# ford dump trucks?



## chevy2500meyer (Jan 30, 2011)

i ve have been taking interest in a lot of ford 4x4 dumps some with the 7.3 diesels and some with the 460s and again some with autos and manuals and was hopeing to get some advise on what to look out for on these trucks and what is the best kind of plow with 8ft or bigger or ? and western or meyers is a preferrence thing and also salting how do these trucks do with a v box or a undertailgate or hitch spreader? this is really my first year in business but second year plowing so again any concerns i should have?



Any advise is much appreciated!!!


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## MickiRig1 (Dec 5, 2003)

I have drove both engines close to 250,000 miles working on a private ambulance. Both are outstanding engines! I prefer the 7.3 PSD for low end grunt. Plowing snow you would want an auto. A manual gets to be a pain after a while. You need to know the tricks to plowing with one. ( Search : Plowing with a manual transmission, on the gray line above the page) It gets real old after a long night using a manual. Been there,Did that. Most of the guys I work with run a V-box with a small engine powering the spreader. Electric's pull too many amps and have more problems. Use the search function to answer your questions you may have. There is way big amount of info here. The closer it gets to winter the more people are online here.


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## chevy2500meyer (Jan 30, 2011)

thanks for the advice on engines and the v box was probably going to the easier cheaper route honesly and now most you can do startups right from the cab which is a big bonus


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## blk90s13 (Sep 1, 2005)

I can talk about the 7.3l its a strong motor I run a 8.5 meyer on my f250 with 7.3 and nothing stopped in its way yet 


just look for rusted out oil pan when you buying


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## Chipper (Mar 30, 2008)

If your looking at dump trucks I'll assume that they will have dual rear wheels. Which means you'll want a 9 or 9.5 foot plow to clear the rear wheels when plowing. 
DON'T get a 460 as a work/plow truck. You will go out of business buying gas to feed the thing. Spend the extra cash and find a nice diesel powered rig you won't regret it.


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## MickiRig1 (Dec 5, 2003)

Another plus with the Diesel is when maintained correctly it goes forever ! The body will be rust off and the framed rusted thru before the engine wears out. High 300,000 are average for the life of them. A buddy of mine had one at 425,000 when a dump truck T-Boned him and killed it. Just be aware that they take 14-16 qt's of oil at a change at 7,500 miles. You have to use higher price oil. The filters are more money. They have bigger dollar parts like alternators and water pumps,fan clutches- just real truck parts in general.


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## chevy2500meyer (Jan 30, 2011)

i have heard the problems and parts that comes with the engines but as you said oil changes are at 7500 miles instead of every 3000 and i have heard they do hold up a lot better than the gassers. the other thing i know about diesels is that they are a lot better at pulling is this really true? and the 9 or 9.5 plow does it matter whether or not it is a v blade or regular straight?


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## MickiRig1 (Dec 5, 2003)

A diesel has low end grunt. Which is torque on the low end of the RPM SCALE. It would push a big plow without a problem. Just mostly limited by your traction you have with the tires and weight on it. You need to have 4x4 too. Without it you have other problems plowing snow. The service intervals are longer because you have more oil, alot bigger filter and an oil cooler. Both engines are truck motors designed to power a working truck. If it has central hydraulic's it's even better. You can power the plow or spreader off the engine power and not the electrical system.


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## PPP (Jan 5, 2005)

I have a 97 F-Superduty Dump with the 460 and an automatic. I have a 3 yard masons dump on it. With me driving it I average 8mpg. So I wouldn't discount the 460 unless you are puting a lot of miles on it. I put around 8k a year on the truck and I plow with it. Loaded with stone or hauling a Bobcat it can drop to about 4mpg. With a 7.3 you realistically could get 12-15mpg. The gas trucks are so cheap in the used market.


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## linckeil (Sep 18, 2007)

i assume you are after a 92-97 F350 dually given your engine choices - 97 was the last year for the 460, but the 7.3 continued into the new body style trucks for a few more years. 

engine aside, check the oil pan, radiator support, and spring hangers. these areas are prone to rust on all trucks from this era. also the 92-97 trucks used either the C6 3 speed auto, or the E4OD auto with overdrive. the C6 is a tough tranny and is as bullet proof as any auto out there. the e4od has its issues, but in 95, ford made may improvements to it to make it more reliable and stronger. it hates heat, so make sure it has a good cooler and install a trans temp gauge. also change the fluid and filter annually. if you run a manual, then no worries, but plowing with a manual sucks. 

the 460 is a great motor, and so is the 7.3. both will do whatever you ask of it, but the 7.3 will do it with less fuel. as mentioned, unless you plan on putting a lot of miles on the truck, the 460 will be fine.


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## chevy2500meyer (Jan 30, 2011)

i definately want a truck that is 4x4 and the electirc or hydraulic dump i know the hydraulic is better but those are far and in between anymore most i see are electric. The engines i think i would be better off with the diesel because i plan on plowing in the winter and hauling mulch and a landscaping trailer in the summer. i have a 3/4 gas 4x4 truck now and its a v8 and it just sucks towing a trailer plowing it does fairly well. 

linckeil i have heard about the oil pans and the radiators but what did you mean by spring hangers?


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## MickiRig1 (Dec 5, 2003)

The spring hangers on the back leaf springs tend to rust out. If the truck is rust proofed it's even worse.The water and salt get's in and you can't see the damage. My F-250 had the same problem. Someone pointed it out here and I went and looked. Sure enough they were ready to fail. I had to get new ones and install. They are riveted on so you have to torch or air cut off the rivets to bolt on new ones. They should be solid with no rust out / thin spots.


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## jgoetter1 (Feb 23, 2007)

Definitely check out the oil pan - expensive repair


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## chevy2500meyer (Jan 30, 2011)

very much appreciative of the advice


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