Hello all I am hoping there are enough guys on here with experience to help me out. I have purchased a 4 horse bumper pull trailer. I am looking to upgrade trucks since my 78f250 with a 400 wont tow 4 horses around. I have been looking at late 90's with a 460, 99-03 with a v10 and the obvious diesel. I will only be towing the trailer with 1 or 2 horses once a month and only loading it with 4 horses a couple times a year for hunting season. My dilemma is the truck is only used for towing the horses and hauling hay. I will be driving the truck less than 10,000 miles a year. Would the huge purchase price of a diesel be worth it or could I get by with a gas engine? Any and all advise is appreciated. Thanks.

 

I would say no you don't need a diesel. I pull a three horse bumper pull trailer often and I did it for years with a 5.4 before my current 6.2 gas pot. The 5.4 sure didn't pull it like a diesel would but it made it everywhere we went just fine. A 460 or v-10 would have zero issues with a 4 horse bumper pull imo.

 

i have a 460,v-10,6.2 gas and two powerstrokes. they are all good engines and work fine, if you want a low cost no thrills powerhouse then a 460 is the way to go, it has more tq than my 3 valve v-10 pulling by far, the 460 i have has 420k miles and does not use any oil! the v-10 turns faster but to me it is not as strong as 460 or the 6.2 i have. if you go to a low cost oil burner i love the 6.0 or 6.4 but if you go that route do not mess with engine and leave stock and you will be good.
a 460 may not set a land record but they are tough and keeps going and you can expect 10-12mpg

 

Thanks for the input guys. I think you just made up my mind. I found a 1996 f-250 extra cab, 460, automatic, power everything, new tires, tunnel cover, trailer brakes with controller, 134k original owner for 6K. Going to check it out tonight.

 

There is no question that the diesel will pull better and get better mpg doing it, but will cost a lot more to buy and maintain. If you can do your own repairs and willing to learn the 6.0 systems there are some good buys on them. judging from the years you are looking at I would guess you are looking to spend under $10,000. I picked up a 2007 F350 Crew Cab lariat 4X4 6.0 for $9600. I have put another $500 in parts so far. I know head gaskets may be in the future, but I am able to do the work myself. Gassers can also need work, learn about the spark plugs on the newer motors. As you know, buying a used truck is always a gamble, you can stack the odds in your favor by due diligence, but you still never know.
Do you know about what your GCVW will be? That might make a difference what years would work the best.
You are not too far from me, I can keep a lookout for a truck for you.

 

I do all my own vehicle repairs so that will help keep the cost down. I have had nothing and heard nothing but bad things about the 6.0l. One of the guys I go hunting with is on his second motor under warranty with less than 100k on his work truck. I just replaced a transmission for my neighbor on his with only 60k on his truck. I helped replace injectors and a turbo on another. I hope you the best luck with your 6.0 but I want to avoid any ford newer than a 2002. I appreciate you offering to look out for me. I think since its my third vehicle and only used for towing I am probably just going to get a 460 and re-gear it and add air bags. I have looked at a couple of 7.3l and they all have 275k+ miles on them. That might not be high mileage for a WELL cared for diesel but from my past experience the majority of the diesels on the road are driven very hard and maintenance is skipped. You are spot on with the trying to spend 10k or less though. I would like to pay cash so I don't have a truck payment sitting in the driveway for 11 months out of the year.

 

you will like a 460,be sure to change oil every 3000 miles which has been the secret to mine as old as it is, 134k miles is nothing if it is took care of

 

also factor rear end options

 

My last 6.0 had 335,000 on it, engine was replaced at 230,000. my current has 200,000. bought from original owner with impeccable maintenance, not worried at all. The auto in the 6.0/6.4 are really good trans, unless hot-rodded they hold up well. Keep the engine coolant and oil changed and monitor the oil temps to tell when the oil cooler is plugging are keys. Understand and monitor the HPOP system is the other part. I did a lot of research on them before I bought one. They are probably the best buys in a Diesel truck, because of there reputation. Really, the aftermarket has fixed all of the 6.0 shortcomings.
But I agree that in your application a gas might be a better choice.

 

what i see guys do is tune a 200 hp setting on a truck then go tow 20k and run it wide open all the time and they wonder why engine melts? or they do not do any maintenance and wonder why the failure? i agree i think a 460 would be best for him

 

Seems like there are some great buys on 3/4 and 1 ton gassers, plus the seem to be lower milage than their diesel counterparts. Considering how crazy the used diesel market is a gasser is a no brainer, you can buy a significant amount of fuel with the money saved on a nice used Gas Super Duty.

 

see below....

 

True, but in my experience one can run out of power with gas engines, and that can mean the difference between making it to where you are going or not.

I used to only own gas engined trucks until I came into a dilemma that changed my mind forever. I towed a heavy, long TT (37'/11k lbs.)through mountains with an F350 CCSB 4x4 V10 (early 275HP version) with 3.73 gearing. It nearly didn't make it. At the top of the mountain when I stopped for fuel (very often at 4mpg/170 mi. per tank), the banks headers were glowing, the trans temp was approaching 240 and I was crawling at 22-25 MPH for 26 miles. Later on, even after the supercharger installation, 4.88 gearing and custom tuning, it was still not enough. I had to make the move to diesel and I haven't looked back. I started with an early 7.3L, went to a SD 7.3L (for about a week) and landed on my current 6.0L.

Yes, oil changes run about $85, and things can break/wear-out/fail, but the fuel savings and towing capability outweigh replacing an engine that has spent half it's life screaming at high RPM because it was rated to tow more weight than it actually could. Fuel economy was a big thing for my decision. That damn V10 literally went 170 miles on a tank while towing. Unloaded I could barely get more than 230 miles. I AVERAGE 12 MPG towing 11k with my 6.0L. When it's unloaded (which is just about never) I get 16 MPG. This being said, I've had to do some work to it for it so be even marginally reliable. I've had to delete the egr cooler, install head studs and new head gaskets, clean the turbo, replace the fan clutch and install a new oil cooler along with a coolant filter setup. Ever since then though, it's been just as reliable as a gas engine.

 

Thor you can justify a diesel, most people cant.

 

The 460 does not make more horsepower than a V10. The 460 also does not make more torque than a V10.