My wife and I have a small cow-calf operation and I am looking to at V-10 for towing cattle trailers, hay trailers, generalhauling, etc. and would really appreciate any and all advice.

We have a 1988 F-240 4x4 SC (460 V8) with a feedbox and bale spear right now and looking to either upgrade it or (preferably) add a V-10 engined truck for towing/hauling. Ideally the wife wants a Crewcab for hauling the kids with us while we use it on our ranch.

Not looking at Powerstrokes...been there and done that, but the world is changing and between the price of a new/used Powerstrokes AND the price of diesel fuel there is NO way we could pencil it out.

Specifically we are wondering:
1) F-350 or F-250 OR does it matter much?
2) Is there a specific year that we should look for (heard there were some issues with the early V-10s)?

Thanks!

 

There is very little difference between the F-250 and F-350 physically. The F-350s have a higher GVWR rating, usually have 4" blocks in the back compared to the 2" blocks in the F-250 (higher rear height on F-350) and sometimes have a slightly higher spline count on the axle.

The 05up trucks have the most power with the 6.8l 3V and come with the 5speed auto trans which will tow the best out of all the previous. How much do you plan on towing and how frequently? Whats your price range?

 

Thanks...Guessing around 15,000 pounds or so (6 hay bale trailer/24 foot livestock trailer mainly). Hauling will be seasonal mostly...Heavy use in the spring/summer and light in the winter. Trying to stay under $20K otherwise the payments would be too high for us (land/feed/fuel payments are eating us alive as it is).

 

To tow a 15k lb trailer (5er or gooseneck) you are going to want to look at a a 2005-2010 F-350 SRW or DRW with the 6.8l 3V with the auto 5R110 and preferably 4:30 gears. A crew cab configured like that has a fiver/goosneck tow rating of 16,200 lbs in 4x4 and 16,600 lbs in 4x2 SRW form. An f-250 would do the job tow rating wise however you may max out the F-250s GVWR depending on how much pin weight your trailer has. The 99-04 250 and 350 are not rated to tow 15k lbs. For $20k you should be able to find a nice 05 up V10 CC truck especially a 2wd. The crew cabs are nice and roomy and are easier to find.

Here is a link to tow guides for different year trucks so you can see the capacities.

Hiller Ford - Trailer Towing Guides

 

Did a quick ebay search for the F350 2005- 2009 and there are a couple in the price range but you would have to travel to get them.
Personally I would stay in the 2005 or newer year range just because of the extra power to engines(3V) beefier frames and bigger brakes and torque shift transmission. Also if you don't mind the DRW that would be a plus pulling in the higher weight range . Better to have and not need it than need it and not have it.

Don't hesitate to ask any question we'll help you spend any money you might or might not have.

 

Hey as for buying out of state, I did it and would do it again in a heartbeat. I found my truck online at a dealership in Logan, Utah. Since I live in Northern California (very near the Oregon border) it was about 1100 miles for me, which seems insane. But my bank did the loan work for me ahead of time, I grilled the car lot repeatedly about every little detail and bought a plane ticket. My local dealers were worthless and refused to even look, they all wanted to sell diesels, period. But I spend less than maybe $700 for a plane ticket, car rental, gas to get home, a motel room in Winnemucca, Nevada (free coffee and donuts!) and food. I chisled the car lot out of $300 on the price, which was about the cost of the plane ticket. I only had to miss one day of work (left at 5:00 am on Friday, got home at 4:00 pm on Saturday) and had a blast. BTW, I also love the V10, although to be honest paying $4.10 for gas and getting 11.5 mpg on winter blend (easy 13 mpg on summer blend gas) is getting old.

 

I have one that I'm selling for a buddy that passed away, pm me. 54k 2001 350