I know its been a while but I've been researching these trucks and have found several people in a similar situation that I'm in. I keep seeing a bunch of naysayers saying "don't get a diesel, get a f150 or a Ranger". I don't really want to settle for a smaller truck. I have always loved the f250 and the f350 super duty trucks. I loved the look of them better than the f150 and I want a diesel mainly because I'm a diesel fan. Always have been. I do understand that If I buy a diesel, it would have to be worked and properly maintained. This truck would also be used for daily driving. I was thinking I could use the truck to pull my lawn service gear and then maybe on the weekends haul a slide in camper down to a state park. Probably a 2-3 hour drive every weekend. So should I go for the Super Duty if I find a good deal on one?

Thanks again for all the help!!

 

Should I buy it, it has 'X' color coolant?
Should I buy it, there's a lot of 'X' color smoke coming out the tail pipe?
Should I buy it, it has X number of miles?
Should I buy it, the difference between the oil and coolant temp was X*F?

Those are the type of questions that guys on here can answer for you, and the type of stuff you should be researching before you pull the trigger on a 6.0. Should I buy it because I like the sound of a diesel engine is one only you can answer.

One friend of mine who owns his own residential roofing business went to gassers in his small fleet because it was one less complaint he had to worry about when he wanted to start his day early in residential neighborhoods.

With todays tow packages, the F-150's are very capable. Especially if you are pulling a landscape trailer with mowers and such, which can be long if you get a 16' or 14' .... but not heavy. For heavy loads like stone, wet mulch, etc., you're probably going to be looking at some sort of dump truck eventually and I doubt you'll want that as a daily driver.

I had F150's for 9 years and I loved them. I love my Superduty too and I love the sound of the diesel engine. I have 2 of them ... powerstroke and a cummins so I can appreciate what you mean about wanting to own and drive one.

No engine runs forever, and things do break. Just be prepared for the fact that a 6.0 can be costly to fix if certain parts break, much more so than the gas engines in a F150 ... or the gas engines in a Superduty for that matter. I loved the 5.4L triton that was in my 3 personal F150's. 6 of our fleet vehicles also had the 5.4L and we never had a single issue, and we racked up some miles! You can get a 2nd hand Superduty with the 5.4L triton.

Oil changes are more expensive on a diesel superduty v's gas F150.
Air filters are more expensive on a diesel superduty v's gas F150.
Tires are usually more expensive on a diesel superduty v's gas F150.
Brakes are more expensive on a diesel superduty v's gas F150.
Any type of front end work (hubs, ball joints, etc) is more expensive on a diesel superduty v's gas F150.
Where I live taxes are more expensive on a diesel superduty v's gas F150.

All things to consider if you are starting out trying to get a business going.
Best of luck which ever way you choose to go.

If you do want to pull the trigger on a particular 6.0, come back here for info on what to look for when test driving a second hand powerstroke.