monitor. Its relatively flat in Southern Indiana and the 4.30 gears have no issue getting the load rolling. Dont get me wrong, I have seen 3 mpg in it also jacking around getting into the gas on the hills. By comparison I pulled this same load for 3 years with my 6.0L powered F-350 4x4 with 3.73 gears and got right at 12 mpg on the same route.

Chris

 

[johnk]

I have a 2009 f350 v-10 w/ 4:10's and in the city, in the winter hubs unlocked 15% ethanol I get 8.5 to 10 depending how many red lights I get stuck at. On the highway unloaded in the winter I got as high as 15.2 going 65-70. I start mashing the gas and those figures drop rapidly. I love my v-10. I had a 2005 f250 5.4 before and to me when towing 8K and above it won't get out of its own way. The best MPG I got out of that brute was high 12's on the highway at 65 MPH. This ethanol crap really does a number on MPG in the freezing weather..My new 350 w. camper pkg, and plow pkg actually rides smoother than my 2005 F250.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Nice truck.

Chris