Too many miles?

[Black Dog]

The gross weight of the camper we'll be pulling is rated at 8000 pounds, but I'm not sure of its exact weight and I wouldn't be surprised if it is actually heavier. A lot of the gas trucks I've looked at (Tundra, Ram Hemi, etc) have a towing capacity of 10,100 pounds so I think I'd be alright. But I'm kind of wanting something that I can be absolutely positive will safely pull it which is why I was looking at diesels, not just something that should or might be good enough. Towing the camper and hauling lumber and firewood is really all it will be used for, and we live in a rural area so probably 90% of its miles will be highway.

 

[redthies]

Please tell me that you will only buy a one ton for an 8000 lb trailer! I used to pull a 3500 lb trailer with my Tundra and you could definitely feel it. When I said go gas, I mean gas one ton... For that trailer you will need an equalizing hitch too.

 

[bakemach]

old for diesel f350

I have owned my f350 4x4 7.3l powerstroke crew cab since new. It has 247k miles and ready to go anywhere. Have changed fluids at all the times specified and have pulled heavy car trailer or jeep to many places. Any truck with that many miles is wholly dependent on the service it received while growing up! Serviced the trans every 17k changed the oil @ 3,500 miles all the time. Put a new trans in it at 242k. If service cannot be verified may be dicey. Best of all only had 1 payment. Will not sell ever!!! My truck has the E4od trans w/Gearvendor o.d. that drops rpm while cruzing along with or without trailers or jeeps. Look for wear in steering box and linkage. Engine weighs 1100 lbs and is hard in front steering parts and tires but it is a real truck. Did put a Banks stinger chip and exhaust pipe but left stock muffler. Hope this helps

 

[Deleted member 12023]

I don't know how you feel about dodges, but I was able to find my 96' for $8,000 last year. The truck had 90,000 mi and a new transmission. Also was in very good condition with all kinds of new parts.

You could easily find a truck in your price range, mid to late 90's, with around 120,000 to 150,000 miles. However, the autos are definitely easier to find than the manuals.

Just a thought. I'm not trying to start a "this is better than that" thread.

 

[Bella PSD]

Friend of mine just sold his 2001 Crew Cab Ford 7.3L with 399,995 miles the moment he handed over the keys. It had the injectors replaced more than once, Auto Tranny rebuild once and then the regular stuff. It pulled a trailer every day since it was new. And FYI-the engine life of a 7.3L is 350,000 miles before 50% will need the heads removed for some kind of repair. The other 50% will go longer. This B50 engine life is equal across the board for all the pickups with diesels.

I would not worry much about 250K but maybe worry about the change in owners a few times. I went with a Ford 7.3L new and got it with the 6 speed. I replaced the dual mass with a LUK clutch and Kevlar pilot bearing. I should be good for a loooong time....

If it were me I would look for a 7.3L with a 6 speed and avoid the auto rebuild altogether, its not a matter of "if" but when.

 

[UrbanCummin]

I've been looking at full size trucks to pull a 31' Airstream trailer my wife bought before we were married (impulse buy, she drives a Subaru and has never camped in it). So far the only one I've found in our price range is a 1994 F250 with the big powerstroke diesel and manual transmission, the thing I'm most leary about is that it has a quarter million miles on it. It has been used as a tow vehicle in the past, and for at least the last few years it was a fleet vehicle for a construction contracting company. Outward appearance it looks great but I don't want to judge a book by its cover. With that many miles, and knowing it has towed heavy loads, would you consider buying it?

Personally I would stay away from any 94-95 powerstroke, they had some issues in the first years and are not as reliable or refined as the latter years. If you can stand the outdated interior and exterior the 89-93 dodge cummins are good trucks with a very solid drivetrain.

 

[Black Dog]

Please tell me that you will only buy a one ton for an 8000 lb trailer! I used to pull a 3500 lb trailer with my Tundra and you could definitely feel it. When I said go gas, I mean gas one ton... For that trailer you will need an equalizing hitch too.

Basically I want something that will be one step more than what is "good enough" for pulling 800 pounds or more. I've been doing a lot of research on receiver hitches and the equalizer is on my list of stuff to get with it. Also I was thinking that some sort of airbag assist might be a good thing for the rear suspension. And of course a transmission intercooler will go in if the truck doesn't already have one, and a tuner is a must.

So far the absolute best truck I've found was a '97 F350 with the 7.3 and manual transmission, it was one owner with complete service records and only had 70k miles on it and was carport parked. Absolutely beautiful! But also expensive.....

Really the make of the truck doesn't matter much to me, its just around here where I live there seems to be a lot of fords for sale.

 

[redthies]

I had a 96 F350 4x4 reg cab with the 7.3 and 5 spd and it was my favorite truck ever. Someday I hope to have the spare cash to buy another one. I guess it comes down to "pay now, or pay later". Get a more expensive truck with the heritage you can trust, or pay less and buy one that will need work you can do as it is required.

 

[Black Dog]

Pay now\pay later is the thing. We really don't want to finance it, but we just plane and simple don't have the cash to buy one outright so financing is kind of the only option unless we wait another 18-24 months and save every penny we have so that we can pay cash. We figure that we would like to have less than $200 a month for payments, and by our rudimentary calculations that would be probably around a $9-10,000 vehicle if we got a half decent interest rate. So I've been shopping for $8000 or less which isn't turning up that great of results. A brand spanking new vehicle right off the assembly line with only 0.7 miles on it would be freaking awesome, but then you're getting into the forty and fifty grand price range.

 

[Rbertalotto]

Please tell me that you will only buy a one ton for an 8000 lb trailer!

I pull a 11,000 pound, 30' tandem axle trailer with my 2500, 2006, Cummins Dodge with absolutely no issues. I have to use cruise control to keep it under 80 mph. Up and down mountain passes and never downshifts. I simply love this truck. It has the 2006 "Docedes" (Dodge/Mercedes) transmission which is just about the best auto out there (other than the Allison?)

120K with zero issues other than a rear universal joint and a top ball joint (both at 110K).

I bought it June of 08 with 50K on the clock for $20,000.......That was when diesel fuel was $5 gal and you couldn't give away a diesel truck around here...Best deal I ever made!

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

I am a big diesel fan and own several including my 2000 with 239K miles. I love the truck but when I bought it despite fairly clean carfax it ended up being a disaster and took me several months and at least $2G to get it up to stuff (which it is now) for many of these same reasons. This is also in parts alone, I did all the work myself including having to replace one of the heads and almost all injectors. I was also in the same boat and the Dodges were all 200K miles plus and hammered or were freakishly expensive as we have high demand for diesel trucks here in Utah.

I also had a '94 Ford Van E250 that was wonderful and extremely reliable and we also have a '77 Ford camper van with a 351 Windsor that I swear is one of our most reliable vehicles bone stock. Thousands of dollars in price difference does buy a lot of gas. Also the Ford diesels get 14-16 mpg on average, very seldom better than that. So my vote is just get a nice cheap gas truck and drive it only as required.

 

[78Bronco]

I would get a V10 truck from Ford. It will have lots of power and be a lot cheaper to buy, run, maintain and repair. I do not see the need to pull 80mph uphill when towing...I think that is called small man syndrome?!:ylsmoke: As much as I love my little Turtle Diesel it costs double for an oil change and everything else.

 

[redthies]

I pull a 11,000 pound, 30' tandem axle trailer with my 2500, 2006, Cummins Dodge with absolutely no issues. I have to use cruise control to keep it under 80 mph. Up and down mountain passes and never downshifts. I simply love this truck. It has the 2006 "Docedes" (Dodge/Mercedes) transmission which is just about the best auto out there (other than the Allison?)

120K with zero issues other than a rear universal joint and a top ball joint (both at 110K).

I bought it June of 08 with 50K on the clock for $20,000.......That was when diesel fuel was $5 gal and you couldn't give away a diesel truck around here...Best deal I ever made!

Ok...3/4 ton will work too... We just don't see many around my parts as 3/4 tons are subject to a "Luxury" tax. (Any vehicle over $50,000). One tons are exempt as they are "work" vehicles. Most dealers here don't even order 2500s. We have also been mostly discussing 92-97 Fords, which only have solid front axle in the one ton!:sombrero:

 

[Black Dog]

I had looked at maybe a ford gas V10, but I set it aside to shop for a diesel instead. I got to looking at the horsepower and torque specs, and both have roughly equivalent power, but the diesel excelled in torque so I figured that was the better bang for my buck. My parents use to have a motor home with the V10 and it served them pretty well.

I think our vehicles around here are slightly inflated in price, and I know most of them were treated rough. Most of the private parties selling their trucks work in the logging industry which has been pretty slow the last couple of years and they are trying to get rid of stuff they can't afford and aren't willing to budge much on the price just because they are dirt poor and need as much as they can get.

 

[Rot Box]

I would not hesitate buying a 250K mile PSD especially in the 94-97 years. Although I would (if possible) spend the money to have the injectors, compression and fuel pressure tested. Going strong for that many miles is not and issue the problem lies in the possibility of previous owner neglect.

One thing I learned the hard way about diesel trucks is: Buy one you intend to have for a long time and don't settle for anything less than what you really want. Major repairs won't hurt as bad if you look at them as a long term investment.

I don't like the Ford auto's. They can be built up with some money, but the ZF 5speed is as reliable as a brick if you don't mind shifting.