Age old debate, which truck & motor

[Diamondpilot]

Got to disagree there Chris, I have on many occasions hauled 1.5 to 2 yards of topsoil on both my current 2500 HD chevy with a long bed, as well as my old 99 F-350 dually from the Chardon Oh. area down I 90 to Grandma's house in Ashtabula [20 or so miles] . Both trucks sagged about a half inch below level, although the Chevy's tires [load range E's], looked a little squished. Both trucks were entirely stock as far as suspension was concerned. The topsoil was damp, but not sopping wet most times. The 8ft bed allows for slightly better weight dist. between the front and rear suspensions, due to the extra 2 ft being added in front of the rear axle.

Comparatively, the Chevy sagged worse with a pallet of 8 in brick pavers from home depot, which weighed 3400 lbs, centered over the rear axle, than it did hauling a full bed of topsoil evenly distributed in the pick up bed, which I am guessing weighed 1000, to 1500 lbs more, and it didn't drive to bad either. I attribute this to the load of dirt having a lower center of gravity, as well as being positioned more toward the center of the truck. The limiting factor for my Chevy hauling loads is the capacity of the tires, more so than the rear suspension or brakes.

That is a very good point Ryan. Being a pilot I should have though about that. Weight and Balance is something I do 100 times a month on the airplanes. I guess what I meant was a heaping load of these materials even in a short bed truck is about 2 tons so you are at the max load.

Chris

 

[pitt_md]

I just got a 2008 F250 4X4 with the 6.4 diesel and really like the truck. I took a trip with it this weekend and got just over 19 mpg. Most of the trip was highway but that is as good or better than the 2002 F150 I have will get.
When you start doing a lot of stop and go driving the mpg's go down hill fast.

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

Pitt, what ratio's do you have? What are you towing with it? I'm not too wooried about the engine other than the twin turbo's. I would never have been turbo shy but most 6.0 owners are so not so much because of turbos in general being an issue but because varible pitch veins can be with oil coking. Are the 6.4's varible? The fit and finish of the fords is hard to meet but the gm's ride much better for day to day. I don't plow so the soft gm fronte end isn't an issue. What's the story with duramax injectors? I hear from time to time about issues with them andy truth to it or is it internet gossip?

Matt

 

[Diamondpilot]

The Dmax injectors is a thing of the past. All the trucks built in the last 4 years have had good engines. As far as the ride goes the GM is a little smoother but is not as heavy or stout as a Ford, look at the trucks weight, tow ratings, GVWR, and GCWR and you will see that. In the end they all have good points but remember, its a truck not a Cadillac.

Drive a 6.4 and you will love the twins. I have had the occasion to drive a few and they are peppy and smooth. The DPF is what is still keeping me in my 04 F-250 and 06 F-350.

Chris

 

[Ryan03]

If I were you I would try to be patient and wait for a nice CCLB diesel to come along. IMO, I don't think the amount of use you have in mind would justify the cost of a brand new truck. I, like Chris, am hanging on to my 03 because of the new DPF emission systems. The new GM style seems to be love it or hate it, I personaly fall into the latter category. IMO it looks disproportionate, like a fat chick with skinny legs .

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

I'm not looking new only I'll gladly buy a lightly used unit. I've heard the 6.4's are quite fast and there also quiet.

Matt

 

[jcmseven]

Matt,

They are fast, for a heavy truck. They are also quiet. My only real comparison is with my friend's 2008 365/660 Duramax. We have (and I do not condone this) lined them up several times on lonesome country roads and they will run a dead heat virutally every time. His truck has the 6 speed Allison (so one more gear) and is about 800ish pounds lighter unloaded than mine, so the Ford would have to be making some serious power to perform like that (I feel his is also making every bit of its advertised power). One thing I have noted is that my truck does not "take off" as quickly as his but will run his truck down after about 50 mph and beyond. Again, I do not condone this, but it does give some thumbnail impression of the street type performance. We have also pulled some together and while obviously not goosing them around then, both trucks climb the hills loaded quite well. One thing I have noted, and this is easily noticeable, my 250 seems much more stable when towing heavy loads. His truck waffles around a bit more, but never seemingly in a dangerous fashion--just notable. It pulls really well, though, and we have both commented to one another that we could own each other's truck and be pretty happy with either.

John M

 

[radman1]

I just got a 2008 F250 6.4L diesel a few months ago. Before that had 1999 F250 V10 gas. I like the diesel, but if the same optioned V10 was available, I probably would have got the V10. My 1999 v10 was the first year and hp was about 275. The new V10s are 350hp. The only repair on my V10 was a new battery after 7 years. My all time low mpg with the V10 was 6-7 and with the diesel about 8-9 mpg. The V10 was usually around 12-13 mph empty at 70 mph. The diesel can get 18 mpg if I keep in under 70 mph. Once I get over 70 mph, the diesel mileage starts to drop significantly. Unless you pull a lot, the V10 is probably the better economical choice. 7K more for diesel upfront, diesel costs more/gallon, maintenance costs for oil changes is higher and repair costs will be higher.

My 1999 F250 was solid under heavy load and never sagged. (The 1999 F250 used the same suspension as the F350 except the F350 has 2" riser blocks on the rear axle.) The cushy suspension of the later F250s allows for lots of sag under load and my new F250 diesel has the extra camper package spring leaf. If you want a flat ride under load, go with the F350 for only a few more $$.

I should add, the price of my 2008 Lariat diesel F250 was only a few thousand more that what I paid for my 1999 Lariat F250 V10 gas. Yes, there are some smoking deals out there on the big rigs. I had 8K in rebates and paid $1500 under invoice for the new truck.

 

[Ryan03]

We have two 6.4 cab and chassis F-350 CC's with utility bodies at work. They are loaded down to around 10,500lbs. They are very quiet compared with any light truck diesel that is 3 or so years old. They have good power and accelleration, as well as a very solid feel when driving. The two week area's are fuel economy [9 mpg avg ] and how tight everything is crammed in under the hood. Ours are still under warrany, so we have not had to do anything beyond routine maint. in our shop, but I am not looking forward to the day when the warranties expire. IMO, in an effort to cram all that stuff under the hood, they did some pretty dumb things like mounting the alternator down low on the passenger side, right in line with the gap between the frame and rubber wheel well skirting. All that winter salt ramped up with calcium chloride getting sprayed on the copper alt. windings by the front wheel will do wonders for its life span. IMO, when Ford redesigned the Super Duty, they should have redesigned the cowl area of the firewall to allow more accessories to be mounted to the top rear of the engine. If you take a good look at a 6.4 in a Super Duty, it appears that nearly all of the external components are on the front 2/3 top of the engine, due to the cowl design not allowing for the placement of items on the entire engine top. The result is one tight engine compartment with layers and layers of crap burying the engine

 

[LBrown59]

What does that have to do with anything? You will weigh out a 6' bed before you fill it, so you will really weigh out a 8' bed with any loose material except for peat or mulch. 8' bed trucks will not fit in most garages when you add the super or crew cab plus they really hurt turning radius.

*Now a 8' bed does have its place, like hauling building materials and pulling 5th wheel campers.

Chris

I miss the 8' bed I had on the 71 ford pick up for hauling things like 12 14 and 16 foot lumber and my 24 foot extension ladders.

A crew cab long bed 3/4 or 1 ton is a barge, slightly under 20ft long. Not a big deal to store in most pole barns, but to big to fit comfortably in most home garages. My home Garage is 24x24, and I would not want to try and squeeze a CCLB in it every day.

Any idea how long a standard cab 8' bed 3/4 or 1 ton is.?
Just wonering if in would fit in my 22 foot deep garage stalls.