Well, I'm probably going to be purchasing either an F250 or Excursion in either 7.3, 6.0, or 6.8L guise. I like the reliability of the 7.3 but I feel the 6.0 if properly tackled, is a much nicer and smoother engine (correct me if I'm wrong). Is the 6.8 a bad choice? I have had a couple in fleet use for a few years and they all seem to hold up pretty well. It seems like the main drawback is the unloaded fuel economy of the 6.8 but I cant imagine it getting much worse! The main reason I would probably shy away from the 7.3 is that there is great difficulty finding one that ticks all the right boxes for me (under 150k miles, four door, 4x4). They mostly seem like they're over 200k miles and/or rusted to dust.

Reasoning: As with most people that shop in this category, I'm also about to purchase a travel trailer in either pull behind or gooseneck form. It will probably be 30-35' and weigh somewhere between 4-5k lbs dry. Sure, I could do this with a half ton, but if the desire arises and my wife wants something bigger, I wouldn't have to worry too much about pulling vehicle.

What are some things to look out for in this situation? What are your personal recommendations with my power plant?

 

Youst to ride down to Lake of the Ozarks in a fishing buddy's 6.8 Excursion pulling a 19' Bass Cat. Terrible gas milage,(8 to 10 mpg), but you couldn't ask for a better ride or towing platform.

 

wow...

 

Wow?

 

Youst...

 

I doubt you can find a 35' long fifth wheel camper that only weighs 4-5000 lbs. I would wager it is close to double that like 10,000 lbs. Anyway, go for a diesel. 6.0 if it is properly bulletproofed and has a warranty or maybe save up for a 6.7 diesel. Either way you need as much torque as you can get and the correct rear end gears to pull. I have a 6.7 with 3.55 gears. I would go 3.73 if ford let that be an option for me, but they don't.

 

Is there a way to visually identify if a 6.0 has been bullet proofed?

 

Naw.. head bolts are one thing.. going to need receipts.

 

If you go to YouTube and type in powerstrokehelp in the search line, it takes you to this mechanic bill in Georgia that will explain in technical detail what is wrong with 6.0's and what it takes to fix them. He has many very good videos. Basically you want one that has been bulletproofed or not touched at all so you can have it bulletproofed. You don't want one that has been chipped for crazy power and literally raced around.

 

How much of a crapshoot are they really? I'm eliminating all modified ones from my search criteria.

Also, V10's (and 5.4's but they're out) can be had at far better values. I'm sure the fuel economy unladen is part of that issue but this would solely be a hauler used on those occasions.