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towrig options, need opinions.

Which truck?

  • Total voters
    12
josh86k10

josh86k10

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My father just started a business and has already outgrown his 93 F350 with the non-turbo 7.3 and a 5 speed.

He has found a couple of options, but we're looking for opinions from those who know more about late model offerings from the big 3.

Option 1:
2004 Ford F550, 4x4, automatic, dually, ext cab, 92K miles, metal floor flat bed (12' I believe... flat bed is definite plus given his use), diesel (unknown which), ~$26K.

Option 2:
2005 Dodge 3500, 4x4, 6spd, 85K miles, pickup bed, dually, ext cab, cummins, also ~$26K.

The Dodge would need a flat bed to serve his purposes, I just always hear such good things about the Cummins. He'll be using it to haul industrial nursery equipment around the country. Having the flat bed is nice for smaller loads (no need to pull a trailer) but it will be towing most of the time, goose neck and bumper pull. Educate me about these rigs, I'm fairly ignorant when it comes to late model diesels and the trucks they come in. What are the common problems asociated with each? Thanks in advance guys.

This is posted over at towrig also, but I'm on here much more frequently so I figured I'd post up here too. Plus there's more traffic here.
 
The F550 will have the 6.0L Powerstroke (bad) and Ford's auto isn't very good either.

I would go with the Cummins.
 
Like I said on Towrig....

The Ford F550 is going to be a better truck for the intended purpose, it's a heavier duty vehicle. I disagree that the trans is junk, it's a Torqueshift 5spd and is a copy of the Allison, not a bad unit.

The 6.0 is a slight gamble, the odds are in your favor that it will be a fairly trouble free engine, but if you get one that wants to be troublesome, team up with a good dealer.
 
i've driven a few f-550s and they all rode like sh!t IMO. I would go with the Dodge
 
I just called Dad to tell him the concensus so far, and I picked up some more information.

The Ford has 4.88 gears.

The Dodge: 3.73

I'm thinking the Ford is probably geared to low for the interstate, although it'll likely outpull a bulldozer. I'm thinking 3.73's and a 6spd are the best bet for long hauls. Thoughts? Will the CTD be happy at around 70 all day pulling a load with 3.73's?
 
the 550 will be able to handle alot more weight and the 6.0 is not as bad of a motor as it is made out to be, you just need to leave them stock
 
josh86k10 said:
I just called Dad to tell him the concensus so far, and I picked up some more information.

The Ford has 4.88 gears.

The Dodge: 3.73

I'm thinking the Ford is probably geared to low for the interstate, although it'll likely outpull a bulldozer. I'm thinking 3.73's and a 6spd are the best bet for long hauls. Thoughts? Will the CTD be happy at around 70 all day pulling a load with 3.73's?
Click to expand...

I think you and your dad need to go back to square one and figure out a couple of things....

1. How much weight are we actually talking here that will need pulled?

2. How often will this highest weight amount need moving?

3. How far do we need to move said heaviest weights?

4. What are we wanting from this towrig? What is more important, the best mileage we can get or the best towing performance possible?

Usually, guys interested in F450-550 trucks aren't super worried about interstate mileage loaded or not because the truck LEGALLY pulls 23-26K behind the truck safely, and that is what matters.

The more you post up, the more it sounds like the Dodge might be a better ride for you guys.

Oh, the Dodge's gearing will work great at 70mph towing or not, you'll be around 2K RPM's. The Ford will run 7omph too, but at a cost in fuel mileage compared to the Dodge due to the 4.88's. But, if you are really pulling all the time, and heavy, thats good gearing. Also remember, IIRC, the tires are slightly taller on an F550 so that helps make those 4.88's not quite so deep.
 
1. How much weight are we actually talking here that will need pulled?
Click to expand...
Well, this nursery equipment is not necessarily extremely heavy, the biggest problem is that the soil hoppers, etc. create a lot of wind drag. Typical heavier loads would probably be around 15K lbs on a 35-40' goose neck. Sometimes a little more depending on the system and what gauge metal it's built out of, sometimes less.
2. How often will this highest weight amount need moving?
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12-15K lbs on a regular basis. Towing more than that... infrequently. Most of the really big stuff gets shipped via semi, and the profit from shipping just goes to the trucking company instead of us.
3. How far do we need to move said heaviest weights?
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Typically from TN to FL (there are an awful lot of nurseries in FL and on the Gulf Coast) or elsewhere on the East Coast. All the way to the west coast wouldn't be rare though.
4. What are we wanting from this towrig? What is more important, the best mileage we can get or the best towing performance possible?
Click to expand...
Fuel economy is certainly an issue, fuel is expensive and we're obviously doing this to make money. That said, certainly we want to do it safely as well. Honestly, the non-turbo 7.3 does everything we need it to do and the F350 controls the loads fine, they just do it slowly. However, the truck as a whole, being a little older, has been showing its age as far as needing repairs. We don't want to be one of the slowest trucks up Monteagle Mtn, but where this truck really needs to shine is cruising down I-75 or I-40. We are also certainly open to performance upgrades.

The main business is building/ rebuilding equipment, not shipping it. However, it is awfully nice to be able deliver the product as well.

Oh, and the reason we're sticking with 4x4's is some of these nurseries have some pretty rough/ muddy roads to get out to the potting shed. 4x4 isn't absolutely necessary, but when it is needed, it's awfully nice to have it. Come to think of it, it has been nice to have at the sandblaster's as well.

I have a related question:
What exactly separates an F550 from an F350. Is it mostly brakes and springs, or is it more involved than that?
 
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The difference between an F550 and F350 is simply put, huge.

The chassis is substantially larger and heavier duty and the rails are flat like a cab and chassis model.

They have a D135 rear end, looks like a small Eaton or Rockwell axle. The front D60 has different hubs on it IIRC, depending on the year. Brakes are substancially larger on an F550 to properly stop the extra 8K or so it can trailer vs. an F350.

The cab, box bed if equipped, engine/trans/Tcase are all the same IIRC.

I honestly think I'd be going with the F550 myself since you say you could be coming all the way across the country with that long of a trailer.
 
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