Diesel truck

[DEAGLER]

Planning to pick up a 2009 Ford diesel truck. I own a mowing service so I?ll be house to house all day. but I heard it?s bad to start and turn off diesel multiple times. Any input on this?

[BushMasterBoy]

It is just bad to turn off right away after a long hot haul. Oil will start to char in the turbo bearings. Let it cool in extreme temperatures, by idling for a few minutes. I think if you have an EGT(exhaust gas temperature) gauge, it can tell you how hot the turbo is. Just my opinion.

[Wulf202]

It's not that big of deal to do short hops in a diesel as mentioned turbo cooking. Also diesel engine rings seal with heat so multiple cold starts will put fuel into the oil. So be religious about changes and try to plug it in when its cold

Having said that I would strongly advise you to research the 6.4 they eat themselves and have the life of a gas engine because of the emissions.

The 6.7 is a better engine if you need a newer truck. A bullet proofed 6.0 isn't a bad option but its 10k worth of work on an 8k truck.

I went with a 7.3

Personally I'd go for an 06 dodge if I wanted something newer. Or a Chevy if I wanted something brand new.

[BushMasterBoy]

The bad part of the Ford you mentioned is the body has to be lifted off the frame, to work on the emissions. Like Wulf mentioned the 7.3 is the way to go. Or the Dodge.

[Bailey Guns]

The newer generation of 6.7 PS engines don't need the cab removed for service. That's a thing of the past. But you almost never read anything good about the 6.0 or 6.4 Powerstrokes.

I have a newer (2017) 6.7L and can't say enough good about it.

But like others have said, look for a nice 7.3L. I traded an 02 with 51k on it in 2012. Top 10 dumbest things I ever did. Although I got about 85% of my original purchase price back on the trade so maybe it wasn't that dumb. The LML Duramax (2011-2016) engines are pretty great, too.

[whitewalrus]

...multiple cold starts will put fuel into the oil. So be religious about changes and try to plug it in when its cold

This is the problem with the short trips, but it is not a big deal if you change your oil often.

[SouthPaw]

Personally, unless you have to have a diesel, I'd stick with gas engines. I'm phasing out all the diesels at work because of costly repairs. I put a new 6.7 Cummins in a R5500 last year after the second engine went out at 67500 miles. The bill was $22K with a new EGR cooler. For that price, I could replace four gas engines to one diesel. This was a rare example but we have had plenty of diesels wash out cylinders due to excessive idle time. Mind you, we work them (towing 410 sized backhoes daily) but there are some out there that are just crew trucks and never tow more than a light plant. Diesels tow better but a gas engine will do just the same. I bought six 1.5 Ton trucks (F-550 & R5500) and the only bitching I hear is "it's not a diesel" but somehow they all still manage to get to work on time towing whatever they need.

If you are set on it, stay away from anything with DEF (unless you plan on deleting it) or look for a clean 24v Cummins. Those engines are simple and cheap to work on.

[Blowby]

I have a 2009 6.4 with a little more than 250,000 miles on it. Tow stuff all over the place from CA to Florida but I did some alterations and programming to keep it healthy. Just got back pulling two harleys to and from the Laughlin area. Also have a few 7.3's one with 325,000 miles and still looks great. Reliable and with the best transmission (aftermarket) around that I might be interested in selling. The other 7.3 is basically for racing and Sunday driving.

[brutal]

Coming from a diesel owner, unless you need the truck for other super heavy towing duties, I'd get a gas truck for that kind of use.

[Gman]

The service that takes care of my lawn uses Rams with gas engines. The trailers pulling the gear they use aren't a real challenge and they don't have to worry about trip length (shortest travel distance is most cost/time effective).