Looking for a plow truck. Want a 7.3. Doesnt need to be real pretty, just functional. From Michigan.

 

you may want to look for just an f350, the f250's have twin i beam suspension that sucks ecspecially if your gonna hang a plow from it

 

Thank you very much for the heads up. I'll look for 350's.
Thanks a lot

 

What are you looking to spend?

 

My Grandpa is willing to spend anywhere from 5-10 grand. He is helping me get a start for my own business.

 

You should be able to get a nice truck in that range. just don't jump on the first thing you see. I also recommend paying a little money to have a certified diesel mechanic check out whatever you are going to buy prior to buying it. How far would you be willing to drive for the truck? I can look around here if you like. A southern truck is going to have a lot less rust.

 

For a plow truck I wouldn't be trying to get a diesel. If you were in Montana or places where almost every station has diesel then it might be another story, but most other places in the country not every station has diesel. I'm not sure what its like in Michigan as its one of the 8 states I have not been to yet. For a plow truck a 460 with a 5spd would be a good setup. Being a gas truck it'll be easier and cheaper to work on when it breaks. PSD injectors are $200 EACH. If you have a major breakdown it can cost you almost as much as a new crate 460. You can get also gas everywhere, so no driving aruond trying to find a station with diesel. Since you're just plowing with it, fuel economy doesn't come in because even a diesel is going to suck at those speeds. To top it all off, not buying a diesel will make the truck cheaper.


A TTB will do just fine plowing, but you're going to want an airbag lift assist for the front. Remember an F250 can be had with an extended cab (good for the number of hours you'll be in it), plus an F250 will not be as expensive as an F350. You're also going to want to avoid automatics as well. Also make sure that the fuel switching valve (switches between the 2 fuel tanks) works. I would also not look at anything newer than 97. From 99+ you're talking about the Superduty line and they will take more money to buy. The ones that will be in the same price range as the 97 and older trucks have been beat HARD!


Have you thought about what kind of plow you're getting, and is that included in the money from your grandpa? I've spent a decent amount of time with a Meyer Linebacker plow. Its a pretty good plow and I was happy with it. I would suggest that you invest in a V plow and in a good back drag edge. Both of them will save you alot of time on jobs, which is the way you're going to make money. A good plow is going to run you around $5k.

Have you looked into getting insurance yet? You will have to carry additional insurance since you'll now be a commercial business. I'd suggest going over to Plowsite and do ALOT of reading there before spending a dime. Do as much research as you can, remember you have 6 months before the snow flies.

 

Yeah i figured I have all summer to look so I'll be picky in my search. And my best friends dad is a diesel mechanic and thats another reason why I'd love a diesel, the guy can fix everyting for cost and I can call him when ever, where ever. I dont really need the nicest truck, obviously i dont want it to have holes and rust everywhere, but then again it is a plow truck, So it doesnt need to be a show truck. scratches, some dents and a little rust won't bother me. As long as the motor, trans, and plow all work well.
I wouldn't mind driving a ways, if it was worth it. Don't go out of your way to look, if you hear or see anything worth looking at that'd be great. But don't look too hard.
Powerstroke, I really would like a diesel because like i told FreekyFx4, my best friends dad is a diesel mechainc, and repairs do not even worry me, even though they would be very expensive if I didn't know him. Also, Diesels run forever if taken care of, I want to be able to get a solid number of years out of this truck and have it make me enough money to buy another one. Also, with diesels, the trans is more heavyduty, along with the trans cooler being bigger too. And Where I'm at in MI almost every gas station has diesel. Other then the ones in the heart of the city, but i'm out n the country/ suburbs and every station has it. But If i dont find diesel, i'd love to have a big 460 gasser. Thank you for your advice, if you have anymore please let me know, i appreciate it.

 

I would love a boss v. but i'll take any v. and if i have to i'll go with a nice straight blade. He is including everything in the 5-10 grand range, I'm hoping to find one with a nice plow on it already.
And we hae talked about insurance and he has that taken care of as well. It put me to tears when he told me that he has been saving money for me and now that i'm old enough to start a business he is going to help me out. Its what i want to do when i'm ot of college so this is huge.

 

FYI, the transmission behind the diesel isn't anymore heavy duty than the one behind the gas engines. From 97 down they're E4OD for the automatic and ZF5 for the manual. The only difference is the bolt pattern on the bell housing. The trans cooler is also not typically any bigger. Regardless the stock cooler isn't really up to the task. You really should have a trans cooler with a fan on it. Since you're traveling at low speed you can't get enough air to go over the cooler to keep the trans cool. On top of that you'll be pushing a load with the torque converter unlocked which generates boatloads of heat. After plowing for 3hrs with my dads 2000 F250 with a 4R100 (beefier version of the E4OD) the trans temp got REAL hot (I didn't pay close enough attention to it). I ended up taking the truck in to get the fluid flushed since it was over 250*F, and this was on a 10*F day. Since then a cooler with a fan has been put on it and it stays cool all the time now.

I can tell you that the E4OD will hate life as a plow truck in stock form. Trust me, a ZF5 is the route you need to be taking.

 

I have found a 97 F-350 with a 460 that was rebuilt 40,000 miles ago. Solid body and a nice western 7.5 poly plow. Its an auto trans though. I would want to buy a rebuild kit for it, along with an after market trans cooler and a trans temp gauge. Hoping I can get this truck!

 

Didnt get it. i hate ebay lol

 

Just research them and figure out what clean ones are going for, and then you will win on eBay. Plus be there at the last minute so you don't get outbid.