I need a new truck, I don't drive enough to justify a diesel ( 22 000 km since April 01). I currently have a 90 351w 5 speed, my trailer is a 6½X14 goose neck(dump trailer). I did not have the chance to use it at full capacity (15 000 lbs), but it may happen few times a years in the future.
I have an option on a 03 f350 ext cab, short box, 5.4 triton ,automatic, 4.10 and snow package.i don't like the color (burgundy) but all others 5.4 available are with 3.73:rolleyes: )
o% 48 or 2.9% 60 month on 03, first time we have low interest on SD in canada, usually deals are for truck below 8 600 gvwr.
Could I expect satisfaction from that truck ??? My other choice is a gm 6.0.
My tough is Ford front axle win over gm IFS, but gm automatic tranny is better and they have few more ponnies and a little bit more torque.
Dealer need an answer before 5pm Friday and I'am totally confused :confused:
Thanks for your help!
Denis - there is a local outfit here that uses newer Super Duties,both 250's and 350's,all with the 5.4 L.He swears by them.They are all just leased trucks,but have had very few problems over the 3 year period.He also says the gas mileage when plowing isn't too bad either.
You are correct on Ford having the edge with the solid front axle.Trannies are both strong.If you like the Ford,go for it.Good luck.
Denis, Chris is right on with this one..
Everyone that I have come a crossed that has the 5.4 is very satisfied with the performance of the engine and the truck overall. And handle plows and other added equipment without doing too much if any work to their suspension. Good luck making you decision.
:rolleyes: John........
Thanks guys, your opinion is very helpfull, first new truck, I don't want to make a 40 000$ mystake, also I plan to keep it many years.
Chris, do you know what kind of minor issues it was? Anyway, with any truck you may have problem! Just don't want the worst. Last years you told me you got better price on plow than here, I will contact you later.
Most of the problems that I know of that he had,were some minor issues with the front hubs,and an ABS problem.Both had been repaired with no other further problems.
I will call him today and ask if there were any other major things.
Let me know what your looking at for a plow,or other equipment,and I'll see what I can do for you.
Haven't got to put mine to the snow test yet but I have pulled a couple trailers weighing 7000lbs and the only problems I had was going up and down some hefty hills I think it was lacking a little torque or HP. Looking at adding on a K&N air filter and new exhaust. I have pretty much the same truck as you are looking at. 03' F250 SD 4x4 super cab short bed 5.4L 4.10 limited slip, plow package, trailer package. Cost me $38,000 and that included -$5000 on my trade in:crying: So in with plow Meyers 7.5 and truck the price was actually $33,000 not to bad since sticker was around $36,500 with plow and the bed liner. Here is my truck. :cool: http://community.webshots.com/photo/...77425769PQuzir
I spoke to him today,and the only major problem he seemed to have was getting decent warranty repair work done.The dealer screwed him several times trying to get the 4WD repaired,but it was no fault of the truck,just lazy technicians who didn't want to properly diagnose his problem.
He also mentioned some of his trucks would pull over 20 MPG in the summer.Not bad fuel mileage.
He will be replacing them with more Fords again this fall.
A little late but you might want to hear this.
My brother in law is the mechanic for our fire dept. and we have 6 Expeditions with the 5.4. He's had to do head gaskets and intake gaskets on a number of them. I'll get you more specifics.
I have seen a few with headgsaket or intake problems,but no more than any other truck.It's still a pretty good motor overall,as Ford has had quite a while to work all the bugs out of it.
The 5.4 is decent engine,do not expect it to perform well when towing or loaded though,it will do the job though,just not quickly.If you have to have the solid axle,the Ford is the way to go. The GM 6.0 will easily outperform the Ford,and get better mileage too.they do not have much ground clearance or plow frame clearance .After driving both,Id go with the GM,only because performance means a lot to me,and the Gm delivers that with the base engine.The Ford is a proven setup ,and Id buy one in a heartbeat if I needed the solid axle.If I were you,id drive both,and make your desicion then.
The Ford 5.4L engine, in my oppinion does not even begin to compare to the GM motor. The 5.4L is known extremely well for having spark plug issues, head gasket issues and coil pack problems due to coolant leaking on them. The spark plugs blowing right out of the heads is a real known problem on other message boards as well. Im not saying dont buy the Ford truck, just get the V10 if you want to stay with a gas motor. Also the 5.4L is kind of a dog in my oppinion, especially being in such a big truck, such as an F250-F350. Mike
I have a 2001 250 with the 5.4 and I have not had one problem. Truck has 55,000 miles on it and runs strong. Plowed for two years with a blizzard 810, pulls my 22 foot mowing trailer daily and occasionaly pulls my 24 foot heavy trailer with my tractor on it. So far no problems.
Got a 5.4 in my Eddie Bauer Expy 4x4. I have the 3.73 limited slip , trailer tow package, dual a/c etc and for what I use it for it is fine. Have 51K on it now, and it has been no problem, other than a plug coil going out at 3000 miles, fixed under warranty.
I have towed 6000 lbs with it, took my thinderbird on a u-haul rent a trailer from Florida up to NJ. Only pain in the butt was at 58-67 miles an hour it was in the wrong side of the torque curve and the automatic OD kept shifting in and out. Once I got over 70 mph it pulled fine. Seemed like the engine had some vacuum sensors on it to delay the shifting in the lower gears at lower speeds, but it pulled fine for me.
Mostly it sits now, I only drive it on weekends now, use it for church and grocery shopping.It has been back and forth to Jersey and Florida 9 times, once twice in a three week period. Still have original brakes, original hoses and belts too. Gonna get those hoses changed before the next Jersey Florida trip, don't want to push it!
The 5.4 is a good engine. We have a Ford F-250 with the 5.4 I would watch the u-joints. They are usually bad on a ford super duty. You might need new ones every season. If can do it though, I would go diesel. They run so cool when plowing. You will get what you paid extra when it comes time for resale. I'm hearing bad things about the new 6 liter so I would try to find an 03 with the 7.3 maybe some good rebates too. I will never but another gas again. I love diesel!!!
Now that I think about it, my 2001 60k miles f-250 does the same shifting thing. At about 50 or so, it will shift in and out of od. It is a pain. I'm afraid my truck is gonna die or something. I'm glad to hear it isnt just me. When I speed up past 60 it goes away. Its just between 50 and 60 that it will shift up and down when it wants. I find myself turning off od sometimes which kills gas mileage.
I'm on my 4th F250 this 03 replaced a 01 same as your looking at but with 3.73 axle. 42,000km going ahead, a bunch backing up. The 4.10 axle will solve the shifting tranny by getting th 5.4 in it's power range. I deal every 18 mos. now because these trucks have such great resale here. I put an open K/N intake and Gibson cat-back on ands it really helps the power pulling. I take the items off and sell them when I deal. The v-10 is great but scares the average Joe on re-sale. Heavy hauler's buying used want diesel here. Repairs none, no warranty work just services. It will pull anything our diesels will, we just leave 10 minutes earlier.......ya it's a lot slower but does it all at reasonable cost.
The 01 lost the tranny at 80,000km due to a broken reverse sprag I believe, the dealer good willed it no-charge. No other repairs just service. Plows on the trucks also. My 2000 Excursion PSD auto 4x4 has 190,000km - 1 starter, 1 center link, 3-sets of shocks, 3-sets of tires, lots of oil changes and filters, 4-sets of brakes. Ford had a brake problem on the EX the last time brakes where done we used drilled rotors and carbon pads and the brakes have gone twice as far and lots left.
My f-250 has a 5.8 351 vs 5.4 330.my truck is a 96 and they downsized the engine years back.I've driven a 5.4 in a newer F-250 and they have no comparison to the tork that is produced from the 5.8.I think they are sluggish in tork with that new 5.4.Though the horsepower is greater in the 5.4 occording to ford, but I see no difference.I personally like the 351 5.8 better.
The ten cylinder, now that is kick ass, they have alot of power but also guzzle alot of gas.
I do like the way the newer F-250's drive.I read last year that Ford is gonna redesign the F-250/350 either next year or by 2005, cant wait to see what it will look like.
i have a 2001 f2505.4l reg cab 4.10. ive seen on here people mentioning up to 20 miles to the gallon. i get 11.5 with the tailgate up and up around 14mpg with the taligate down. i figured this was about right but after a couple of post ive seen, is my truck half dead or what.
yako - the 4.10's may have a lot to do with your poor mileage.Laden weight and driving style will affect it too.

It doesnt matter if the truck is cold or hot when ya shut it off an let it sit like 10 minutes or more when ya get back in an start it , truck fires rite up then dies immediately from lack of fuel , then you can pump the hell out of the gas pedal an she will fire up, whats causes this to do that?? Please help thanks George
Fuel Pump? Its in the v of the engine
Has the truck had a recent fuel filter?
the fuel is bleeding back,you could have a small air leak at one of the fuel return lines on top of the injectors,or it could be a small crack in one of the rubber lines.they can crack so they will suck air but not leak fuel.
another possiblity is the fuel return fitting in the injection pump,its job is to hold the fuel in the pump,but i would start with fuel return line o-ring and line kit.
The tank selector switches are also known to leak air which will let the fuel drain back from the fuel pump on the drivers side of the block.
Could it be bad fuel??? I am gonna but some new lines on the injectors an try that first!
Oilburners.net has alot of info on older 7.3's.
I did a pressure check on the lines an tank today! It looked all good till about 5 minutes later and a puddle appeared under my rear axle. My bed is rusted out completely, I can see the rear tank and sending unit but i couldn't really tell how bad due to a bed liner. I took the bed liner out an WOW what rust can do . Anyways after pressure checking again I noticed fuel coming out from the bottom of the discharge nipple where main fuel supply line connects to sending unit! That nipple is rusted an is leaking at the base where it goes into sending unit, is that a common problem?
I know what happened now I used that truck this week to haul some equipment in the bed an I guess someone stepped around in the bed an must have stepped on the sending unit making that nipple leak. After I found the leak I started the truck up an damn she is pouring out of that nipple,, when it has pressure behind it it really flows out well an the truck hardly runs, I took the gas cap off when she was running an the leak became less an the truck started to run better , so this rusty sending unit has to be the problem! What do you guy thinks and can I weld a nice bead around that nipple to prevent from leaking or should I buy a new sending unit?? let me hear from ya guys , Thanks George
I did a pressure check on the lines an tank today! It looked all good till about 5 minutes later and a puddle appeared under my rear axle. My bed is rusted out completely, I can see the rear tank and sending unit but i couldn't really tell how bad due to a bed liner. I took the bed liner out an WOW what rust can do . Anyways after pressure checking again I noticed fuel coming out from the bottom of the discharge nipple where main fuel supply line connects to sending unit! That nipple is rusted an is leaking at the base where it goes into sending unit, is that a common problem?
I know what happened now I used that truck this week to haul some equipment in the bed an I guess someone stepped around in the bed an must have stepped on the sending unit making that nipple leak. After I found the leak I started the truck up an damn she is pouring out of that nipple,, when it has pressure behind it it really flows out well an the truck hardly runs, I took the gas cap off when she was running an the leak became less an the truck started to run better , so this rusty sending unit has to be the problem! What do you guy thinks and can I weld a nice bead around that nipple to prevent from leaking or should I buy a new sending unit?? let me hear from ya guys , Thanks George I would buy a new sending unit... welding it may work for a short time but if it's that rusted I think in the long run a new part would be a better idea!

I posted this in the newbie section first by mistake (i am a newbie). 99 F250 v10 triton 124,000 on it he is asking $7500 I think I could get it for $7000 doesn't seem like he will budge more than that. Anything I should look for while Im climbing around under it? Any specific questions I should ask. This will be my first Ford I have ever even looked at (to buy, I dont close my eyes when one drives by or anything). This truck will be primary plow and a secondary landscape truck. Not a daily driver. What should I look for with the plow set up anything? Help is appreiciated. Thanks
Check to see if it is leaking oil on the back side of the motor if so your head gaskets are shot. Check the trans fluid to see if it is still red or if it smells burnt. Check that hubs work and transfer case works. Check drive shafts for bad u-joints and slop. Check oil for antifreeze and open the oil fill to see if there is a white slop around it from antifreeze. Hope this helps Steve
This does help alot. I've never looked at a used plow truck or a ford. Thanks alot for the help.

Hi, my name is Ryan and I'm currenty 15. Next winter I will be turning 16 and want to know which of these two vehicles, 05 F150 with 4x2, or 05 Explorer with 4x4 would be best to plow with. Also what plow would be best for each vehicle. I only do residential accounts, just FYI. Any info. would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Ryan :waving:
The F150 is only 2x4 and Explorers are not made to be work trucks. You could put something light on the Explorer and do your own driveway, but you'll kill that thing if you want to do a bunch of driveways....How about a 4x4 F150?
How about a 4x4 F150?[/quote]
I dont have a 4x4 F150. Are you saying like do I know someone who has one???????? :dizzy:
please reply back
Thanks
Ryan :dizzy:
How about a 4x4 F150? I dont have a 4x4 F150. Are you saying like do I know someone who has one???????? :dizzy:
please reply back
Thanks
Ryan :dizzy:[/quote]
Huh? You're 15 and have personal access to these vehicles to do whatever you want with them? They aren't plow trucks, find a 4x4.
What's with all the "dizzy" icons? :dizzy:
Neither vehicle is suitable to be plowed with. First of all the F150 is only 2 wheel drive and would be getting stuck all the time. The Explorer would be ok with a small like fisher homesteader or western suburbanite plow but not for doing alot of residentials. Find a good older 4X4 truck and go from there, its easier just to start with the right equipment then try to make something thats not meant to do plowing work.
Thanks for the help!
xysport
Ryan

Hey,
Just got back in from a 30 KM trip. I was going up a hill doing about 120 Km/h and at the top I noticed the check guage light was on and my engine temp was on red. I immediatly pulled over and within 10 seconds to stopping the heat needle had dropped to half way between good and red. I sat for another 5 minutes and then preceded to go and all seemed fine, I hope I caught it in time. What would do this? I had my snowplow on but have never had heating issues with it on before even at these speeds. Coolant level was fine. Any suggestions? Any possibly I did damage by overheating? One thing I noticed was a weird air Whooshing sound like you would hear on a big rig.
Thanks
Jeff
My O5 Did The Same Thing. It Was Just The Guage. I Didn't Get Any Warning Lights Or Bells. The Funny Thing Is It Would Only Heat Up With The Plow On. When I Took The Plow Off It Was Fine. After They Replaced The Guage Cluster Never Had A Problem Again. I Didn't Believe It Until They Swithched Things Out.
i had that problem on my 05, except mine was i didn't have a snow-plow prep package on the truck. I bought a fan clutch that comes on the snow-plow prep package from ford and i haven't had a problem since. takes about 1 hour to put the fan clutch in
I picked up my plow with my buddies 05 F-550 and it did the same thing. It was flashing "check gauges" and it had cut the power output. It was my best guess that the t-stat just hadn't opened yet. When I called my buddy he confirmed it, sort of. He said he wasn't exactly sure, but that sounded right and that he knew it was something to do with the t-stat and it always does that. I'm assuming it just takes longer for those t-stats to open up because it takes a diesel longer to warm up. With the plow on it obviously warms up a lot faster. I was going about 60mph on the highway when it happened to me. I started pulling over when I looked at the gauge, and then the needle dropped way down. A classic sign of a t-stat opening to me. I just kept going and everything was fine.
Snowman2025 is right ,I helped put his in.
My 06 does the same thing,if I stay at 55 it will work fine.You go 60 or more the fan will quit comming on.It has an electric clutch and I think the non plow prep fans just arnt made to come on at higher speeds because the normal airflow through the radiator will keep it cool.
The plow prep fan is made to come on sooner and operate at higher engine speeds.
For $295 you can solve the overheating problems.New fan clutch.
I think im gonna break down and buy one soon or stay under 55mph with the plow on.
If you could provide any info on that clutch fan that would be great, I want to be as pro-active as possible and it that thing is the ticket great, probably the best $ 295.00 one could spend.
Was it difficult to put on ??
Thank You
sparky, something is wrong with your buddies 550. Mine open up right away, never overheat\flash gauges etc before cooling down.
As has been asked, do you have the plow prep? If not, get that fan and clutch immediately.
Sounds like you were going too fast and not paying attention to the gauges, otherwise. The whooshing sound is your fan turning on.
the fan clutch is not hard to put in at all. total of 6 bolts. (2) 8 mm and (4) 15 mm
the main fan shroud comes out all in one piece. you just unbolt the top two 8mm bolts that attaches it to the radiator and give it a good hard tug up. remember to tak off your coolant hoses going to the radiator at the top first. then reach around the shroud that attatches to the front of the engine and there are (2) 15 mm bolts on top and 2 on the bottom, unscrew those to get that loose and get big wrench, i think it was 1 7/8 " and unscrew the nut on the fan to get it off. The threads are normal right hand threads. disconnect the wiring harness going to the fan and pull the fan and that inner shroud out and switch the fan blades to the new clutch and slap it right back in. its good to have 2 people to help get things held and started. Took me and stangman somewhere around an hour to do it all.
Great directions, will give it a try :)