I'm new here and I can guess you get tired of this question, but I need to ask it anyway.

What truck/year do you recommend for for...?

I currently have an 05 F-250, 6.0 Diesel, 58K miles. Great truck, no problems. Wife uses it to pull a 2 horse trailer and not much else.

Also have an 04 F-350 6.0 Diesel, 180K miles, flatbed, and it is a pig that needs to be sent to the butcher. I use it on the farm hauling trailer loads up to 22K lb (150 mile round trips), would haul more if the truck was able. Everything that 6.0 is famous for going bad has gone bad on this truck. It requires repairs every two weeks and has never been quite right.

We soon will be living on the same farm and will be able to get by with one truck. Her's will not haul my trailer. Mine is a pig. So I'm considering getting rid of both of these trucks and getting a replacement 350 or possibly a 450. Something newer and would even go brand new if there is something significantly better for getting work done. Probably should be a Lariat pkg to keep the wife happy.

I much prefer manual trans, but recognize they are rare and perhaps not even available in Lariat, so I might go with the XLT pkg instead.

Is there a preferred year in the 2010 and newer range that would be best for my needs? If you need more info, I'm happy to share. Many thanks for any help you can give.

 

You say your f350 is a pig, as in, hard on fuel or just for the trouble you have with it??

 

Both a pig in MPG and trouble. Gets <7.5 mpg towing, <10 city and maybe 11 highway without a load.

As far as trouble, same old problems everyone else seems to have with the 6.0.

 

I work on a hay ranch and my work truck is a 2008 f350 4x4 with the 6.4 and 4.30 gears. by far the best towing truck i have ever used i haul 23 4x5 round bales with it and never had a problem pulling or stopping the weight. but i only get 6mpg towing that much and 12mpg hwy no tailer and empty bed.

 

Check out the 6.7 section. The new f450s are good for about 14ish unloaded. You can read about the good and the bad here lol


6.7L Power Stroke Diesel - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums