7.3L Powerstroke or 5.9L Cummins with over 200k miles -- still lots of life, or not?

[jas67]

I personally have never been a fan of white, but it is what I found a good deal on. I agree, dark colors shine so much better when clean, but show the dirt. Since I'm going to pull a camper (they're almost all white) it'll match no matter what (wife cares about such things). Between the white paint, and the dark tinted windows, the cab will be a little less hot to get into in the summer.

I can't wait to pull a big load with it. The turbo sounds great when you press the "loud pedal" to the floor, and the torque is addicting

I've been truckless for about 5 years; it is good to have a truck again. I've been doing OK for most things with the utility trailer behind the car, but my car is limited to 2,000 lbs towing, so I always needed to borrow a truck and trailer to move the tractor. I don't have to move the tractor often, so I'll continue to borrow that. I can move a lot more firewood per trip now, as I'll put the my 4 1/2' X 8' utility trailer w/ 2' sides behind the truck, and fill 'em both.

 

[Renze]

oh please........the 6bt was designed as an off-road equipment engine long before it was put in a pickup truck.

Case needed a new tractor engine and Cummins wanted a smaller truck engine. Case had to use a half frame because the new engine could not be used as a carrying part of the frame.
The initial design scope was on-road for Cummins, and the 100-135 hp for Case Maxxum tractors. At both these applications, 130-180 hp distribution truck and 135 hp heavy duty tractor use, it was a good engine.

I have never read such a pile of BS in my life as that post. Nothing screams heavy duty to me like a john deere loader. i have never seen one in an extreme duty application such as a quarry, cement plant, mine, etc.

I didnt say JD LOADERS but JD ENGINES in our loaders. Actually i have never been around a JD loader so you can tell me anything you want about them.

The Cummins did fine as 133 and 155 hp in our lightest models, but in our 15t model it has allways been a problem to get this 6BT to function. in the 90s the 6BT didnt perform at 175 hp due to turbo lag. Cummins tweaked it so the turbo spooled up better, but they were done in 8000 hrs. in 2004 with the new 15.5 ton loader, the same problem: Cummins installed a smaller turbo, it spooled better but the turbo lasted 1500 to 3000 hrs. This, together with the short lifespan in above 150hp heavy duty application, led to a switchover to Deere engines. So far little problems, since we started installing them in 2006, one running a 24/7 shift in a glass factory has already done 12.000 hrs.
The only problem so far, is because the Common Rail system doesnt like bacteria growth in the standard 80/20% biodiesel blends these days. But any other common rail engine has that problem with biofuel if you dont put bacteria killer in it.

i bet you are one of those guys that also think V8 diesels are the best thing ever too?

I am one of those that thinks that even large diameter cranks and journals mean nothing if the crankcase supporting it, isnt equally rigid. Dynamic block and sleeve distortion accelerate wear.

For that matter, the fact that QSB engines are also used in industrial applications, cannot convince me that its more heavy duty than any V8 powerstroke or Duramax in a light duty pickup truck application...

 

[devildog1]

jas67,
Congratulations on your new truck! That is one of the things that unpressed me was the gobs of torque that the 6.0 Power Stroke Diesel has. Now get yourself a nice 30' plus camper, add some BF Goodrich 305 E range tires and maybe a Ingen Cold Air System and that baby will tow. Just make sure you bring the better half and your good to go.
DevilDog

 

[RobertN]

Why 305 E range tires? Don't those come with 265 E range tires?

If you want to tow, putting a taller tire on will change the effective gear ratio, and worse towing manners, not better. The tire may look cool, but the overall effect is negative performance.

Keep the stock size tires, and better effective gear ratio for towing that 30' trailer...

If you get bigger tires, get Dick Cepek's ...

jas67,
Congratulations on your new truck! That is one of the things that unpressed me was the gobs of torque that the 6.0 Power Stroke Diesel has. Now get yourself a nice 30' plus camper, add some BF Goodrich 305 E range tires and maybe a Ingen Cold Air System and that baby will tow. Just make sure you bring the better half and your good to go.
DevilDog

 

[jas67]

jas67,
Congratulations on your new truck! That is one of the things that unpressed me was the gobs of torque that the 6.0 Power Stroke Diesel has. Now get yourself a nice 30' plus camper, add some BF Goodrich 305 E range tires and maybe a Ingen Cold Air System and that baby will tow. Just make sure you bring the better half and your good to go.
DevilDog

It already has an Air Riad cold air system on it. And yes, it has gobs of torque. It certainly doesn't feel like a 7200 lb truck when you press the loud pedal. The sound of the turbo at full throttle is spine tingling

As for tires, it has worn out 285/70R17's. I'm going back to the stock 265's, as I don't need bigger tires.

 

[jcmseven]

jas67,

Congratulations on your new truck. I think you will like it. With limited exceptions and some bad PR, the 2006 6.0L is a reliable motor. I have had the 7.3L in the past and got solid service from it until I sold it with a little over 100K on the clock. I know there are many Cummins fans out there, and they are truly solid engines. The problem I have seen is that the models with high mileage typically were earlier model years (not in all cases) and simply had no power. My parents' builder has one, a great engine for durability but it is painfully slow. The Dodge Cummins responds very well to modifications, though, and can pump out the power then--though it likely would affect the lifespan of the motor by some amount--could be a little, most likely would be alot. The newer Cummins has gradually increased performance from the factory, making modifications unnecessary for most of us. The 6.0L Ford should serve you well. It certainly does not have the same heavy duty valvetrain parts, etc., as the Cummins or GM Duramax, but it is solid enough and the engineers worked hard to get it right. My experiences with this engine and truck have been positive in general. One thing that does not seem consistent, though, is the mileage between trucks. Accounting for gear ratio differences,etc., I have experienced AND heard the wide variability in fuel economy between seemingly similar 6.0L equipped trucks, so it seems you got a good one there as evidenced by your economy. In this configuration, it should get only about 1-1.5 mpg less towing than an equivalent Cummins unless loaded very heavy and should give you many miles of trouble-free driving.

John M

 

[Diamondpilot]

Why 305 E range tires? Don't those come with 265 E range tires?

If you want to tow, putting a taller tire on will change the effective gear ratio, and worse towing manners, not better. The tire may look cool, but the overall effect is negative performance.

Keep the stock size tires, and better effective gear ratio for towing that 30' trailer...

If you get bigger tires, get Dick Cepek's ...

My 2006 F-350 came with 275/70/18's while my 2004 F-250 came with 265/75/16's. Ford has used some 17" and 20" wheels also and probably others I don't know about in recent years.

Chris

 

[devildog1]

RobertN,
The 305's have a wider footprint and looking at the specs sheet carry more weight per tire then LT265's 275's. I'm not saying that the 265's will not handle the weight, they will! I just prefer a taller and wider tire when towing my RV. Chris is absolutely right on about the different sizes that come from the Ford Factory. Some of the F-250's and F350's like the Harley Davidson models have 19" or 20" rims and tires. Believe it or not when we in Salt Lake City this summer, the Big Ford Dealer there has Brand New F250's and F350's with like 36"38" tires on them. Unless your towing 100,000 miles per year, go with with what works for you.
DevilDog

 

[devildog1]

Oops,
Forgot link to tire specs, here it is;BFGoodrich Tires | All-Terrain T/A® KO | Tire Sizes & Specs
DevilDog

 

[Diamondpilot]

RobertN,
The 305's have a wider footprint and looking at the specs sheet carry more weight per tire then LT265's 275's. I'm not saying that the 265's will not handle the weight, they will! I just prefer a taller and wider tire when towing my RV. Chris is absolutely right on about the different sizes that come from the Ford Factory. Some of the F-250's and F350's like the Harley Davidson models have 19" or 20" rims and tires. Believe it or not when we in Salt Lake City this summer, the Big Ford Dealer there has Brand New F250's and F350's with like 36"38" tires on them. Unless your towing 100,000 miles per year, go with with what works for you.
DevilDog

Not that this is a Ford but my new Titan I bought last spring had a factory 2" lift and 35 tires on it. That is one thing that sold me on it along with the Dana Axles equipped with a Detroit Locker.

Chris