Cheap work truck with possible towing

Sometime in spring I had planned on adding a cheap beater work truck to the fleet for bigger stuff then my ranger can do. I work in concrete so hauling along with very limited towing is gonna be it's life. I won't be towing more then say....7k and even then maybe once a year.....maybe

Looking at craigslist I've found that 80s ford trucks are stupid cheap and the 2 engines that pop up the most are the 351 and 300 i6.

I have 2 work vans, one with each engine. The 351 is a one ton extended and the 300 is a club wagon half ton that's about a foot shorter. Both feel about the same above 35 power wise but the 300 feels way more powerful up to 35. Sure it's not winning drags but it's torque curve seems to start at idle.

Reading online most people would much rather have the 351 for towing. I've towed with the 351 van and it was meh, never towed with the 300.

So my question is am I missing something here? They are rated similiarly power wise, feel pretty similiar and get similiar mpg. Is there a reason to get the 351 over the 300 for any reason? Both seem to be had in half and 3/4 flavors, leaning towards 3/4 myself.

Having owned a few 351 trucks and a 300 truck id recomend the 300 for most non performance situations. Durable and a great torque curve. My 76 f150 with the 300 had no issues pulling 5500lbs.

I have a friend that tows his 70 Chevelle with a 93 f150 300ci 5sp. I can't say it's something I've ever been impressed by, but it gets it done going over the I5 Grapevine in So Cal (in 4th).

Personally, I think either way it's going to need to be manual with a compound low and preferably an F250. 351 wouldn't cost much to upgrade power compared to the 300 though I don't think.

With trucks it is all about torque; HP doesn't matter as much. The 300 I-6 is a great engine in this regard. I think you would be fine with one and it is much easier to find a manual trans behind a six than a V8. The 302 and 351 in that time period were pretty sluggish thanks to early emissions. I'd definitely try to get a FI model over anything with a carb.

Ok so it seems like I was thinking right. I've always liked the 300 anyway and it plus a granny hear should be great

I would 100% always take a 300/manual over a 351/auto if you are after reliability and pure utility.

They put the 300 in medium duty dump trucks, I don't think they did that with any Windsor V8.

300/6 fanboy. Do it.

Honestly I think a lot of the opinions towards the 351 was because it's a v8 and it must be better than that old fashioned i6 right?

I've been a fan of the 300 since I got the work van, it's not fast but it's torquey and probably the smoothest engine I've driven around in, not in power band but because there is no engine vibration at all, car feels the same inside 19th the engine on or off, sort of surreal lol

My friend drove an '87 Bronco with 36" Super Swampers around with a 5 speed and the 4.9 300 with a heavy rod knock for MANY miles and we had no fear of getting there or getting back.

I had a Bronco and an F150 both with a 5.0 and never really looked into a 351 swap but I DID contemplate a "downgrade" to the big 6.

I like Diesels and that engine is as close to a Diesel as a gas engine is gonna get.