I run a gravel driveway business and tow a 21k lb gooseneck dump. It's fine with my 2018 F-350 drw 4x4 but that's also my Sunday truck and I don't wanna take it to the quarry. So I've been hauling back roads with a 2004 F-350 srw 4x4 and don't like how hot the 6.0 runs. Apparently Ford in its infinite wisdom put the same coolant capacity in all 6.0s and 7.3s from F-250 right up thru F-550. 28.5 quarts, smh. I may be over CGVWR too with the srw.

Another gripe with the 5R110 is no lockup in lower gears and only fair engine braking. I also don't like 8 mpg and needing 3000 rpm to climb even mild grades. I get 10 mpg in the 2018 and can climb any hill at 2000 rpm in manual shift mode. I know, the 6.7 is a beast and it's an unfair comparison. But as we say in Texas, it is what it is. On the other hand, the 6.7 is overly complex, with 2 different cooling circuits and 18 computers on board. I plan to sell it before trouble starts.

So I've been looking for a F-550 cc or sc 4x4 with 7.3 and ZF6. Unicorn hunting.

Looking over web specs such as https://www.iseecars.com/car/2000-fo...y_f__550-specs and even our own https://www.ford-trucks.com/specs/ , it's hard to find reliable sources on the web.
That site says that a 2000 F-550 4x4 can only gooseneck 18,300, but in 2001 Ford upped that to 21,800. Seems low. Suspicious I am of internet info. A 2017+ F-350 drw can gooseneck 32k.

Towing a 21k trailer, I better start shopping at 2001. Which means powdered metal rods. All our other 7.3s have forged rods, on purpose. I suppose I could get a 6.0 too, as they are more common in the used market. But if it's 2005 or later, is there death wobble to worry about even on 450/550?

Any tips welcome.

It seems that the 450/550 don't have their own forum here on FTE so many of you hang out here?

 

Since you are talking 2001 or so, I am going to guess you will gather more comments in this forum. Good luck!

 

I'd been advised earlier today to use the Large Truck forum, where the 450/550 guys post.

 

Right now there are 1888 people viewing this forum. 104 over at Large Truck.

You are welcome to post there as you wish.

 

Yes, that's why I posted it here in Large Truck. I have a post in the 99-2016 SD forum too.

Thanks.

 

Whoops, I'm in the wrong forum. I guess I should delete this and start over in Large Truck.

 

Thanks to @Just Strokin I found https://www.fleet.ford.com/towing-guides/

This info from Ford totally dashes my hopes of using a 7.3 or even a 6.0/ZF6 for my business. Only the 2005-up 6.0/5R110 F-550 can legally tow my dump trailer.

Unless I go to an older F-800, but I've never seen a 4x4 of that yet.
.

 

I built a 2000 F550 with the 7.3L...though it was a 2wd with auto tranny...for my dad to tow his construction equipment years back before he retired. With the SkyTrak on the gooseneck it was right around 23,000 lbs. The truck never missed a beat and stayed here in the Houston, Texas area...though it did have the larger rear end with the 4:88 gear. It did also have a steel flat dump bed that was 8'x16' inside the gates.

 

We have a new guy on County SO commercial enforcement around here who's a hard***, ex-DPS, wrote his own wife a ticket once. Commercial tickets get up into the thousands of dollars, quick.

I wanna be squeaky clean with my rigs.

 

Yes, $5k in tickets when folks were out of the country and employee took it for job site cleanup. Mayor went to high school with them so went down to a couple hundred. Yes they are bad around these parts too, most are just concerned the need for a CDL even when running empty...which is what happened to the employee. What part of Texas are you in?

 

Central Texas, far enough northwest of Austin not to smell the hippies.

 

I would really advocate the 6.7 as the best motor and tranny combo. My 2013 is good for 22K gooseneck/5th wheel. 2013 was larger brakes and additional cross members. It is a DRW with 3.73 gears and does really well.

Recent cross country run was at 9.1 mpg. Maybe not fantastic but with 16K and 70 mph through the rockies and into Northern AZ I think that is pretty good.

Working it hard the emissions is a non issue.

 

I have a 2018. But did you know a Limited has 18 on-board computers to go wonky? Every 6.7 has two separate cooling systems? Looked inside the V to see if you could do any repairs there? Seen the stories about multiplexing issues, no-starts caused by water getting into a tail light? We're seeing flat camshafts at 200k miles. The 6.7 makes excellent power and mileage, but it's no million-miler. And for some odd reason, I have more legroom in a 2004 XLT than in my 2018 Limited.

 

An older guy a couple of spaces down from us in the RV park where we spent the last few nights pulled in with a travel trailer behind a Class 6 or 7 on a Mercedes chassis - modest wheelbase, single rear axle, flat bed with a fifth wheel hitch. He's a plumbing and construction contractor and bought the truck from a company in Portland, OR, that gets rid of these trucks at 300K miles so they can buy new ones (this one has millions of miles left on it and looks new to me). Says he got the truck for private use for less than $30K because new diesel pickups are $60K and above with much less capacity. Have you considered doing something like this since it's for business use?

Rob

 

Yes. I'm heading out today with my son who's a mechanic to check out an F-8000