Plowing
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 1,485
Likes: 3
Plowing
F250s are certainly strong enough to put a plow on, but 350s are better because of the heavier front suspension. Deisel engines arent recommended for plowing because of their extra weight. If you do get a 250, I recommend getting a 351W to keep as much weight off of the TTB suspension as possible. Either gas engine in a 350 would be fine. I also recommend finding a truck with a C6 transmission. If you can only find OD trannies, make sure you get 4.11-1 axle gears to take some of the load off of the tranny. I personally plow with a 95 F350, 460FI,C6,3.55 gears with an 8' Western Pro Plow. Its a pretty nice set up.
Nathan
Nathan
Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
Plowing
You can buy lots of aftermarket parts for the TTB-IFS F-250s including different springs, most will probably be softer though. The F350 springs probably won't mount up as the suspension is designed for a solid axle. The 7.3L Navistar IDIs and later 7.3L Navistar POWERSTROKE DIs came with leaf springs in the front suspension on F-250 4X4s. All F-350 4X4s also came with front leaves. I am personnaly partial to Diesel for power & mileage reasons, but if you want a lighter truck buy a 351w. The 351 will give you 12-14 hwy MPG, the 460 6-12, and the Diesel 12-20 MPG. Depends a lot on the axle ratio. In a Diesel you ought to opt for a 3.55:1 as it works better with the powerband above 40 MPH, otherwise go with the aforementioned 4.10:1s and add some lockers. If you can't find the right ratio, don't forget that you always have low range... But the other gentlemen is right, a 4.10:1 will take a lot of stress off your drivetrain. Don't forget to get a block heater and a transmission cooler (E4OD trans especially).
