I need some opinions from you super duty guys.
I've got the chance to expand my Grounds Operation. I'm going to start doing snow maintenance this year. Right now, I've got 4 F150's old style, i think two are 95 and two are 94. they pull a 20ft enclosed trailer right now, and they HATE it.
however, a buddy of mine who works for the company that cuts grass for a little automotive company in Dearborn, has told me they are selling some of their better fleet trucks to make money to upgrade this year. I went a looked at a few today.
They're 2010 F-350 Super duty, manual transfercase 4X4 with locking diff. they have about 30k miles on them. i can pretty much guarentee they've been beat to hell. but they all come with Boss V-blade plows and Salt spreaders that go into the hitch.
The price is decent to say the least, they'll cut me a good deal if i buy more than one, and a better deal since i work for Roush. my question is, How will they tow and how will they push the snow? does anybody have experience with this?

 

They will handle loads much better then your F-150 depending on how much your towing. They will plow ok, I'm not sure if you've plowed with your F150s but the f350s will handle the plow much better. See if they'll let you pull your trailer around town for a day of work to help make a decision.

 

the F-150s we have now don't have plows. this used to be a summer only operation, but my co-owner decided to make this his full time job. so its either i get new trucks, of put plows on the F-150s. i asked one of the guys who worked there and they said they've pulled 24ft trailers with two Zero turns on it before, they say it has no problem, but you know its back there.
If i do end up getting these, i'm going to for sure have to invest in some better trailer brakes than what i have.

 

Are they diesels? If so, its a no brainier if the price is right and they did the correct maintenance!

Wayne

 

Ha, forgot to mention that fact.
no, they aren't diesels.

 

Id buy them! if you can afford them why not? even if they are beat to crap 2010s they will be way better than your 94-95 F150s. No comparison at all. The Superduties will do more plus some.
I think being a gasser is a benefit too. Diesel is too much maintenance to have for a mowing business.

 

The question you should really consider is it a wise investment? Your using 15 year old trucks. What kind of shape are they in? Also the newer trucks are built tougher then the old school trucks. I see both having their goods and bads. Best thing to do is to weigh both options.

 

Well, If the option was open, i'd keep all the trucks. run the F-150s for the summer, and 350's for the winter or something.
the F-150s are in great shape for being 15 years old. they would need some routine stuff before winter. but being that being said. i don't exactly have all the money needed, to make the purchase, so i'd be borrowing some money (something i hate) to pick these up and selling these.
I took my Co-owner to look at them today, he thinks it we should go ahead and buy them, we also got them to let me take one around the block with one of their trailers hooked up ( they're all Pintle, I run 2 and 5"16th inch) so i couldn't exactly hook it up. but i think they pull all right with a load similar to what i'd have in there. their trailers were also 4 foot longer and about 600lbs heavier.

So in all, I think i'll go ahead and put in my "bid" for 4 of them. They have like 30 for sale, so i don't think i should have a problem getting them. Pictures will be soon.

 

30k on super duty its still really new and just broken in. Beating on it is the best thing for a new engine.

The older fleet will not stand well pushing snow, not in a capacity needed for a business.

If you are serious about doing snow removal you need serious equipment.

 

I'm not all that serious yet. we only are going to have about 10 guys in the winter. but if all works out, 3 or 4 will have their own plowing equipment. the 10 will include myself and my Co-owner.
but either way. i have been saying i need to upgrade trucks now that we've got a few bigger sites (i love apartment complexes!) with 4 cutting crews and one landscaping crew, i'm seeing almost 2k miles a month on these trucks now.

 

i would do it man, even if you get one or two, thatll be less strain on the older trucks. and with only 30k on them then thats pretty good.

 

I hate when people say this...its not a good thing at all.

Best way is to just drive it.

 

Unless it's a toy. Run that SOB hard and hot. It will definitely make more power if broken in under a good load on the dyno.

 

theres a diffrence in breaking in a engine on a dyno with load and going out and beating the **** out of it

 

Quick update. I'll get pictures of these things eventually.
I got four of them. they will be available as soon as the new trucks are in (they're saying about 2 weeks, i guess you just don't go to your local ford dealer and order 60 trucks?)
Plows, Slat spreaders and shortwave CB radios included in the deal.

 

You want the engine to burnish all the sharp edges and make a lot of metal quickly. The rings need to seat and the cam needs to wear in. Granted you need to have warm oil before driving it hard.

The best way to break it in is on a dyno making a half dozen pulls to redline.

 

Thats a great way to cause things to warp.

Let it warm up
Drive it normally while also getting on the throttle. You don't want to hold it wide open for long periods of times, but you also don't want to be only flooring it for a sec.
Let it cool way down.


All breaking in a engine does it let things warm up to operating temp and cool back down. You want the bottom end, cylinders and heads to all warm up together. You do not want your cylinders getting hotter then you heads or your heads getting so freaking hot they warp.

Get what im saying?

Beating the **** out of something does not set the rings any better.

Its the same as barley driving the vehicle. Nothing ever gets warm so it never breaks in.

 

You'll enjoy them. Our grass crews use Super Duty's with the 5.4 engine, and it pulls the 24ft trailers fine. I'd suggest airbags in the rear if your bagging the grass and loading up the bed. Especially if you plan on upgrading to a dump insert, or vbox style spreader. You'd only need the 6.8l or diesel if your going to be pulling larger machines around a lot.

 

No V-Boxes, already comes with little Boss spreaders that attach to the Trailer hitch.

Here it is! picked them up today, I'll take pictures as i got, the MPG on these things is right around 5mpg right now due to little driving and lots of idling. I mean, I know a 6.2l engine sucks gas, but this is outrageous..... so i'll be dirving them each to work and around for a week (i average about 500 miles a week)
i think that ought to increase the MPGS a bit.
I still have to take the old company name off the side (its on my to-do list) and i have to find a place to store 4 plows and spreaders for a couple of months.



Two are crew cabs, just like this, (i dunno how i lucked out on that deal)
and Two are reg cabs.

 

Thats a 2011. Hope you enjoy the new trucks and they serve you well

 

Looks good. A set of factory alloys and that would make a nice personal truck

 

Moar pics!

I got these from my Co-Owner Jared, from the day we took one of their trailers around the block to see how it handled. I doctored the name off the side of the truck for uhh, legal reasons.

so far, they're awesome. If i could afford a new one, i'd go to the dealer right now and get one. I don't even care that i don't have any need for a super duty, they're awesome.