Diesel engines seem to have great resale value (meaning it's expensive to buy them). As far as mileage goes, as tjc says, it's a sticky subject. Everyone has their own experience and opinions. But my experience (with one diesel, an '02 F-350, and one 460 gasser, a '97 F-250) is that the diesel has at best a very slight advantage over the gas hog big block when empty, but the advantage is larger when loaded.

My diesel got about 13 mpg empty and 11 hauling my camper with my Bronco in tow. My 460 gets about 10 mpg empty and 7 with the same load. But diesel costs more than gas, so the advantages aren't that great. I haven't paid that close attention to the cost of diesel fuel lately, but when I was watching it was about 30% more than gas which makes the 30% improvement in empty mileage a wash. But the 57% improvement in loaded mileage doesn't get wiped out by the 30% more expensive fuel.

I'd say overall cost (buying and operating) is probably in favor of the gas engine in most cases. But if you tow / haul a lot the balance might shift in favor of the diesel. Otherwise you just need to want the diesel's performance.

 

15 is awesome for a dump truck. As for the woods mileage, I'll be happy to get in and then out.

I'm toying with the idea - and I like it a lot - of buying something like that truck - 95 F-350, diesel - but with a bed, then installing an aftermarket hydraulic bed lifter/dumper. I saw one for $1250. The mileage ought to be a little better, the weight a little less.

$3,000 for a diesel F-350 that runs is a terrific deal, imo. I had no idea I could get one for anything less than $10,000, but all I had to do was expand my search into older truck, like you suggested.

A seller up here in Maine (96 F-350, gas, no bed) suggested I look in states south and southwest of Maine to find trucks that aren't rusted out.

I'm excited about the thought of a one ton diesel pick em up!

 

Actually, I'm starting to figure out how much this dump truck can carry in its bed, and how much it can tow. I bet it can haul some gravel and some sand and some stone/rock, not to mention a bunch of 80 lb bags of cement.... I need to put the pencil to this... It has the 3 speed transmission, haven't heard which axle it has yet. I told him that it would cost me about $500 to fix it myself and if it's in the condition he says, would he take $2500 for it.

 

I can't find payload or tow capacity for an incomplete F350 with dump bed.
KBB value for this truck is $8,800. Can that be right? Why is he selling it for $3,000 and then I'm thinking to offer $2500??? Weird. Maybe the universe likes me this week. HA! It hasn't liked me much up to now...

Guess I'll keep saving my money.

 

Maybe because the bed is half rotten

 

or maybe because it's some kind of scam. He got smart with me instead of answering my questions. I told him good luck selling it.

 

yea, if the guy will not answer any questions about the truck i will have to agree it is most likely a scam.

 

As a homesteader I won't be towing/hauling a lot; it will be the occasional trip to get a load of this or that.

I'm finding the old diesels to be rare on CL, many of my searches are finding zero trucks for an entire state, or just a couple trucks. I found a couple that were affordable, but one needs lots of frame welding and a tank replacement, the other seems to be a scam as the guy didn't want to answer my questions about the truck. There's one truck that I found that will work for me, but I'm 3 months from having enough money to buy it. It's a 97 F-350 incomplete with mason dump and a plow, blue book is $8,297. It needs a bed or bed repair, otherwise in good condition. Seller is asking $5,000 or an offer. I've searched all of New England on CL, as well as NJ, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington DC and NY, and this is the only possible diesel F-350 that I"ve found at $5,000 or below, which is my current budget for a truck.

My thinking, as of Feb 23, 2016, is to look at gas Fords, keep saving to get to $5,000, and hope I get clear as to what will work. Probably when I get to 5K I will find something that will make sense and I can go look at it and make the deal. Maybe it will be a diesel. But, as tjc said, they are heavier and get stuck easier than the lighter gas truck. Maybe I can get by with a lighter duty gas F-250. It would be sweet to find a 70's solid front axle F-250, but my search yesterday on CL of all those states I mentioned yielded zero trucks.

Well, I'm looking to see what's out there, and I'm learning. $5K 1-1ton diesels are rare, 70's straight axles in gas 3/4 ton are more rare. I found a gas GMC 2500HD with a plow for $4,500 that I thought was sweet - well maintained, excellent condition, the plow recently refurbished and looking new. My first truck was a 58 GMC and it served me well. Had limited slip that still worked when I bought it in 1978, and it had dual exhaust that were in stacks on either side of the cab. 4 spd manual. It sounded hot but of course couldn't get out of its own way in granny low. Had a Dodge pickup once, I think a 78, and it was stout, and I've had a couple F-250 super cab gas trucks that I worked hard and which were reliable trucks, although I wore out the front ends fairly regularly, with the constant load of tools and supplies I carried on board. Probably should have had F-350's, maybe even diesels. I carried enough for it.

I'll keep putting the pencil and the brain to this truck challenge. I'll figure it out... I think...

 

OUCH!

So I'm very tempted to buy this 4x4 piece of junk w/auto tran.

Got a question for ya. Will these weak axles hold up if I don't overload the truck? Payload base capacity (KBB) is 2475. GVWR is 6950, curb weight is 3953, which is 3,000 lbs difference. Two big men would equal 500 lbs (360 if they are big men like me, as I am 180), so 2450 sounds about right for putting stuff in the bed. I can live with that. If I need to haul more, I can get a trailer. Towing is 8700, that's fine for me.

What I like about this truck I'm looking at is that it has a tow package, has been excellently maintained, and has a lumber rack and tool box, which I hope comes with it. KBB says the fuel economy is 11/14 (auto tran), while Edmunds says it is 13/16 (manual tran). I'm fine with those.

I looked all over for a F350 w/solid front axle, and they are as rare as moose do in the hen house (original metaphor). But I will need to drive all OVER Maine to look for suitable land, and I don't relish doing that in a one-ton gas guzzler. The F350 just might be more truck than I really need.

The seller of this truck just bought a new tune up, installed a tow package, had some brake work done, had a tie rod and the exhaust system replaced. She has all the paperwork for it. It seems like a good value. If it will do as much work as its ratings say it will, I think that will be fine. For large loads of gravel, sand and concrete, I might have to buy a trailer, otherwise, I'll have to limit myself to 2400 pounds, or whatever the difference is between me, truck, truck contents, gas, and GVWR. That could be 2500 or so.

I'm cringing here, waiting for your answer.

I haven't looked at it yet, but hope to do so next week. I'll check for rust.

About the hubs - I guess I can try to keep all the vacuum lines connected, the motor in tune, or replace the hubs and plug the lines to it. About the unobtanium wheels, I don't recall ever needing to buy wheels for any of the 5 pickup trucks I've owned, although I chose to buy mag wheels for one of them. That was a vain waste, btw, but I was young(er).

Thanks.
btw, what axles does it have? Seller is sending me pic of door tag tomorrow.

 

i believe they have a 1000 lb weight capacity.
i know i would not trust it with any more than that in the bed.
i am pretty sure it has a ford 8.8 rear axle. don't know about the front, i really have no use for a light duty truck like that because it will not work for what i do.

i need at least a F-350 or equal truck, i push 8.5 and 9 foot snow plows in the winter.
i would break one of those trucks within the first hour out.
.

 

Isn't payload capacity the difference between GVWR and curb weight?
GVWR = 6950
curb = 3953
payload = 1000? I get 2997.

Am I missing something here?

 

That's the formula. 4000 lbs seems awfully low to me for a 4WD half ton though. I don't know what it really weighs, but I'd have guessed at least 5K (trucks seemed to keep getting fatter as they got quieter and stiffer).

 

I found an 86 F350, 4x4, 460, C6, with a Fisher plow, in good shape except for a few things (brake lines, floor rotted out in cab that can be patched he says, and something else that I forget but that I can do) $1500. It looks good. I thought maybe I could do some stuff to the engine to help with fuel economy.

I'll call the guy tomorrow, borrow a car to go see it, maybe buy it if it's not total junky rust. Give me something to do.

Oh, yeah... exhaust work. Here's a pic.
Can't put it here. Next post.

 

 

if it runs good, that is not a bad deal. brake lines are easy, get the epoxy coated alloy lines and you will never have to do them again. plus they hand bend without kinking, so they are easy to install. floor pans are not that bad unless the rocker panels are ready to fall off.
exhaust?? that is what they make ear plugs for!!.