yamaha
Dork
11/26/12 3:07 p.m.
Well, since the jeep fell through back in August, and getting my old fukus back as a winter beater, I haven't really cared about a truck lately....until now. The price is fantastic, I still have to go look it over pretty well though.
Its a '01 F350 crew cab dually....4x4 with the 6.8L v10 and auto trans. It has around 200k miles on it, but from pictures it appears in pretty good shape. Price reflects the milage IMHO.
Basically, what does GRM say as far as what to look for drivetrain wise, rust wise, and electronics wise. I am under the impression the auto trans and transfer case should be the same that backed the diesels in those years(this could be gravely wrong though)
This will only be a deep snow/towing vehicle, so the economy standpoint doesn't mean much to me. The only cons are that its too big to fit in my garage(it'll have to be parked in the barn), and driving a crew cab dually is kinda like driving a 26ft box truck 
Good candidate for a Fummins swap....
I think some V10 have exhaust manifold issues, unsure of specific years where it is a problem, but worth additional investigation.
yamaha
Dork
11/26/12 3:19 p.m.
Very true sachilles, I'm more worried about the plug issue though. Ranger, no way in hell would I swap anything to a Cummins if I could avoid it. Bad experiences here with them.
sachilles wrote:
I think some V10 have exhaust manifold issues, unsure of specific years where it is a problem, but worth additional investigation.
They all do and suck equally.
and they had some of the same issues as the triton V8 spark plug out of the head issue.
They pull great and suck gas great too.
The V10 has all of the torque of a modern V6 and all of the gas mileage of, well, a V10. Plus the exhaust manifold and plug-spitting issues = you do NOT want!
Ranger50 wrote:
sachilles wrote:
I think some V10 have exhaust manifold issues, unsure of specific years where it is a problem, but worth additional investigation.
They all do and suck equally.
The turbos suck more if you know what I mean.
yamaha
Dork
11/26/12 5:56 p.m.
In reply to Javelin:
Even for less than challenge budget money?
In reply to yamaha:
Yes, definitely. I have towed many, many, many things with the V10 and I would rather push than ever do it again. There's a reason they sell for less than Challenge money, friend... 
yamaha
Dork
11/27/12 9:20 a.m.
In reply to Javelin:
Sounds like you towed many many things far too often to have not bought a diesel. 
If everything looks right, I'll probably still buy it.......f150 prices around here for just 2wd ones are crackheaded prices, and thats with their anemic pile of berkeley they called a 302 in them(300 I6 is better at that point). Plus it could be used around the farm as an actual truck if need be.
If the price you mentioned in the other forum is what it is... then i'd just buy it. You could get about a 3rd of that back in scrap if it does all go horribly wrong. Its cheap enough that who gives a berkeley?
I spent about 40K miles towing a ~12,000lb Gooseneck 40' 3 axle trailer behind a 2003 and a 2007 V10 2WD ford at an old Job.
Fuel economy was 10-11. Always. Empty, loaded didn't seem to care.
It towed that load great. I mean it's not like it wasn't there or anything but interacting with normal traffic wasn't a chore.
yamaha wrote:
fidelity101 wrote:
They pull great and suck gas great too.
Isn't that the truth
I was just gonna say, what are you towing that you need the V10 for? Unless you're towing some huge loaded gooseneck it sounds like crazy overkill.
Duallies are pointless, IMO, unless you are towing a very heavy fifth-wheel trailer (like a large horse trailer). Otherwise, you just have a vehicle that uses 50% more tires and is 100% harder to park and maneuver in tight spaces.
yamaha
Dork
11/27/12 10:06 a.m.
GameboyRMH wrote:
I was just gonna say, what are you towing that you need the V10 for? Unless you're towing some huge loaded gooseneck it sounds like crazy overkill.
Mainly it would be a less expensive option than a pile of berkeley f150 in my area, the only things I would personally tow with it would be my enclosed trailer with the bmw in it. Otherwise, it would also see use on the farm for other towing related activities. Such as the 28% tank wagon, the bulk seed wagons, header carts, loaded wagons @ harvest time, etc. Nearly all of which grossly exceed the weight limits of nearly all half ton trucks.....
I would prefer a psd, but to buy one like my dad has(99 f250 psd 4x4) would cost 12-15k.....thats not worth it for a 13yo truck.
Edit: to answer why to the v10, because the 5.4 triton in those is too weak to do anything, and thanks to everyone wanting a 7.3psd instead of the 6L, so the diesel tax is about 2x what the other makes are.
Javelin wrote:
The V10 has all of the torque of a modern V6 and all of the gas mileage of, well, a V10. Plus the exhaust manifold and plug-spitting issues = you do NOT want!
Had to borrow a buddy's V10 F250 to tow to Sebring when my F150 developed tranny issues shortly before a race. The V10 definitely tows better than the 5.4L V8. Worlds better. Got 12mpg, which is exactly what my F150 gets towing.
The transmission is the achilles heel of any tow vehicle. Pay to have someone drop the pan and show you and the seller as a contingency to purchase. Learned my lesson the hard way. If you don't buy based on all of the chunks and/or pearlescent fluid in the filter, the seller at least gets a fresh filter and fluid for his trouble.
yamaha
Dork
11/27/12 10:10 a.m.
In reply to Tyler H:
Thank you, I'll have to mention that and see what they say.
Javelin wrote:
The V10 has all of the torque of a modern V6 and all of the gas mileage of, well, a V10. Plus the exhaust manifold and plug-spitting issues = you do NOT want!
Other than the Eco-boost, what production V6 comes close to the V10's torque?
In my constant E-250/350 research, I'm finding a lot of happy V10 customers, in fact this is the most negative I've heard about them.
Cotton
Dork
11/27/12 10:46 a.m.
Sky_Render wrote:
Duallies are pointless, IMO, unless you are towing a very heavy fifth-wheel trailer (like a large horse trailer). Otherwise, you just have a vehicle that uses 50% more tires and is 100% harder to park and maneuver in tight spaces.
I couldn't disagree more. My 95 Dodge dually is much more stable than my 99 F250 was. The difference was noticeable even pulling a loaded car trailer. Also, if you think a dually is 100% harder to park...well you need to learn how to park. I could see an issue tring to shoe horn it into a compact car spot on something, otherwise it's not that bad. I owned both the f250 and Dodge dually at the same time. I bought the ford because it was a good deal and I wanted the 4wd, but after towing with it a couple of times decided to sell it and keep the Dodge. The Ford was a nicer truck overall, but the Dodge towed better.
yamaha
Dork
11/27/12 11:33 a.m.
310hp/425tq are the ratings for the 2v 6.8L...the later(05+) 3v v10 belted out 362hp/457tq
compared to an arguably underrated 250hp/500tq out of the 7.3L psd
Yes the ecoboost 3.5L comes close and definitely has a better torque curve......buy me one and I'll put it in an older SD......
yamaha wrote:
In reply to Javelin:
Sounds like you towed many many things far too often to have not bought a diesel.
We did. It was a government vehicle that we used to tow boats with when I was in the Coast Guard (F450 Quad Cab with the Utility box, V10 gas, auto, Dually). We towed 25' - 30' RHIB's and aluminum boats with it. I ordered the replacement (a GMC 3500 Diesel Duramax Dually Quad Cab) that absolutely smoked the V10 on everything (gas mileage, towing ability, repair costs, etc) and could tow a 38' boat, no problem.
We towed with a lot of other stuff as well, and Chief's 70's F250 with a 460 not only out-towed the V10, it got better mileage both loaded and empty 
Not to mention all of the repairs we had to do to both that V10 and the V10 van (which never towed) that ate up budget like crazy.
I have zero love for those motors.
