Ford Triton V-8's

[Sparky-(Admin) 23,132]

Hey guys. I'm looking at used Ford F-250 4x4 crew cab trucks and would like your thoughts on the two Triton gas motors they offer, the 5.4 v8 and the 6.8 v10.

I'd like to hear any thoughts you have for or against them. Please dont start bragging about your Dodge, GM, Toyota, or Nissan as I am not interested in any of them. I just want input from the guys who have experience with the Tritons and the F-250's.

The Ford I end up with will be used for towing my Wheel Horses and my 27' travel trailer (not a 5th wheel). It wont be my daily driver.

Thanks,

Mike.........

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,880]

You already know my opinion:

[Jim_M 179]

I think the 5.4 would have plenty of power for what you want to do with it, and it's a reliable engine too. Either engine you mentioned is going to be thirsty.

[Duff 206]

I've got the 5.4 in my 2007 Ford F-150 and use it both as a daily driver and tow a 3,000 pound boat with it regularly (in the warmer months!). New Hampshire roads aren't exactly flat. Decent mileage, smooth, quiet and great power!

Duff

EDIT: Just another point Dustin touched on below - my '07 is far and away a better riding and handling truck than any of the ones I've had pre-2000.

[DMESS 24]

The 5.4 will be the more fuel efficient option of the two although it can get a bit anemic when strapped to larger travel trailers and loads that approach the upper end of its GCVWR. Keep in mind this engine is available in the lighter F-150 and now you've saddled it with the extra heft of the Super Duty. It's certainly capable to the task, just be warned that heavier loads, grades etc. will deter its performance quicker than the V10 or diesel variants. Keep this in mind if you deal with a lot of hills and grades. 3 Horses on the flat won't even wake it up, but your TT in some hill country will work it pretty good. I've witnessed it firsthand with a 250/5.4 combo pulling a 32 ft Cherokee travel trailer. It does the job, you just won't have near as much to spare.

The V10 is a fantastic towing motor IMO, but is probably the most fuel thirsty of the available Ford power plants. If greater towing performance/capability is desired it would be the better choice, however, the drawback will be at the pump. The V10 seems to get a bad rap for sub par fuel mileage, but it is a torque monster and VERY capable. Might be worth considering if you aren't intending this truck as a daily driver.

If possible I recommend an '05 or later for the chassis improvements alone. The coil spring front suspension offers much improved ride and an improved turning radius. Interior appointments are improved and the available Tow Command integrated brake controller is EXCELLENT.

Now, as far as what I would pick?

Either way the market is flush with low mileage, late model trucks at prices you couldn't touch 2 years ago. Ask me how much residual value I've lost in my 06' 350. It's a buyers market and you should be able to literally hand pick the truck of your choice these days. With fuel prices doing what they've done, gas powered trucks might be holding value better than the diesel variants. Traditionally is has always been the other way around. A 4X4, crew cab, Super Duty diesel USED to hold its value like gold! Then I bought one, LOL.

Good luck and let us know what you find. :whistle:

[Nick 13]

For towing I would have to go for the 6.8 V10 over the 5.4 v8 especially in a Super duty. It sounds like its not a daily driver but for me the difference in mileage wasn't that great anyway. Our are older so I cant say much about the 2005 and newer 3 valve v10 other than the horsepower went up and sometime in there they also upgraded to a torque shift 5 speed auto.

My truck is a regular cab 1999 F250 2 wheel drive 5.4 with 150K miles that I got on ebay when it had 144K. It pulls ok but being a 99 it has the lowest HP of any 5.4, around 230hp. The most Ive towed for a short distance was a 15K gooseneck and a 33' park model TT I moved around town for a friend. It did the job but wasnt a speed racer by any means and that was on flat ground. The best empty highway mileage Ive seen was 16mpg.

My brother has a 2001 F350 4x4 crew cab V10 with under 100K miles. I havent towed much but he has moved some heavy loads and was happy with it. I did drive the truck over 900 miles round trip to the PA show a couple years ago. With 4 of us in the cab, luggage and the Load Ranger in the back the average was around 14.5 mpg. Thats barely 2mpg difference between it and my little 2wd regular cab. Both trucks have 3.73 gears.

[Operator 7]

I wouldn't give up my 01 F-350 with a 7.3 for anything, Supercab shortbox gooseneck hitch. All the power and 16 to 20 MPG. I keep track of each tank I run Amzoil too. Around up here there are alot of V-10 and cheap.

Randy

[taycotrains 52]

Well if you wouldn't mind my opinion...get a diesel and forget your problems.

My 2005 has never given me any headaches.

6.0 V8 (no mods) 21mpg highway 15mpg in town

5 speed auto 4X4

I have 61.000 miles on it

The 6.0s have gotten a bad rap compared to the 7.3s they replaced

but I have been lucky

A friend of mine got a 2005 F350 a week before me (we got them both new)

He uses his a lot more than me and has almost 190,000 miles

on it with very little troubles.

The truck I'm hauling in this picture has a curb weight 4489 LBS and I

don't even know its back there when I tow it .

Remember...."real trucks don't have spark plugs"

BT

[Operator 7]

"Real trucks don't have spark plugs"

Randy

[Buzz 502]

Well if you wouldn't mind my opinion...get a diesel and forget your problems.

My 2005 has never given me any headaches.

6.0 V8 (no mods) 21mpg highway 15mpg in town

5 speed auto 4X4

I have 61.000 miles on it

The 6.0s have gotten a bad rap compared to the 7.3s they replaced

but I have been lucky

A friend of mine got a 2005 F350 a week before me (we got them both new)

He uses his a lot more than me and has almost 190,000 miles

on it with very little troubles.

The truck I'm hauling in this picture has a curb weight 4489 LBS and I

don't even know its back there when I tow it .

Remember...."real trucks don't have spark plugs"

BT

I've heard of carrying a spare tire, but hauling a spare truck in case you break down, now that's just ridiculous. Show them a picture of what's riding on the back of the little truck to get them drooling.

[whchris 5]

mike i get 18 an hour down at the gravel pit wrenching on them part time i have full run of the garage and a pretty good understanding of the things that break on them. but everything breaks even my Chevy's especially my 89 1500 i bought a few months back it seems that it is mad at its original owner who kept it in a garage gave it oil changes every 1500 and used the old oil to protect the frame for selling it for $650 to me who put a plow and sander in it. it gets oil changes every 2000 now and this spray on rust preventative stuff that seems to work really well i will find a can and post the name of it, highly recommended

[wh500special 2,262]

Mike,

Get the V10. I think a four door, 4x4 super duty with a long bed is over 7000 pounds empty. The 5.4 is a fine engine, but I think you

[kpinnc 14,585]

My "old" work truck had the V10, and it was VERY nice. It was a bucket (lineman) truck, so it was heavy ALL the time. It was a F450, as I recall.

That truck was awesome. AND- it would beat most vehicles in town stoplight to stoplight.

Loaded, unloaded- made NO difference in the power in that truck. Pulling tandem axle diesel generators, cable reels, you name it. You'd really forget they were back there.

Of course, like D said- the fuel economy sucked. I think it was measured in feet, not miles per gallon. It is possible that my driving technique had something to do with it though...

Kevin

[Nick 13]

Kevin, My brothers F450 with a diesel and just a flatbed is close to 9K pounds with a driver and tank of fuel. So your lineman truck was easily over 11,000 pounds loaded. Im guessin your v10 had 4.88 gears or maybe even the 5.38 gears! Not great for mileage but darn good for takeoff. Our diesel Horse medic ambulance has 4.88 gears and with its low redline is screaming at 70+ mph.

Mike, Speaking of gears you might watch whats in the trucks you look at. You might get better mileage with the 3.73s but if ya find one with 4.30s it will tow even better. When it comes to loaded mileage there is the small chance the lower gears could help as much as hurt.

Horse Medic with 4.88 gears and 12 or 13mpg haulin a D.

[Rollerman 290]

I have the V10 in my 02 F250 3/4 ton.

I wasn't crazy about it at the lot...figured it be a gas guzzler.

The price was right & after a test drive I jumped at it.

It replaced a 94 F150 W/anemic 302 engine & I'm pretty sure it gets as good of milage if not slightly better.

The heaviest load I pull with the F 250 is probably my 24' cuddy....my old F150 would fall flat on it's face pulling 2 GT's on a small trailer bouncing between 3rd & OD on a flat road...the F250 pulling the boat has more peddle left.

Mike if you can find a deisel in your price range go for it....but don't be afraid of a V10.

[KyBlue 655]

I'd say got for the Diesel if you can find it, and stick to the 05 up 6.0's or the 7.3s as they seem to have less problems.

If You really have to choose between the two gas motors, for for the V10. While it wont get as good fuel MPG around town, when your pulling something it'll make up the difference IMO... Plus having the extra uumph! to get up and get outta the way of merging traffic, or something like that is always a big plus...and it just makes a trip SOOOOOO much longer when your doggin it up each and every hill!

hey Nick - my 04.. 75mph 2150 rpm... Dont think it'd do to well towin Karls big ole Camper trailer...but it sure is nice on the hwy and at the pump!

[Docwheelhorse 2,740]

If you do look at/buy a Triton make sure that the spark plugs are OK. These motors are known for pulling the threads out of the heads when you unscrew them. Ford has a kit that they made to fix it.

http://www.timesert.com/html/ford_sparkplug_faq.html

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/ford_spark.html

Tony

[C101Mike 0]

I've been towing travel trailers for close to 30 years, in my experience bigger is better, small blocks tend to get soft when you push the high end of their towing capacity, you do sacrifice fuel economy, but in the end you will be happier with the vehicle and have less regrets latter. Get as much as you feel you can afford.

Mike

[Operator 7]

My son had a 5.4 in a 2000 F-250 decent truck but one time with problems , he needed mine 7.3 to haul his camper home 26', Yup he traded his off and got a 7.3 in a four door shortbox nice red just like BT's. But just like some of the guys are saying "gearing" I had a 95 with a 7.3 and couldn't start up a hill pulling my Bobcat I would have to put it in four wheel low to get going. Nice truck running down the highway, bad off road. Gearing is the trick.

Randy

[DMESS 24]

Good points made on gearing. Whatever you look at, make sure to check the final drive ratio. There were several options available depending on engine and chassis configuration. Most SRW 5.4 variants are 3.55 or 3.73 while the 6.8 was available with the 4.30 option. The diesels are usually 3.73 although some DRW models can be equipped with 4.30 or 4.88 ratio. Obviously your not looking at a DRW 350/450, but dragging home a 5.4 powered 250 and then finding out you have the rather high 3.55 gear set would not make you happy!

I kept quiet, but now I'm going to twist your arm like everybody else: IF you REALLY want my opinion skip the spark plugs all together.

[Operator 7]

How about another thing to consider, Trade in value. like I daid earlier around here there are a lot of V-10 for sale cheap , Diesel costs a bit more but better resale. I'm going by around up here in western Wisc. area and the St. Paual Mpls. area.

Nice ride Dustin. All these Superduty pictures are great!

Randy

[DMESS 24]

How about another thing to consider, Trade in value. like I daid earlier around here there are a lot of V-10 for sale cheap , Diesel costs a bit more but better resale. I'm going by around up here in western Wisc. area and the St. Paual Mpls. area.

Traditionally the diesels have always had great residual value. I say traditionally, because that was BEFORE the second depression, LOL. I assure you that ANYTHING this size has taken a nasty hit over the last year regardless of power train. I'm shocked at what I see trucks like mine going for these days as a result of fuel prices and overall economic instability. If you can, it really is a great time to pick one of these trucks up at a HUGE savings. Had I not at least taken advantage of 0% financing back in 2006 I'd be crying right now, LOL.

Mike should be able to find a great truck (his choice of engine ) at a price much better than a year or two ago. I almost wish I was in the market again as the used selection is unequaled right now.

[Rod(NASNUT) 1]

More power is a good thing that is all I will say about that I am happy to see that you are looking to buy I don't know much about the Fords I am a Chevy man. That is all I will say about that. Buy what you fell is best for you and the job you want to do with it If we all like the same thing it would be a boring place we live in.

[KyBlue 655]

I don't know much about the Fords I am a Chevy man. That is all I will say about that. Buy what you fell is best for you and the job you want to do with it. If we all like the same thing it would be a boring place we live in.

Rod, thats right. If we all drove chevys...well just imagine all the rusty cars/trucks runnin around! hehe

sorry couldnt pass up the chance to just a bit

[Nick 13]

Mike,

Just thought Id check back on how your truck hunt is going. Did you find anything around that warrants a look and test drive yet? :thumbs: