I'm sure you get questions like this all the time, but I'd like to know everyone's opinion on whether or not I should buy a V10 Super Duty. I am in the market for a used truck and found a good deal on a '05 F250 crew cab short bed XLT. I have only ever driven one V10 Ford and it was a 2001 extended cab short bed that I took on a short test drive.

My biggest concerns are, obviously, power and fuel mileage. I will be towing occasionally and have a couple of ATVs and a 20' boat. I know the 3-valve V10 would easily pull my toys. However, I also have a Lance slide-in camper. I don't know what it weighs exactly, but it's a lot (1 slide-out and every option). I'd like to be able to haul my camper and tow my boat. I will be installing a better hitch and air bags/springs on whatever truck I end up with to help handle the load, but I'm concerned about power and fuel economy. I live at over 6000 ft. elevation and will sometimes be driving up in the Rocky Mountains. At this elevation we lose roughly 20-25% power, so I'm afraid this much weight would be too much for a gas motor. I did used to drive a '97 F250 PSD that hauled my camper and a couple of ATVs no problem. And I know the older diesels had far less HP and TQ, but the turbo allows Power Strokes to produce close to (if not the same) power up here as they do at sea level.

I can only afford about $20k, I need a short box (for the camper), my wife won't let me buy anything but a crew cab and I'd like to get the nicest and lowest mileage truck I can find (it will be my only vehicle). That combination is extremely hard to find around here with a Power Stroke, so that's why I'm looking at V10s.

So, what do you think? I'm hoping to hear from somebody with an '05-up V10 who pulls a load comparable to what I have at high elevation, but all opinions and suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

 

I'm thinking a psd. the GCWR on a v10 with 3.73 gears is 1 1/2tons lower then a PSD but if its a 4.30 gear its the same GCRW. I'm sure the v10 crowd will tell you the v10 will be fine. but i think the PSD will be happier. The next thing is maintenance. The psd is more expensive by alot. Both the psd and v10 will last a long time.

 

I just bought an '07 F250 PSD Super Crew FX4 Lariat for $19,800. It was immaculate inside and only one or two very minor dings on the outside. The only downside was it had 147k miles on it (obviously highway if you're averaging 65k miles a year). I'll go ahead and change out the fluids on it just to make sure, and due to the mileage I'll look at replacing the ball joints and tie rod ends, but otherwise it's a fantastic truck, and I'm glad I went that direction. All I really need to pull is a flat 18' trailer with my TJ Wrangler on it, but it's nice to know I can borrow my buddy's big ol' giant travel trailer behind it without issue even at elevation. Or tow anything else I'll ever need to, for that matter.

 

Is this 05' F-250 CC, a 4x4 ?

You may want to look for a F-350,, I am looking in my 06' F-250-F-350 SuperDuty brouchure(yes I still have it),,max F-250 GVWR is 10,000 lbs which is 2,800 lbs for the 4x4 CC,,short bed,,,

F-350 is 11,400 GVWR which is 4,100 lbs for the 4x4 CC, short bed,,,all depends on what that camper weighs,,,and all your stuff.

 

The 05'up V10s come only with 4.10 or 4.30 gears with the auto trans and have more power the the 99'-04' V10s. I would say the first thing you have to do is find out exatly what your slide in weighs. Find out the dry weight first and then figure out how much the water and stuff you put in it weighs. An F-250 just may be too light and you will exceed the max GVWR.

 

Yeah, I think a F-350 would definitely be in order here. And with what you are saying you want to do, I have to think a diesel is the way to go. With the hauling you want to do, up the mountains, in this case I think the diesel wins.

 

That is one of the reasons I was hoping to avoid buying a diesel. I had to put almost as much money into my '97 PSD for maintenance and repairs as I paid for the truck. And it only had 70k miles on it when I bought it!

That is something else I wanted to avoid. I won't be driving the truck daily, but it will be my only vehicle to drive besides the wife's Fusion. So I'd like to get something with lower mileage that will be reliable. I realize in some cases a 150k mile truck can be in better condition than a 50k mile truck, but mileage does still matter. The '05 I found has 37k miles on it and it's under $20k.

Yeah, it's a 4WD. A 2WD is probably out of the question where I live.

I need to figure out what the camper weighs. You don't think an F250 with air bags would work? After all, what is the difference between a 250 and 350? Isn't it mainly suspension? I used to haul the camper with my '97 F250 (it had air bags) and it seemed to do just fine. Never pulled the boat behind the camper, but it doesn't have a lot of tongue weight.

I probably didn't explain that very well. The most I would ever need to tow in the mountains would be the camper and a couple of ATVs. Anytime I have the boat, it would be all interstate driving. However, there are still some good uphill stretches on the highways around here and the speed limit is 75. I'd like to run 75 most of the time, but don't care if I have to slow down a little now and then. I will probably only be towing a few times a year and rarely will be taking the camper. I just want to have the ability to take it when I want to.

I don't know. I was really impressed with how the '01 V10 ran that I drove the other day. But I have no idea how the V10s do with a substantial load. I guess I figured the 3-valve motor with a 5-speed auto might be alright. I was having second thoughts, though, so that's why I asked. And, no offense to people who own them, but I'm a little scared of the 6.0 PSD. I hear a lot of horror stories. Also, my dad had an '03 that was constantly in the shop and never ran right from the day it was new to the day he traded it in. 6.0s seem to be the only thing I can find around here in my price range and they're all well over 100k miles (and every one I've gone to look at lately has sold the day it was advertised!).

I really appreciate all of your help. Keep it coming!

 

I see you said your slide in fits in a short bed so I guess its not that big. But I'd still double check the weight and take some rough estimates so you won't eceed the GVWR of the truck. F-350s have a higher GVWR.

If you do a bit of driving at high altitudes empty (especially on flat areas) the thinner air may help the V10 get better mpg. The PSD will handle the high altitudes better and handle the grades with less throttle input and get better mpg. With that said for what you want to pull I honestly don't think you need a PSD the 3V V10 will have plenty of power for you. Take an 05'up V10 for a spin and see how you like it, maybe you could even pull the boat with it on the test drive.

The 05'up 3V V10 has 52hp and 32tq more than the 01' V10 and it only comes with 4.10 or 4.30 gears with the auto. The 5spd auto on the 05'ups will help too. You can pick up a bit of performance on the V10 with a good custom tune also. For your 20k price range you should be able to pick up a nice 3V V10 SD with well under 100k miles maybe less than 50k miles depending on and trim. I would try and find one with 4.30 gears if possible, the 5.4l and 6.8l like the steeper gears.

 

I have a V10, my second one. I really like it and it does everything I need it too.

That having been said, I think that a diesel would be best for you. At the altitude you're at, with the camper and a trailer behind, a turbo diesel has no rival.

If you go V10, 4.30 gears would be a must. It's very hard to find one equipped that way.

 

You'll want an F350. A slide-in with slide-out will almost certainly be over the payload capacity of an F250. The V10 will have the highest payload (more so than the 5.4L or the PSD), but in a F250 it's still probably not enough. The difference between trucks is minor really, but the payload is what it is. An F350 has the payload for the camper, the F250 probably doesn't.

 

Maybe a consideration - cold weather starting with the PSD.
I was having a similar dilemma and went v10 after checking intial costs
and upkeep costs talking to PSD owners. ALso just checking cars.com
and seeing how many 6.0 and 6.4's are for sale compared to the v10.
Hard to find a good used v10. There are a ton of 6.0 and quite a few
6.4's. Should tell you something.

 

Isn't the biggest difference between an F250's and F350's payload the rear suspension? Like I said, I had a '97 F250 with Firestone air bags in the rear and it hauled my camper great (even on rough roads). Are you guys saying that even with air bags an '05-up F250 won't cut it?

I would ideally want a short box dually, but try finding one of those! Especially in my price range.

Cold weather starting is a big concern actually. Just one more reason I was thinking about a V10. It can easily get -20 degrees F here in the winter and there were a couple days my '97 PSD wouldn't start, even though it had been plugged in overnight. And, yeah, I don't like the high maintenance and repair costs associated with diesels.

 

A. The V10 will have plenty of power. If you want, you can even do a few mods like Headers and a Cat back exhaust, and get a 5 star tuner, all for less than the price of what the diesel adds. Additionally, the V10, especially the 3v'ers with the TorqShift have proven to be more than reliable.

B. Stop worrying about fuel mileage. It's a 3/4 to 1 ton truck. As long as it hauls nicely, does what you ask, and doesn't leave you stranded, who gives a f***. But if you really must know, I was getting 15-17 MPG mixed highway driving this August with my 2v V10 with 3.73s.

 

The difference between F250 and F350 is essentially a rear block, putting the F350 rear bed height approximately two inches higher; however, the payload is whatever the payload is. You'll probably be fine, especially with air bags, but your payload won't change regardless of what you do to a F250. It's semantics maybe, but the payload is the payload is the payload. Your payload will never be the same with a F250 as it is with an F350; although the trucks may be the same. I only say an F350 because it'll have the payload to carry the load, even if the F250 will have teh same ability to carry the same load (with air bags or with a F350 rear block).

 

In response to your original question: Yes, a V10 would work for you. Even the 3v V10 though is going to have to work a bit harder and wont get as good of fuel economy as a PSD, especially at that elevation, but it will get it done. Really a matter of what you want. Power and extra maintenance for a higher up front cost, or simplicity with the trade-off of fuel economy... There really isn't going to be a right or wrong answer here.

I think an F250 with air bags would be ok, definitely has it's trade-offs though. You can find an F250 with the camper package, and it should have the same springs as the F350. With a big camper though, I'm tempted to recommend a dually. I routinely haul a heavy salt spreader full of salt in my SRW F350 with air bags, and it's still really squishy and not real stable. With a top heavy load like a camper, I think a dually would deffinitely be best, not to say it couldn't be done, as we've all seen plenty of SRW's with big campers.

P.S. My V10 didn't wanna go last year at -26f either. But I had forgotten to plug it in the night before... After 1/2 an hour of being plugged in and a battery charger topping of the batt, she popped right off. A lot of diesels around here stayed home that morning.