Looking for a dd/tow rig advice

[crawlin91]

Im looking for a tow rig (for my ranger or other light loads) that would be half decent as a daily driver as well. Ive been looking at 4x4 460's and 7.3 powerstrokes and even the ol 12 valve cummins in the years ranging from about 88-97. Honestly I dont know much at all about diesels other than what Ive read on online forums.

Any advice that you could give regarding the reliability/maintenence/differences/cost of these trucks would be helpful in my search for a new truck.

Also how do you feel about the auto vs manual transmissions in these trucks.

Thanks.

[BigJohn76]

if you want to daily drive the truck, i would stay away from the 460 because they get horrible mileage if you drive like i do. i have a 97 Powerstroke with 35s and 4 inches of lift and on a good day i get 13 mpg, 7 towing at 70 mph. i also have an 83 6.9 diesel with a 4 speed and get 16-18. My mom used to have a 89 250 with the 460 and got no better than 12.

i have a soft spot for cummins and from what my buddies tell me, they get great mileage, but trying to find one cheap enough is difficult, even the older ones. Powerstrokes are cheaper but i hate mine for pulling. everyone has their own opinions, but i still like my 6.9 n/a idi the best.

as for tranny, always look for twin sticks. Dodge autos are crap, and a zf 5 speed will go forever. the manual t-case is always best too, but you already know that.

[Ditchdoc]

My 88 460 f250 gets 10-11 mpg towing or empty use to only get 9 mpg until in removed all the smog crap.... Gas is still cheaper than diesel and gas engines are easier/cheaper to work on especially the older ones.... I'd love to do the 12v Cummings swap but finding a good engine that doesn't cost you your first born isn't easy NOT impossible but still not easy.... IMHOOC

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I have two F-350s sitting out in the driveway right now with 460 motors and a 5-speed. Both get 8 mpg - empty or full it doesn't matter. If you're lucky on a highway with a tail wind you get 9 mpg. That gets expensive to drive around real quick.

I'd love to have a diesel for a long-distance tow rig and for plow duty, but diesels don't like just taking a short hop to work an back. They perform best when being run for long periods of time and worked hard.

For my everyday work rig and for some hauling, I just use my '95 F-150 4x4 with a 5-speed, manual t-case and the mighty 300 straight six. It may be slow, but it'll pull a house. I was getting around 14 mpg with the 3.08 gears that came stock but I just swapped out the rear axle for one with 3.55 gears - a noticeable gain in performance. Not sure what my new fuel economy numbers will be, I haven't burned through a tankfull yet. But I've had my choptop on a tow bar behind it without any real problems. (of course, I also towed my choptop with my Ranger like that)

[NTXfordtruck]

Like has already been said, you really need to figure the cost of diesel in. A 460 might get worse mileage but the cost of Diesel can be a lot more. The benefits of increased mileage are really negated by the cost of the fuel. Especially when Diesel fuel prices spike.