# Blown F-600 truck engine



## ALS (Jan 23, 2000)

One of my stellar employees managed to blow the engine in my 1984 Ford F600 truck. I am having an incredibly hard time locating a replacement. It has a 370 cu currently and a spicer tranny. Has anybody had a similar problem? If so where did you find a replacement? Use same engine or switch to a diesel? Thanks.

Rick 
Ace Landscape Services


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## SLSNursery (Dec 21, 1999)

*Time to upgrade*

A few years ago I blew an F-600 motor right after I finished fixing the truck - I was about 10-12k into the truck at this point, and it seemed to be great. The options were used motors - I could NOT find any for the two months I looked, new motors - from Ford, with no guarantee on the core money being returned because there was no way to know what the bad block looked like, and this was going to cost about 4000 to complete correctly. I had the 370 gas with an Allison Automatic. Switching to diesel was way too costly for a 1984 truck. I cut my losses, sold the truck for 1500 and picked up a 97 F-800 with a cummins 5.9l diesel and air brakes, 24,500 GVW. This worked out great even though I have a payment. I would advise against working too hard to fix the truck you currently own. I see the truck all the time, since I sold it to another landscaper who buys stuff at our nursery. But, he put a 460 into it, and it turned out to be even more than a pig than before (he complains about it eating fuel all of the time, and I can tell it seems to have less power than before). I think the biggest deal if you do end up changing blocks is the connection between the tranny and the motor. And you will probably have an easier time with the spicer than I was finding with the Allison.

As recently as last week, a friend of mine picked up a used (1995) F-800 with a cummins diesel. It was traded in to the dealer as a cabinet delivery truck with a 24' box. For 20,000 out the door, my friend had the dealer cut down the frame, and a 12' dump body was installed. This is something you should look into before you waste time and money fixing an old one.


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## steveair (Feb 24, 2000)

Hello,

You said he cut the frame on that f800 from 24ft to accomadate a 12 ft dump.

My question is this.

I just saw a new f750 with a 24 ft frame (new truck, just the cab and frame) and was wondering if I would be out of my mind to think I could put a 12 ft dump and then a flat bed/tool storage area in front of the dump body on the same body. 

I may be out of my mind here, but it seems to be a good idea when it comes to going to a job with everything under the sun on one truck.

Is this possible?

I have a friend who is currently taking the 10 ft dump body off of his new f750, and he's getting a I-pack tool box installed with a smaller dump body instead, so I can get a great deal on the dump body.

Like I said, is this nuts, or does this have possibilities?

Now granted, the truck will be a monster, being so long, and be a real pain to get into those smaller jobs, but it seems to be something that makes sense. I could make a real nice custom tool storage/equipment storage/supply storage on the truck in front of the dump body.

In texas, I know they custom order extra long mason dumps to carry both a 8 ft dump, a I-pack, and a extra 2 ft storage space on the trucks for misc. items (sometimes a fuel cell). To me, this seems like the next step.

Just wondering, because I can't recall ever seeing anything like this, besides a dump/I-pack/or a cab-box(like a sleeper cab) on a single axle dump.

steveair


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## SLSNursery (Dec 21, 1999)

*Should be ok*

You should be able to do that with no problem, because the 750 chassis will hold plenty of weight. You will just need to make sure the frame that remains behind the storage deck is the correct length to accomodate the dump body. I have seen some trucks like this (cherry pickers), chip trucks. And, it seems like a good idea if it will work for you.


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## GeoffD (Dec 21, 1999)

My only problem with this. Is your truck is going to be very long. Also if the last 12' if full of crushed rock, or something heavy, and you only have shovels up front. The truck isn't going to hadle to well down the road. I would suggest 2 of the following.

1. 12' body, and 4 or 8' long storage area. Allowing you to use rack body sides in the storage area. You would still have plenty of room, but a shorter truck. Plus the cost of the truck would be less with the shorter frame.

2. Get an F 650, which holds plenty of weight i have 3 of them now. No need for a class b licence. Get a 12' frame, 12 body, with the money you save get a 16' inclosed storage trailer. This way you can haul plenty of material, take everyhing with you in an inclosed trailer, and not have to worry about stuff getting wet. Leave the trailer on the job sites.

You can get an F 650, with the cat engine and a 6 speed, for around 33 or 34 K with out the body.

I think a shorter truck and a trailer might be the way to go. I also think a F 650 can do all your work for ya. I know a landscaper that dose mostly stone work, and says his F 650 is all he needs.

Geoff

[Edited by GeoffDiamond on 08-29-2000 at 02:23 AM]


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## steveair (Feb 24, 2000)

Hello,

thanks for the replies.

This is all somewhat hypothetical for me, as I am not sure if I can swing a new f650.

I do need a new truck, and will have to decide on what I am going to want.

For the prices these days, it seems like a f650 is the way to go compared to a smaller 350/450/550. I will not plow with the truck, so 4wd is not a big worry. It seems when you get right down to numbers, the mason dumps end up costing about the same as the single axles do anymore, and yet you get much more truck with the single.

I have thought the trailer idea over and over again, but the problem is I want to be able to trailer a machine around, so bringing a enclosed trailer with equip would be a problem, though it could just be delivered/dropped off in one trip.

I am one who is big on the idea of showing up at a job with everything needed(and then some)in one trip. Efficiency is the key, and getting there with everything is a big deal.

I think the idea of the smaller frame would be right though. 24 would be a bit long, but I like the idea of a 4-6ft storage area in front of the dump body.

I will probably not be thinking of buying the truck til after winter (let it snow) but am working on getting together the set-up that will work for me. Too many guys these days go out, buy a truck, and not think about what they need it to do because they get a hot deal or something.

So, hopefully the wet weather will continue, the snow will fall, and the overtime checks will pour in so that I can buy the right truck for next year.

Just hope it snows, or my 90 dodge will have to push me through another year, and that I am not looking forward too.

Hey Geoff, are you allowed to drive that f650 in NY state? I was told they have diff't weight restrictions, and that I would need the cdl to drive there.

Also, if I begin pulling a trailer with the non-cdl 650, does that then mean I need a cdl. I was told you end up needing the cdl on single axles if you start pulling any kind of trailer. I know I need to look into it, and getting a cdl is something I will have to do sooner or later I guess, but it would be nice to not have the hassle of one for the time being.

steveair.

[Edited by steveair on 08-27-2000 at 08:41 PM]


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## GeoffD (Dec 21, 1999)

I am in Maine. My 16 year old kid can jump in anyone of my 3 F 650s, and drive off with a regular licence. He can't drive one of my L 9000s.

I maine the weight limit is like 26000, the F 650 is 26,000. I have a class A licence trtactor trailer and can drive anything.

I buy F 650s because i have some guys that just don't want to get a Class B licence. Only are very good drivers, so they get the F 650s. However in the winter they drive F 350s or F 550s, the 650 plow trucks are for the guys that drive the class A and B trucks. The 650s just let me get bigger trucks on the road with the same number of guys. Note my summer student employees don't drive anything bigger than a F 350.

I would customise a trailer over a truck. The cost is less, and if the truck is "normal" 12' body 12' frame, it is easier to sell when you want to sell it.

So maybe F 650, 12' frame, 12' body. Regular truck, that you could plow with, works great with a 10' fisher. Then have a trailer builder, build you a equipment trailer say 20, or 22 feet long, The first 4 feet could be an inclosed section, to store your stuff, the last 16 or 18 feet to haul your equipment. You could also make the storage area removable, to haul larger equipment, ie backhoes and exevators. Or just get a 22 foot equipment trailer, and build your own storage section on the trailer.

Geoff

[Edited by GeoffDiamond on 08-29-2000 at 02:22 AM]


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## diggerman (May 19, 2001)

I was under the understanding that 26,000 was the federal cut of for cdl.As for lenghtening a truck like what you have talked about a utility company locally used a shortened beer body(you kow the type with the roll up doors and behind that added a 10ft dump thought it looked kind of interesting.Lastly if your looking for a truck you might try http://www.truckpaper.com from time to time you can also get their paper in most truck stops. I bought a 97 chevy topkick 33,000 gvw w/366 gas 5+2 and dumpbody in 1998 for $30,000. Cheaper than a pickup and way more profitable so make sure you look well there are bargins out their.


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