Bill nobody is saying the 5.4l won't pull it. If they do I'll post video of insane stuff I've pulled w/ mine. What people are saying you 50 or so hp isn't making up the 100 ftlbs of tq that the 5.4l lacks. Thats all. Surely you can grasps this concept.

 

Dude, I can tell you from personal experience that the 6.0 was a problem early on. I was one of the lucky 500 or so that got to return thier truck because of problems. Mine was an '04 and didn't see a day over 37k and spent more time on a flatbed then in my driveway I will never buy diesel again. There are still too much to go wrong, that costs way too much to replace. Not to mention, my 12 year old v10 has never seen a repair facility and has 170k.

 

did you have any mods on your 6.0?

 

I can speak from experience with my 5.4L and 6 speed tranny pulling my 7500lb TT, it towed fine on flatland. If there was any sort of incline, the truck began to slow down....going into Asheville on a 6% grade, I was going 30MPH and the engine was hustling. To me, that's unacceptable and is leading me to needing a better towing vehicle whether it be a diesel or V10.

 

Brother what is your point? Your not saying anything that nobody doesn't already know or said. A man would be a straight fool to say the 6.0 early engines didn't have problems. High pressure pump, egr valve getting stuck, clogged coolers just to name a couple. Eccept for the coolers and the high pressure oil pump a lot of the other troubles came about because of the "dirty" fuel and the way the engine was used. I.e emt trucks almost never shut of while on duty. When the guys are on lunch the trucks sit out side running. That's the case the whole shift. I watch them everyday do this they even keep em running while fueling and washing em. That built up carbon on the egr valve and sealed it shut. Diesel emissions is at its worst when its at idel. Ford didn't start building it's own diesel engine cause they bought back P-nuts 6.0 and you refuse to own 1 thinking that someway they going to sell you a diesel. Your compareing and 04 to an 05-07? Go to 6.0 forums and compare the years. There is a lot of changes. In the 04 engines there was several differences depending on build date. In our 6.0 sections there's lots of threads where people was compairing their 04 engines to each other. They where finding all kinds of stuff. Egrs not plugged up not having plugs etc. All kinds of stuff. The fact still remains that they engine in the end after things where figured out proved to be a dependable work horse. I'll tell ya that on paper the 6.4 is a lot stouter than the 6.0l but I've yet to see one out pull a 6.0l. It seems like they get rolling faster than me and in a race empty they'll leave me standing there. Loaded they'll be right in front of me but. I'll be close.
Mentioning the 6.4 the only recall that I can recall was the flame thrower, but pretty much the emmission system problems was resolved. Wich was greatly helped by the ultra fuel requirement. I really think that a lot less problems would have been if ultra was used in early 6.0ls and 7.3s coulda went another year in the emt units. The bulk problems was with them.

 

With the recent catapult of fuel prices around here, diesel is now either the same price as 87 or up to 13¢ cheaper per gallon.

 

It all depends where you live and have to buy fuel. The station I past this morning had 87 for $3.90 and diesel was $4.46. This was a "truck stop". Its all WAY higher than it should be right now.

 

jimmyv13, if i was looking to buy a used truck i would look for a 03 or 04 diesel. yeah people will say that those give problems and to find at least a 06 or newer one. but people's fears make those trucks cheap. i have seen some with less than 100,000 sell in the 12 to 15 thousand range. then you can put 2500 in egr delete, head studs, and a good coolant filter and you will be set. plus if you do the work yourself it will be a lot less. the 6.0 forum is excellent at helping out with those repairs. just my opinion.

 

None. Never.

 

This is a very good idea. The only problem is that 06s already has the newer injectors the new high pressure oil pump and you just can't change them out for $2500. Now I'm not saying you have to have all the redisgned parts, after you buy the truck and they start failing you got to replace em. Around here nobody is discounting the 6.0l trucks. They really believe in the KBB. So if your somebody that doesn't want to put any money into the truck and doesn't want to be bothered then my opinion would be an 06. If I where to buy an 04 today I would go ahead and figure $5000 what I'd have done to it. While I was at it I'd have the hpop changed. I don't know how much this will cost. The risk in buying these trucks used is you don't know hownit was used. If it was ideled a lot you can have egr problems. Did they run an agressive tune and stretch the head bolts? So that's why I would just go ahead and pay $5000 ans get these things squared away. I bought my 04 in 06 w/ 30k miles for $30k. Repairs has only costed me $100. Now I have 152k and have made more than I have given for the truck. I don't won't to give up $5000. If I end up needing to its not going to hurt my feelings.
That being said if my truck where to get totalled I would replace it w/ an 06 or 07 unless I get a dang good deal. I wouldn't give any more than $10k for the truck. You'll be lucky to run across that kind of deal.

 

Or, for the same money, he could have a V10 that won't leave him stranded.

There is a a reason the 6.0 has that reputation.

 

Are you talking about Buckner and Sam's Gap on I-26 or Black mtn on I-40? I live 45 minutes from Ashevile and pull those hills regularly with a 2v 5.4 and have never seen 30 mph with that kind of weight.

 

The issue is finding a truck. I honestly could care less which motor it has...I'm leaning towards a truck in good condition and in my price range. If it has the V10, then I'll be paying more over the lifetime of the truck for fuel. If it's a diesel, I'll be paying more for routine maintenance, but get better MPG. I am not concerned with either engine towing, they'll both do more than I will ever need...

 

I honestly don't recall which one....I26 coming into Asheville or I40 going out towards Knoxville. I thought it was on I26 coming into Asheville, but the terrain map doesn't look to be that bad. Either way, I was disappointed with my truck and want something that will tow what I have as my 5.4L didn't perform as well as I would have hoped.

 

I-26 has those two 6-8 percent grades that I mentioned that are roughly 1-2 miles long each. I-40 has black mtn, which is between 6-8 percent and is 10 miles long. Someone on here posted a towing mags 10 hardest pulls in America and black mtn is on it. It is a pretty good climb, but I still haven't seen 30 mph on it. I have always towed with diesels and big block blocks and I was VERY disappointed with my 5.4 when I first got it and I complained on here a LOT about the 30 mph climbs. The problem wasn't the engine, but how I was driving it. Once I realized the tach went past 3,000 rpm it will out pull any stock 460 or 7.3 that I have towed with. Just for reference, with my gearing/tranny it will do 25 in low(1st), 45 in 2nd and 60 in 3rd if I hold it at 4500 rpm in each gear. Black mtn dropped me down to 3rd gear but it still hummed along at 55-60 mph.