Looking to upgrade from 1977 F-250 super cab long box, gas/propane 400CI C6 tranny, 3.55 gears, I want to go newer but not brand new, looking up too around 1999 at most or somewhere between mine and it, what do I want for engine and rear end ratio, I tow a 18.5 fifth wheel, wife wants to move up to a 23 foot, and right now I am slow on steep long hills.

Seem to have torque, but no speed.
So what is the minimum engine size?

What engines to stay away from, diesel or gas, have heard the ford 6 litre diesel is not good.

And should I go diesel or gas, I like gas myself, easier for me to fix, and cheaper too.
I want to go minimum extended cab, long box, already have the hitch and stuff for my type of truck, so don't want to go spending all that money again and I am able to install my own hitches, so that is not a problem.
Any ideas?
Oh and I have a 2BBL carb, is it true that just having fuel injection and a better ratio diff will make a world of difference like I have been told?

Might even go for a 4X4 this time too.

Any help out there?

 

I went from a 1995 F250 460 with headers to a 1999.5 F550 six speed powerstroke.
I more than doubled the speed at which I can pull the same trailer up hill pictured in my signature.
The 7.3 diesel is very simple, basic. If you are at all handy with a wrench, it will be a very easy engine for you to work on.
I've run both, and will never buy a gas engine truck again.

 

I too, agree that a diesel is what you want.... As you don't want anything newer than a '99, you will not be able to get the 6.0. The 7.3 diesel by Ford (International engine) is tried and true. Read thru the threads up in the 7.3 PowerStroke Forum for further information. You will be amazed at the power increase in the diesel over gas engine. Fuel usage is also much better between the two.

 

While I would love to have a 7.3, I am stuck with a gas motor. Simply going from that mushy auto to a manual will help you out a lot. My truck was a C6 then I put in a 5spd. I went from crawling uphill in 2nd gear at 30mph to being able to do 55mph in 4th gear up the same hill. If you can afford it I would definitely go for a 95-99 PSD with a 5 or 6 speed manual tranny. I believe you can go up to an 03 before you run into the 6.0.

 

Thanks for the feedback, was not clear on what tranny is better, manual or Auto, sounds like the manual is better.

I met a Ford mechanic when I was on holidays, if I recall he did not like the 6.0 diesel, but did not have time to get into it with him.

 

I tow a 9000# travel trailer and roll down the road at 17,000#'s combined.

I tow with a 4.30 geared 2 valve V10 (pre-2005 motor even though I have a 2005 Excursion...since Ford changed NOTHING on the Ex's I have the 2V motor).

I've towed 17,000 miles in the last 3 summers.

I've towed thru the Rockies twice including Vail Pass (10,600') and Loveland Pass (11,200') as well as thru the Black Hills, Big Horns, Appalachians and countless 8000' passes in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah in those 17,000 miles.

The V10 has not faltered on any of those climbs. For all but the tallest Rocky Mountain climbs...I could have easily been the fastest if I wanted...plenty of pedal to spare.

Even on those 10,000' plus climbs I was no where near the slowest...and had plenty of pedal left...

So the V10 is a very capable gas motor even for my 17,000#'s combined load...

You didn't mention how heavy your trailer is so I can't say if I'd suggest a PSD right off...

IMO when you are approaching 20,000#'s combined...you are getting into the NEED for a diesel with its much higher torque output and if serious altitudes are a more than infrequent occurance...that turbo is hard to ignore.

But under 20,000#'s and much under like I am...the V10 is a VERY capable towing motor in the super duty platform...when properly geared...and IMO the 4.30's are the PERFECT gear for the V10's powerband...

Oh and BTW...I have the 4R100 auto trans behind my V10...

Good luck with your decision.
Joe.

 

I'm surprised you are slow with the 18.5' 5er. I tow a 24' with a 4.0 ranger 2wd and 3.55s and can stay up with traffic on most interstate climbs. The "slow" climbs are around 50 MPH. Those are few and far between. Usually it shifts from 4th to 3rd, rpm's hop up to about 3400, and it settles in at 55 and climbs. And the 55 is by choice. I wanna keep my truck for several more years, been towing with this setup since may 2000. So I don't need to beat it to death to proove it can go faster.

That being said, I would have to say that just going to modern fuel injection over the old 2bbl carb will increase your hill climbing performance dramatically.

 

I have used a V10 to pull before and was very pleased with it's performance. If I ever get another truck, it will most likely be a V10, unless diesel fuel somehow gets super cheap again. I would have to get a manual transmission though, auto's in trucks annoy me.

 

I was pulling a 7,000# 24' HHiker with 3.54's across high plains and into Colorado mountains. When we updated to present 10,000# 26.5 HHiker I knew the old setup, which was marginal, just wouldn't cut it with a higher, wider, longer and 3,000# heavier trailer.

I changed gear sets, recurved the distributor, went to a straight up timing chain and my carb guy tweaked the 4180 carb. I'm very happy with what I did and on the last trip I averaged ~7.5mpg running 58-62 mph. Speed makes a difference in mileage. If I ignore fuel saving and just drive it I run 6-7.

Clyde is paid for, more than adequate and fun to "work" as a 25 year old towing truck. We have no plans to replace it. I didn't say we hadn't thought about it. I sold Ford trucks for a little over 10 years and had a chance to talk to a lot of people both on the job and on the road.

Never really thought of the 400 as a towing engine. We had a 78, 400 2V, 4.10's at the seed company where I worked for almost 20 years running the equipment shop for the research department. We pulled combines on tri-axle gooseneck trailers among other ag related stuff. Heavy and wind anchor. We warmed up the 400 with 750 Holley, intake and dual exhaust. More hp but didn't make a nickles difference in torque. We should have gone deeper but then started running 460's and 454's once I started buying the trucks. The 6.2's and 6.9's just didn't have the ***** for the job.

IF ...

IF I were looking for a diesel my dream would be for a pre-Superduty 7.3 Powerstroke with 3.55 gears (3.73's would be a second choice but they never came that way - aftermarket only). There was just something magic about that combination. Running the diesel slower in the torque range it loves. Low 20's running solo, mid teens towing and more than adequate under all conditions. Had one guy pulling a 30' HHiker tell me under normal land and wind conditions he consistantly pulled at ~17mpg. You should have heard the screamiong when people who had this combination traded up to the SD's and no longer had the 3.55's. 4.10's run the 7.3 too fast and economy suffers big time!

IF I wanted a gas rig it would be a three valve V10, 5 spd Torqueshift tranny with the 4.30's. The 3V added hp, torque and economy to the V10. The 4.30's run the V10 in the higher rpm ranges that it likes to pull in and the 5 speed auto drops the rpm for economy when running solo. When driving a Torqueshift I was always amazed when it made one more shift and how that tach would drop!! Would have to go up to a 2005 to get it but I think in the long run it would be worth the extra money.

I like my 460 and I prefer to tow with an automatic because of the starting torque amplification and the ability to downshift sooner on grades, but economy IS NOT one of it's strong suits. Maybe with 3.73's and a Gear Vendors OD where I could have 4 running gears to choose from (second/OD would be like a 4.30 ratio for the mountains, direct/OD like 3.08's for the flats and solo) but now we're talking a few thousand $$$$$$, I haven't yet found a way to 'lock up' the C6 torque convertor and I only run 3-5,000 per year. The latter is the best reason I'm not looking to upgrade.

If you like your truck, don't want to spend a ton of money and use it primarily for towing and hauling like I do you may want to investigate some engine mods and a ratio change and keep workin' that old iron. For a lot less than a new truck you could make some tremendous changes to the old one. I spent more than a grand on the axle change and track-loc ..... less than two truck payments on a new one!!

 

If you are looking, the 6.0 has warts to deal with but so does the 7.3. The 6.0 will out tow the older engine, and has a better transmission and if you look at some of the recent diesel mags they are having good things to say. You would need to find one cheap and then be prepared to spend around $5K if it has not been worked on. You want one without a tune also. I have 04 6.0 great truck pulls out 24 ft TT over mountains no problems. Been over wolf creek a couple of times, up into montana from central wyo with no issues. Yes I had the bill to upgrade the EGR and OEM oil coolers but that has been it. My Bro in law has a business and was a 7.3 guy until he bought his 6.0. Parked the 7.3 says the 6.0 is a better truck. Has had all the issues but he abuses the hell out of it. Was told to do 2500 mile oil changes (yeah right) due to work enviro, lucky to get done at 10K. Yes the 6.0 can be a PIA but once up and running right are good deals and can be had fairly cheap. The 7.3 has been covered in depth lately in magazines and it has some issues of its own. Small turbos, leaky exh manifolds, poor intake systems etc.

I now have a RV with the V10, wish I could have found a good one with a 6.0. Couple I did drive had good engine but were acceleration dogs, killer was the coach, wife did not like layouts. So take a good look do some research and then make a decision

 

Wholly thread revival, Batman! This one's from BACK IN 2008!

The O/P's MOST RECENT post here at FTE was the 9th of January, 2009.

What ya' wanna' bet he's already traded trucks a couple of times since then?

That doesn't mean you're not still entitled to your opinion, but somehow I doubt he's gonna' hear it!

Pop