Truck questions...

you got it right.. those bigger tires weigh alot more and put lots of extra strain on wheel bearings, axels, ball joints, front end parts. very expensive to repair. check your pms

Got it. I'll stick clear of this one, and the other large tire trucks that come up often......and thanks for the advice!

check your private messages

My wife and I personally own almost the exact same pickup buts its a F-350. Same 7.3L Power Stroke. We bought it with 135,000 miles on it 4 years ago and now its got 192,000 on it. We have replaced the alternator twice on it otherwise it has been one of the best things we have ever bought. Very, very reliable. I can't say enough good about the truck. We love it. I may be interested in the tires if you get if bought. Just PM me. Thanks Nicholas

I can understand the need for a 4x4 especially in Michigan. What is YOUR need for a 3/4 ton and a diesel?

You will find most trucks like this have been run like rented mules. You will be inheriting the expensive part of owning a HD diesel truck.

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"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence"
Robert Frost

I agree, plus the fact that the truck is modified and a mud bogger tells me to RUN AWAY. I would look for something stock owned by a mature adult. Diesel fuel is expensive and though I love diesels, you pay a premium if your not going to put lots of hours and miles on it.

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Travis, as you pointed out, Ford did go with a different diesel engine at some point. I wanted to point out that International used the same engine in their medium duty trucks as the T444. I don't think using the engine for bogging would hurt it.

As others have pointed out, there are other parts on the truck that may have been over stressed if it was used for bogging. As for diesel vs. gasoline, a mechanical diesel is simple to maintain. Because it doesn't have an ignition system, there are no tuneups. Troubleshooting a problem is very straight forward.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy a pre 1997 Ford with a diesel even if it had 200,000 miles as long as the body was in good shape. I draw the line at 1997 for Ford diesels (I think) because I'm not familiar with the electronic ignition system and I do my own work.

We buy (and Build) these kinds of trucks all the time. It seems from the ad that this was a "Show off" truck built to look like or even be a mud bogger but not used that way. It takes a sharp eye to know if the guys telling the truth about it being all highway miles.
In other words its a race truck but might have just been built to look like one and not used that way.
Its got a lot of stuff you would proably want to get rid of but ya might be able to swap that stuff for what ya need.
However it might be worth checking out it seems like its way under the market.

we have a '96 f-250 and love it. we pull our trailers w/ it. we have had no major problems w/ it. Our mech. said it is still one of the best engines out there.

we have had problems w/ some of the wires becoming brittle and hunting them down.

if you go w/ a diesel get the mechanic first then the truck.

..................I owned a 1999 powerStroke F250 for 10 years ! It was a six speed , after 100,000 miles there are (2)Items that will need too be replaced at some point , (1)IS the upper and lower ball joints on each front wheel , this will run $1200 minimum , (2)The bearing Hubs is the front bearing and hub which is one Integrated mfged unit , not greasable or Rebuildable , these are about $400 each and with labor will run atleast $1,000 too replace ! When they go out you must replace within about 50 miles ot Less !

................Now , I'm not trying too scare you but You need to be aware of these items BEfore purchasing a truck ! A 4 x 4 Doge 2500 series will require the same Ball joint and\or bearing hub expense as well ! I don't know about a a GM equivalent truck ! Educate yourself and pay someone too Fully inspect each truck that meets your needs ....OR....you can really get stuck with large repair bills Fairly quickly after a purchase ! , fordy

Larger tires, raised bodies & lifted suspensions stress alot of things VRS a 'stock' truck and could be the cause of alot of 'nickel and dime' repairs. It all depends on the quality of the modifications and how the truck was driven. Some of the 'shade tree' modifications to 4X4 trucks are actually dangerous as some parts get compromised by 'bubba' shortcuts instead of well designed lift kits, etc.

You will be better off with a stock truck than buying something when you can't realize that some of the mods could have been done in a way that makes the truck dangerous.

DD and SIL run (race) mud trucks..........
If that is what you want, a mud truck....buy it.
If your looking for an everyday 4X4, to drive/work/mileage.........run away as fast as you can.
Mud trucks are made to do one thing and one thing only, blast thru thru the mud as fast as they can.
They generally have to be rebuilt after every run, trail ride, mud pit race.........

The Craigslist link now says "Flagged for removal". Interesting.

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You are confined only by the walls you build yourself.

Since your name is Mom to many the question arises just how many? And will they all fit in a pickup?

__________________
"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence"
Robert Frost

I wa behind a man who needed a clutch for a Ford Diesel 97 AIRC. He was quoted +$2000 for the parts only no installation. I will not repeat his comments but prices are more for a heavier duty rig parts and all.

What will it be used for? A powerstroke diesel will last a long time, age wouldnt bother me if you can see some service records. If the truck looks good, most likely it is in good condition. With that kind of vehicle dont plan on very good fuel millage and even worse with a load on it.

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Gary in Central Ohio

We own 2 F-250 powerstrokes. We just sold our 3rd F-250 a couple months back. They are GREAT trucks. Hubby and I were strictly Chevy people until we needed a heavier duty truck after blowing up and engine and two transmissions in our gaser. After A LOT of research, DH is a mechanic so you can imagine :baby04:, we bought our first which was a 1997 F-250. That was the one we just sold as we just didn't need it anymore. We now have an '03 F-250 work truck and an '05 F-250 which I call my cowgirl Cadillac! Our 97 and 05 are both crew cab and are VERY SPACIOUS! I can fit 3 months worth of groceries and such in there! (Ask me how I know! ) Our family of 4 rides very comfortably in it.

BUT the biggest thing that I am loving right now? YOU CAN PLUG IT IN! Most all of the older diesels came with the block heater and the newer ones you can just buy the cord to plug it in! It was NINE degrees this morning when we went out to do the farm chores! Hubby cranked up the truck which started very easily and it was warm in the cab within a couple minutes! Big bonus when you are freezing your tushy off! And besides that it is much easier on the truck.

We have yet to find something that these trucks won't pull. Trust me, hubby has tried. We also have programmers to improve fuel mileage and they 'may' go a little faster.

Personally I don't think you can go wrong with the Ford diesels. I am a convert for life. My DH is a mechanic and works on these (not ours!) trucks often (he is putting injectors in one right now!) so if you have any questions feel free to contact me.

One last word on diesels.......MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE!!!! That is THE biggest problem on trucks we work on! If you do not keep up the maintenance then the truck will not last as long! Sure it can go 5000 miles in between oil changes, BUT that does not mean it is GOOD for the truck! The oil goes through the injectors on a diesel and if the oil is not maintained then the injectors WILL go bad. End of story.

We also have a 7.3 Powerstroke. Ours has 220K on it and is going strong. (Though it is finally time to replace the glow plugs, it would seem. *sigh*)
Though i too would not recommend the original posted pickup.

Holy Toledo! Where is he shopping?!?!
We got a Luk clutch about two years ago for under $500 (I see they're a bit higher now). DH put it in.

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~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

Not to argue but the lube oil does not go through the injectors on the early Fords that used the Stanadyne injection pump. The Stanadyne imjection pump was lubricated by the fuel unlike some big engine injection pumps which are lubricated by oil.

Oil frequency intervals have no effect on the injection syetems on the 6.9L and early 7.3L engines. If you have a 6.9L or early 7.3L with a non-factory turbo or any diesel with a turbo you want an appropriate oil change interval.

For a diesel it's important that fuel filter changes be timely especially on the early 6.9L and 7.3L diesels. That and using a water separator for the fuel like a Racor add on unit will help the life of the fuel injection system.