Gas, Manual, 4x4 F-350s

orange150

orange150

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
Fairfax City, VA
In the next 12 months I'd like to get a truck. I'm leaning towards OBS small gas (351w) one ton Ford as I honestly won't be pulling a lot, but the few times I do will be 10k - 13k loads. Thinking one ton so I can get solid axle in lieu of TTB. I know I could SAS a TTB truck... but I'd rather not go through the trouble (cost).

That being said.. should I be scared of the Super Duty gen 5.4 engines? I want ease of ownership, which to me means I can maintain it myself and I don't know jack about the "newer" gassers. I could go F250 in that generation though, plus it's a six speed.
 
I had a 09 F150 5.4 that I put 214K on with no issues. Only problem I ever had with it was the fuel pump had an electrical failure. IIRC it had a TSB and was fixed on their dime. I never had a problem with my 02 5.4 either. @kcox506 has a F250 5.4 I believe.
 
You're going to pay extra for OBS, and it'll be shittier in every way than a 99+ truck (and will rust away). Find yourself a 2005+ at minimum, or just get an F150.
 
I’m probably getting ready to sell a 95 350 5 speed 460 4wd
If you are in the market sooner than a year from now
 
shawn said:
You're going to pay extra for OBS, and it'll be shittier in every way than a 99+ truck (and will rust away). Find yourself a 2005+ at minimum, or just get an F150.
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The only thing that concerns me about 1/2 ton is the capacity. And I don’t think I’ve seen a manual F150 since the 80s.
Ron said:
I’m probably getting ready to sell a 95 350 5 speed 460 4wd
If you are in the market sooner than a year from now
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Let me know when you’re ready to list!
 
Doable in an OBS…sure…but there are better tools for the job. A 5.4 will have about 60 more hp and the same tq as an OBS 460, so it’ll knock a weezy’s dick in the dirt. A 2005ish or newer half ton will probably have similar tow capacities as an OBS, but will drive better. I towed 10,000lb trailers daily with 5.4 equipped super duties for many many years, you weren’t going anywhere fast, and forget about maintaining speed up hill…but they got me from A to B with no problems. I also towed those same trailers with a dodge Dakota and an OBS 250hd with 351w…the newer stuff is just more pleasant to do it with.
 
UTfball68 said:
Doable in an OBS…sure…but there are better tools for the job. A 5.4 will have about 60 more hp and the same tq as an OBS 460, so it’ll knock a weezy’s dick in the dirt. A 2005ish or newer half ton will probably have similar tow capacities as an OBS, but will drive better. I towed 10,000lb trailers daily with 5.4 equipped super duties for many many years, you weren’t going anywhere fast, and forget about maintaining speed up hill…but they got me from A to B with no problems. I also towed those same trailers with a dodge Dakota and an OBS 250hd with 351w…the newer stuff is just more pleasant to do it with.
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But they lack the cool factor of the OBS…

And btw - driving the 350 last week reminded me how much better old school Freon cooled than this new stuff. Coupled with single cab truck and you can hang meat in the cab
 
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UTfball68 said:
Doable in an OBS…sure…but there are better tools for the job. A 5.4 will have about 60 more hp and the same tq as an OBS 460, so it’ll knock a weezy’s dick in the dirt. A 2005ish or newer half ton will probably have similar tow capacities as an OBS, but will drive better. I towed 10,000lb trailers daily with 5.4 equipped super duties for many many years, you weren’t going anywhere fast, and forget about maintaining speed up hill…but they got me from A to B with no problems. I also towed those same trailers with a dodge Dakota and an OBS 250hd with 351w…the newer stuff is just more pleasant to do it with.
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You towed 10k with a Dakota ?
Brave man
 
Bebop said:
You towed 10k with a Dakota ?
Brave man
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I pulled a solid 7k with my V6 5spd dakota. At 35mph for about 10 miles. She wasnt happy, but pulled it. No way id do it regularly though.
 
Bebop said:
You towed 10k with a Dakota ?
Brave man
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Young...broke...dumb...pretty sure I even posted pics years ago, when I was team 'you can pull anything with wheels'...and others were team 'try that to Harlan'. The Dakota tow pig only lasted a few weeks before 'upgrading' to the 250hd with weezy though. At the end of the day, people have been towing/hauling a lot of weight for a lot of years, without the benefit of a dually one ton with 1000ft/lbs, the latter just makes it easier.
 
UTfball68 said:
Young...broke...dumb...pretty sure I even posted pics years ago, when I was team 'you can pull anything with wheels'...and others were team 'try that to Harlan'. The Dakota tow pig only lasted a few weeks before 'upgrading' to the 250hd with weezy though. At the end of the day, people have been towing/hauling a lot of weight for a lot of years, without the benefit of a dually one ton with 1000ft/lbs, the latter just makes it easier.
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This^^

//end thread//
 
UTfball68 said:
Young...broke...dumb...pretty sure I even posted pics years ago, when I was team 'you can pull anything with wheels'...and others were team 'try that to Harlan'. The Dakota tow pig only lasted a few weeks before 'upgrading' to the 250hd with weezy though. At the end of the day, people have been towing/hauling a lot of weight for a lot of years, without the benefit of a dually one ton with 1000ft/lbs, the latter just makes it easier.
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I mean, you're talking to the guy who has been to moab and back with a 350k miles half ton burb while towing a 9000lbs load (full armor/full body Jeeps are heavy).
But a Dakota is next level haha
 
So far I've put 120K on my 2010 F250SD SRW with 5.4. Good bit of towing at that and also my daily. Overall can't complain at its capability for being a red headed step child of a motor. I'd recommend 08+ since at that point they fixed bunch of the dumb issues. I wouldn't be afraid of them just know it's not a power house and regular oil changes is a must for longevity.
 
UTfball68 said:
Young...broke...dumb...pretty sure I even posted pics years ago, when I was team 'you can pull anything with wheels'...and others were team 'try that to Harlan'. The Dakota tow pig only lasted a few weeks before 'upgrading' to the 250hd with weezy though. At the end of the day, people have been towing/hauling a lot of weight for a lot of years, without the benefit of a dually one ton with 1000ft/lbs, the latter just makes it easier.
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skyhighZJ said:
This^^

//end thread//
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Pre-mid 80's, people pulled crap all over heck and half of Georgia with passenger cars.
 
Lizooki said:
Pre-mid 80's, people pulled crap all over heck and half of Georgia with passenger cars.
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I mean…Ford did advertise the family station wagon as ‘recreational vehicle’…

IMG_5153.jpeg
 
Yea I'm not worried about going fast pulling a load, which is why everyone thinks they need 1000ftlb of cummings power to pull their jet ski.

I'm not sure if I'm willing to give up my personal requirement for a manual, but I'm going to look more towards SD 5.4s. Thanks for the input all!
 
orange150 said:
Yea I'm not worried about going fast pulling a load, which is why everyone thinks they need 1000ftlb of cummings power to pull their jet ski.

I'm not sure if I'm willing to give up my personal requirement for a manual, but I'm going to look more towards SD 5.4s. Thanks for the input all!
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Yall knew this was coming. The beauty of that 5.4 manual is a Godzilla will bolt up when that 5.4 dies.....
 
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