well, i was set to buy a new duramax 2500 but have decided to go with a new superduty for 2 reasons - more head room - my head touches the celine and i just cant get over the gm looks. i still believe the ford is the best truck with the most unproven engine. i would love a superduty with a duramax/allison but that is not going to happen. after a long test drive i find the superduty the most comofortable and quiet. the decision is made - i am ordering a 4x4 cc king ranch. thumbs up from the wife.

my needs
1) daily driver. this is the most important. work is 4 miles - 45-55mph the whole way. i am not the type of driver who puts around - i have things to do. acceleration more important than speed. lots of shorter trips as i live 2 miles from a small town. most miles will be trips under 60 miles. also a hunting vehicle.
2) towing - i have a 20ft tilt trailer, bobcat toolcat, and multiple skid steer attachments weighing up to 1700 lbs - i will tow up to 11,700 lbs for trips under 200 miles (usually 30-45miles) 1-2 times per month. this is why i need a superduty. this is not work related - maintenance of personal properties.
3) cold in winter - northern wi. it will be in a heated garage at night but outside all day. i can't plug it in (hospital).
4) ride comfort is important. no 20inch rims for me - 18 king ranch.
5) price will not be a big factor between models/options.
6) reliability - i work a lot! i don't have time for lots of trips to the dealer (2miles from the house). this is where the v10 wins

which should i order?
1) 250 vs 350 - i test drove a 350. after reading all the posts here it sounds like there is not much diff - axle rating and spacer? any difference in ride quality? any need at 11,700 trailer wt for the 350?
2) v10 vs 6.4 - i have read too many posts on this. simple questions - both will do the job for me. will i really potentially damage a psd running it on lots of short trips? i am leaning towards the dz - only neg would be cold starting, lots of short trips, and noise level. i can't find a v10 to test drive. i fear it would be tough to sell as everyone around here want a dz.

which is quieter? which is better for passing from 55 to 75 empty. which is a better daily driver empty? i liked the psd a lot but have nothing to compare it to as no v10's are avail to test drive.

thx
ts

 

The V-10 is a great motor. Lots of short drives, occasional towing and driveability make the V-10 a real good choice. It is quieter, it is fun to drive and it is a lot cheaper. I know you said the price was not a factor but I thought I would throw that in there. They will both pass really good at 55-75. The PSD will get better mpg if you get the 3.73 gears. I have 1 of each and this is the 3rd V-10 I have had. They are great motors. So far the 6.4 is a great motor. If mods are your thing the PSD will offer more options.

 

I would go with F-350 PSD for that trailer would be the best choice and maybe 4.10 rear end to get moving and mpg should be bad.

 

6.4 with 4.10 gears= 11-12 mpg are you ready for that?

 

Agree with Kimminau, V10 with the tow boss package (4.30's will do a great job hauling up to 15k) I've learned since joining the V10 is a well proven motor. and the newer one is superior to what my 99 was. I pushed my v10 beyond the normal towing over 16k with it for 4 years. Love my new 450 though, will be upgrading to a 19k 5ver Also I wound go with a 350 crew cab for a better ride. Second choice would be the 6.4 with 3.73's. Ya a King Ranch they are Beautiful for sure. No matter what choice you make the new Ford is great choice.

 

F350 with 3.73's in the rear will be fine. I don't care for the v10 due to fuel consumption with a load is twice as bad as the diesel IMO. As far as choosing Ford over Chevy, I am surprised you didn't mentioned the seatbelt integrated into the seat(unless they changed that). This was one of four reasons I went with another Ford this time and it was probably the biggest reason. Very uncomfortable for anyone tall.

 

I had the same requirements, and bought the diesel. Now I wish I would not have. The cost increment for the diesel is high, the cost of diesel is much higher here in Oregon and continues to get worse. You must lift the cab to work on the diesel. I believe you can now get the Torqshift auto tranny with the V10's.There was a magazine article showing the V10 towed fairly well. No PDF's and regen's to worry about. Don't get me wrong, I do like my truck but regret not giving the V10 a look over. Had I know my mileage was going to average 12, i would have looked at the gasser.

 

Because of your #1 need I don't think you'd be happy with the 6.4 - v10 if you like the Super Duty - good truck

Don't know what configuration you looked at in the Chevy but I'm 6' 2" and my head doesn't hit ??? Your trailer is almost identical weight to mine and I have no probelms with the D/A 2500.

P.S
Live in northern WI. as well - no problems with cold starts.

 

Stay away from GM!! Not Heavy Duty Enough!!!! No Solid Axle, and way less GVWR's. Also the rear seat leg room on the crew cab is considerably less that Ford's. IMO get the 6.4 F-350 Fuel mileage is a huge consideration and the motor will only get better mileage in time. Plus you will have enough spare GVWR's if you get into something larger to tow.

 

Same towing conditions and mty I average 1 mpg better with the 6.4 that I did with the V10. So right now cost per mile is less with the V10.

 

Did you go with an auto in the Diesel? This will kill at a minimum 2 mpg maybe even 3 mpg. I noticed your gasser was a stick. This could be an added kick in the pants for you. I really wish I had gone with another stick in my 08. I don't like pulling with the auto because the gas mileage suffers, the auto tow haul really does not work as well and quite frankly the control of the vehicle and trailer is a lot less. I do like it for in town driving but I really don't do that too often.

 

Are you serious? You don't like the Tow/Haul, I think it works great! Holds me back towing my 30' Fifth wheel and Atv's behind that awesome. I can attest to this per my constant pulling over Monarch Pass, Wolf Creek Pass, Vail Pass in Colorado. Granted this is with an 05' with the 6.0 and I am not sure if that changed in 08' with the 6.4, but I can't imagine that it would.

 

Yep, don't like it at all for towing. Pulling up Stevens Pass with only 23,000 GVCW and I start to slow down in one really steep section which really does not matter to me. The real issue I have is that when I come down the pass the downshifting actually locks up the rear wheels and has made the truck slide sideways when coming down at 45 mph. Don't really need to say anything more about the lack of control the "auto" gives you. I thought it might have been an odd occurence so I did the same thing the next time I came down the pass and lo and behold it did it again. Also, how does that tow/haul mode work on snow? Your supposed to not use it if you read your manual. I prefer a stick for towing, period.

 

Oh yeah, forgot to mention fuel consumption. Much more consumption on the auto. My brother law has an 2005 6.0 liter auto and his gets much worse mileage than my 2004 6 speed manual. I haven't heard yet about the 6.4 liter but just the mechanics of spooling an automatic up should be good for a couple of mpg better on a manual tranny. Just food for thought though.

 

My 99 was a stick, yes I believe the 08 with a stick would be 1-2mpg better. I've always had sticks. Did a lot of research on the torqshift trans. It is an amazing transmission. I really really like the tow haul for control. It is really fantastic in a panic stop. Coming down a steep hill in the Poconos this summer a BMW spun out. Everyone was locking up on the brakes. I could not believe how well I stopped in perfect control. Transmission kept downshifting the right amount. Nothing on my truck or trailer locked up. Biggest problem was I found with the stick on the Super duty, is a takes a long time to get to 30mph it is slow shifting between gears because it was such a heavy duty trans. Coming off traffic lights towing the 5vr was no problem keeping up with traffic with the new auto.