My Ford truck journey continues. I had my mind made up that I did not want a diesel. Hence the 7.3 gas engine. Things are a bit fluid right now and I am wondering about the Ford Diesel in their super duties. I do haul heavy at times. In excess of 10,000lbs. I am familiar with diesels as I have my gen 2 Dodge.
But the new diesels? I am past the age of actively wrenching on new tech. So tell me about the new Ford diesel?
I know they are quiet.
This would be in an F350 dually 4wd. Or possibly an F250 SRW 4wd.

Same engine I assume.

Thanks guys.

didn't you already just get a new truck? First the towing situation, Till you get above like 18K makes no difference. Then what you have is a $10K upfront investment plus about 100% more maintenance costs offset by better mileage. last time I want shopping the payback period was over 200K miles. After decades of diesels I passed and got the 7.3. The motor itself according to the people I know who work on them is pretty solid, but A PIA to actually work on. The fuel pump is a long term disaster and you should deal with that before you leave warranty. the 10sp gets mixed reviews but its the same on the engines you might select.

We're getting a new F-350 SRW diesel today for work. IDK anything about them; my brother has one a few years old, and no issues. It's pulled a 34' gooseneck with a SV75 Kubota skid steer and an aerial lift.

There is a lot of similarity in the 10-speed transmission, but there is one notable difference outside gearing/calibration, and that's the gas has three planetary gears and the diesel has four.

Injector pump..not really up on diesels, but I thought it's a problem with Bosch pumps and not necessarily exclusive to Ford. I seem to remember something about lack of lubricity in ULSD, and that people often add something to fuel.

Diesels aren’t for everyone but I like them. I’ve had diesel trucks since the early 90’s and currently have a F-350 SRW CC LB.

Yes the Bosch fuel pump has been an issue but like was mentioned above many guys (including me) are running a fuel additive to increase lubricity in the fuel. This issue is present in GM trucks as well but I understand that Ram has gone back to the older generation Bosch pump.

If you were occasionally towing 12k pounds or so I would just stick with a gas engine but the torque of a diesel really shines when towing heavier.

Another point… there really isn’t a lot of difference between a 250 and a 350 except an additional overload leaf spring and a higher GVWR. The higher rating “could” affect your registration and insurance rates so check with your DMV and insurance agent before buying. In my case (VA) it wasn’t an issue but when I was changing our vehicle registrations over to NC when we moved I found that there was a significant difference so I left it in VA.

The issue with the high pressure fuel pump is still there, but probably more related water or DEF contaminated fuel than USLD fuel. If the fuel pump does go, metal bits wind up in every part of the fuel system from the pump to the injectors, so all of that gets replaced.

What happens is the fuel is split in the pump, most gets pressurized by the pump and goes to the injectors, while some goes through the pump as lubrication for the parts that do the pressurization. Once this fuel has done that it circulates back into the fuel supply line that feeds the pump. If there’s water of DEF in the fuel, there’s a cam lobe in the pump, it’s hardened surface begins to corrode, and metal bits start getting into the fuel.

There’s an aftermarket kit available that take the fuel that lubricated the pump and either sends back to the fuel tank or sends it to the line that feeds the second fuel filter. I believe it’s to the tank, but can’t remember for sure. If it goes back to the tank, it goes through a big filter when it come out of the tank and then through the second filter in the engine bay and the metal bit should be filtered out. Or it only goes through the second filter and the metal bits should be filtered out. It won’t save the fuel pump, but it should save the rest of the fuel system.

To save the pump, quality fuel from a station where the fuel gets turned frequently, use an additive, and check the big filter for water periodically. There’s a knob on it that you use to drain a bit of fuel into a clear container. If there’s water, you’ll see a separation line between the fuel as it floats on top of the water.

There’s no payback on gas vs diesel for fuel economy with the Ford. Diesel fuel costs more, the initial upfront costs, the maintenance costs, the amount of fuel burned during a regeneration of the diesel particulate filter, the replacement of that filter, $4,700 for the part on a Ford, etc.

I wouldn’t daily drive a diesel with a diesel particulate filter. I do, but I didn’t have a choice when I bought my truck. Every week, I find myself driving for 20+ minutes on the interstate for no other reason than to let the regen for the DPF go through a complete cycle. That’s an extra 30 miles of driving wear on the tires and rest of the vehicle, along with $7 in fuel, plus my wasted time.

ok guys. I appreciate the info. I see tons of these trucks being bought and sold where towing 18k is never done. My area has lots of trucks both personal and work.
If my truck ends up needing to be replaced I want to have all my options on the table. A diesel could be one of them. Not sure to this point what will happen. Just trying to have all the info in case such things go a certain way. Thanks guys.
Any 2024 or 2025 Ford diesel owners on the board?

My cousin is friends with the GM of a GMC dealer. I talked to him about diesel vs gas as I pull in the Rockies. He told me that where I pull (and we discussed specific pulls with areas that have 6-8% grades with a top elevation of just under 8k feet) above 10-12k go diesel. Below with the 10 speed, gas is more than fine. For all the reasons discussed about diesel issues, I did the GMC gasser.

One thing to keep in mind, that despite internet lore, the transmissions on the HD/SD Ford/GM trucks are not the same or jointly developed. That was for the 1/2 tons only. The Allison is a better transmission but the 7.3 is a little more powerful. TFL Truck pulled up the Eisenhower about a minute faster with the 7.3 over the 6.6 but had double the brake checks going down with the Ford. They used the same trailer and weight too.

I’m almost sure the new Bosch fuel pumps have pinned buckets. Bosch seems to have gotten the idea from the CPX retrofit pumps. You also can replace with a DCR pump. I personally like the CPX because it uses the stock fuel rail system. Both pumps have a built in bypass system to hopefully prevent injector failure.

I can't specifically speak for the Ford 6.7. Although I understand it's well regarded; and I'd certainly consider purchasing one.

For the business I just did purchase an E350 with the 7.3 gas. It performs great, but geez it burns a lot of gas. That little box truck burns more than a F650 with 6.7 Cummins. For what I'm using it for though, that's fine. We don't run up a lot of miles on it like I do the 650.

Gasoline is certainly relatively inexpensive currently. You still have the Ram you could use for those occassions you need to tow the excavator. I would probably get the gas.

I have a 17' SD power stroke -love it!!! Powerful, excellent mileage (for a giant truck), and quiet. The only downside may be the maintenance is a bit pricier. 14 qt. + plus big $20 oil filter every 5k, fuel filters every 24k ,and air cleaner every 30k.
Upside is my diesel mechanic,who is respected far and wide, told me it's a million mile engine (he has never seen this truck, only my old 7.3 diesel ). He knows of some with over 700k on the clock. And he owns the same truck as me. Have not towed anything heavy with it yet, but, driving one makes you know it will get the job done.
For me, I'm hoping it"s my last truck purchase, with a million mile engine and aluminum body.

Oh, and he told me not to worry about the fuel pump, said that's a bigger problem with Duramax. Don't know about 2025,though.