- Ford F350 (4-door crew cab)

- 6.7 Powerstroke diesel with 10 speed tranny

- 4WD

- 8 foot bed

- Mrs. Quest luxury items and accoutrements (aka the "Princess Package")

With 475 HP and 1,000 pound-feet of torque, do y'all think it will tow the Ski Nautique?  I mean it weighs all of 3,600 pounds with boat and trailer…

What a woman.  Horrible taste in men, but damn!  What a woman!

JQ

Don’t need DRW in the back, so I went with singles.  Lariat package. Leather seats. 5th wheel prep. Off road and 4WD package.  Damn, it's a Loooong wheelbase.  Comes with its own ZIP code.  

JQ

The princess package sounds kinda Pink 

Gangster !!!!!!!!!  Chicago Style !!!!!!!!!

 

 At the current pricing it would have to for me to get a new one or used one for that matter. That’s why I’m still nursing my ‘06 Lariat Power Stroke along for at least another year or more.

  The motor is as strong as day one but living in the rust belt is taking its toll  damn that salt.

Mine is WAY newer than yours.

2007 Duramax 2500HD crew cab short bed.  265,000 miles (I bought it with 204,000 4 years ago).  Running perfectly, in very good shape.  I've looked at replacements lately, but I can't justify the price.

I looked up the turning radius in the spec sheet and it said “1 time-zone”

JQ

I pull my boat with a 3 seater jetski in the bed.  Rumbling up highway grades at 1750 RPM/70 mph at peak torque. At least in my 2015 6.6L Duramax.

Make sure you get all the camera options. They're expensive to add later

Don't forget the extended warranty!  It is a Ford after all 

JQ

I don't know how big your TT is going to be, but I read that a lot of the FT RVers like the DRW for stability

Just my $0.02

No question dually's add some stability for towing, but ......

Rob's new pickup will be around 7,500 lbs. I think.  It will be plenty stable for nearly any TT he can put behind it.  Good tires, aired up to max inflation (75-80 psi) and that Powerstroke will pull it and stay planted with no issues.

Dually's are marginally useful IMO, and I've owned 2.  Snow traction is not as good, parking sucks.  I'd have to be really towing heavy to consider a dually as a daily driver.

Well one thing a dually has going for it, if you are pulling a horse trailer or other heavy trailer over grass and dirt, the dual tire flotation will make it much less likely to get stuck in soft ground.

Love the old hunk of steel and cubic inches approach to American luxury cars of that era!

No DRW -- SRW only.  The DRW would be a very tight fit in my garage door.  As such, I had to get the power folding mirrors so that they can fold flat without some bonehead (me) tearing them off...

JQ

They are expensive for sure but deliver.

Awesome truck!!!  The power is beyond belief, my friend has a '20, combined with a remarkably good ride and fairly quiet depending on what you run for tires.

The power gains in these diesels is the story.  My '98 6.5 had 185 HP and 380 lb.-ft. torque, and it towed very well.  My '07 6.6 Duramax is 360 HP, 650 lb.-ft. and seems to be endlessly powerful.  The numbers on the new trucks are, at this point, almost overkill.  I know GM and Ford were both trying to be the first to get torque over 1000.

My buddy owns a cattle ranch, located at 6,000 ft in Idaho, his Ford has so much power he says he has to slow down for turns going up the big passes near his ranch while towing 20,000 pounds.   His is 5 years old and I know they have more power now.  Car and Driver did a Test on the new Diesel full size trucks at the drag strip.   These full size 8,000 pound rigs were doing the 1/4 mile faster than a 1967 GTO with a 4 speed and 4.11 gears.   Who would have thought this would ever happen.  Amazing rigs.

I realize it’s an apples-to-oranges comparison, but the Cummins M-11 engine (Class 8 trucks) is 400HP and 1,450 pound-feet of torque…pulling 80,000 GVW.

Damn.  

JQ

What is your new beast rated to tow 25-35,000 pounds!  BTW:  Car and Driver said Ford uses computer controls to keep your engine from breaking their parts so when you floor it the computer decides how fast you will take off.  The Dodge and Chevy were faster at the drag strip because of this programming but who cares, your truck will haul the bacon for you.

You know a few years back Audi ran a 10 cylinder Diesel at the 24 hours of Lemans and WON.  The power and gas mileage gave them a step up on the competition.  Have not heard about them doing that since, regulations probably pushed them out of the race.

Hope you see your new truck soon.

Go to a Tractor Pull, those buggers put out enough black smoke to choke a city each night and that is legal.

Warning on your Ford, be very careful to never put the DEF in your fuel tank.  It is a $25,000 repair if that is done.  The DEF is very high acid content and it takes out the entire fuel system.  Fuel Lines, Injectors and the fuel tank.   It has happened so often that Ford now sells a repair KIT with all these parts included.  Might want a separate lock on that cap and keep control over it yourself.  

[JQ Climbs on soapbox]  The "culture kookiness" is enough to make my head explode.  My company is in the petroleum, refining, mining and electric power industries.  All of these industries are coming under attack from some special interest group -- and often from governmental agencies.  The amount of MIS-information and DIS-information is shocking.  The vast majority of "John Q Public" is so poorly informed, yet it seems to be driving legislation, policy and public opinion.

MrMcD wrote: Warning on your Ford, be very careful to never put the DEF in your fuel tank.  It is a $25,000 repair if that is done.  The DEF is very high acid content and it takes out the entire fuel system.  Fuel Lines, Injectors and the fuel tank.   It has happened so often that Ford now sells a repair KIT with all these parts included.  Might want a separate lock on that cap and keep control over it yourself.

I've been around Class 8 trucks all my life, so I'm aware of the perils of Diesel Exhaust Fluid in the wrong tank.  Thanks, however, for the reminder as one foul-up will be a very bad, very expensive day.

JQ

We did not do much with the Volvo PacCar Diesel engines.

I'm preparing for the new F-350 truck, so I put my Toyota 4Runner up for sale to help finance the new diesel monster.  Well, I just sold the 4Runner -- and I got $3,000 MORE than I paid for it.  Damn.  Yes, it was a nice rig.  Yes, it had nice tires and wheels.  Yes it's a one-owner vehicle, but...32,000 miles...3 years "free" driving...plus $3 grand extra in the bank.  What the Ford is going on?

JQ

I've been thinking about doing similar, replacing my diesel 2500 with a newer version, and selling both the older pickup and my Durango.  While the prices on the newer (I'm looking at 2016-2018) pickups are frightening, the price I can get on the two vehicles is pretty compelling.

I heard this morning that GM is idling some US plants because of the chip shortage.  The prices on vehicles, new and used, isn't going to drop in the short term.

Since your 4Runner is gone, Ford is gonna notify you that your truck won't be produced for 2 more years and then you'll end up buying a Subaru Forester to tow your boat with

I’d be lying if I said that thought hadn’t crossed my mind…

“News Update” 

Due to the semiconductor chip shortage, Ford has cancelled the 2022 model year.  2023 vehicles will be available for pre-orders at the mid-term elections. 

JQ

That’s AOC’s platform, she’ll tell you that’s the way it should be.

These supply chain problems are going to get more common going forward I think.  The insulation shortage after the Texas ice storms has never recovered, now this chip shortage seems like it's going to be here for a while, and like MrMcD said the ripple effect is huge as those auto plants are shut down.

I usually browse around at boats but haven't been doing so lately, I need to take a look at used boat pricing out of curiosity.

Daryn, I guess I agree with Don.  Not that we can't discuss whatever any of us wants to discuss, but a guy posts a thread about his new truck he has on order, doesn't need to turn into a political conversation.

Now if we start talking Ford vs. GM vs. RAM, that might really get ugly!

I also heard that along with COVID the plant had a large fire that set them back.  I heard Camaro stopped production due to lack of front splitters and spoilers for the cars. F-150's are parked at Kentucky Speedway waiting on Chips for the computers. 

I sell machinery and over the last 10 years all of the components have been offshored. Our business has been great, but we can't ship anything. Our Backlogs are crazy high, but shipments are slow.  We are sitting on our hands waiting for the containers to arrive. We also have to bid on containers to get one. The containers ship to the US but are not going back overseas because their economy has not recovered as fast as the US economy.  We have changed ports of entry several times and are constantly changing logistic companies to try to get the components to the US plant at a faster pace. 

On another note, my in laws are full time RV ers for the last 12 years.  He moved to a dully because when pulling the camper and getting passed by tractor trailers would make the Fifth Wheel dance slightly and it caused an uneasy feeling. That went away with the more stable dully.  

JQ

Ford just sent me a notice that the truck is "In Production".  I also got the window sticker.  I'm more than just a little surprised that this custom order has come together so quickly.  With the micro-chip shortages, supply chain shortages, labor shortages, etc., I was fully expecting a January or February 2022 delivery.

Damn, I might see this bad-boy before Christmas.

I hope I don't stretch the Nautique trailer tongue with all those ponies and torque!

JQ

Jonny, It's almost here............Christmas that is.

Apologies for the sucky picture, but the light was fading.  The color is called "Anti-Matter" blue.  It should be called "Black-Unless-Direct-Sunlight-At-Noon".  

Roger that.

For a few shekels more, I have a 100,000 mile / 5 year B-T-B warranty that covers everything.  I hope I don’t need it.  

JQ

Just a few key things to remember:

Don't put DEF in the coolant overflow tank.

Don't put washer fluid in the DEF tank.

Don't put gasoline in the fuel tank.

NOW you tell me…better get the fluid extractor out.

All joking aside, the Ford dealer told me about several incidents where new-to-diesel owners have put DEF into the diesel fuel tank.  The “fix” for that little mistake can be over $15,000 as the DEF is corrosive.  Ouch.

JQ

Getting tough to even get them out to begin with-    http://www.startribune.com/ford-halts-deliveries-of-mustang-mach-e-upsetting-buyers-counting-on-2020-tax-break/600128953/" rel="nofollow - http://www.startribune.com/ford-halts-deliveries-of-mustang-mach-e-upsetting-buyers-counting-on-2020-tax-break/600128953/

Yup, happens more than you'd expect.

DEF is nasty stuff.  On our commercial trucks we used to buy it in 55 gallon drums, but over time it would develop stringy black stuff that would clog up the tank and pump and we spent a lot on fixing emissions related problems.  So we went back to buying DEF in plastic containers, I think they are 2 1/2 gallons each, to make sure we are always adding clean fresh DEF.  The emissions stuff is 70% of the maintenance on the trucks.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2021-12-14/has-the-adblue-shortage-reached-crisis-point/100700420" rel="nofollow - http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2021-12-14/has-the-adblue-shortage-reached-crisis-point/100700420

https://www.jatonkam35s.com/DeuceTechnicalManuals/Diesel_fuel_additive_test.pdf" rel="nofollow - DIESEL FUEL LUBRICITY ADDITIVES STUDY RESULTS - Diesel_fuel_additive_test.pdf

I have done a lot of research on the diesel fuel and the above study is the best information I have found. It is an older study but still to the point. There is one newer product on the market called Hot Shot with something 4 added that has better luberosity.

If you have not read about Ford not covering the CP4 pump failures under warranty you need to do some research. But what it boils down to is the injector pump coming apart due to lack of lube in the fuel and or fuel filters and water separators being plugged and then starving the injector pump. Ford makes clams of one or the other but does not cover the damage.

Opti-Lube is the brand I chose to run in my diesel powered vehicles.They have a variety of products for different weather and conditions and it is available through Wall Mart on line. They also offer different types of containers for measuring to meet the needs of their clients.

I noticed our local HD was limiting the number of DEF containers to two per customer.  Figured something was up.

JD, I used to spend some time on Diesel Place and remember that study well.  I also had a diesel converted to run on UCO and lubricity was a major subject there, currently I run a 2007 LBZ Duramax.  I add 16 oz. of 2 stroke oil and 8 oz. of power service to every fillup.  My LBZ thankfully has a CP3 pump but I still like adding the oil for lubricity.  I did the same on my several 6.5 diesels.  If I owned a new diesel I'd maybe just add something like optilube that you recommend or nothing at all.

The CP4 injection pump failure was both Ford and GM.  At work we had a 2014 Duramax and when the CP4 came apart it caused a lot of damage, we had estimates of $10,000 to get it back on the road, chose to dump it instead in a cheap sale.

JQ

I must be psychotic or psychedelic or psychic or something

Or............maybe just curious 

I've run Hot Shots Diesel extreme, which for my mileage dosing is every 6 months but I also use Hot Shots Everyday Diesel additive with every fill up.  The Everyday is a cetane booster but more importantly is a fuel system lubricant.  Take care of that fuel pump.  

166,000 miles now with NO fuel system problems.

Also don't get too worried about the def shortage,  1-  2.5 gallon cube lasts me 8000 miles so 6 months.  If we can't find a cube of def in a 6 month period we've got bigger problems.  

I also know nothing about the Powerstroke aftermarket but in the ECO-Diesel world there are Emissions compliant tunes that work wonders and don't void warranties so worth getting on some forums and doing some reading.  I actually run an older non compliant tune which leaves all my emission gear in place but shuts off the egr.  My oil stays cleaner much longer than in stock form.

Enjoy the new rig, she's a beaut.

The issue isn't power.   Yes the EPA came down hard a couple of years ago but that has created a new market for compliant tunes.  Many are now geared towards driveability and  reliability issues more than adding power and rolling coal like the old days of tuning.  I'm not talking about deleting just tuning with intact emissions,   I strongly feel my tune is what keeps my Jeep out of the service department. 

Agree. Deleting the EGR function is the most beneficial and simple benefit of a tune.  The other thing is that 475 HP, 1000 plus ft.-lb. diesel can get much better mileage with a tune, without sacrificing power or towing ability.

If I had a new truck I'd hesitate to tune it due to warranty and especially if I planned to service it at a dealership, which I do with vehicles still within warranty.  But I'm fully on board with the benefit of the tunes.

Yeah the warranty is always a concern.  Mine is a bench tune so I actually own 2 separate ECM Modules which I swap if the Jeep ever has to go in for something like a recall.  I put the factory ecm in, let them do whatever they need to it and as soon as I get home I swap the tuned one back,  every time I do that it amazes me how horribly awful the factory tunes runs.

Banks Power makes really good stuff. If I go with a tune, it will likely be a Banks.  

JQ

My wife used to have guys yell at her when at the gas station, that she's putting diesel in her '07 Jeep GC CRD . 

She would tell them that her husband told her to do it, and they would roll their eyes.  

Were you man enough to handle all the torque-steer that came with the Wolfsburg monster?

40.3 MPG is pretty snappy.  Back "in the day" I had an Audi 5000 diesel with a 5-speed manual tranny.  In the winter, I would add 10% gasoline to the #2 diesel fuel to help mitigate fuel gelling and to improve starting,  Well, that Audi was damn cold-blooded and did not want to start using only the starter motor and glow-plugs.  So, I came up with a sure-fire (pun intended) trick that I would use to start the German ice cube.  I lived way up in the foothills and the road leading to my house had a nice 6% grade.  When the weather turned cold, I would park the Audi so that it was pointing downhill.  I would turn the key on and put the tranny in neutral.  I would coast downhill until the speedo hit 30 MPH.  Clutch in.  Tranny in 4th gear.  Release the clutch pedal.  It never failed to start with that method.  Yes, it rattled and smoked, but it started and ran.  No doubt that it was hard on the engine to start it like that...but what the hell...

JQ

I had similar experiences myself, several times.  I drove an '06 Jeep Liberty CRD, looked like the last thing you should be putting diesel in.

Gary, in the early '80's our neighbor commuted around 150 miles a day in a Rabbit diesel pickup.  The mileage was jaw dropping, he didn't mind the lack of power at all, and utilized the pickup bed quite a bit as well.  Really a pretty amazing vehicle.

I love stories like that!  Actually not so hard on the engine, more so the clutch I would think.  Sounds like a block heater would have helped.

The early diesels, Audi and Mercedes and VW, were some of the most bulletproof ones.  No emissions, very robust injection systems.  They had their issues but worth putting up with for those that liked the diesel experience. 

JQ talk about torque steer- that Rabbit had unequal drive shafts and because of that would pull to the right when slippery. Not quite a mile from home is almost a 1/2 mile grade and if it wasn't plowed yet I'd have to start going up it in the other lane because if I didn't by the time I got to the top I'd be in the ditch. As it was I would end up on the right hand shoulder. 

We also had your cousin-

It will be interesting what JQ gets on the truck,I'm sure it will beat the Avalanche with ease

Well the rig has over 500 miles on it already.  I haven't filled it up yet as the long-bed has a 48 gallon fuel tank.  I may need a 2nd mortgage when I have to fill it.  According to the Ford factory "trip computer" this beast gets 18+ MPG around town.  This assumes no warm-up idle for 10 minutes in my garage.  On the freeway today (I-15 and I-80) I got 23-24 MPG on cruise at 65 MPH.  At 70-72 MPH, the mileage dropped down to 21 MPG.  The real test will come when I tow the Ski Nautique down to the lake.  THAT is the number I'm interested in.  Anyway, not too shabby for a 7,500 pound truck.  

JQ

Chicks dig big German cars.  My 5000 wasn't a Quattro, but the Q was very cool.  My wife (back then she was my girlfriend) loved the Euro cars I drove.  I was importing "gray-market" cars over from Germany.  My cousin owned a shop in northern Germany and would send me gray-market cars regularly.  I always had a Porsche, Audi, BMW or Mercedes as my daily-driver.  I even had a Peugeot 505 for a few months.  My wife LOVED the Peugeot.  Go figure...

JQ