I am pulling a very heavy 33 foot 5th wheel with a 94 Ram Dodge 2500 V10 gasser. I only move a few times a year. I am a fulltime RV'er.

I am a conservative driver. I seem to be in the Western mountains a good bit of the time. I am thinking of switching to a 1994 Ford Turbo Diesel F-350 with Gear Vendor. The V10 seems to be weak in the switchbacks, and I am reluctant to increase the "revs."

The Ford I am looking at has 85k true miles. My Dodge V10 has 120k. The Ford is a Super Cab. My Dodge is not a Super Cab. The Ford guy was looking for a 5th Wheel to tow, but has opted for a gasser 460 motorhome.

The Ford guy seems to take care of his vehicles, but he is the 2nd owner. He has been putting in the coolant additive and using the test strips for the 2 years he has owned the truck. Good or bad, he is using Mobile 1 for oil. He works for a trucking company.

I may be able to get $5K for my Dodge V10 2500, as it is mechanically perfect. The Ford guy is holding out for $10k for his Turbo Diesel. I know that he pulled the gear vendor while troubleshooting a transmission problem. The trouble was found and fixed with a new torque converter. The gear vendor has to be put back in.

He has put on 4 new Cooper 10 ply tires, but did not replace the 2 rear inside tires.

Is it worth it for me to spend the extra $5k to upgrade? I would like to have more low end torque. I would also like to feel safer coming down these mountains. I want to feel safe rather than on the edge.

I am not really worried about gas milage. I am more worried about feeling confident in my truck. Will the dually and the turbo diesel give that to me? I can add improvements to my V10 non-dually, if needed.

Bill

 

Seems a little high priced for a 94. Is it a powerstroke or the idi turbo diesel?

 

i have a 94 ford turbo diesel, remember it is rated at 190 hp, and about 400 ft pounds torque, not putting the ford down but the only place that the ford will be better is 5500 ft or higher i belive your dodge is rated at 300 hp and 450 ft pounds torque, so do your home work. by the way i love my truck but its a a leasurly ride at times, its stock.

 

I will go back over the specs. I thought the Ford IDI Turbo had more HP..

 

The diesel will not help you coming down the hills. They do not hold back that well.
The dual tires will be a big step up in stability driving with the trailer on.
Ford offered both the IDI turbo diesel and the Power Stroke turbo diesel in 94.
The power was about the same in both.
If the truck has the IDI diesel the Mobil 1 is OK to run
If the truck has a Power Stroke the Mobil 1 is not OK, it should be Mobil Delvac 1 in them. (Extra antifoaming agents for the high pressure oil pump that fires the injectors)
The gear vendors unit is about 3000 installed.
You could also look at installing an exhaust brake that would give you confidence coming down the hills.

 

Seems a little high, but If it's well taken care of, she might be worth it.

 

It does sound a little pricey, but as Raised with Fords said, if it was well taken care of and you can trust the "Ford Guy" with the info he gives you, it might just be worthwhile to get it. There are pros and cons to both vehicles you mentioned, I think that you need to get in and feel which one feels more comfortable to you! I wouldn't look too much at the price, but at what is most efficient and trustworthy to you! Good luck!!!

 

But you are not thinking about the Gear Vendors unit. Take that 3000 off the price and you are only looking at 7000 for the truck. That is not a bad price for a 94 in good condition, I would even call that a good deal.

I would not even consider selling my 86 for 7000 since it only has 8500 miles on the 7.3 turbo now.