[QUOTE=Shenandoah;9008830]
… the salesman were drooling over my truck practically rubbing your hands together. I decided not to pursue it as it was a bare-bones model and not as nice as the one I’m driving. …My truck is an XLT but it has enough options and two tone paint to be really nice.[/QUOTE]
Then why are you looking for a new truck?
It is a 2006. It fits the trailer you tow. You travel local and don’t travel cross country?
Seems a no-brainer to keep the truck you have. I am puzzled.
Pluvinel, It has slit of rust underneath and the bidy/chassis will not last another 10 years. We will be on a fixed income in a few years and need to upgrade now while the truck still has vslue.
Be careful with that :373 rear axle ratio. It’s good for fuel mileage but hard on a transmission while towing. Compare your combined loaded trailer & truck weights with the specifications for the truck. A :410 ratio uses more fuel but is great for towing.
I’ve owned diesels for over 20 years now and ain’t ever going back to gas trucks, just sayin’. 
I just happily bought a 92. Absolutely will not use a gas.
If the siderails are too high, can’t you just replace the bed of your truck? Buying and selling a truck gets expensive, between resale, taxes, registration, etc.
Also the diesel is nicer on the highway and going up hills. It uses less fuel. BUT: it costs much, much more to repair and costs much more up front. You will never pay for the engine in fuel savings at the mileage you drive. And even if you think you can break even with the diesel, one serious repair will blow the math.
David
Dave, silly as it sounds I have been spoiled by my 6.0 diesel F250. I know people out there say it’s trash but I have never had a lick of trouble and the thing idols so steadily if you didn’t hear the engine you wouldn’t know the truck was running. Whatever I buy I will end up with for the rest of my life. That’s why I need to really make sure I get the right thing. If my truck was not rusting underneath I would never give it up but it will not last the next 10 years the way I drive it especially. By then I’ll be 71 but who knows
I drove that truck to Nashville Tennessee two summers ago. My girlfriend and I went to Nashville for a week for the Country Music Festival. (Hubby took a week of vacation to stay home and take care of the horses). We made the trip down in just a little over a day and I drove straight through from Nashville to Pennsylvania on the way home. 14 hours. Love love love that truck and if it didn’t eat so much fuel I would drive it all the time. Hate to part with it but as I say I need something newer to get the next 10 years out of. We are building a small garage so I will be able to keep my truck inside now which hopefully will delay the corrosion process.
I have a 17yr old Chevy Silverado 2500 LS 3/4 ton gasser and do the kind of hauling you are talking about to some degree. I have a 3 horse aluminum goose slant on which I often haul 2 and sometimes 3 horses on locally. My horses are big, 17hd draft crosses. My truck has hauled this load fine. We may be replacing the truck finally this summer. Will see how it goes. I personally cannot stand the stench of a diesel and will not own one. For the kind of hauling I’m doing, I really don’t see any advantage to justify the extra cost of one or having to put up with the stench. My .02 and only worth that, to be sure.
I know people that have had 6.0 problems that are very serious. The 2 that I have both have been exceptional trucks. I have a 2WD and a 4WD and they average 15 mpg not towing. Towing I am at 13-14mpg. Mine are stock and get regular maintenance. I also have a Triton V10 2WD, and that truck though it gets BAD MPG, it has 420,000 miles on it with NOTHING done to it. Little valve clatter on start up, but it has been doing that since 74,000 miles. The V10 is a beast and has never let us down. I even went on a vacation with 3 couples, one with a 7.3 Ford, one with a Dodge with Cummins motor and our Ford with the V10. Both of the friends trucks broke down in the eastern Sierras and the V10 went on to tow home all 3 of the RV’s while their respective trucks got towed to Carson City for repairs. On of those trailers was a 40’ weekend warrior. Little old V10 came to the rescue!
We have a 2002 F250 supercab. When we got a gooseneck, we decided to replace the back with a flat bed. Works perfectly for us, even when we had to go cross country. Why not just replace the bed on your current truck?
It’s not the bed, it’s the frame and small spots on the body.
I have a 2001 3/4 tonight with 8.1 litre vortec engine and an Allison transmission. Gets 12mpg pulling a fully loaded 4 horses or 15 ~17 empty. Never been short on truck, even hauling through the mountains in NM. Have not regretted the gas decision at all, ever.
Ton, not tonight. So sick of autocorrect thinking it knows what it is doing.
Hank, what’s the vortex enging?
[QUOTE=Shenandoah;9012039]
Hank, what’s the vortex enging?[/QUOTE]
here is an explanation of the 8.1L Hank has
http://www.hcdmag.com/81l-vortec-engine/
Vortec is a trademarked name for a line of big engines for General Motors trucks
Why do you need a new truck at all? Diesel engines are famous for longevity and very, very high mileage. All the other things in the truck will die before the engine. I have a 2001 F250 with the 7.3 L diesel engine and just over 156,000 miles. I’m kind of expecting it to be my very last vehicle, but who knows what will happen in the next ten years?
It does have crappy Ford paint and a few other interior, well known, Ford Quality control problems but it hasn’t needed a mechanical repair since I got it 3 or 4 years ago with 125K miles.
I have a 2006 F250 V10 long bed to tow a 2+1 aluminum/steel frame Trail-Et. Love it. I do similar types of hauling as you do with the occasional trip up and down the East Coast once or twice a year. Love it. I just don’t do the miles to need a diesel and feel like I have plenty of truck with 2 big horses it the back.
[QUOTE=Personal Champ;9006756]
If you’re used to a diesel, going back to a gas will most likely be a letdown for you. New gas engines have come a long way, but they’re still not a diesel. That said, the new gas engines will absolutely be able to haul your trailer, and they are cheaper for sure.
I had a 4h Featherlite GN that I originally hauled with a F350 King Ranch with the V10. It did fine, and I was totally happy with it - until one day I hauled with my husband’s diesel. No comparison.[/QUOTE]
She’s right. If you go this route expect a difference on highways and backroads.
With that being said, the farm I used to board at had a 2012 F-250 V8 and hauled a 4-Star 2+1 without a tack room with no problem.
You could always get a chip/tuner for a gas truck to increase power and torque.
I’m curious why you’d want a short bed. Unless it’s a crew cab with a short bed. The longer framed truck is better for towing. Also, with a short bed, be careful not to put the corner of your trailer’s overshot through your truck window if you have to jackknife it!
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