I had a 2012 F-150 V8 CC short box. Loved it. Used it to pull our 7000 lb TT. However on one trip to the Oregon coast the TT just pushed that half ton around. Not bad but I had to constantly watch the TT and the pickup and other vehicles etc. In 2015 we upgraded to a 2016 F-350 6.7L CC long box with 3.31. The 3.31 and 3.55 were rated at some tow/pull/haul amounts. We pull a trailer of some sort 1/3 of the time and it is our reg transportation with the kids the other 2/3 so was also looking for a bit more fuel economy. The F-350 barely knows the TT is even there, if it wasn't having to extend the mirrors. My advice with DEF is do not fill up until you are below 50%. Seen a lot on here that get error messages if they continuously fill it up. I started using the PM22 but I get better performance and fuel economy with the diesel power service stuff. I started using the term fuel up rather than get gas and I am the only one to fuel it up. If you accidentally put gas in do not even put the key in, if you turn it the pump will push gas through and cost you more. I use our car when I know it is a very short trip, just a few blocks, but other than that haven't worried too much about 5 to 10 miles trips and I have 30,000 miles so far.

 

On the fueling, and I'll add one to the list, is the color of the handle.
I've used a black handle for diesel, at a truck stop.
I normally see green handles in SoCal for diesel, but green means something different in the Eastern part of the US from what I've read, I think it's the E85 (85% ethanol )
I've read that back East yellow can mean diesel, since green is something else....
Yellow at the local Arco is the 85% ethenol.

Confusing, yes.You will never get a diesel nozzle to fit in an modern unleaded tank, but any of them will fit in a diesel truck tank.

When I filled up at the truck stop last weekend, I seen black handle and pulled forward (thinking that was gas), then found the fwd one to be gas with the different octane selections. Then I back up to the other pump and it was diesel with a black handle.
The DEF handle was behind a panel so it shouldn't be that easy to grab that and fill your fuel tank by accident. Shouldn't be.... I checked the nozzle, smelled the nozzle, checked it again, started to fuel, checked the smell again, then filled the tank.
Worth the extra minute or so to make sure.

I like the idea of a jug in the bed to test the first quart of so for sediment and water.

 

My 16 is my first diesel and have no towing experience yet. Lots of good advice here. About the DEF, if you live in a cold winter region of the country like I do Here in Western New York, buy yourself a Ford Dealer DEF factory filler neck. It only works on the factory DEF container. This prevents the DEF tank from being overfilled and breaking the neck of the DEF tank when the fluid freezes. It's cheap. I think I paid about 10 dollars for it?

The fuel moisture problem is a definite worry. Pick a good fuel additive and run one. I use K100. Use it at every fillup but that's just me. I have not had any problems. If not, read the factory manual and it will tell you how to check the frame mounted filter/pump (DFCM) for water in the fuel by draining a little fuel from the bottom.

Only when it got real cold, did I plug the block heater in. It starts easier and the oil is warmer than the outside air. It let's the engine get warmer quicker. Let the truck get warm before you hammer it, probably 100 degrees. Because I don't tow yet, I run the factory Super Duty 10w30 oil, plus I'm under warranty.

My last truck was a 96 F350 351W. Remember one thing, being cool ain't cheap. If you're getting into a diesel truck, the cost of maintenance and fuel is more.

Here in WNY, we have green and yellow handles for diesel. Black ones are gasoline.

The 6.7 is quiet but I still like the sound from the engine that I hear in the cab when I'm driving.

 

The ford DEF filler does fit the Walmart jugs but I mostly buy the ford stuff.

 

I towed my 10K GVWR fifth wheel with a 2011 F150 Ecoboost before trading up to an F350 for the same fiver. To be honest, there was a bigger difference going from a 2003 Tundra with the 4.7 V8 towing a 5000 lb trailer (struggled and high RPMs) to the Ecoboost towing the 10K fiver which the F150 did without much effort. Turbos make all the difference in towing by putting the power down low. The F350 Powerstroke is slightly more comfortable for a 10K fiver than the Ecoboost, but gets 2-3 mpg better mileage. I plan to cap my fiver weight at 15K, with the SRW, but would prefer even lighter as I don't want to exceed 35' in a fiver.

 

 

Did not know that, thanks.

You live in a warm climate. Us cold weather folk have to worry about overfilling in the winter time.

 

 

My $0.02 worth. Never EVER run your diesel out of fuel. If the DEF tank display says 'less than 1/2 tank' then there is room for a full 2.5 gallon container (no over flow). When the truck has been working hard, especially towing, allow it to idle and cool off the turbo for a few minutes before stopping the engine. The exhaust regeneration will do it's thing ... don't worry about it as long as you have some continuous 20 mile driving distances now and then. As mentioned before .... ABSOLUTE concentration is required when starting to fuel up to select DIESEL.

 

I forgot to mention to let the turbo cool down after toeing my 5er. I never shut it off when fueling up while toeing. Not a problem just driving around town but when the truck is working hard I just let it run to cool them down. You may not need to do that with the 15 and newer turbo design but it cant hurt to let it idle for 5 minuets.
Thanks Fishing for reminding me. I never think about it i just do it.
Because i use my truck for towing I always use full synthetic oil. I buy as much Ford products as I need. I spent so much monsy on this truck and I want it to outlast me I don't chose aftermarket oil or parts. They may be just as good and cheaper but It's what came on the truck.
Make a friend with your parts guy and he may cut you a deal. Mine is nice to me and i buy him a case of beer every so often.
I also buy doughnuts for the shop when I bring my truck in for service. Tell me that if a guy buys you a doughnut that you will be extra careful with his truck.

 

Really not much different. The engine sounds a little different, fill it with diesel instead of gas, that's basically it. If you want to go further, you should drain the water separator monthly (Ford's recommendation) and maybe put some PM22 Ford additive in it. If you live in a climate that gets very cold, you should put PM23 anti-gel additive in it. This past winter in NH we experienced unusually cold weather, with night after night being between -10F and -20F or so. My fuel gelled and my truck wouldn't run. If it did start, I would get the reduced power message and the truck would barely move. It required changing the fuel filter on the frame.

I like driving a diesel. You'll notice how the truck won't downshift much on uphills to maintain speed. You'll just see the turbo boost gauge moving to make more boost. Pretty relaxing. But water in the fuel system can mean big trouble, like $9k out of pocket. Warranty won't cover water in fuel because it's not Ford's fault.

As far as refueling, I sure as heck don't go through the ritual some members are posting about sniffing nozzles and pumping into a glass jar. Just go to a reputable fuel station that you know sells a fair amount of diesel and that's that.

 

Great responses to bfisher003 about what's different about driving a diesel. One thing that I would like to add is that repairs are expensive in comparison to a gasser. If you don't do your own repairs, find a great service person somewhere, and make sure he gets to know you and your truck. You don't want anybody with a wrench working on it. Finally, I am generally not a fan of extended warranties, but in the case of my 2011 F-350, it has paid off. Good luck.

 

I've never bought extended warranties until I bought my '15. Probably because I've always been able to do my own repairs but for $3-4,000 and the cost to repair these things it will pay for itself if you only use it once. It doesn't even need to be a catastrophic failure.

 

Bought my BaseCare warranty with 87,000 mi on my 2011 - do a lot of travelling far from home, was worried about the exhaust valve and other issues associated with the early 2011's. Two mos. after purchasing the warranty, the turbo went on me. The Ford shop in Oregon had a new turbo installed in 2 days, and gave me a loaner in the meantime. Happy.