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Old Sep 14, 2008 | 09:08 AM
  #1  
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From: East of Seattle
Need help choosing a truck

Hi all. I'm looking for a 7.3 PSD truck to simultaneously carry a camper and haul an enclosed car or horse trailer. I'm seeking an automatic, crew cab, long bed 4x4, F-350 SRW, less than 200K miles. Will be used as a workhorse, not a daily driver.

I've used the search function and know enough to avoid the 6.0, and am aware of the CPS and maybe a couple of other issues (weak tranny?). I'm looking for advice on which year of truck is preferable, which options are detrimental, known weaknesses, etc. Is there a particularly strong year of manufacture for these trucks?

Thanks!
 
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Old Sep 14, 2008 | 09:13 AM
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Welcome to FTE.
.

You want to do all that with a SRW?
You really need to consider a dually if you are going to be carrying a camper and pulling a trailer at the same time.
 
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Old Sep 14, 2008 | 09:16 AM
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welcome to FTE..you came to the right place....here is all you need to know..like KWIKK said think about DRW...

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...questions.html
 
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Old Sep 14, 2008 | 10:06 AM
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From: East of Seattle
Thanks for that link, it's helpful.

I'd like to avoid a dually. I hardly have the space for a full size truck. In this crowded suburb, my driveway is chock-full of old sports cars and motorcycles under attractive bright blue covers and tarps, and I somehow have two trailers squeezed in there in addition to the wife's trusty but ugly 4Runner. Yeah, my fussy neighbors with the Priuses and Volvos barely tolerate me. Especially when the wife and I have minibike races in the front yard. Well, that's more info than you fellas need to know.

More practically speaking, I'd be carrying a lighter camper, the towing will be <5K lbs, and I'd like to maintain some semblance of reasonable mileage. So, no dually.

I saw somewhere a guy was congratulated on his new purchase for having a floor mounted transfer case selector as opposed to the dash mounted switch. Is that switch really a weak point? I've got my eye on a Lariat with that option.
 
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Old Sep 14, 2008 | 10:13 AM
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From: Rio Rico, AZ.
Originally Posted by Nader
Thanks for that link, it's helpful.

I'd like to avoid a dually. I hardly have the space for a full size truck. In this crowded suburb, my driveway is chock-full of old sports cars and motorcycles under attractive bright blue covers and tarps, and I somehow have two trailers squeezed in there in addition to the wife's trusty but ugly 4Runner. Yeah, my fussy neighbors with the Priuses and Volvos barely tolerate me. Especially when the wife and I have minibike races in the front yard. Well, that's more info than you fellas need to know.

More practically speaking, I'd be carrying a lighter camper, the towing will be <5K lbs, and I'd like to maintain some semblance of reasonable mileage. So, no dually.

I saw somewhere a guy was congratulated on his new purchase for having a floor mounted transfer case selector as opposed to the dash mounted switch. Is that switch really a weak point? I've got my eye on a Lariat with that option.
It's called ESOF (electronic switch on the fly). It is vacuum operated and known to give a lot of trouble, failing when you need it most.
The vacuum ruins the front hub bearings because they pull water into the wheel bearing during use.
 
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