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Old 10-20-2010, 09:28 AM   #41
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Along with poor handling suspensions, high center of gravity, and heavy weight-to-power ratios, another deficiency of pickups is light weight over the rear axle. Lousy on snow and ice. This makes 4WD almost universal here in Minnesota.
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Old 10-20-2010, 12:10 PM   #42
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I hope you won't resent an old man weighing in on this.

I've had diesels since 1969 (220D Mercedes; 6.2L Chevy Heavy-Half; current 1996 Dodge Cummins) and I've enjoyed each of them in its own way. I especially like the Cummins, which given my age, will probably be my last. HOWEVER--- If I were considering a new truck to pull 8000# to 10000# I'd seriously consider gas over diesel.

1. You'll have to drive LOTS of miles to reach parity since purchase price for the diesel will be many thousands of dollars more than gas (I haven't priced them for a while but I suspect you're going to drop about $8000 to $10000 more just to get the diesel engine. And for the past several years diesel fuel has been at least 10% higher priced than gasoline).

2. There is a very significant difference in maintenance costs. It used to be that diesels had lower maintenance costs but those days are long past. Ask the service center what an oil and oil filter change costs for the diesel and you'll see what I'm talking about. Ask the price of a fuel filter change. Of course, oil changes are minor compared to other costs of maintenance. You probably don't want to know what just one injector costs!

3. I don't want to stir up an argument, but that being said, the Ford engine is new this year. Will it hold up over time? I hope it does because I'm a Ford fan (I currently own two Lincolns), but given the history of the recent 6.0 diesel I'd be uneasy. I love the way my truck pulls the 34' Limited, but the truth is, I could get along very well with a large gas-burner.

The above is only my opinion and I'm a real expert on that!

Gene
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Old 10-20-2010, 05:45 PM   #43
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The new 2011 Ford trucks are getting outstanding overall owner reviews from what I can tell so far, and in fact I'm planning to buy one myself this coming spring.

One thing I would check carefully is whether you will be safely within the axle weight limits with your trailer and the F250. I know when we towed our 31' Classic Ltd with our 2000 F250, we generally exceeded the rear axle weight limits - of course we had a cap on our truck bed, and I filled our 8' bed with lots of toys and stuff whenever we went camping. At times, I wished we had had an F350.

As far as how I would equip a new F250 for myself (cost is not a concern of mine, whereas comfort is) here's what I would get:

King Ranch extended cab, 8' bed, 4 wheel drive, navigation and sat.radio, 20" wheels and tires, factory sprayed in bedliner, 3.73 axle, dual heavy duty alternators - 200 amp.

You're cheating yourself on what you can carry with you if you get a short bed (I'd never have one myself) and there are many places - campgrounds included - where you'll find - or at least I have - that a 4 wheel drive is a necessity. I don't like to bang up my truck bed, so have always had a sprayed in bedliner - and Ford's price is lower than I've paid to have it done locally in the past.

I've always put Ford cetane booster and multi-purpose additive in my 2008 6.4L Ford, and will probably continue to do so in the future. It runs and tows like a champ, and I expect the 2011's are even better!

John
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Old 10-20-2010, 07:31 PM   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flyfisher View Post
The new 2011 Ford trucks are getting outstanding overall owner reviews from what I can tell so far, and in fact I'm planning to buy one myself this coming spring.

One thing I would check carefully is whether you will be safely within the axle weight limits with your trailer and the F250. I know when we towed our 31' Classic Ltd with our 2000 F250, we generally exceeded the rear axle weight limits - of course we had a cap on our truck bed, and I filled our 8' bed with lots of toys and stuff whenever we went camping. At times, I wished we had had an F350.

As far as how I would equip a new F250 for myself (cost is not a concern of mine, whereas comfort is) here's what I would get:

King Ranch extended cab, 8' bed, 4 wheel drive, navigation and sat.radio, 20" wheels and tires, factory sprayed in bedliner, 3.73 axle, dual heavy duty alternators - 200 amp.

You're cheating yourself on what you can carry with you if you get a short bed (I'd never have one myself) and there are many places - campgrounds included - where you'll find - or at least I have - that a 4 wheel drive is a necessity. I don't like to bang up my truck bed, so have always had a sprayed in bedliner - and Ford's price is lower than I've paid to have it done locally in the past.

I've always put Ford cetane booster and multi-purpose additive in my 2008 6.4L Ford, and will probably continue to do so in the future. It runs and tows like a champ, and I expect the 2011's are even better!

John
Just curious...why 20" wheels?

And why 200 amps, do you upgrade your charge wire also?

Tx,
Bill
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Old 10-21-2010, 12:16 AM   #45
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flyfisher View Post
The new 2011 Ford trucks are getting outstanding overall owner reviews from what I can tell so far, and in fact I'm planning to buy one myself this coming spring.

One thing I would check carefully is whether you will be safely within the axle weight limits with your trailer and the F250. I know when we towed our 31' Classic Ltd with our 2000 F250, we generally exceeded the rear axle weight limits - of course we had a cap on our truck bed, and I filled our 8' bed with lots of toys and stuff whenever we went camping. At times, I wished we had had an F350.

As far as how I would equip a new F250 for myself (cost is not a concern of mine, whereas comfort is) here's what I would get:

King Ranch extended cab, 8' bed, 4 wheel drive, navigation and sat.radio, 20" wheels and tires, factory sprayed in bedliner, 3.73 axle, dual heavy duty alternators - 200 amp.

You're cheating yourself on what you can carry with you if you get a short bed (I'd never have one myself) and there are many places - campgrounds included - where you'll find - or at least I have - that a 4 wheel drive is a necessity. I don't like to bang up my truck bed, so have always had a sprayed in bedliner - and Ford's price is lower than I've paid to have it done locally in the past.

I've always put Ford cetane booster and multi-purpose additive in my 2008 6.4L Ford, and will probably continue to do so in the future. It runs and tows like a champ, and I expect the 2011's are even better!

John
Oh, and I forgot 2 of the most important items to make sure are included on the truck (they already may be included in one of Ford's option packages - I'm not sure):

1. Power telescoping trailer towing mirrors

2. Reverse back-up camera
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Old 10-21-2010, 12:42 AM   #46
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Just curious...why 20" wheels?

And why 200 amps, do you upgrade your charge wire also?

Tx,
Bill
Bill -

I've see a 2011 F250 with these upgraded tires (the ones I saw had Michelins) and wheels - and they looked awsome on the truck. I guess no other reason than that.

By charge wire are you referring to the battery wire? -- I assumed that that was part of the upgrade, but probably should check.
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Old 10-21-2010, 01:40 AM   #47
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I have 20 in wheels on my F150 and the ride is great. Better than any sedan I have owned.

I very highly recommend the NAV system which has an integrated backup camera. hitching up cannot be easier with the camera. It even has guide lines superimposed on the picture!
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Old 10-21-2010, 06:18 AM   #48
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Originally Posted by flyfisher View Post
Bill -

I've see a 2011 F250 with these upgraded tires (the ones I saw had Michelins) and wheels - and they looked awsome on the truck. I guess no other reason than that.

By charge wire are you referring to the battery wire? -- I assumed that that was part of the upgrade, but probably should check.
Putting 20" wheels on anything expected to carry some weight doesn't make a lot of sense?
Kind of defeats the purpose of getting a truck...particularly a HD truck (as the OP indicated)?
Looks cool, but leave the big wheels to the import car tuners...

As for the charging, unless you upsize you charge wire to at least 4 awg, what do you gain? Do you have some oher motivation for specing 200 amps?

Just trying to figure out your line of thought...lots of other good ideas for the OP to consider. Isn't it fun spending someone else's $ !

Thanx, Bill
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Old 10-21-2010, 09:30 AM   #49
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You don't say what truck experience you currently have. If you have not driven a F-250, crew cab, long box Ford truck, then you might want to do so before making a purchase decision. This is a long vehicle, and it is not nearly as manuverable as a F-150 short bed. Tow a 28' to 30' TT and the entire rig is quite long.

We opted for the F-250 short bed for the above reasons.
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Old 10-21-2010, 09:36 AM   #50
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Bill,

Are you talking about 20" tires in general or are you commenting directly on 20" tires provided on the King Ranch? I do not see any weight carrying problems. They are LRE tires. I was looking up Michelin ATX2 replacement tires and I think the tire carried 3750 pounds.

Barry
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Old 10-21-2010, 10:29 AM   #51
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many more 20 inch tire options these last 5 years...

but replacements are expensive (and the oem spare is 18)

the 20s provided by ford as oem have plenty of load carrying capacity.

but wheels/tires are tied to gearing and option packages.

so one cannot simply "order" 20s without impacting other specs.
_______

also the 3.73 is ONLY available on gas trucks or DRW trucks.

drw trucks are only spec'd with 17s.

srw diesels are only available with 3.3 or 3.5 rear ends.
_______

aftermarket one can do whatever they like,

but wheels/tires/gearing and payload are tied together.

base alt is 157amps, upgrades are 200 (single alt) or dual amps at ~375 amps.

again the ALT is tied to specific package upgrades or options.

cheers
2air'
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Old 10-23-2010, 02:13 PM   #52
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Just want to say thanks for all the comments and suggestions--this community is a great resource to draw upon!
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Old 08-03-2011, 10:45 AM   #53
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A consideration that hasn't been brought up is the design of the 4x4 front suspension. The Ford F-250 has a strait axle in the 4x4 and independent front suspension for the 4.x2. This is the same with the Dodge. The Ford and Dodge will ride smoother and steer more with more precision as a 4x2. The GM models have independent front suspension with both 4x2 and 4x4. If 4x4 is really desired, look at the GMC and Chevy for the best handling and riding 4x4's. Another consideration in choosing 4x4 is if it has dry rode capability in 4x4. Most 3/4 truck setups don't. So, it is not very useful while towing on road because you can't use 4x4 mode unless the road is covered with snow!
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Old 08-04-2011, 01:03 AM   #54
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A consideration that hasn't been brought up is the design of the 4x4 front suspension. The Ford F-250 has a strait axle in the 4x4 and independent front suspension for the 4.x2. This is the same with the Dodge. The Ford and Dodge will ride smoother and steer more with more precision as a 4x2. The GM models have independent front suspension with both 4x2 and 4x4. If 4x4 is really desired, look at the GMC and Chevy for the best handling and riding 4x4's. Another consideration in choosing 4x4 is if it has dry rode capability in 4x4. Most 3/4 truck setups don't. So, it is not very useful while towing on road because you can't use 4x4 mode unless the road is covered with snow!
I specifically ordered manual hubs on my 96 4x4 F250; I use 4 low all the time when parking the Tin Pickle, or climbing steep hills at slow speeds on pavement by simply not locking the hubs.

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Old 08-04-2011, 08:38 PM   #55
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One option that most everyone slips by is the "snow plow option". Even if you live in Florida, this $80 option is one of the best. It gives you added front springs, HD radiator, HD alternator, and only costs $80. Even though I ordered my 2008 a while back, here is the sticker with my options.
Attached Files
File Type: pdf sticker.pdf (133.7 KB, 41 views)
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Old 08-04-2011, 09:05 PM   #56
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I specifically ordered manual hubs on my 96 4x4 F250; I use 4 low all the time when parking the Tin Pickle, or climbing steep hills at slow speeds on pavement by simply not locking the hubs.

- Bart
I'm not sure if the manual hubs are available anymore. But with this new six speed and 3.55 gears, first is 14:1 so it's close to 4-low!
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Old 08-05-2011, 04:26 PM   #57
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The new Ford automatic hubs also have a manual setting for locking, but I have never had to use it on my 2002 nor my 2008. I have also had the electronic shift-on-the-fly 4 wheel drive since 2002 and on my 2008 and it has never failed. The Ford 4 wheel drive system is one of the best ever made, IMHO.

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Old 08-05-2011, 06:51 PM   #58
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A consideration that hasn't been brought up is the design of the 4x4 front suspension. The Ford F-250 has a strait axle in the 4x4 and independent front suspension for the 4.x2. This is the same with the Dodge. The Ford and Dodge will ride smoother and steer more with more precision as a 4x2. The GM models have independent front suspension with both 4x2 and 4x4. If 4x4 is really desired, look at the GMC and Chevy for the best handling and riding 4x4's. Another consideration in choosing 4x4 is if it has dry rode capability in 4x4. Most 3/4 truck setups don't. So, it is not very useful while towing on road because you can't use 4x4 mode unless the road is covered with snow!
F-250 is IFS since 2010
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