Ford 7.3L Diesel vs V10

[Happy Gilmore]

If you want to wander all over the road with your tail draggin get a Tundra because its a light half ton truck...sweet. they sag with a bag of corn in the back. The 1997' PSD was a sweet ride in any configuration. You can pick up low mile 2wd models super cheap. Still wondering how you compare or suggest a Tundra in a heavy duty conversation. Tundras are great reliable rigs but, for much more than a tent trailer or a small boat, they aren't meant to be used for any heavy work afnd when you see them going down the road with a load it makes me queezy and uneasy. Toyota makes rigs I love but, I'd never buy one for hauling anything. Their suspension may as well be in a sleep train mattress commercial.

[PolarBear]

Sounds like the V10 would meet your needs nicely.  You won't gain much going with the 7.3L it has only an extra 75lb ft of torque. They are great motors but not worth the premium price or the additional upkeep.

Except the 7.3 (at least mine) will get almost twice the mpg and will last twice as long. I get 21-24 mpg towing or not  I doubt you will ever get that towing with a v10

[n_mathews13]

I have a '01 crew cab , 7.3.
Get 16-18 mpg
It tows our 31' camp trailer a lot, done well on the grades I've gone up.
 If we go on a trip everyone asks to take the truck, so it's turned into a family rig ( also have a sequoia )
It is noisy
If I had to do it over again I would have got a manual. 7.3 tranny isnt the best .
I have done a few mods to make it run cooler while towing, just pulled the engine out and redid a few thing this last winter.

I can't say I'm In love with the 7.3 as a engine, but it's tough to beat the cab space with a 8' bed.

But you will have a heck of a time finding a good 7.3 that's in that budget.
I paid a bit more for mine, but it was worth it
   

[baker5150]

My old man had a mid size motor home with the v-10 and would tow his boat with it all the time.  Maybe 5-6k lb boat.  Never an issue other than planning trips between fuel stops.  Made the trip over 20 plenty of times and kept up with traffic as you'd expect.  Both are good choices, have their ups and downs. 
The v10 truck is probably harder to find in low mileage.  There are some dandy 7.3 trucks out there with plenty of life left, some within your price range.

[bearpaw]

So, looking at getting a different truck and have zero'd in on something like 2000-2002 F250/350 Super Duty Crew Cab.  Any thoughts on whether to go with the 7.3 diesel or the V10?  The last diesel I had was an early 90's F250 and that engine gave me a fit until I got rid of the truck...

I will be using the truck to pull a 6k pound travel trailer from time to time but for the most part it is just for hunting/biking etc...


And no, haven't really considered the other brands.   My main criteria is under 10k, crew cab, 4wd and full size.

A v-8 gas in any full size pickup will pull the travel trailer, if you aren't needing the diesel or the v-10 for any other purposes than occasional towing the trailer I would reconsider wanting either. For 10k you'll have a hard time finding a 7.3 that doesn't have a lot of miles, the motor itself may be good but lots of very expensive problems can crop up when those trucks get lots of miles and your 10k truck can become a 15k or 20k truck real quickly. If you buy the v-10 you can get a truck with fewer miles for the same price but your going to have terrible gas mileage all the time. I'm also not sure if the ford v-10 is as dependable as the dodge v-10. I can attest that the dodge v-10 is a strong motor that lasts a long time, I have one and know of others with 200,000 to 300,000+ miles. You can probably find an older lower mileage dodge v-10 pretty affordable and it will have the power to pull your trailer if you think you want to live with the lower fuel mileage of a v-10. I like the comfort of the fords better than dodge, but I think you'd be better off in the long run with a v-8 gas in a ford if you are only towing occasionally. 

[C-Money]

I have a friend that works at a city bus garage. The buses with the V10 have been very dependable long past 500,000. Ambulances AMR runs around with the V10, you would be surprised what the odometer reads on those things!

[bearpaw]

I have a friend that works at a city bus garage. The buses with the V10 have been very dependable long past 500,000. Ambulances AMR runs around with the V10, you would be surprised what the odometer reads on those things!

That's good to know, I wasn't sure about the ford v-10!

[syoungs]

Sounds like the V10 would meet your needs nicely.  You won't gain much going with the 7.3L it has only an extra 75lb ft of torque. They are great motors but not worth the premium price or the additional upkeep.

Except the 7.3 (at least mine) will get almost twice the mpg and will last twice as long. I get 21-24 mpg towing or not  I doubt you will ever get that towing with a v10

I've never seen a 7.3 anything get 24mpg, much less towing. The fuel economy is better, but not that much better.

[Happy Gilmore]

Sounds like the V10 would meet your needs nicely.  You won't gain much going with the 7.3L it has only an extra 75lb ft of torque. They are great motors but not worth the premium price or the additional upkeep.

Except the 7.3 (at least mine) will get almost twice the mpg and will last twice as long. I get 21-24 mpg towing or not  I doubt you will ever get that towing with a v10

I've never seen a 7.3 anything get 24mpg, much less towing. The fuel economy is better, but not that much better.

The tank is a 36 gallon not a 72 gallon .. hahalol

[Wacenturion]

I recently had a Bigfoot motor home with a V10 and I also have a 2002 Ford Excursion Ltd. with a 7.3 diesel that we use to pull a newly acquired Bigfoot 25' trailer.  Both are powerful engines and will pull any trailer without much difficulty.  I have to say I was really impressed with the power the 09' V10 in the motor home put out.  Hills didn't exist for the most part.

Let me put it this way.  If I were looking for a good tow rig for our trailer, and had difficulty finding a 7.3, I would not hesitate to purchase a low mile V10 for less money.  Yeah the milage isn't as good, but then again the purchase price is lower, so initial savings.  I for one really don't even think much about milage.  If you are towing or pushing a big RV down the road, even at 8 mgh a gallon with the V10, moving the family and all your stuff is a bargain.  I would not want to walk 8 miles for $3 and change.  It's all in how you look at something I guess.....and that's coming from someone that grew up in an era of .17 to .25 cents a gallon gas.