Greetings everyone from PA, this is my first post, im usually joining a forum after I buy a vehicle, however this time I thought ahead and decided to research beforehand and get the knowledge of some people that may already have been thru some experiences with superduty's, which other than regularly driving a E350 van at my last job I really know nothing about at all.

I am in the process of becoming my own ind. contractor, in the past I have done everything from electrical, plumbing, HVAC, Refrigeration, always for someone else. I plan on doing commercial and residential, but one thing I have used in the past and really seemed to be an asset, but not enuf to really rate the quality of was a bucket truck. Now I know this is not a bucket truck forum, but it is a Ford truck forum. I am probably looking in the 97-2004 range or $10-$20 grand price range. They seem to come in F350 (I think), F450 and F550 in the boom size I want approx. 35 ft.

Now for my questions, I can do anything to a gas motor vehicle, I have replaced transmissions, engines, and everything driveability wise, obviously im very mechanical. I never owned a diesel except for my compact tractor, which I really have not done much work on except I know its a pain to bleed the fuel when it runs out of gas to start it again. But it seems very much similar to a gas tractor. I guess I should ask this question first, do I want a diesel even? If so why, longevity or fuel economy? If I get a gas motor which sizes (litre) are there and is one better than the other? And also is there a drawback to a gas motor as opposed to a diesel. I can tell you all the trucks I've seen are dual rear wheel also. Is there a cost factor in servicing a F350 vs a F450 vs a F550 (I mean aside from it being a boom truck). What things about owning a diesel truck would I have to know about servicing it/driving it regularly that are different from a gas motored truck? Are certain years more prone to rust than others in the 97-04 range.

Sorry my first post is a avalanche of questions.

 

is your bucket crane going to be electric or hydraulic
prolly gonna need outriggers on it too.
dually no doubt.
you would probably do just fine with a f350 long wheel base dually with a 7.3. put iun the 2nd alternator if your bucket will draw electriv from the truck.
couple idears if the bucket will draw hydraulic power from the truck..
some 4r100 transmissions are available with a pto.. other option would be a pump mounted on the engine with some fancy mounting trickery.

properly cared for it could last you forever...

xtof

 

If its a boom truck, go diesel. You'll put a lot of miles on fast. Maintenance cost is higher, but with the amount of miles you will put on the truck, diesel is your best bet. I'd stick with the 7.3 PSD. Best diesel motor made IMO. Most, if not all, the maintenance is something you could tackle by yourself. Other things maybe hit and miss with repairs but if your on a budget you'll figure things out.

 

Many gas fired boom trucks in my area but they are privately owned/operated. Utility owned boomers are nearly all diesel.

 

If you are set on the $20k cap, you may have trouble finding a decent 7.3 boom truck. Your price range may drive you to a gasser. I was offered $15k for my truck the last time I took it into the truck shop, and mine is no show truck by any stretch.

 

If you want a 35' boom, get a F550. These trucks are heavy, and there's no reason to use a F350-450. If you anticipate less than 20K miles a year consider the V10. If over that get a 7.3. Don't buy a 6.0 unless a diesel mechanic is your best friend!

 

The 7.3L is the walkin' talkin' pullin' economizin' bad boy. That being said - zero emission stuff on it and now it's a matter of how far you plan to drive to the location and are you going to idle in residential neighborhoods. These things are not friendly to the nose after idling for a while and they are not the quietest under the hood.

After everything I've learned on the forum, I agree with avoiding the 6.0.

The Superduties are what you're looking for - heavy and strong. They started in '99 and the 7.3L got a real improvement in late '99 (if you go diesel). The auto transmission has its issues in stock form, but upgrades can extend its life.

The V10 likes gas - lots of it. Forget about double-digit mileage on your boom truck, and idling will not likely give you any respit. It might pay to diesel your way to the job site and have an auxillary motor to power the boom... but I'm no expert.

The V10 or the 7.3L are your choices, really - unless you have zero hills anywhere near your location. If you live where they salt the roads, well... uh... a gas engine is cheaper and the truck won't last long unless you coat the bajeezzes out of the undercarriage with some kind of protectant.

20K for the truck is very do-able - but the boom, supports, PTO, etc...? You might be forced to go older than a Superduty unless you find a repo or a very loose slot machine.

 

I've seen F450 and 550 bucket trucks going for that price range near me but they all have over 200,000 miles on them and tons of idle time. I would avoid the trans driven pto in the earlier (e99) models. Also the V10 is very picky on the coolant level and oil level especially when idling for extended intervals. Almost every service/ boom/ bucket trucks are all diesel. I have seen a few in the AT&T fleet that are F350s with the 5.4 gas but I only see those in residential areas. Also like others stated I personally don't trust the 6.0 wich is why I bought a higher mileage 7.3. All the city trucks I see are all diesel with a few older gas models. Have you checked eBay or considered buying a trailer mounted unit?

 

If you want a bucket truck, I would suggest getting a larger medium duty truck rather than an F-350/450. Something like this would probably work out perfect, you would be getting a lot more truck and a lot more capability for your money.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/cs...056965471.html

 

I have ran boom-bucket trucks for the last 30 yrs and lift all is a top notch rig if I were you I would be on the first plane there and be on the road this rig would open up markets for you that a 35 ft rig can not do

 

Diesel.

I'm in.

 

That is news to me and I've been around V10s since they came out in 98'.


In the OPs price/year range he is going to have to keep an eye out for what he can get that is in good shape and within his price range. I agree an F-550 would be a better rig than an F-350 or F-450 but I suppose he can't be too picky. Honestly I wouldn't even consider a 350 but thats just me. A lot of the fleet F-550 and smaller service trucks in my area switched to gas trucks due to cost.(initial and maint)

 

I might be able to help you out a little bit and give you some first hand experience. My last truck was a 2005 4500 Chevrolet with a Duramax with a 35 ft Dura-lift. I went from that to a 2011 F-450 V10 with a 35ft Altec. These are used for telephone work. This is very little open highway, with lots of idle time. I average around 25k a year on a truck.

First mpg. The Duramax averaged 8mpg, the V10 is averaging 7mpg, so that’s a wash after you figure in price difference for fuel. Power in the two feels the same, just the v10 has to rev up a little higher to make it. The V10 goes better in mud, but I do not know if this is important to you. The gas truck is much quieter. With the diesel I would have to shut the truck off if I needed to talk to someone on the ground, with the gas I can leave it running and still hear them.

I cannot tell you fore sure about durability yet. The Duramax was replaced at 120k miles after the company spent 10K in repairs on it in the course of 3 months. The bill for new injectors alone was over $7k; and my truck is not the only Duramax that they have spent a war pension on. Most others have had as much spent on them before they hit 140k. I was told by fleet that this was the reason that all new trucks smaller than class six would be gas. They said that they could replace the engine and transmission on a gas truck for what they were spending on repair bills for the diesels. My V10 only has 34k miles and 1700 hours on it, so it is too soon to tell about it, but it has not had any trouble yet.

As far as personal preference I like the Ford better. It is quieter; I do not have to listen to a diesel rattle all day, and I do not have to plug it up in the wintertime so it will start. Just remember, which ever one you decide to get it beats the heck out of a ladder.

 

Nice post!

 

I have an 89 7.3 Diesel. It now has 220000 miles on it. The engine has had only a few problems. #1 I went through 4 starters in in the first 100K Finally I took it to a different mechanic and he found the power to the starter was going through a fried wire. DUH! #2 I went through a few sets of glow plugs and controllers. This again was due to the shop using aftermarket plugs. Finally for $50 more I had him put in OEM [plugs and they have continued to las for over 60K now. I had some o rings replaced once. This is all minor stuff. The engine itself has taken much abuse I have run the oil so low on a few occasions that the dipstick was dry. I have gone 20K without changing the oil. The truck still has the power it did new and the MPG is the same as new also. 11MPG whether I am dry at about 7500# or loaded around 14-15K.

Fuel filters are ridiculously expensive, as is most diesel stuff.