Ford 250 or Chev 2500??
 

Hi,

I need a truck to tow my 28 cigarette (boat + trailer = Approx. 9,000 lbs). I don't want a new truck - looking for a 1992-1995
Ford F250 or Chev 2500.

Questions:
- Are these trucks able to tow 9,000 lbs?
- What engine / trans should I look for?
- What truck will do a better job?
- any suggestions will help.

Thanks,
AC

:D :D

Ford powerstroke

Ford powerstroke??

Gasoline wise, definately go bigger than a 5.7L GM or 5.8L Ford. I am pulling 7K with the 1996 Vortec GM 350/4 Auto (255 HP), and 3.73 gears. I am comfortable now, but would be much more happy with more grunt. You can't go wrong with cubes; but also pay very close attention to real axle ratio. I would definately look for 4.10, with 3.73 being my second choice. Diesel wise, I am GM diehard, but the Ford PSD is a lot stronger than the older GM Diesels. I am not sure though, if the Ford PSD existed in the era you are looking to buy.

There are a lot of GM2500s and F-250s out there, but I would go for the GM in gas. I went out in October of 2000 looking to buy a 93/94 Chevy 1500. I ended up with a beautiful 96 Tahoe LT that I could not pass up. You may be surprised by what you find.

Brian

[ 01-10-2002: Message edited by: Sydwayz23 ]

Watch Out On The Chevy's Those Years.... Transmission Problems... My 91 2500 Had 6 Transmissions Replaced In 71,000 Miles... Then I Was Stupid Enought To Buy A 95 2500 And The Transmission Went At 13,000 Miles... But I Did Learn And Now Drive Fords.... 1999 F-350 V-10 60,000 Miles And NO Problems...

Jeff

Ford PSD = PowerStroke Diesel. But like I mentioned, it may not have been around in the era truck you are buying.

Go to www.ford-diesel.com and www.pickuptruck.com for A LOT of info.

Brian

diesel bought my first one and would never own a gas truck for towing again. Great mileage.

POWERSTROKE DESIEL THE ONLY THE TO GO
I WILL NEVER OWN ANTHOR GAS POWERD TRUCK AGAIN

I think the PSD came out in 94. My dad has a 92 Turbo Diesel F-250 and it pulls very well. The the old Turbo Diesel is not the same as the PSD but they are still pretty good. My dad's has about 175K on it and it still runs strong. The brakes on my dad's truck where much better than on my 94 Chevy one ton DRW. I have since upgraded to a 00 PSD and will not be going back to a Chevy.
If you go with a Chevy of 92-95 go with a gasser. The 6.5 diesel sucked big time.

mike

You may have a proplem towing that much weight with a 3/4 ton truck. My F-250 ('97) is only rated for 8300lbs max, 2500 series Chevy is about the same.
I think you should be looking at an F-350 or 3500 series (on ton).

Just my .02

Buy my one ton! :D :D pics are on the post "Pics of my K3500 Beast" its for sale and pulls my 30' Scarab no problem at 75mph! :D

Best truck in those years for what you are doing is defianlty a Dodge with a Cummins. Good fuel economy, excellent pulling power and unarguable reliability and longevity. Buy a 5 spd if you can find one. Don't even think about a GM Diesel. The Ford diesels in that era would not be a bad choice. But They never had the fuel economy, reliability and longevity of a Cummins. Just my .02

I was told the Dodge trucks had bad Transmissions up until 1998?

AC

I would be carful of the Dodge auto trannys. I dont think they still have them fixed. 2 guys at work have them (1999 and a 2000) and have gone thru a tranny each. They dont even use them to tow anything. Good thing they were a warranty fix.

AC, I have a 1994 Ford F250 XCAB 4X4 with the 7.5L (460 ci) that I'm thinking about selling. Let me know if you're interested. It should be more than capable to do what you need done. I'm only selling it to upgrade to a crew cab (need more cab space, the kids keep growing!!).

The truck is in EXCELLENT condition!

Steve

How fast/quick do you want to pull the boat?
How far will you pull it?
Do you have to deal with many hills? Don't know much about your part of PA, but know there are a lot of hills there.
What else will you ask the truck to do?

If my experiences help, you're welcome to them. IMHO, more is better, but I decided to go with less a year ago when buying mine. It is my daily driver, and I log many miles down the highway with out a trailer. Did not want to pay for extra fuel and harsh ride for the 95% of the time it is a car.

Like Sydwayz, I have a 96 (suburban 1500 4x4 for me) with the vortex 350. Pull a 30' Formula on a Myco steal trailer; more weight than you are talking about. I can't win any races, but it does a suprisingly okay job. It may actually burn more fuel than a big block pulling a trailer, but not otherwise. Driving across IN and IL it does great; keeps up with traffic. In MO with the hills it slows down. AND, I don't run the A/C pulling because the engine is maxxed out with the trailer. If you are considering SBC, try to get the 96 for the vortex.

Also, consider the older style Dodge/Cummins/manual trans. While they don't have a strong following, and don't look that pretty, my experience is they are a reliable combo.

Whichever way you go, pay attention to the stopping parts, and the tracking parts. Add air bags if you need, and stronger breaks, and make sure the trailer is also equiped.

Hope this rambling helped you some. Good luck.

AC,
Your right on the money about dodge autos sucking big time. That's why I recomended a 5 spd. The 89-90 Autos are cheap to rebuild (under a grand) and I'd say you will average one every 80-100k miles. The never OD Autos are spendy to bebuild. Go with gears.

I run a Transmission Shop here and could find fault in all makes but as far as this side of the big three in this region We see more Ford\Powerstroke\E4OD transmissions in here than any other.Reason;Torque converter and planetary failures.Ford addressed the planetary and lube curcuit problems in '99 with the 4R100 transmission[one awesome unit now],The torque converter hasn't changed unfortunatly,The powerstroke was great in the early years,but due to competition kept increasing power/torque [now intercooled\now with chips available increasing another 100 hp and 100 lb.torque increase,still the torque converterhas yet to be beefed up in design,diameter,TCC clutch surface area.
Chevrolet has had comparingly fewer problems that evolution has made better by '98
Dodge,Electronic problems,Overdrive section durability concerns, still!
Least problems in this shop,the winner would be the...... Chevrolet 4L80E\Allison in the late.
Me,I have a 2001 Ford V-10,4R100 Motorhome we pull the race boat with.
Daily driver..2000 Ford V-10................................................ .......STICK!

I'm a Dodge /Cummins fan ,and I wouldn't own a pre-24 valve Cummins . Stock they were slugs, with very little work though they can be awesome. I have to admit the trans sucks too . I'm giving the 2001 a chance though. I just bought one and love it.
19 mpg and 15mpg towing (@80) and that is only with 2500 miles on it !

Clackster,

are the Dodge problems tow-related, or would normal every day driving result in problems as well? ...I'm currently looking at a 98 V10 Dodge 4x4..regular rear..no duals..

Oh, by the way,The aftermarket has addressed Fords problem. PRO-LOC a division of Sun Coast Converters in Ft,Walton Florida,builds a 13 1\2",.900 thick billet steel cover,twice the TCC clutch surface area,furnaced brazed, with tig welded fins.Oh.....about a $1,500.upgrade that,with other mods makes it the best unit when it leaves the shop!

BODYSHOT1,
Hey,not really.There is a one way check valve in the return cooler line near the radiator that will plug and cause no return oil flow back to the lube curcuit of the transmission causing catostrophic gear failure.Also,there is a spring that holds od clutch that has about 800psi against a thrust bearing that dosn't care,loaded or not.
There is a new cooler fitting replacement that cures the lube concerns but usually you find out too late.the one way valve is there to keep the torque converter from draining back overnight.

Clackster,

so if I asked to have this checked/replaced by the dealer before, would the problem be solved?

Lube problem solved!
The repair kit comes with the entire cooler line,but a very low cost upgrade repair.

Clackster,

Thanking you, sir!! Much Appreciated!
:D :D

Your very welcome.