Hey Gang, I don't know if maybe this isn't the right place for it but with the insane amount of knowledge and experience y'all have I figured I'd ask... I'm looking for a truck. I don't have a ton of money to spend but depending on the truck and its uses I could see getting up to $10k (which honestly seems like a ton of money, I'd rather be sub 5k). With that budget, ideally, I'd get a well-used 4wd truck but as we all know there are many options in that world. I may be stirring up cans of Calvin-pissing-on-Chevy-or-Ford-logo worms, but can you guys give me some positives or negatives of the various trucks out there? 4 wheel drive is about my only must have and a standard or long bed. As I poke around I seem to be looking at stuff from the late 1990's through mid-2000's but I'm scared to buy any obvious nightmare trucks, specifically anything with known maintenance issues, and I'm willing to go with anything from any period of time. I don't care about the look of the truck, I'd really rather something that looks like crap but runs well, the crappier the better. I bought the above 1987 F250 from my neighbor a few years back to help move from my old house to my new house for 500 bucks and while it looked perfect, for me, it never ran well and couldn't be trusted to not break down at any given point. I think that was mostly to be blamed on sitting for years without running, but I also didn't have the money or time to put into making it better. I know maintenance issues on anything used are tough and you never really know what you'll get, so I'm keeping that in mind as well. While I plan to mostly use the truck to run to the hardware store or get me to work on snowy days, I'd probably try to drive it at least once a week. When we get into the higher end of the budget we get into a truck that would pull a trailer with my backhoe around on it and at that point I'm well out of my knowledge. Are there standard sized trucks that can do it? It got delivered to my house by a dually F350 or something, I think, so I guess yes but I'm not sure... Does it have to have a gooseneck hitch and trailer? Anything else I should be looking at in that respect?
OK, so we are talking apples and oranges on Peanut expense tickets. Today the market is getting what the market will bear on light duty trucks. ANY and ALL CLEAN with a decent sized HP power plant and good trans with OK Gearing will clear $15K EASY. My own 7.3 dsl 21 year old F250 SD is a 340,000mile rusted bucket and due to the power train STILL worth at least $7k. A Good Backhoe hauler will be a Ton MINIMUM where a 450 or 550 would be better for suspension, wear items as brakes and grade of rubber on road. That to drag a Gooseneck with Duals to handle the weight correctly. OR, can go Air Brake medium duty(IGNORE Med Duty JUICE Brakes), go to a Six bolt Pintle on a one inch tow plate and can do a 'Tag Along" 20t trailer for the Hoe, possibly set up truck as a Dump Truck for job spoil or refill materials.
Stay away from 6.0 and 6.4 Powerstrokes.
I wouldn't plan to haul your backhoe with a pickup except short, slow trips. If you do, you will have to have a dual tandem gooseneck trailer. I know people do it all the time, and you can until something goes wrong. If you get one loose connection, you lose your trailer brakes, or if you have to make sudden evasive maneuvers, you don't have the truck weight to control it. The other thing about that, it puts you up into a much newer truck. The older ones don't have as large axles and brakes as the last few years.
Thanks guys! That's kind of what I was thinking too... My budget is too low to be too picky. Hauling the backhoe is really not expected to happen, it would just be nice if I could find the right old beater and yeah, I can't imagine towing it anywhere out of town or even on the highway. It's pretty incredible what truck prices are nowadays and I'm assuming stuff I can afford will need a little work at least. Any easy suggestions like avoid Dodge or the 2001 Silverado, for example? Or maybe both of those are great?
Look to single axle road tractors, they are nearly as cheap as median priced pickups, Last ten times longer and heavier everywhere. Can be developed to other uses.
If you really never see yourself hauling the backhoe, just by any late 90's early 2000's gasser 1/2 to 3/4 ton and call it a day. By the time you buy the truck, buy the gooseneck, and buy all the license and insurance to legally haul it, you could pay to have it hauled to 5 jobs a year, and it would be cheaper than owning all the other stuff. Anywhere you need the backhoe within 5 miles, just road it there and back. To get a decent heavy one ton (450-550) and a tandem gooseneck you're going to spend $15,000-$25,000, depending on how new and how nice you want. I don't see you spending $10,000 and having a decent truck and trailer. You could probably find a cut down road tractor and tag air brake trailer for around 10,000, but the problem is now you're in CDL and DOT standards and insurance and that's going to cost you a lot of $$$ to be legal unless you can qualify as a farm and put farm tags on it. I'd be happier myself pulling a backhoe on that vs. a one ton truck, but I like having enough truck to boss around the trailer. If it would cost you $500 every time you wanted to move the backhoe, by paying someone to haul it, five times a year is $2,500. You can do that for 10 years and still be cheaper than the truck and trailer.
I think everybody should have one of above just for a family car.
ME Too!
6.0 Chev./GMC gas engines are brutal for gas mileage.
The mileage isnt great for sure, but those gas 6.0's run for a long time.
Unless you need the power they will burn up a lot of money in fuel.
Waste of money for traction tires on a front straight axle
Get a M35, it’s my next project or thereabouts. Haul, go off-road and last long.
@crane operator excellent perspective! The only current reason for me to consider being able to haul the backhoe is so I could say I can do it. The hassle of it all is likely not worth it for me right now... @Truck Shop that thing is sweet! @Spud_Monkey That would certainly be kickass.
Pretty hard to find to find highway tread on that size plus the ply rating.
I have a 2008 Dodge Ram 3500 4x4 crew cab with the Cummins 6.7 and 6 speed standard transmission. Best truck I have ever owned and has been bulletproof. Currently has 235K miles and still pulls heavy loads as well as it did when it was new. The only things that have been done to this truck is tires, brakes, and a water pump.........i did have to put batteries in it 2 years ago.
Has the 80 series Dana under it too, a step up from the 10.5 Ford Corporate in mine or the Dana 70 of the older Mopars. Auto in mine lasted to 265k pulling major loads, was the early version 4R100 fine spline(its demise source). the tires on mine I am lucky to get 45K out of, OE tires hard as Glass lasted to near 60 but were horrible on anything even damp, brakes have been a consistent wear item all too fast. 4 Wheel Disc on my Ford reminds me of the issues with Semi Disc brakes and the GM Hydraulic 4 wheel medium duty disc units, Negligible life, considerable issues if sits. My coming to antique stage Ford 7.3 pulls fine, stops fine and yet is still a 21 soon to be 22 year old wagon. It never did great for pulling RV trailers(Wind Prone) or pulling the goose with tractor and bush hog or other materials just OK where the weight was not that bad. 11,100 lbs. of scrap was a tussle and about its limit, and it does have a program uprate in the ECM for added HP, just NOT extreme. Can tweak 12mpg loaded of it, 14-16 dependent of driving tactics from it but work at getting either. It is Not a race machine and I do not operate it that way. Rust will eventually kill it.
Thanks guys, for some unknown reason I've shied away from Rams... While I am ignorant about a lot I like Mopar stuff but don't really trust it but don't have any reason for not. Looking at Craigslist in Columbus they have a fair amount of Rams around there, where they don't seem to in Dayton or Cincinnati, weird.
If your going to pull a trailer but need ample storage room.. How about a Ford Bronco.?? They can b had for crazy cheap money & as long as the back window rolls down (GREAT FEATURE) & the tailgate opens.. the power plant is great.. mine is a 5.8L punched 10 over.. I’ve got over 383k on my daily driver.. All the features of a car but built like a tank.. Mines an Eddie B. addition.. & I love it.!!
Broncos are pretty sweet and the rolling down back window is one of my favorite features! On a similar note, I had inherited a 1977 Dodge Ramcharger, like this but in way worse shape, back when I was young, that I loved but it was another thing that didn't run well and I didn't have the money or knowledge to fix it up, really makes me sad because it was incredible. Dang it, now you've got me looking at Ramchargers... Nostalgia is a bitch. I'd love to have a convertible truck though.
Have lots of Dodges here because the Ford dealer is a un-handy 50 miles away. 70's and 80's Dodge Ramchargers and pickups are hard to find electrical parts for not to mention body parts.
There is a 2002 f250 4x4 regular cab on face book in southeast Missouri with the 7.3 for 3500 I saw this morning
They are getting cheaper as they get older
If you really are not going to haul a backhoe much at all, you might get away with a single rear wheel 3/4 or 1 ton. I have an 06 GMC 3500 single rear wheel with an allison 6speed and an 8.1, and it pulls very good. Not quite as good as a turbo diesel, but more than adequate. I don't drive it much, so I don't worry about mileage. It pulls this load easily 65 to 70 all day. Stopping it is always fun, but getting to speed is not an issue. I know your backhoe will be a good bit heavier than that. I pulled this same load with a 3/4 and it was fine as well. When I had my bucket and a 7 ft cutter on this tractor the entire load weighed 21,800lbs. If you were going to haul it a lot, I would not go below a 1 ton dually for sure. To keep cost down, I would go with a gasser. Diesels will command a higher price tag for sure. The Ford v-10's are not easy on gas by any means, but pull pretty good. I believe they are 6.7ltr. Those can sometimes be found at a reasonable price. The 8.1' GM big blocks were in 3/4 and 1 tons from 2001 to first half 2007 before GM quit putting them in light duty trucks, 3/4 Suburbans, and 3/4 Avalanches. Also, I really like gooseneck trailers. They distribute the load better and tow better in my opinion than bumper style trailers do. Good Luck on your choice.
Hauled a 580E Case on my truck. 99Ford SD F250 7.3 Diesel. Would NOT want to go far with a single wheel trailer with a TLB on it. Only hauled this one seven miles, was enough for me. Also NO WAY would I tie down with Straps, Asking for problems as those lay.
I guess it depends on the person, but I was pulling my 6 ton mini with a Ram 3500 SRW for years on a tandem dually gooseneck, pulled and stopped easy and wasn't a load i'd consider needing a dually for at all. Even pulled a 8 ton mini and a 18k genie a few times no issues, total trailer weight about 26,000lbs, still stable, the only thing lacking was rear end ratio to get going. A dually is more stable especially on the highway if it's windy, but nothing wrong with a SRW at all. I'm really partial to Dodge, it's all i've ever owned and they've treated me really well. If you're looking for a older diesel it's the only way to go. The ford 7.3 is fine, but the rest of them for years were awful. If you want a diesel that will actually tow and not be broken down all the time, it's going to cost at least $10-15k.
The only part that scares me about that load is the way it's tied down, it's plenty of truck for that.
I'd recommend you stay away from the Ford 4R100 transmission in the Super Duty trucks starting in 1999, I'm not sure when they went to the 5R100 or if that transmission is any better. The 6R140 auto introduced in 2011 is a very stout transmission, as is the 6.2 gas engine. I can't justify the diesels anymore and I'm happy with this combination. I don't know if these are within your budget but I'd stay away from earlier Fords. At work I have a 2003 Silverado 2500HD that currently has about 120,000 miles on it with the 6.0 and 4L80E. It's spent its life towing and plowing snow.I had to replace the transmission last year but that's the first trouble we've had with it except the exhaust manifolds rotting away. It still runs and pulls well but rust is taking its toll. My point is this has been a good combination as well if you can find a rust free specimen, I'd look for a 3500 THOUGH. I can't offer much information about Dodge.
Mine is the first year 4R100, lasted 265000 miles doing what I showed or pulling a 180 allis with a 3008 Bush Hog mower or other implements attached some 75 miles one way to Brother In Law's farm Gladden MO. monthly from 2003. The Motor Company changed the spline design twice since 99 for the 4R100, currently still using a reman with latest design shaft and hubs in 2012.
The problem with the older fords was the transmission cooler is tinnyl so the transmissions over heat way too easy. To make them last you need a tempurature gauge and a larger cooler. The 6.0 cooler is three times the size and bolts right in place of the stock one. I have a 7.3 with 350k in the stock transmission and it lives a tough life. At work we use 7.3 trucks to plow snow because the reverse gear is tall and they use leaf springs on the front. We have one with 550k on it that plows snow every winter.
Actually HALF correct, 4R100 had a 'Heatup' bypass to reduce cold fluid damage, that was eliminated in 2001 as found would go bypass and stay there never fed the cooler. Mine was bypassed in 2000 as noted the trans seemed to get Awfully Hot and was told to bypass. Quite a few missed the Memo.
From everything i have read is thats not actually a cold bypass its for blockages it just so happens that it can bypass with cold fluid. If you remove the bypass and have a cooler blockage say bye bye to that transmission. I use to have to use 4x4 low to back up anything steep with a load or the temperature would go through the roof and start barfing out fluid in a matter of less then a minute. With the new cooler i dont even think about it. Also with the new cooler my transmission often dosen't even get up to temperature in the winter unless i am stalling the converter a lot.
Not from Ford, is a Warm Up bypass to keep trans oil in recirc until warm. Can bypass if cooler stops up but aids nothing as still does build heat.
I had an '01 7.3, 4 transmissions in 80,000 miles. Drove to Arkansas to Brian's Truck Shop and got one of his transmissions once warranty was up, it lasted a couple seasons and I lost reverse. He sent an exchange without question and I didn't have any further problems. I understand mechanics and didn't abuse the truck, but I plowed and towed with it. I bought the truck new and lost the first transmission at 22,000 miles, the dealer rebuilt it and it went again at 38,000 miles, just outside of warranty. There was enough left in it to drive to Arkansas and Brian rebuilt it while I waited. Got two seasons out of it and lost reverse in that one. Brian sent a replacement that I installed and I didn't have any further trouble. I wouldn't wish my troubles on anyone.
The early 7.3 with the ZF five speed manual said right inside the owners manual 5th gear was not to be used for towing.
Now that is downright funny Not once have I except to force a downshift used ‘Tow’ on the end of the shift lever, always towed the AC with implements down to that other farm in high side Even with the Jasper in it now operate same
Owner's manual??? You mean that book you look up fuses in??
If possible get an ex Marine version, they have locking diffs in the tandums. ( Detroit Lockers) A 6X6 with three tires spinning looks like a Mammoth going down in a Tar pit.