I sure hope I did the right thing! (Update)

[Greene728]

Well, over the weekend the DW and I pulled the trigger on a (new to us) 2012 Ford Certified F-250 CC 4x4 with the 6.2 gas. Traded in my 05 model with the 6.0 PSD. The reasons were just to obvious to ignore any longer. The 6.0 was about to need quite a bit of work including injectors, egr, and possibly a FICM. I had the truck for 6yrs and only had 2 or 3 fairly minor issues up till recently when it hit 93xxx miles. We only pull our rig seasonal about 10-12 times a year with most trips (8-9) being local to the lake with the rest being less than 4-500 RT. Other than that its my DD to work and general running around. I did tons of research beforehand and narrowed it down to Ford and Dodge. I just favored the Ford due to brand loyalty to be honest. However, the Dodge was very tempting and a really nice truck. We found this one and got a great deal on both price and trade in. I'm sure its gonna be an adjustment towing, but I think overall for my uses its gonna be a good decision. I just couldn't justify the extra up front cost and maintenance, let alone price per gallon difference for less than 2500 mi or so a year towing. Thanks to many of you on here that helped with making my choice and didn't even realize you were doing it!
Fingers crossed!

2/4/15

I got my hitch install done end of last week and got to do a little 30 mile test pull on Monday. Wow is all I can say. So far this truck has exceeded my every expectation! It truly pulls and handles better than my 05 power stroke. Now it doesn't have that low end torque of course, but the overall experience is better. I also pulled my 24ft gooseneck with a buddy's tractor today too. Not real sure what the exact weight is, but its an older Massey Ferguson 135 (I think). 70's model diesel tractor and built heavy! I was able to lock out 6th gear and in tow/haul mode roll on like nobody's business! The transmission is the big difference I'm sure. And the info system is awesome too. After hooking up to my 5'er I was able to name it and keep a log of miles pulled, brake gain,etc. It even goes through an on screen safety checklist! Some of you already know and have this I'm sure. But it was the first time I'd seen or used it and thought it was awesome!!!
For my needs, driving style, towing requirements, and needs as a DD, I think Im gonna be very happy for quite awhile. Also, the elocker is great too. Pulling the gooseneck out of the barn on a slight grade with recent rains, I was spinning a bit. Locked the elocker and she never missed a beat. She just keeps on surprising me! Lol
Anybody looking at one of these trucks should seriously consider it. So far I am stuck with a huge grin on my face that is growing daily!

[Greene728]

I added a towing update today for anyone interested or considering the Super Duty with the 6.2!

[rhagfo]

ib516 wrote:

Kevin O. wrote:

ib516 wrote:
I made a similar switch not too long ago, and it has worked out just fine.

Had a 2007 5.9L Cummins, now have the 6.4L Hemi. No regrets.

I'm curious to know which truck tows better?? I'll bet since your 5.9 was just before they started adding all the emissions******it got pretty good fuel mileage??
I just did the opposite, i sold my 2011 Ecoboost(gasser) and bought a 2001 F350 Diesel. The diesel is bone stock and believe it or not it doesn't pull as well as my Ecoboost did. It handles the weight of the trailer much better but doesn't tow up the hills as easily. I think a lot of it has to do with the transmissions. going from a 6speed to the older 4speed doesn't help..

The 5.9L Cummins was a better tow vehicle. I had it programmed to about 375hp/750tq. It would lug over almost any hill in overdrive, and got better mpg when towing.

I like the newer truck much better overall though...which only makes sense, its 7 years newer, has many more features, and a much nicer interior, etc.

Kevin, do yourself a favor and buy a hypertech programmer for your 7.3L. You'll really like it.

Keven, I tow 11,000# 5er with my Cummins and it is likely just under 285 HP and about 550# torque. Not many hills slow me down, I do have a 5 speed manual, and don't get below 4th climbing hills at the posted speed limit or 65 whichever is greater.

[ib516]

Kevin O. wrote:

ib516 wrote:
I made a similar switch not too long ago, and it has worked out just fine.

Had a 2007 5.9L Cummins, now have the 6.4L Hemi. No regrets.

I'm curious to know which truck tows better?? I'll bet since your 5.9 was just before they started adding all the emissions******it got pretty good fuel mileage??
I just did the opposite, i sold my 2011 Ecoboost(gasser) and bought a 2001 F350 Diesel. The diesel is bone stock and believe it or not it doesn't pull as well as my Ecoboost did. It handles the weight of the trailer much better but doesn't tow up the hills as easily. I think a lot of it has to do with the transmissions. going from a 6speed to the older 4speed doesn't help..

The 5.9L Cummins was a better tow vehicle. I had it programmed to about 375hp/750tq. It would lug over almost any hill in overdrive, and got better mpg when towing.

I like the newer truck much better overall though...which only makes sense, its 7 years newer, has many more features, and a much nicer interior, etc.

Kevin, do yourself a favor and buy a hypertech programmer for your 7.3L. You'll really like it.

[travelnutz]

Turtle,

Torque and RPM are actual physical measurements. HP is theoretical and only calculated by using a formula which divides by 5252. The 5252 number had been proven to be totally fictitous nearly a hundred years ago. Read carefully:


https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/.../1057689_opt.pdf?...2

by ET Robbins - ?1928
4 to 6 horses to the common two-bottom gang plow .... 8 (EIGHT) horsess pulling a THREE-BOTTOM plow? Eight horses can walk right along with a plow having three 14-inch bottoms and ...

ON and ON. Look it up! Just one of thousands of pages with real tests completed and the results fully documented.

Let's see now? 8 horses can pull 3 (three) 14" plow bottoms thru Illinois soil which has a high clay content at walk speed. Got it?

Take any gas engine of 8 certified HP rating, manufatured equal to the specs used for today's produdction automotive engines like the thread OP's 6.2 engine, and even at 5000 RPM engine crankshaft spin simply attempt to pull 3 - 14" plow bottoms thru the same Illinois soil with the same moisture content and movwe at walk speed. Won't happen! Even with a rack and pinnion non-slip setup from a gear tooth pinnion drive wheel running on a mating rack anchored in the ground. The pinnion would be nornal vehicle wheel diameter. No cheating! To acheive walk speed capability at the engine's certified RPM theoretical formula 8 HP output with the gear ratios required are easily and accurately established using simple grade school math, What will happen? With the engine screaming at max rated RPM and having walk speed gear reduction, the plow likely wouldn't even advance at 1 MPH it it was able to move at all. Remember, However, 8 real horses have no problem pulling the plow at walk speed and THAT'S what real HP is! Also, remember that there's ZERO slip with either the 8 horses or the gas engine with 8 theoretical calculated HP! A gas engined tractor needed to do what only 8 real horses can do all day would usually need to be 25+ formula rated HP. Engine output shaft rated HP has little to do with how much force is gets actually applied/transmitted to the ground surface to move the burden. Loss after loss all the way along.

So much for what we commonly call "Horsepower" in vehicle engines.

Now with TORQUE, it will be a direct very easy totally accurate measurement of how much "FORCE" was required to move the 3 - 14" plow bottoms thru the same soil at walk speed. Could be linear torque OR rotational torque. Torque is force whether in inch pounds or foot pounds etc! Not theoretical! "Torque" is what moves the load to any desired RPM and that's the known fact!

[Kevin_O_]

rhagfo wrote:

FishOnOne wrote:

Kevin O. wrote:

ib516 wrote:
I made a similar switch not too long ago, and it has worked out just fine.

Had a 2007 5.9L Cummins, now have the 6.4L Hemi. No regrets.

I'm curious to know which truck tows better?? I'll bet since your 5.9 was just before they started adding all the emissions******it got pretty good fuel mileage??
I just did the opposite, i sold my 2011 Ecoboost(gasser) and bought a 2001 F350 Diesel. The diesel is bone stock and believe it or not it doesn't pull as well as my Ecoboost did. It handles the weight of the trailer much better but doesn't tow up the hills as easily. I think a lot of it has to do with the transmissions. going from a 6speed to the older 4speed doesn't help..

The EcoBoost is a strong pulling motor. I've seen tests' performed with trucks pulling a ~15k trailer up a steep hill and the EcoBoost performed better than the 7.3PSD and the V10.

Well lets start with the almighty HP comparison!
2001 7.3 210 HP
2011 3.5 EB 365 HP

Torque
2001 7.3 425#
2011 EB 420#

So the EB has a 155 HP advantage, the 7.3 has a 5# torque difference.

With differences like that you should be stating that the 7.3 doesn't do hills!!!!!

Welcome to the world of diesel, get a small chip installed on that diesel and it will solve your hill issue. Yea and the extra two gears are a big help also.

Actually those are the #'s for a 99' Powerstroke. The 2001 has 250hp and 505lb/ft of torque.. I have no complaints with this truck. It is exactly what I was looking for. Rust free and dependable! The best part is no more truck payments and low property taxes! 🙂

P.S.- Already have exhaust and intake installed. Gauges are next, then a DpTuner with a good tow tune.

[blofgren]

rhagfo wrote:

FishOnOne wrote:

Kevin O. wrote:

ib516 wrote:
I made a similar switch not too long ago, and it has worked out just fine.

Had a 2007 5.9L Cummins, now have the 6.4L Hemi. No regrets.

I'm curious to know which truck tows better?? I'll bet since your 5.9 was just before they started adding all the emissions******it got pretty good fuel mileage??
I just did the opposite, i sold my 2011 Ecoboost(gasser) and bought a 2001 F350 Diesel. The diesel is bone stock and believe it or not it doesn't pull as well as my Ecoboost did. It handles the weight of the trailer much better but doesn't tow up the hills as easily. I think a lot of it has to do with the transmissions. going from a 6speed to the older 4speed doesn't help..

The EcoBoost is a strong pulling motor. I've seen tests' performed with trucks pulling a ~15k trailer up a steep hill and the EcoBoost performed better than the 7.3PSD and the V10.

Well lets start with the almighty HP comparison!
2001 7.3 210 HP
2011 3.5 EB 365 HP

Torque
2001 7.3 425#
2011 EB 420#

So the EB has a 155 HP advantage, the 7.3 has a 5# torque difference.

With differences like that you should be stating that the 7.3 doesn't do hills!!!!!

Welcome to the world of diesel, get a small chip installed on that diesel and it will solve your hill issue. Yea and the extra two gears are a big help also.

Totally agree but be sure to put a transmission cooler from a 6.0L on first or else that transmission will be toast quickly!

[rhagfo]

FishOnOne wrote:

Kevin O. wrote:

ib516 wrote:
I made a similar switch not too long ago, and it has worked out just fine.

Had a 2007 5.9L Cummins, now have the 6.4L Hemi. No regrets.

I'm curious to know which truck tows better?? I'll bet since your 5.9 was just before they started adding all the emissions******it got pretty good fuel mileage??
I just did the opposite, i sold my 2011 Ecoboost(gasser) and bought a 2001 F350 Diesel. The diesel is bone stock and believe it or not it doesn't pull as well as my Ecoboost did. It handles the weight of the trailer much better but doesn't tow up the hills as easily. I think a lot of it has to do with the transmissions. going from a 6speed to the older 4speed doesn't help..

The EcoBoost is a strong pulling motor. I've seen tests' performed with trucks pulling a ~15k trailer up a steep hill and the EcoBoost performed better than the 7.3PSD and the V10.

Well lets start with the almighty HP comparison!
2001 7.3 210 HP
2011 3.5 EB 365 HP

Torque
2001 7.3 425#
2011 EB 420#

So the EB has a 155 HP advantage, the 7.3 has a 5# torque difference.

With differences like that you should be stating that the 7.3 doesn't do hills!!!!!

Welcome to the world of diesel, get a small chip installed on that diesel and it will solve your hill issue. Yea and the extra two gears are a big help also.

[jus2shy]

EB is no slouch, also had a higher horsepower rating. I've never read a thread where someone complained about lack of pulling power with it. It's always issues about the chassis around the engine not being up to Parr for heavy towing (as the op noted). The transmission also seems to get a little hot on those really heavy pulls.

[FishOnOne]

Kevin O. wrote:

ib516 wrote:
I made a similar switch not too long ago, and it has worked out just fine.

Had a 2007 5.9L Cummins, now have the 6.4L Hemi. No regrets.

I'm curious to know which truck tows better?? I'll bet since your 5.9 was just before they started adding all the emissions******it got pretty good fuel mileage??
I just did the opposite, i sold my 2011 Ecoboost(gasser) and bought a 2001 F350 Diesel. The diesel is bone stock and believe it or not it doesn't pull as well as my Ecoboost did. It handles the weight of the trailer much better but doesn't tow up the hills as easily. I think a lot of it has to do with the transmissions. going from a 6speed to the older 4speed doesn't help..

The EcoBoost is a strong pulling motor. I've seen tests' performed with trucks pulling a ~15k trailer up a steep hill and the EcoBoost performed better than the 7.3PSD and the V10.

[Kevin_O_]

ib516 wrote:
I made a similar switch not too long ago, and it has worked out just fine.

Had a 2007 5.9L Cummins, now have the 6.4L Hemi. No regrets.

I'm curious to know which truck tows better?? I'll bet since your 5.9 was just before they started adding all the emissions******it got pretty good fuel mileage??
I just did the opposite, i sold my 2011 Ecoboost(gasser) and bought a 2001 F350 Diesel. The diesel is bone stock and believe it or not it doesn't pull as well as my Ecoboost did. It handles the weight of the trailer much better but doesn't tow up the hills as easily. I think a lot of it has to do with the transmissions. going from a 6speed to the older 4speed doesn't help..

[ib516]

I made a similar switch not too long ago, and it has worked out just fine.

Had a 2007 5.9L Cummins, now have the 6.4L Hemi. No regrets.

[blofgren]

Greene728 wrote:
Well, over the weekend the DW and I pulled the trigger on a (new to us) 2012 Ford Certified F-250 CC 4x4 with the 6.2 gas. Traded in my 05 model with the 6.0 PSD. The reasons were just to obvious to ignore any longer. The 6.0 was about to need quite a bit of work including injectors, egr, and possibly a FICM. I had the truck for 6yrs and only had 2 or 3 fairly minor issues up till recently when it hit 93xxx miles. We only pull our rig seasonal about 10-12 times a year with most trips (8-9) being local to the lake with the rest being less than 4-500 RT. Other than that its my DD to work and general running around. I did tons of research beforehand and narrowed it down to Ford and Dodge. I just favored the Ford due to brand loyalty to be honest. However, the Dodge was very tempting and a really nice truck. We found this one and got a great deal on both price and trade in. I'm sure its gonna be an adjustment towing, but I think overall for my uses its gonna be a good decision. I just couldn't justify the extra up front cost and maintenance, let alone price per gallon difference for less than 2500 mi or so a year towing. Thanks to many of you on here that helped with making my choice and didn't even realize you were doing it!
Fingers crossed!

I think you will really like your new truck. We have a few of the Fords with 6.2L at the city I work at and they have been flawless. They make very good power and sound great doing it too! It will definitely use more fuel than your 6.0L did but given the increase in reliability and cheaper maintenance the difference will be insignificant in my opinion. You will just need to get used to revving the engine higher to get the pulling power out of it.

I too had a F-350 6.0L truck and traded it off last April for the exact same reasons you did. It was stumbling cold which I'm sure was some injectors getting weak, the oil cooler was plugging up and needed replacement, and the bedplate leak was getting worse on it and dripping on my garage floor and blowing all over underneath the truck when I drove it. I loved the truck but it was time to move on and avoid expensive repairs. That was my third Ford truck in the past 20 years and I really was tempted to go with another Ford but was turned off by the high pressure fuel pump failures with the 6.7L diesel that Ford seems to refuse to warranty. I wanted to stick with diesel because we are buying a larger fifth wheel, so ended up buying a Ram Cummins and am very happy. Not having to worry when travelling far from home with the fiver is priceless as you will find out!

Congratulations and happy travels in your new Ford!

[jus2shy]

I still don't understand the need to separate Torque and Horsepower. The two are totally related. The reason why diesels are great is that the horsepower arrives much sooner due to the relatively huge mound of torque they build early liter for liter. The 6.4 gasser has more HP than the 6.7 Cummins on a RAM, however the Cummins arrives at its full 370-385 HP far earlier than the 6.4L Hemi. So the gasser has to use it's smaller torque value and multiply it a bit more (rev higher) in order to meet the same horsepower output as the Cummins. The gasser though can exceed it when given the chance to rev to its peak HP operating range. Of course this is all assuming we're at sea level here, as NA motors lose lots of power when you climb high in altitude.

With the Semi-trucks, that 450 - 600 HP comes on at only 1500 to 1800 RPM. Hence the huge torque multiplied by the lower rate output RPM). A gasser with proper leverage could pull the same load, but it would need more gearing to get the gradeability to match the diesel, along with getting to its RPM HP output range. HP output doesn't change with gearing.

With the new towing standard, as long as a vehicle can meet those acceleration/deceleration and other specified targets, it's tow rating is deserved.

[BenK]

I'm a gasoline person...seriously considered diesel around 99-2K, but after boning up
on it...decided to dodge the SMOG freight train coming down the tracks

Now that GDICI has proven it self beyond just a curiosity, I'm waiting for that

As for the price differential between gasoline and diesel...and folks who might
purchase based on 'that spot in time'...might regret it down the road. As what
that will be is a mystery to everyone...one can go by the general trend over
a looooong period of time and that trend is a raising of prices for both and all
forms of energy...except for renewable/alternate

When I started driving...regular gasoline was IIRC $0.24/gallon. Also remember
when it broke a buck and everyone was screaming the end of the world was at hand...





PS...the HP/Torque 'discussion' will never end...have even had to
tell a couple of my engineers to get back to work because they were
'discussing' HP/Torque (OBTW...silicone, so in the micron world)

HP does NOT exist without the other. The issue or out of context
that I always see is that the engine type, architecture, etc are not
considered...so out of context

An F1 engine doesn't have the torque many of our trucks do and has
similar HP numbers...but out of context as their RPMs are in the
13,000 or more with TINY displacement



Can't wait for this to turn into power at the drive axle and how my
1996 GMT400 7.4L Sub has over ~11,000 of torque on it's drive axles...