New to me Tow Vehicle! 2003 Ford F-350 V10

[Baja_Man]

So, after all the research, tips, and advice on this forum and others, I finally made the decision to purchase used. 5 years of payments, a large enough down payment to avoid large monthly payments, and HUGE depreciation were what led to me to the used market.

Went with tried and true American truck.

2003 Ford F-350, 6.8L/V10, Crew Cab, 2WD, SRW, Standard Bed. 62K original miles and very well kept from second owner. Top condition inside and out.

Solid and smooth riding!

Just drove 400 miles from where I purchased it and it was just what I was looking for....smooth, solid, proven dependability, and capable!

The venerable V10 is a towing beast as far as gad engines go. Tried and proven, reliable tow vehicle.

Payload is 3860#!!! Not bad for a 14 yo truck!

Now, do you any of you tow with this or similar truck?
If so, what can you share about mods, maintenance tips, etc.

Thanks to all for your input during my research.

Now, I can pretty much pick out any 28-30' TT / 5er of my choosing!

Nice to have the payload freedom and not feel over stressed by the limitations of a 1/2 ton.

[wanderingbob]

What is a " standard bed " ?
My brother hired a young lady and asked , can you drive a " standard transmission " , she said yes . Wrong , she maintains that a auto transmission is standard .
There ain't no standards anymore !
I have had three of the Ford standard V-10s , love-em !

[kopy_kat]

I had two motor homes with that engine, and it is a real beast!

Really happy at around 4,000 rpm!!

Enjoy

[dodge_guy]

One of the very best truck combos out there. It is as bullet proof as a diesel. things to check are the exhaust manifolds for broken studs. also keep 2 coils in your glove box, that is the only known failure issue they have. As far as mods go.....what gear ratio does it have? 4.30 is the best for towing performance and will raise towing mileage .5mpg while allowing the V-10 to take advantage of its powertrain. next would be a custom tune from 5star tuning, again it will wake it up and the improved shift strategy makes towing a breeze. the last thing I would do is change out the Y-pipe, it necks down and creates a known choke point in the exhaust. SPD offers a Y-pipe and is sold through 5star tuning also.

Enjoy the new to you truck!

[Grit_dog]

Ran a couple of those back in the early 2000s. Solid trucks for sure. Pass everything but a gas pump.
You got a good one!

[nomadictxn]

I like it! Nice rig. Super Duty build quality is second to none IMO.

[samsontdog]

I have a 2003 with the V10 eng. Best eng that I have ever had. 105,000 miles on it. Changed the plugs at 103,000 miles . No problems changing them. Recently
the check eng light came on and had to change the computer in the eng. That cost me $1,100. Other than tires, breaks, tuneup its been a maintenance free P/Up. I have had 3 TV with the V10 eng

[Lwiddis]

Should serve you well.

[phillyg]

I recommend changing the so called 100,000 mile plugs now. The longer theyre in the more difficult it is to get them out.

[K_Charles]

Our '04 excursion has almost 190,000 a lot of it towing. The last TT we had was 33ft and about 8500 lb and it was fine stock. We did nothing to it except tighten the slop in the steering box.