F350 for Dannman!

[hickslawns]

Talking with Dannman about quads the other day and muzzle loader and deer and...

I mentioned a new (to me) F350 to him. I could hear the testosterone level in his voice increase and I believe I heard his office desk get pushed back due to the chubby he had when i said "F-350". I thought he would enjoy seeing a picture of it, and I thought some of you guys might as well.

Here are the details: 2006 F350 4x4 6L Powerchoke (ugh I know) with 59kmiles.
Soon to have a 9'2" Boss Vplow and tomorrow will have a SnowEx 1075 Pivot Pro salt spreader added. Strobe kit will be installed probably next week sometime. Debating on whether or not to put a gooseneck hitch in this one. It does have Rhino Liner already. Only other thing it might need is a set of nerf bar steps as it is a climb to get in even with my long legs. Possibly a seat cover for the vinyl seat, and of course the Hicks Lawn Services, LLC logo on the doors.

 

[Dannmann801]

SWEET! Dat's a mantruck...

I bought a trailer last nite...I'll get a pic soon and post it up....a lil 5x10 tilt-bed Bilt-Rite....so when I find the atv deal I'm ready to go snatch it.

 

[rrr]

Which Powerstroker is that? We have strokers in our work trucks (350, 450, 550) and they do great.

 

[Jackalope]

I've started considering a new truck... I have to.. I drive a 2005 Chevy Colorado Crew Cab 4WD 5 cylinder 3.5 liter (L4) Auto Getting 17-22 mpg.... And as of right now I have about 128,000 on it. Granted they're mostly highway and the I5 is a pretty solid engine.. But to assume it'll flip 200K before needing serious repair is a little hopeful at best. And considering i put about 25k a year on a truck. It's just that time.

So.. I actually see about 17-20 mpg because i drive it like i stole it.

Since I do put about 23K a year on a truck, a diesel has perked my interest as it'll last a crap load longer than a gas engine, i can expect somewhat better mileage with a programmer, and it's twice the size of my current truck... Obviously my primary concern is fuel efficiency.. But to be honest, it's not going to take much to beat 17-20 mpg.. If I could find one with a 3.54 rear end that would be awesome.. Throw a programmer on it and I think realistically you could see 25+ highway.

What do yall think?

 

[hickslawns]

It is the newer 6.0L one, thus the "ugh I know" in my posting. The old 7.3 Stroke was at least somewhat predictable. You could predict injector and transmission problems after 100k and around 250-300k engine life. This one has had some issues since production. Scares me a bit, but I bought it anyway.

In the end, it is just a work truck. A nice work truck, but a tool nonetheless.

 

[hickslawns]

Jack- I think you should stick with a gasser. Diesel does boast a longer life, but the cost is more and diesel itself is more expensive than gas. Flip side of that is your resale value is higher though. If you do not need the pulling power, I would think gas powered is the way to go. Heck, even some of the gas powered trucks will pull their hearts out.

 

[epe]

Cousin had a 2006 6.0 Went thru three headgaskets in 115k. Traded it in on a new 6.4 litre. A farmer friend of his had one that went through 7 turbos!

sent from my HTC evo

 

[Beentown]

I am thinking about buying one also. A friend of mine has a 2001 250 with the 525hp Turbo (4 door, long bed) with only 51k on it. He is giving me a hell of a price but I think he really doesn'y wanna sell it (His wife will break him of that!). I will let him stew on it for the winter and try to snag it in the spring when I am busier. We took a trip to Iowa in it and got 24 mpg.

I must admit I think about that truck more than I should!

Beentown

 

[hickslawns]

Cousin had a 2006 6.0 Went thru three headgaskets in 115k. Traded it in on a new 6.4 litre. A farmer friend of his had one that went through 7 turbos!

sent from my HTC evo

My understanding on the 6.0L is you either got a good one or a junk one. This one has made it to 59k miles with no issues, so I am crossing my fingers and hoping it is one of the good ones.

 

[epe]

His gaskets went around there or after. What problems has that one had?

sent from my HTC evo

 

[Jackalope]

Jack- I think you should stick with a gasser. Diesel does boast a longer life, but the cost is more and diesel itself is more expensive than gas. Flip side of that is your resale value is higher though. If you do not need the pulling power, I would think gas powered is the way to go. Heck, even some of the gas powered trucks will pull their hearts out.

Yes Diesel is more than gas. But I can get better mileage from a bigger diesel than i do with my little Colorado. I'm getting 17-20 now... 4mpg more in a diesel will cover the extra 30 cents a gallon.. With a tuner I have been told of them getting 25+ mpg..... While the diesel truck will cost more upfront, it will last 2x the mileage the gasser will. And I still have the ability to haul crap if need be.. Unlike the Colorado with a 4,500 pound towing capacity.. Sure they cost more upfront, but they also retain value far longer than gas trucks.. What's $8,000 more for a truck that is going to last twice as long, get better mileage, more room, and ability to tow.. Win win win..

 

[Milo]

A guy at work is telling me he has gotten as much at 28 mpg out of his duramax...03 or 04 i believe.....my buddies 04 was all over the ma depending on fuel filter change....saw him get 24 and as low as 17..but no lower....i would look for a 6 speed if i were looking...had a friends cummins 2 wheel get 20 on a 5 speed 12 valve older model and that was with the turbo engaged the entire trip...650 miles per tank he got i think...if it had another gear he would have been 25 easy...

 

[jagermeister]

I'm not a huge fan of the 6.0 liter. My neighbor has the 6 and he's got injector problems all the dang time. Now the 7.3 on the other hand, that's a damn good motor. If I were going diesel, I think I'd get something with a Cummins instead of a Powerstroke.

It's a good looking truck, Hicks! Hopefully it treats you right.

 

[TripleA88]

I love my cummins. I havent ran the level yet, but on my Smarty Tuner I can run a program that does half power. I'm going to run the level this spring and see what mileage I get. Right now I have it set on 90 added HP, and Im getting 16 mpg. Take for granted Im also running 35 inch MT's and I havent programed the size tires in yet to my computer so it may be a tad above 16 mpg. There's alot of little stuff to do to get better mileage.

 

[5Cent]

Today is a sad day.......just glad it wasn't a Titan:smiley_baby:

 

[hickslawns]

Mileage? You guys all know it, but I will say it out loud. There are several things guys lie about: How much money they make, how long their johnson is, and what fuel mileage their trucks get are just a few. I have owned 5 Cummins powered vehicles. Not counting the 4cyl cummins in my old Fritolay truck, the 5.9L have been a 91, two 95's and the 2000 I am currently driving. Two of them have been 4x4 dually's, one a 2wd (the 91), and a 4x4 3/4Ton. I have gotten 20-21 a couple of times but not with consistency. Average highway miles per gallon were in the upper teens depending upon the load. I have gotten as low as 12mpg on the highway, but in all fairness it was pulling my 16k GVW gooseneck with a bit over 20k on it. oops. No weigh stations were visited on that trip. haha

I currently have a 7.3 Stroke in my F450 but it is a turd and never sees highway miles because the long wheelbase dump truck just has little reason to be on the highway for more than 5-15miles between jobs. I don't even check the mileage on it. Doesn't matter.

I have a 99GMC dually with the 6.5L Turbo but it is a sweeper truck with a 75HP Perkins diesel siping fuel from the truck's tank so I cannot give an accurate truck mileage reading.

My point is: None of them do great, but they are not really your average trucks. Many of the guys I see getting in the low twenty's are rarely pulling a trailer and have modified them in order to get this mileage. They really don't work the trucks in many cases. It is merely a penis extention for them. Yes, they are exaggerating their mileage many times or have made several modifications in order to get the mileage they state.

Jackalope-Since the ultra low sulfur diesel came out, everyone I know with a diesel has seen a reduced mpg out of their trucks. Injector pump companies quit putting a warranty on their replacement pumps (around $2k on the cummins with no fuggin warranty). The government regulations creating this "need" for ultra low sulfur diesel "in order to reduce emissions" I believe was their reasoning has created a serious problem. The manufacturers had to come out with new vehicles to meet the emissions. In order to do so, they have reduced tolerances, increased HP and torque, yet their mileage is not what it was on the older diesels. We are essentially running diesel engines harder to get comparable performance and consuming more fuel. Do you really think this was because they were worried about the environment or was it because they wanted to collect more fuel taxes? For what it's worth, if you look for a diesel truck, I would recommend one of the older ones, not the newer ones. My buddies with new diesel trucks are having serious issues with the new engines. If you get an older one, make sure to put an additive in with every tank of diesel. This will help to add lubricity in your injectors, injector pump, and keep your truck from running so lean. In my opinion, the new diesels scare me and this 6.0L I just bought is not quite as bad, but not exactly a proven 6.0L engine without it's faults. just think hard before you drop $15-60k on a new or used truck.

 

[TripleA88]

I would think with the right programer or tuner, a cold air intake, straight pipe exhaust system, and keeping the regular maintainence up, you could see 22-24 mpg highway. The biggest thing I noticed with diesel vs gas was the work power and efficiency. I was lucky to even get 11-12 mpg hauling a 16 ft trailer and 2 zero turns with my 99 dodge. I may have gotten 15 without the trailer. My 04 cummins generally burns the same amount with and without the trailer.

 

[TripleA88]

Hicks, how much will that F-350 squat with the 9'2 boss v plow?

 

[hickslawns]

Hicks, how much will that F-350 squat with the 9'2 boss v plow?

We are going to find out when I mount it. The guy has an 8'2" or 9'2" I can choose from. Same guy that I bought the truck from so he basically said here are 4-5 plows, pick one out. If the 9'2" is just too much I will back down to 8'2 but I don't think it will be an issue.

In regards to same mileage pulling or not, it depends on what you are pulling. Lawn mowers around town don't affect my mileage much. Still 13.5-14.5mpg around town. Pulling our pop-up camper on the highway might be a 1mpg drop. Usually it is gettting off the highway and driving around the hills that drop it more. Hook onto a 8,000lb or higher load and I think you will see a bigger drop in mileage A88.

In regards to this, we also have a 1999 Chevy 3500 4x4 with the 454 which gets about the same mileage loaded or not. 10-11mpg around town, but never took it on the highway for a long trip. Some of this just has to do with how you drive them too. I don't care what you drive, if your foot is to the floor you are NOT going to get as good of mileage. This is true for work trucks or economy cars. There will be some drop.

 

[5Cent]

We are going to find out when I mount it. The guy has an 8'2" or 9'2" I can choose from. Same guy that I bought the truck from so he basically said here are 4-5 plows, pick one out. If the 9'2" is just too much I will back down to 8'2 but I don't think it will be an issue.

In regards to same mileage pulling or not, it depends on what you are pulling. Lawn mowers around town don't affect my mileage much. Still 13.5-14.5mpg around town. Pulling our pop-up camper on the highway might be a 1mpg drop. Usually it is gettting off the highway and driving around the hills that drop it more. Hook onto a 8,000lb or higher load and I think you will see a bigger drop in mileage A88.

In regards to this, we also have a 1999 Chevy 3500 4x4 with the 454 which gets about the same mileage loaded or not. 10-11mpg around town, but never took it on the highway for a long trip. Some of this just has to do with how you drive them too. I don't care what you drive, if your foot is to the floor you are NOT going to get as good of mileage. This is true for work trucks or economy cars. There will be some drop.

I think that 9'2" is gonna look good! Hides that ugly grill lol If she squats to much nothing wrong with spacers for the coils when loaded with the plow (I know you know this).

Driving style is a huge impact with a diesel for sure. I love both of the programmers I have had, but it's real, real, real hard not to play with the skinny pedal. Best mileage I got with my 01 Duramax was 21.5 on level 3 on long highway trip to PA. I average 15.5-18mpg now with the Banks 6gun w/ SL on 55mph roads (60% of normal weekly driving) really depends on alot of different uncontrollable factors (trains, tractors, semis, stupid ppl who can't drive in 2" of snow, etc).

Average highway is 16/17-19mpg. Pulling the 9.6K lb camper she'll get 16-18mpg all day long on the highway, and will not bat an eye on almost any grade. All calculations are by hand and include a stock tire % difference into the equation. If they would only put together a truck with a Cummins, Allison and 14bolt rear, we'd be golden.

Hicks, just giving ya a hard time on the 350. I hope they got it right with the 6.7L. After they get a few years under the belt, I will probably test drive a used one. I love the duramax, but the new body styles just aren't growing to fast. Post some pictures when you get the plow mounted.