I have never owned or driven a 300 Inline 6. I had up until recently a 4 cylinder 2.3L Ford Ranger a 1984. She was running on two cylinders and rotting away. So my uncle gave me my grandfather's 1999 Ford F250 7.3L. It is a great truck and it does run and drive but it needs a lot of work. Needs major rust repair, a new bed, rear axle needs a new cover as its rusted, needa brake lines, one front hub and a spring hanger (snapped due to rust). In the mean time I would like another 3/4 ton truck. I drive 40 miles for work so I definitely would like the fuel economy of the 6 cylinder engine. I only really need the truck to do dump runs for the farm, haul firewood that I sell and small livestock that we sell (Goats, chickens etc) and lastly produce. I do use a single axle 5x10 dump trailer for some dump runs but that trailer usually contains light weight stuff or brush. I got a few 3/4 tons local to me with 300s. One is a 1987 F250 300 4spd T18 4x4 with a dumping 8ft factory bed and standard cab, second is a 1995 F250 300 4spd E4OD, 2wd standard cab 8ft bed and last is a 1994 F250 300 5spd ZF 2wd standard cab 8ft bed. I have seen that both the T18 and the ZF are good strong transmissions. All trucks with the manual trans have 4.10s the automatic has 3.55 gears. Online I have seen that an EFI 300 with 4.10s 2wd gets 17-20mpg while a 3.55 2wd 300 gets 16-18mpg. Fella with the 4spd 4x4 87 F250 says he gets about 20mpg puttin around and about 16 with a trailer goin down the local highway 55mph in 4th. Will an Inline 6 F250 be enough to pull a single axle dump ? I also have an equipment trailer for my Farmall Super C and Bobcat 742. Idk if the 300 can do it, i know a local landscaper tows his double axle dump and Case skidsteer with a 96 F150 302 5spd 4x4. Just trying to get an opinion from those more knowlegeable about fords than I.

 

I've owned em both and I will take the 302 over the 300 any day.

 

The gas mileage being quoted is quite optimistic if not fanciful.

I would select based on condition and equipment vs just the engine.

5 speeds or 4 speed OD automatics with 3.73-4.10-4.30​​ gearing will tow and run easier than the 4 speed manuals. No economy/Bonneville gears for towing anything.

 

That is only possible while cruising around at moderate speeds empty and not towing, when the truck is working you can expect 9-12mpg.

It can tow it but it's a 150hp motor so it won't be doing it fast or with any kind of authority, that requires a modern diesel. Same goes for the 302 though. I own an E250 with the 4.6L and 4.10 gears which also falls in the same category, it tows 5-6k fine at non hwy speeds.. that is the HD truck doing what is was meant for.. feels stable and under control, but the little V8 has to work really hard to produce any kind of accelleration.

 

Being a fan of the 300, I have found that making sure your gearing has the engine in the sweet spot is the key... My 66 F250/300/NP435/4.10's w/32's would avg 16+ and dip to 14's towing appx 8k at 55-60, my 79 F250/4x/300/NP435 w/33's empty driving it from CA to MO it avg. 18+ for 1800 miles, again, at 55-63, my 66 F100/300/T18/3.70's with 29's will return a nice 18+ at 55-62. Load my F250 with oak and driving in the mtns it drops to 12-14.

Personally I would lean towards the manual's and 4x and stay away from the auto's as they don't seem to perform as well with the 300 IMHO, as long as you stay 55-63 when driving on the fwy you'll be happy with the results, once you hop above that, mileage drops off, again, IME.

Yes, I towed my 16' Big Tex and tractor with both my 66 F250 and 79 F250, mileage drops, especially in the mtns where I live since you're either going up or going down, down on the flats, towing conservatively at 55 I would hover around 14-ish +/-

I would not have a 300 with anything lower than 3.73's and would definitely lean towards the 4.10's w/31-33" tires

Sold my dad my 89 F150/4x/300/NP435/3.73's w/31's and he loves it, avg's 16, he doesn't tow with it, neither did I, but I did load it pretty good with wet oak a few times and it did just fine.

Tires and gearing are key, try to run 35's with 4.10's and you'll hate it

 

I guess I should state the fuel mpg I listed were all cruising not towing that I found online. Secondly I live on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It is all flat land no mountains or large hills so climbing hills is no issue for me. The local highways are all maximum speed of 55mph and State Troopers grab you if you go more than 10 over that so I would never go faster than 65mph with a truck. Figured I would add that in case anyone would wonder about that information.

 

i actually got very good mileage but i couldnt tell you whati t was mathmatically, but i was towing at 70-75 in hilly terrain and pulling a fair amoutn of weight but it wasnt like another car on a trailer it was aero dynamic too. but the hills i would lose top speed and i had to deicde to let it into 4 sometimes when it went flat but kett it out of OD in hills lol. e4od 2wd half ton. 3.08 rear

 

another fan of the 300 six.
i would take a torque monster over a 302 any day.

 

Realistic expectations are hard to portray until you drive one. I am a fan of the 300 but you really need to drive one regularly to know what it will do. For your described use, I think it will do just fine. It will not be fast, but it will get there.

 

Call me an I6 fan. Not a hot rod, but extremely dependable and better low end torque than a 302. Enough room to sit next to it under the hood when you do have to work on it, too!

 

Ford brochure

Look at the graphs, this is the bricknose era i believe as the 5.0 hp leans towardsthe non-roller or early roller hp numbers. The 300 and 302 make almost identical tq below 2000 and arguably ( these are illustrations not dyno graphs) the 302 shows the same if not more tq at the 2000 rpm rating as the 300. But, it also carries it higher in the rpm band. The myth of the 300 house pulling torque comes from a time when farmers would order the 300 with a granny low manual transmission and a 4.56 or steeper gear set.
Hell, with my 95 f150 5.0 m5od and 3.55s I flat towed for 6 miles, a 2001 7.3 f250 super duty and tandem axle dump trailer that later scaled just about 15k pounds ( truck and trailer). It took a little finesse of the clutch to get it rolling, but that was more so I did not shock load the tow strap. Pick the truck that will have the brakes and suspension for what you will be doing, and the engine will do engine things.

 

I will say from experience, you can really lug the 300's compared to a V8, having towed and wheeled with both, the 300 doesn't care if it drops to 3-400 rpm, it will keep on chuggin, drop a V8 below 500 and they seem to get cantankerous, this is with a manual trans, I don't like auto's, so I don't have any to compare.

I'm going to be dropping a 302 in my 62 Willis w/T18, so we'll see how it does next summer getting lugged around, honestly I would've prefered to drop a 300 in, but the length is an issue in the CJ5's and I didn't feel like re-inventing the wheel on it, and I have a 302 doing nothing but collecting dust in my shop so... it was assigned the Jeep.

 

Small block Fords or Chevs drop right into those Jeeps (I think the T18 will slow you down though)
I think if you can stand the lack of power the 4.9 provides and the lower RPM power band, you'll love the 300-6 / 4.9
I've owned a few of both over the years, and wish I still had both my 4.2 and my 4.9 trucks
The 4.9 will lug down like the above post mentions and be fine
V6 and V8 will rod knock and throw a rod if you lug them down too much

 

I'v had my 94 for 14 years, other than replacing the starter motor, it has never let me down.

 

I bought all three of my 300s new, 78, 82, and 83, pre-efi and during the 55mph speed limit. The first two had that 4 sp OD - SROD maybe? - and the third was an F250 with a T18. Both half tons got 22 mpg hwy empty, the 3/4 ton got about 16, iirc. All three towed a 19’ ski boat all over Texas with no problem. I love me some 351 power like I have now, but I’d take another 300 in a heartbeat, especially with an hd manual.