So there’s a potential career change happening soon for me where I’ll need a truck to pull a trailer 5 days a week, the trailer is a 20’ trailer and will be loaded with bread, doesnt seem like much but apparently bread gets heavy....anyways, found this truck it’s an 03 6.0 with all the stuff done in the pic (supposedly). Looks like it’s got everything done but studs, a friend of mine that once had a 6.0 thinks it would be good to go...I think stud it just to be safe, what’s y’all’s opinion?
Nearly bullet proofed 6.0
- Thread starter 93redzj
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shelby27604
Well-Known Member
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- Jun 6, 2013
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- Efland NC
A guy I work with has a 6.0 that has been "bulletproof'd" 3 times. Final time he purchased a set of aftermarket heads that are supposed to have thicker sections in clamping areas. The horror stories of the truck blowing up while towing a trailer are enough to keep me away from any 6.0l (bulletproof or not)
77GreenMachine
Phillip Talton
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- Mar 30, 2010
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- Trinity, NC
I am ALWAYS a fan of older paid for trucks, but if I were using said truck to tow heavy every single work day, I’d either have a backup handy at all times, or I’d buy a new truck since it would be a write off and expense for work.
If the truck lays down, do you have a backup, also, will you be able to make money without the truck?
That’s not anything towards the 6.0, I actually love them. Once fixed they’re great trucks. I would feel this way about any truck that old being used to tow daily to make a living. I trust my truck anywhere with well over 500K on the clock, but I would want a backup or newer truck if I had to tow with it daily.
Just something to consider. Good luck with your new venture!
If the truck lays down, do you have a backup, also, will you be able to make money without the truck?
That’s not anything towards the 6.0, I actually love them. Once fixed they’re great trucks. I would feel this way about any truck that old being used to tow daily to make a living. I trust my truck anywhere with well over 500K on the clock, but I would want a backup or newer truck if I had to tow with it daily.
Just something to consider. Good luck with your new venture!
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All very valid points and I have thought about them as well, there is a chance I could trade my current DD in towards a newer truck (I wouldn’t be able to afford payments on both) but in the case of me taking any time off to go out of town, my brother would need the truck to pull the trailer and take care of my delivery so it would be a little difficult it my truck for worked also doubled as a DD. In the case of a back up truck, I would guess in an absolute emergency I could borrow my dads duramax but other than that I wouldn’t have a back up truck other than renting one to cover any down time mine could have.
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- Mar 24, 2005
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- Stanley, NC
I'd never buy a pre-05 superduty because the ride sucks, the turning radius sucks, and the transmission is not nearly as strong and reliable. The 05+ have a coil spring front end, and beefier axles and transmission.
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Didn’t realize that little bit of info, thanks for the insight. I may just look into the newer truck route, this will be how I make a living so I feel the investment into a newer truck makes sense.
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- Mar 24, 2005
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- Stanley, NC
Personally, having owned quite a few trucks through the years, the best money right now is a 2011+ F250 or F350. The 6.0 has its risks, the 6.4 gets terrible fuel mileage, but the 6.7 is pretty fuel efficient and has great power, and the 6 speed transmission is world's better than the 5 speed. Depending on what features and options you want, you can pick them up for around $15-20k in a 4wd diesel variety.
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Stuntman Autoworks
Instigator of things
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- May 6, 2010
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- Sanford NC 27330
What he said. Save the headache and thousands of dollars on 6.0 mysteries and get a Cummins!
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2005
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- Raleigh, NC
This.
Yeah I had a 6.4 as well a few years back, after deleting the DPF and gaining a few MPG it still sucked and then the wonderful wrench light came on for the oil cooler so I installed an external, auxiliary one to compensate for that. But then started having other issues with it, didn’t really need it and got tired of dumping money into it so I got rid of it....and thanks for the link! But honestly traveling 300-400 miles for a truck just isn’t something I wanna do, I’d pay a little higher price to have it a little closer anyways, just my preference. I have found a couple 2011 and one 2016 that are right at or just over the 20k mark. So I’ll go check them out, thanks for all the advice guys
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2005
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- Stanley, NC
Get the 2016 if it's in your price range. They upped the power and changed a lot of components in 2015. The 2011+ trucks are great, but the 2015+ are even better.
mcutler
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- Apr 17, 2010
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- mt.airy nc
My 2000 f450 v10 2wd cc flat bed rides ten times better than my 08 f250 5.4 rc longbed- it's a damn donkey, and twice as good as my 08 f450 6.4 4wd cc flat bed, (but it handled better, ride and handling are two very different attributes) .
Gavin bought the 2000 f450 from me today. (And my 24' deckover before Christmas).
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Gavin bought the 2000 f450 from me today. (And my 24' deckover before Christmas).
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Chris_Keziah
Joe Dirt @ Rev Limit Fab
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- Dec 1, 2010
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- Winston-Salem
V10 life man, unless you are towing more than 15k I really see no need in the cost of a diesel. Gas tow rigs are cheap and plentiful and can pretty much get an entire engine replacement for the cost of injectors in a diesel.
Not to contradict @jeepinmatt but I like the pre-05 Super Duty's, I try to an 05+ but wouldn't overlook a good 99-04. Honestly never understood the hate for the ride in the leaf sprung trucks, both my 99 and now 01 ride really good to me.
Not to contradict @jeepinmatt but I like the pre-05 Super Duty's, I try to an 05+ but wouldn't overlook a good 99-04. Honestly never understood the hate for the ride in the leaf sprung trucks, both my 99 and now 01 ride really good to me.
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- Mar 24, 2005
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- Stanley, NC
That's the great thing about America. Buy what you want.
The 2016 is the same price as the 2011, the 2016 has 210k miles compared to the 145k miles on the 2011....2016 is XLT and 2011 is Lariat
I do like the cost of gas all things over diesel, price of gas, initial purchase price of truck, maintenance, all of it, but diesels just seem to hold their value better than gas, 4-5 years down the road when/if I decide to sale the truck or upgrade, I just feel like I’d get most my money back out of the diesel??
We pull 12-15k with 150s if you need to pull more than 20k I’d buy a diesel, factor in the extra money it takes to buy a diesel the extra $100 every oil change and the gas truck just sounds better and better. With the price of the ram trucks I don’t hardly see why anyone would buy a used truck.
Chris_Keziah
Joe Dirt @ Rev Limit Fab
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- Dec 1, 2010
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- Winston-Salem
Factor in maintenance and you'll probably loose everytime on the diesel.
Guy I’m buying the the route from used a ram 1500 to pull the 20’ trailer until it died on him. Could have been neglect on his part, I don’t know. Maybe the gas F-250 or ram 2500 would be a good choice as well? I’m not opposed to gas, just don’t want to kill the truck within the first couple of months, don’t know much about the ford 6.2 or Ram 2500 gas motors
shelby27604
Well-Known Member
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- Jun 6, 2013
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- Efland NC
What is the weight of the loaded bread trailer? My 5.7l hemi didn't break a sweat pulling 10k, you can snap up 2500 rams with the 5.7l or the 6.4l gas motors for cheap.
I say buy a gasser, run the job for a while, save some cash, if the gasser seems to struggle, baby it and trade it in on a diesel if you need the extra tq. Don't go spending a ton of cash on a rig until you know you need it or like the gig.
I say buy a gasser, run the job for a while, save some cash, if the gasser seems to struggle, baby it and trade it in on a diesel if you need the extra tq. Don't go spending a ton of cash on a rig until you know you need it or like the gig.
CLRracer
Mopar Nut
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- Mar 20, 2005
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- Archer Lodge
I worked in receiving for a grocery store for several years and NONE of the vendors who used a truck and trailer used a diesel truck. And now that I think about it I honestly can't recall any that used a 3/4 ton or larger truck. It was all half tons and SUVs or they stepped up to bread vans or box trucks.
Duane
Duane
shelby27604
Well-Known Member
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- Jun 6, 2013
- Location
- Efland NC
all the "bread trucks" that were box trucks all came with 4bt or 6.5l detroit diesel motors....both of which would be considered anemic at best compared to available V8 gassers offer for the last decade. Confirm the loaded weight, and everyone here will tell you which truck to toss your money at, 2wd 3/4t gassers are cheap and plentiful, I say start there.
Honestly don’t know what the weight of trailer and bread will be. I’ll ask the guy and see if he knows. I had seen a few 6.4 Rams I liked but didn’t consider them due to uncertainty of handling load consistently. Doing an occasional tow I wouldn’t think twice but just the 5 day a week pulling a trailer job made me shy away from it. Maybe in ignorance though, definitely feel like I should have sought y’all’s advice sooner. Thanks again for all the info I’ll ask the guy tomorrow about weight of trailer loaded and report back.
mcutler
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- Apr 17, 2010
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- mt.airy nc
I have 4 gas rigs (actually 3 now, sold one yesterday). F250, f450, 2-Chevy 3500 cargo and (12 pass van for personal use) ... total current miles between the 3 I work with 780,000... all bought used with 300k, 170k, 250k respectively; paid $2500, $4500, $3500... you can't buy one good used diesel for that. And I tow past the 20k pound mark with all them, for a living (and my crawler recreationally with the passenger van), on a weekly basis. 35k miles a year.
Yearly average maintenance/ repairs on all 3... less than $1500...
One injector o-ring repair on a 6.0 ps, already over halfway there.
I swore off diesels a few years back and have no regrets. Should have done it 15 years ago... I'd have a lot more dough in the tool fund...
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