F250 Questions
I started looking at trucks and decided on an F150
supercrew. A couple of days later I realized that
an F250 (crew cab) wasn't that much more. Now I
have some questions:
What would be the reasons for getting an F150
instead of an F250?
The dealer doesn't list the fuel milage for the
F250. Can anyone tell me what to expect for the
different engines?
I need a plush "office on wheels" with the ability
to haul stuff occasionally (lumber, steel, tools,
etc.). It seems that the F250 (or even the F350),
if fully loaded, can become a very impressive
environment with which to drive clients around
while also satisfiying the truck requirement. Am I
thinking correctly?
I think the dually looks great. Other than the
extra width issue, what would be bad about buying
one of these? Does this option affect fuel
mileage?
Thanks
supercrew. A couple of days later I realized that
an F250 (crew cab) wasn't that much more. Now I
have some questions:
What would be the reasons for getting an F150
instead of an F250?
The dealer doesn't list the fuel milage for the
F250. Can anyone tell me what to expect for the
different engines?
I need a plush "office on wheels" with the ability
to haul stuff occasionally (lumber, steel, tools,
etc.). It seems that the F250 (or even the F350),
if fully loaded, can become a very impressive
environment with which to drive clients around
while also satisfiying the truck requirement. Am I
thinking correctly?
I think the dually looks great. Other than the
extra width issue, what would be bad about buying
one of these? Does this option affect fuel
mileage?
Thanks
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Comments
As for the DRW I wouldn't get it because it is much more than you need. Everything is going to be more to replace when they wear out, (brakes-tires-etc.)
Hope this helps
Robert.
FYI. the Dodge w/ the cummins gets much better milage and from my experiance has fewer problems.
(I converted from Ford to Dodge because of the problems I had w/ the Ford diesel)but they don't offer a true "four door" in their full size truck
Ford has discontinued making the F-250LD, so unless you're getting one off the lot, chances are that you are looking at a F-250 Superduty vs a F-150. Those are two different trucks on two different platforms, whereas the F-250LD was a beefed up F-150. If you are looking at a Superduty vs a F-150, I'd recommend driving them both and see how they feel to you. The F-150 should provide a more car like ride.
The Superduty will be quite a bit heavier, which will have some impact on mpg. However, the guys who own the Superdutys with the V-10 and 3.73 are averaging 13.5-14.5 hwy. The average with the 5.4L may be 1-2 mpg, but some are quoting no more than the V-10. In the lighter F-150, you can probably count on 1-2 mpg better than the Superduty with the V-10 and 3.73, but I wouldn't count on too much more. The Chevys with the 5.3L appear to be getting 17ish on the hwy. The reason I mention the axle ratio is becaue it does impact mpg by about 1+ mpg. The higher the number, the lower the mpg. The 3.73 sounds ideal for your use. The 4.10 or 4.30 would probably be more than you need and not worth the mpg sacrifice.
As far as the duallys, it would be overkill for your use. It will definitely feel more like a truck when you're driving, especially when maneuvering in parking lots. Most drive-thrus are out, which includes car washes, fast food, banks, etc. Some people have problems adjusting to driving around town with them. For me personally, after a week or two, I got to the point that I don't even know they are behind me.
FYI, I have the duallys and the 4.30 axle ratio, but I have a 4,000+ pound slide-in cabover truck camper that sits in the bed, so I need both.
My truck: 99 F-350 Superduty Lariat 4x4 dually V-10, 4.30 axle ratio, auto trans, AT tires, camper/trailer tow pkgs, and just about every option except the PTO. 11.5-12 mpg hwy, 9.5-10 in a 50/50 city/hwy mix. The 4.30, dually and 4x4 cost me about 2mpg over the same truck with the 3.73 and single rear wheel.
I've got about 28,000 miles on the truck, about 10,000 of it with the camper in the bed.
Here it goes: I ordered a 2000 F250 SD SC back on November 30th, 1999. At that time the dealer told me he had allocation and that he would order th truck right away. He siad I should get the truck in about 8-10 weeks. Later he changed his story to 10 - 12 weeks. Well here it is April 18 2000 and I still do not even have a build date, NOTHING!
Basically I am just wondering if this sounds like a familiar theme, or am I just waiting for NOTHING!! Any words of encouragement (discouragement) would be welcome.
Thanks.
FYI, I average 11 mpg with the V10/3.73 rear end.
Pulled to Bristel in Oct. and went over the smokies instead of around.No problems except for the funny looks that we got from cars that could hardly pull the mountain.
I get 15 mpg on the road with the cruise set on 65 mph and get 10 mpg in town and pulling
good luck to all Super Duty owners
On my three Ford F-250 diesels (aka Navistar) I followed this schedule.
First oil change at 1000 miles.
Second at 2500 miles.
Third at 5000 miles.
Every change thereafter at 5000 mile intervals.
These three trucks run a 50/50 mix of freeway congestion and highway. About a quarter of a million on the first two (Non turbo '86 and '92). The third '99 SD has about 38K right now and was two years old last month.
The only detriment to an early oil change cycle is the truck is slow to brake in. I believe that Ford uses some sort of a break in oil despite claims to the contrary. The '99 is my first turbo and at 38K it seems to be finally broken in.
The '92 came with a magnetic insert in the oil pan drain plug. I remember being surprised at the metal particles trapped during the first oil change AND the complete absence of metal particles in all subsequent oil changes. What that says to me is that there is a bunch of metal do-do floating about in the oil as the engine goes through its first series of runs. I wouldn't want that do-do to remain in the motor very long.
Rich
I am planning to buy an F250 SD (probably diesel) to replace a very faithful Suburban! We plan to switch to a 5th wheel instead of a tow behind trailer and want to know if the short box will handle this? I think the SB looks better than the LB plus handling etc. I am not sure if the SB provides enough room etc.
I see that a lot of you tow 5th wheels, any help is appreciated. Thanks!
Occasionally I hear a drone from my SD BUT it is the 7.3L diesel. I attribute the noise to the radiator fan.
herrick3,
With the trailer towing package a Transmission cooler is included. I think that who ever told you that you needed an after market cooler assumed that your truck would be delivered with out the factory cooler.
Rich
My 99, F250,V-10 was ordered with the tow pkg.
Ford makes a good one (my opinion), the is my second truck equipped the same way. Except V-10 of course. They use a "stacked plate" cooler rather than the coil & fin type. These are much more efficient & more expensive. If you don't get a truck with a cooler get the stacked plate when you add one on.
Is the mileage much different with the four wheel
drive? Any disadvantages to pulling a 5th wheel
with the 4x4? Any advantages? We will not be going thru the mud holes. Diesel engine of course.
in excellent 85 Ford F 150 that's had a 5.0 302 engine.Current transmission is original automatic
( AOD )Can the 5.4 engine mesh up to trans and
motor mounts.
I always get the most motor(V10) and lowest gearing(highest numerical, 4.30) I don't ever want to be in a situation where I wish I had more. The 4.30 gear ratio is almost negated by taller tires any way which is always one of the first things I do on a new truck while I still can get some value out of the take offs.
The Super Duty board can tell you about the reliability of the shift on the fly system but I like the twin stick look myself(4WD and 5speed).
Good luck
As for towing a 5th wheel. I can tell you about campers. If your camper is not high enough you can run the risk of crushing your tailgate when you go over the crest of a hill. If you have taller tires on your truck that's even worse.
I have heard of people actually lowering their trucks. Have also heard of them fliping the axle on their trailer(putting them below the leaf springs).
I've got a PSD 6 speed 3.73 2wd Super Cab and so can't offer much of an opinion on the gasser 4wd options. It does seem to me that in the past when I've bought too little of anything (engine, trim level, whatever) I always regretted it.
Good luck!
the V8 and want more power later on, it'll cost
more to bring it up or close to V10 spec (not
including turbo/supercharger, which if you got
the V10, you'd have more power for the same money
of course) than just opting for the V10 in the
first place.
As for gears, I'd recommend that if you're gonna
remaing with stock diameter (31.6") tires or change up to 33" tall tires, get the 4.3;
but if you're going taller like 35" or higher, I'd
get the 3.73 (base) then swap gears to 4.56 (or
maybe ~4.88 for 38")
I have ESOF 4wd and haven't had any problems,
though I don't use it often. If the electronic
hub locking mechanism ever fails, you can still
manually lock it on the hub itself (of course, still have to engage transfer case
electronically).
A trucker (Who moved me across country) once told me that diesels can torque the tread off a tire much quicker than a gasoline. The theory goes that the diesel has so much more torque that mashing the pedal puts a lot of pressure on the driving wheels. He said that you can take new tires down to the threads in just a few thousand miles.
Since I acquired my first diesel I've adjusted my driving style. It's always ease down on the throttle and accelerate slowly. Typically, on any of my three F-250s tires last 60K miles or so. (I usually dump the tires when they're down to 4/32 of tread depth remaining.
Rich
single not duelly, getting set up for our 5th wheel. Can we tow immediately, or do we need to
"break it in"? Will have 50 to 100 miles when we start. Do not plan to go far that first trip, probably 300 miles round trip. Beautiful truck,
heads turn to look at it.
Thanks in advance.
Interesting story about 'torqueing off tread'. Sounds like a back-porch story though, to me. Never heard of it before...not to say its impossible, but NEVER have I seen any difference in tire wears due to diesels.
Think about it...if a gasoline truck and a diesel truck both accelerate at the same rate...its because the same torque (and horsepower) is being applied at the ground...so, there is no difference.
Me hot-rodding my gasoline should wear everything much faster than you babying your diesel.
the only real difference is when you are fully loaded to max weight, which is the only time the diesels peak torque at low rpms really shows and is used...thats the only time tires actually see that torque. Unloaded, it sees nothing different than any other 6 or 7K lb truck. Gas, diesel, hampsters, whatever!
Make sense?
You're right and absolutely logical. I think that the heavily loaded as a mover's semi would be most of the time was the main culprit.
I dun no, maybe I'm just getting to be an old ----(Sounds like that breakfast pastry that you cook in a toaster.) but I typically get in the 60-80K mile range from the tires on my pick up(s). I have changed my driving style, I do know that. With the old 6.9L it didn't make no never mind what you did! It was slower than slow. It was one of them deals where I could get there in 15.7 seconds with a lot of black smoke or 16 seconds without the smoke. Right now, I would guess that I almost never have full turbo boost going on.
On the old 6.9L, it took the kid (19 at the time) about 8-10 months to need new rear tires. The front tires were OK (NOT PERFECT but just OK) at that time. I made him get 4 new ones
Rich
Yes the heavier that the load is the more you will notice the torque power, but the torque is always there. The torque actually causes more problem when there is less weight, because of minute slippage.... Not burn the tires slippage, but tist the rubber tire slippage. Look at it this way, burning your tires will wear quickly, but it is slipping, so it actually has lost it's grip. 'torqueing off tread' means it is actually pulling the rubber off with un-noticable slippage....
I'm still trying to grasp this concept.
thanks,
It's like this (Thanks iefpro), you stomp on it from a dead stop. The tire bites and the truck starts to move, then the tire slips that 1/4" but the engine doesn't have the acceleration to keep it slipping. The tire bites again and slips another 1/4", etc. It's the torque that starts the slip but the horsepower (acceleration) that keeps the slip going.
Rich
Thanks
DBeckes
I have 99 F250, V10,3.73 gears.
Mom has 00 F250, V10,4.30 gears.
I run about 75 mph @ 2000 rpm, mom's truck
runs about 65 mph @ 2000 rpm.
Gas mileage will suffer about 2 mpg with the "lower" rear end gear, 4.30.
3.73 means the drive shaft turns 3.73 revolutions for 1 revolution of the rear tire.
4.30 drive shaft turns for 1 tire revolution.
this topic is being "frozen." It will be archived or deleted in the next 10 days or so. Thanks!
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