The truck is amazing to drive. This is my third diesel. In order: A 2001 Clubwagon Chateau 7.3 PowerStoke. Great van. 250ish HP and torque in the mid 400s. Next was an '07 F350 6.0 PSD. HP in mid 300s and torque in the mid 500s. Great truck. The 6.0 was a smoother and quieter than the 7.3 but still very much a diesel. I traded the '07 for the F250 last September. The 6.7 has the full modern DPF emissions package thus it has virtually no smoke and only a hint of diesel scent and that is mostly limited to startup. Also, its quiet, as in not really any louder than a modern gas engine. At cold start it clatters some but once warm you hear the diesel sound, its just not very loud. Inside the truck you might as well be driving a new Lincoln.

The torque is astounding. I hear people say this or that truck pulls their trailer like it isn't back there. Well, this truck _really_ does. The trailer weights 9k lbs fully loaded and with the trailer the truck can do 0-60 in about 10 seconds. Towing through the Allegheny mountains on I-68 I have never needed more than half throttle for any of the climbs, including the 8 mile, 6% grade at Cooper's Rock, which it climbs in 5th gear at 75+ mph.

 

First towing duties......felt fine but then again, i don't really know what to expect. Sometimes it would feel "shaky" but I didn't know whether to attribute it to the road surface or a mechanical problem. I think I'll take it to a service shop and tell the to give a full once over based on my intentions of towing a big travel trailer. I don't want to invite repair bills, but I think it would be good to get an idea of any potential issues.

 

Wow! that is very impressive performance. I sometimes wonder what the 0-60 on our van is unladen... maybe 10 seconds? the [2V] 5.4 is sure reliable and durable, but no powerhouse.
We used to drive that I-68 thru western MD and WV just about every year, had a mid-80s Caravan for a while that kicked down to 2nd and SCREAMED all the way up those long grades... would just barely hold 65 mph with the pedal planted in the carpet (not exactly the good old days )

 

Yeah, first time I towed with a friend's F350, 6.7 PSD I was shocked. I owned the '07 F350 6.0 I mentioned above. I thought the F350/6.0 made a great tow vehicle until I towed with his. His trailer was a 36' gooseneck and much heavier than mine. I was sold right then and there. The truck never ceases to amaze me. It drives and rides so nicely. Is as quiet and comfortable as a new Lincoln, even pulling the trailer. I have yet to find any situation that stresses the motor.

I tow that stretch of I-68 several times a year going to events in the midwest (I currently live 60 miles west of DC). The red/gray clubwagon I posted the pick of above towed that stretch pretty well given its a 5.0 and hauling 5000 lbs. At 300K miles the motor lost a little of its sharpness but it still pulled smoothly. I would drop to 2nd nearing the top of the Sideling Hill Climb (headed west) but does the rest of them in 3rd without too much fuss. I regularly tow the I-77 climb at Fancy Gap at the Virginia/NC state line, also Monteagle Mountain on I-24 between Nashville and Chattanooga in Tennessee. The new truck just doesn't care.

The 6.0 F350 PSD did those climbs in 3rd (5 speed automatic) without fuss but it was working pretty hard and took most of the throttle to maintain speed. I used to tell people who asked that the F350 6.0 PSD did a pretty good job of flattening the mountains but with the new truck the earth is flat. There are no mountains.

 

I'd like to see how it does in the Sierras and the Rockies
Probably works well there too but I'm just curious

 

 

^^^ That's a nice clean look
I like those wheels and the blue stripe!

 

A few updates to the Brew Van. New Wheels (smaller) and some touch up paint here and there. Best looking band van in town.

 

 

Yeah, that's a great looking van. I had a friend that liked my van so much he wanted one. He ended up buying an E350 cargo van with a 7.3 PSD in it. He then bought the doors, seats, tilt steering column and first row bench seat from a salvaged XLT Clubwagon and swapped his out so it had a tilt column, power seats and nice doors with power windows and mirrors. Next he put an aftermarket side window opposite the side doors and a partition behind the 1st row bench. Finished it off with some nice carpet, a set of wheels and sprayed that lower area with black bedliner. Behind the partition are some shelves for tools and equipment. He tows a 24' car hauler similar to mine. Its a great van and looks way cooler than the $5K he spent on it.

 

I love the way this van looks! I wish my passenger van had windows like that. what kind of wheels are those?

 

 

I would never cut holes in a solid van, looks nice but I hate windows.

 

dang those windows look great for scrapyard windows.. i didnt think you could reuse windows like that.. makes me want to do that to my white cargo van as well now.. hmmm

 

Wow - that sounds like a great deal!