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Comments
BTW, does any Lariat owner have instantaneous gas mileage readout? So far, in answer to my question, only average MPG, miles to go and temperature are available.
Also, the average is pretty darn accurate. On the last tank, the average was 10.0 for 294 miles. The fillup was 29.4 gallons. Not bad for a computer. Couldn't have been a pentium.
I have my eye on a mini CB at Walmart that I think will fit in the cubby hole to the right of the steering wheel. I don't remember the brand. I was thinking I might mount it where you did above the TC shifter too.
But I would like to have it go on and off with the key switch instead of constant power like the lighter would have. Anybody have an idea where an easy place to tap into for automatic on/off with the key switch? I really haven't looked yet, but there may be an empty fuse slot that I can tap into in the fuse box.
thanks, Ken
No expert here, but find out where your wipers are tied into. That's the first thing that comes to mind as far as being powered at startup.
With my '99 SD, Ext Cab, 4x4...I've got a problem..SIDES of truck measure 57"(exactly)...underside of new'99 Terry 5J(and most 5th's) measures 59"(exactly), leaving 2 inches..NOT ENOUGH! Closer to 8" is best!! Here's the hitch(pun!!). Feb 1st, Ford issued TSB, authorizing Dealers to install KIT(by removing 4" block, resizing brake lining, etc.)Feb 15th...per Ford Dealership in Glendale, AZ....Ford issued their latest TSB..NOT TO AUTHORIZE ANY DEALERSHIP TO INSTALL KIT THAT DROPS TRUCK NEARLY 4 INCHES...why? Because in the field, there were incidents of the DRIVE SHAFTS shattering due to the increased pressure on the pinion flanges, etc.
in addition to the trucks, "sagging" as the AZ dlr put it! Keep in mind, however, per the AZ dlr....that latest TSB was only on the computer system for 2 days!! If your local dlr. missed it...to keep you as a satisfied customer, he'll change the trk hgt. by removing the blocks totally. WRONG!!! Per the engineers at Ford, Ky. Plt., 4X4"s will now come down the line with a 2 inch block, not a 4". Without question, I will be calling Mark Wilson(suprv. of eng. changes)on Monday to verify this latest procedure.
I apologize for the length of this msg....but it's critical to the 5th wheel haulers...what it means...yes, you will probably have to "flip" the axles on your 5th...and get the trk lowered by 2 inches!! And, undoubtedly, you'll be PAYING for both procedures!
P.S. With only 1000 mi., our V-10 is currently sitting at the serv. ctr...."Serv. Eng. Soon" light went on...acceleration became intermittent and severe vibration of entire trk. almost caused us to pull the unit to the side of the road on the way to the service center...we're lucky!!
Good Luck to All!! JB
I could kick myself in the butt for not ordering the back door privacy glass on my crew cab for about $100. If you order a truck without the towing package and find out that you don't have the oil coolers, you will kick yourself also.
PS still upset with the fuel mileage. Will take the truck in for service next week and will talk to the dealer about it. only 15 MPG max on interstate empty at 70 MPH.
Question: can anyone tell me what the RPM should be at 70 with the 3:73 limited slip Rear-end?
I hear you big guy, I hear you!
Tnt,
Tell me more about what your plans are for your tranny and what you will accomplish. It sounds interesting.
Mroffshore
Thanks for the thought, I will check in to it this weekend. It sounds like a good idea. As long as I can figure out where to tap in. As I said, I am a little lacking in electrical know how.
Leman's,
I am interested in a picture of your bracket. As far as the coax being fed in to the cab, I just sliced a small cut in the boot that is on the hood release cable. I also used a thinner cable that I bought at Radio Shack ("RG258 Mini-Thin" or something like that). I paid about $3 for 6 feet of it. The downside to this method is that I had to put the end adaptors on the coax myself. I thought it was a pain in the neck. But with the adaptors in place there was no way to feed the coax through the small rubber grommet.
The site is: http://www.allexperts.com/cars/fordr.shtml
rkquinn: For full safety with a heavy camper, you really want the DRW. That gives you a greatly enhanced payload capacity, and makes it a lot less likely that you get tire failure (a concern with a heavy load in an SRW).
As for the V10, I have the 4.30:1 gears in a crew cab 4X4 DRW and get around 11.5mpg highway unloaded (fairly fast). The 3.73:1 (all you would need) would get you 13-14 mpg based on the numbers reported here.
The diesel pays for itself, but only after 100K miles. If you're doing 40K highway a year, go for the diesel! If not, remember that it's close on a $4000 option -- which can buy a lot of gas! Its also noisier (although a lot less so than it used to be) which was a factor for me on long highway trips. Buying diesel can also be a pain in more remote areas when you're way-low on fuel (I speak from experience, my last truck was an F350 diesel that I loved, and put 100K on).
Personally -- I'd take the V10 with 3.73:1 gears. If you want to, you could add a Gale Banks powerpack (around $2.5K) you can get somewhat better power and mileage, and it should pay for itself in around 65K miles.
250, SC,long bed,diesel, 6 gear manual trans,4x4,
(no esof).I communicated with a few dealerships
that priced it from $200 to $1000 over invoice.
Point is - I need it no later then early June.
Home base will be California.Currently residing
in Israel,I have to 'shop' - negociate,order and
pay via phone / email / fax.
Maybe someone knows of a decent,honest,good hearted Ford dealer that is able to take my business - delivery by June and near invoice
price ???
Any help will be HIGHLY appreciated.
TIA, Isaac (from Israel).
probably opt for the diesel. I see some of you
frustrated with the long delivery dates and talking about priority numbers or something to that effect. Just what exactly do these numbers mean and who sets them?
This put my wait at just under 13 weeks from the date I ordered it. The dealer had estimated 10 weeks -- close enough. My expectant waiting -- and my talking about it -- inspired my co-workers to give me a "shower"...with truck-related presents even.
I pick up my baby in two days. Yippee!
I just got my new F350 SRW and loaded a 2900# dry camper on it to bring it home. Its too much camper. The rear sags and sway is bad. I am getting additional helper springs put on today and will install RS 9000 shocks ASAP.
If you don't off road a lot, get the F350 and put air bags on it. I've seen 3500# campers on F250's with air bags and they ride very well. I just wouldn't use them in off road, actually off pavement, situations.
I have the V10 with the 4.30 read end. I get 10.0 to 10.5 (with 1500 miles on truck) in the city unloaded and 12-13 on the highway unloaded. That's better than my old 460 on my 92 F250. We'll see what happens when I put the camper on.
The payload capacity is a misnomer. My truck supposedly has a payload capacity of 3536#, but my camper ceritificate in the glove box is only around #2750. I believe it after seeing the rear end sag with only 2900# in it.
Now I may be paranoid about sag and sway, but I was not comfortable driving it around town, much less in the mountains on rough, dirt roads. So I will supplement the suspension with additional springs and RS9000 shocks. There are a lot of people who are very happy with the air bags solution also, I just don't trust them in the hills.
Any other questions, just email me or post. Good luck.
What's the difference in weight limits for campers vs. other cargo? Is the weight typically distributed differently? I could see that if you had an over-the-cab section it would force more weight on the front axle than a standard load in the bed -- is this the difference?
Thanks for your help!
We want to be safe, first and foremost. Can the F350 be rendered "safe" with the spring/shock modifications? If not, we'll just have to get a lighter camper? (Or we might chance parking a DRW in our garage, with only 4" clearance on either side.) Bigfoot makes an excellent 1,660 pound (dry weight) 9.5 foot camper that we could live with. Of course, we'd prefer the better insulated and equipped 2,450 pound (dry weight) 10.5 footer.
Are the RS9000 shocks a brand or a classification? Where would I go to get springs modified (what sort of shop)? Is there a particular spring setup that you will ask for, or will you leave it up to the shop to pick what's needed? What about beefing up the capacity of the tires? As stanford points out, DRW would protect against a dangerous tire failure. I've heard that Goodyear makes a tire that is rated to 3,400 pounds. Any suggestions about tires?
Stanford and crcrain, I'd be interested to know why you picked the V10 over the diesel, if you have the time.
Thanks again, everyone!
I went with the V10 because of several reasons:
First was that I'm concerned about the long-term maintenance costs (after the 100Kmile warranty expires). You may not have that concern, but if you're planning to sell the vehicle before that point I don't think the fuel savings will more than cover the initial cost of purchase.
Second, while the new cab insulation combined with engine mods make the new diesels a lot quieter than before (my '93 was a pain on the highway), the gas is quieter still. With a few layers of dynomat, its darn near inaudible.
The new V10 is a much better design than the old 460, for my purposes at any rate. It gets decent mileage (and I do think that 11-12 highway mpg for a vehicle waying over 7000lbs with 4.30:1 rear-end gears is decent). Its strong enough to pull 7000# without really straining. Empty or with a couple of thousand pounds in the bed, I can start off in 2nd gear without much difficulty -- I'm not regretting the 4.30s though, they do make it more spritely with the trailer, and make heavier trailers (record so far is ~11000#) feel more like a managable u-haul :-)
Filling up with gas is a lot more convenient than filling up with diesel. On the interstates its not too bad, but in town I was caught in no-diesel-here land more than once when I'd waited too long to fuel up.
Having said all that, I still miss my diesel. Nothing quite makes up for the feel of all that power underfoot, and the extreme low-gear power that it has. Still, for the same price as the diesel markup I can add a supercharger to the V10 that will put it in the same power category if it comes to that (probably won't). I will add the Powerpack when its finally released in full production -- from the reported gains in mileage it'll pay for itself in 60-70K, but will have no negative maintenance issues (like the diesel does) and will add a fair bit of power.
It comes down to a personal decision. For my driving style (20-30K per year, 1/2 city, 1/2 long trips) the V10 just made more sense. Other people live different lives and drive different trucks.
In your situation, with no real heavy towing and long trips, I'd get an F350 DRW V10 with 3.73:1 gears and add a Powerpack (or equally well respected and tested equivelent). Of course, in the end its up to you.
After fighting with my dealer for the last two weeks on where the truck was, I finally went to the source and called the Ford plant. First the dealer told me that Ford moved my build date from 2-22 to 3-1, the I was told that they thought the truck was built,but not sure where it is at. So I called Bruce at the Ford plant and he told me the truck was built on 2-19 and shipped on 2-22 so I should be close to finally getting it. Today is exactly 28 weeks from order. I will let everyone know when this nightmare is over. I do want to let everyone know that Bruce was extremely helpful and very courteous to deal with.
CAR THAT I HAVE EVER ORDERED.
I told him I would like the priority code lowered from 14 to a 10-13. He seemed suprised that I knew about the priority codes and said he would get it lowered tommorrow. He indicated I am in for a wait, though he is still saying 8 weeks. From what I am reading here, that is overly optimistic, especially since my truck has not been scheduled for production.
The great thing about our forum here is that we can learn from each other and I really appreciate that Edmunds provides us the opportunity.
Wow! What a great response. THANKS for the time you spent! I just printed out your message and will study it.
The delivery time is very realistic. If the dealer
is being honest with you, 6-8 weeks is very realistic. I know because I received my truck in July after 6 weeks. It was a reorder but, that does not dictate delivery time. If the dealer lowers your priority, has a good allocation, and is not backed up on there orders, you should be ok. Profit can also dictate dealer priority.
TNT,
Would this tranny upgrade be applicable for the PSD engine. I really did not know if you had the gas or diesel. I have the PSD and I'm very happy with it. If performance and/or efficiency can be enhanced then I'm all for it. Fill me in.
Thanks!
Mroffshore
Take a trip to your dealer and ask for the booklet (and maybe a quick lesson from the truck fleet manager on how to read it if the salesman doesn't know). It's very useful for those of us with weight concerns. (I may have upgraded to a F450 if I had seen it soon enough. I'll be OK with my DRW PSD CC LWD, just won't have the margin I wanted.)
I'm sure the F350 SRW will be fine. I got the spring package put on yesterday and RS9000's tommorrow. I will load the camper saturday and see how it looks and feels. I've seen a Squire 9800 on an F250 SC 4x4 diesel with air bags and it was just fine on the road - as long as you inflated the air bags.
Bigfoot is a nice camper, but too pricey for me.
The RS9000 is a 5 position adjustable shock from Rancho, the off road suspension people. I want it to improve the ride unloaded (setting 1) and to provide some more sway control loaded (setting 5). Everyone that has them that I've heard from really likes them.
I had a triangle spring package installed that boosts the load capacity to 5500#. On an F350, the single overload is removed and a whole new set of springs installed over the factory. They are engaged by the overload stops on the frame, so they never come into play until the truck is loaded. A local suspension shop installed them. They were recommended by the Camper dealer.
BTW, my camper certificate reads 2466#. That is a lot lower than I expected, but if they included 6 adults and 38 gals of gas, that's pretty close to what I expected.
The V10 was not a hard decision. I only live 9 miles from work. Not good for a diesel. I only drive 10-15k miles per year. Not enough payback for the investment. Gas is easier to find than diesel and if I ever get another boat, it will run on gas, not diesel. (Use the old Oklahoma Credit Card.)
really such a shortage out there?
If you order one, you should be able to get it for around invoice (+- 1%). Going off the lot depends entirely on the supply and demand in your area.
Primespt - 4 weeks wait may be a new record <?>, congratulations. As for the #99 Priority code, I have no clue.
TNT2 - I spoke with U.S. Gear last week and they said the '99 chip would be ready within a month. They put my name/address on a notification list. Meanwhile, Im going to check into Level 10 chip you mentioned. Thanks....
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I would guess that getting the truck in one month with a priority 99 my be that it is a regular cab. Regular cabs make up a small amount of Super D purchases, so there is less "competition" waiting to be built. Also if it wasn't an XLT or Lariat there are less "short supply" parts. ... Just a guess.
I never saw where you published your rear end ratio. You have some good points about the cost and maintenence of the PSD. I would buy a V10 if I could get good fuel milage AND be able to withstand the mid summer heat down here in Texas. So far the only trucks I see with cool occupants on a construction site are guys with PSD's. Keeps the dog happy, too.
I saw an '99 SD 350 4x4 with Goodyear 305/70R-16 tires and aftermarket aluminum wheels, probably 8 inches wide. This setup looks terrific. The trucks owner says he has not had any clearance problems whatsoever. I was considering the 285/75R -16 B.F.G.
All Terrain TA's, which I am running on my 97 P.S. Has anyone used the Goodyears?