Anybody got experience haulin wood with Ford 351w w/ auto trans

[greenskeeper]

my 97 f250 powerstroke cc 4x4 has the E4OD trans, 183k and climbing without a hiccup. The E4OD is a good transmission as long as you don't mod the crap out of the truck....definately get a trans temp gauge and monitor it like a hawk....I back off things if the trans temp gets above ambient+100 degrees

 

[Hddnis]

I've had really good luck with the 351 motor and E4OD trans combo. As easy on fuel as a full size truck can get and they run a long time. My personal truck is at 310k right now, it got a new engine at about 280k and is still going on the original trans. I did put a new torque converter in it about 40k ago, that was $1k to have a shop do it.


Mr. HE

 

[Sagetown]

Don't buy it to work with. I own a 92 3/4ton with that E4OD trans. Bought it new to haul cattle. It was a dog from day one. Tried to talk my friend out of buying a new 93 just like it. The salesman had him pumped, and he wouldn't listen to me. But when he hooked up his big horse trailer, then he believed me. Get the big 460 engine. It's a world of difference.

 

[sunfish]

We had a 84 F250, 351 automatic, 3:55 gears, it was solid. Used it for over 10 years as a wood truck. Had some carb trouble, but the motor & drive train were flawless. We were rough with it in the woods and the body got beat to hell. Kind of wish I still had it...

 

[Alan Smith]

My 89 F 250 7.3 diesel E4OD

 

[Philbo]

Well, thanks for all the input fellers. I just picked up a 97 Dodge 3500 12v Cummins with 132k on the odo. 4x4, 5spd, Ext cab, limited slip rear, 3.5 gears, flatbed w/ gooseneck. Pretty much exactly what I was looking for. She's a bit rusty from living life up here for 15 years, but not that bad. The underside actually looks a lot better than the doors/rockers/fenders. Frame and suspension are nice and solid. A handful of little issues to deal with but doesn't seem like anything major is wrong (yet)

I just happened to be on the local Craigslist at the right time and saw the ad about 10 minutes after it was posted. Called the guy and ended up trading my 97 f150 with a little cash on top to him to get the Dodge. Totaled around $4500-5000, depending on how you value my old f150. Pretty happy with coming across this deal, even though I'm going to want to put another $500-$1000 in her to get her running top notch. Wanna tear into it and get that dowel pin problem nipped in the bud.

Here's a couple of photos from when I first looked at the truck. Will get some more up soon actually putting her to work!

 

[Mtthwvn]

Seems like a nice looking old truck. From what I've heard 130k miles is just getting those cummins broke in. Good luck with it.

 

[Alan Smith]

Well think you got a good deal the cummins is better than the 7.3 has more power

 

[Big_Al]

In 97 the hp & torque were about the same between the 2 engines. Looks like it should haul some wood for ya , congrats!

 

[fields_mj]

Mine is a '93 F250 NA 7.3L ext cab 4x4 ZF5 w/D60 swap and I love it. It had 4.10 gears when I got it, and thats best for hauling and working in the woods, but this is also my daily driver so I swapped them to 3.55s for the better fuel milage. I would stay away from the E4OD. They die at around 125K~150K, and cost $2500+ to rebuild. C6 is cheaper to rebuild, but I think you have to go back to '92 to get one. The NA 7.3 isn't a power house, but it's okay. Throw a turbo on it and open up the exhaust, and it really comes alive for you. It's not needed, but if you do a lot of hauling over the road, it is worth while.

On the older F250 diesels, the only difference between them and an F350 is the front axle. The F350 has a Dana 60, and the F250 has a Dana 50 (TTB) unless it has been swapped out to the D60. The D50 is up for the task, but more expensive to maintain, and IMHO the ride isn't as smooth. Either way, I wouldn't limit your search to the F350. The rear axles on these F250/350 diesels are rated for over 6K lbs. I made side rails for my bed that allow me to stack all the way to the top of the cab. This makes 1 full cord and generally weighs around 5K. The overloads still have about an inch to go on them before they bottom out.

Not sure how familliar you are with older ford 4WD trucks, but I would recommend that you go through the front end completely checking seals, U joints, ball joints, bearings and such. I got mine from Jacksonville FL in '09. On the up side the body didn't have much rust. On the down side, sand had eaten out every seal on the front end which has caused me recouring problems ever since. I had a D60 put in this fall and I'm REALLY hoping that stops the problems If I had the money when I got the truck, I would have done this to begine with. I had just come off of a 6 week layoff and we had just put a new tranny in my wifes car, so I was in a mode where I was just fixing what I had to in order to keep it on the road. Over the course of 4 years, it would have been MUCH cheaper to have put the D60 in to begin with.

At the end of the day, wait for what you want. If the IDI really trips your trigger, I would highly recommend the forum over at oilburners.net. They have a group dedicated to the 6.9/7.3 and those guys have forgotten more about that truck/engine than most people ever learn.

 

[fields_mj]

Just noticed that you already made a purchase. Sounds like you got a good one. The 12v cummins is tough. It can be made to be very powerful too, but you really don't need more power than it already has stock unless you just like dumping smoke (unburnt fuel) out the exhaust and burning up your tranny. The only thing more power will get you is better accleration out on the hwy when you have a load behind you. Out in the woods, power isn't much of a friend. It just lets you spin your tires easier. It's amazing how fast a 4wd with a load of firewood will sit down on its axles, and once you do, even a tractor will have a hard time getting you out.

 

[Sawdust7]

Well, thanks for all the input fellers. I just picked up a 97 Dodge 3500 12v Cummins with 132k on the odo. 4x4, 5spd, Ext cab, limited slip rear, 3.5 gears, flatbed w/ gooseneck. Pretty much exactly what I was looking for. She's a bit rusty from living life up here for 15 years, but not that bad. The underside actually looks a lot better than the doors/rockers/fenders. Frame and suspension are nice and solid. A handful of little issues to deal with but doesn't seem like anything major is wrong (yet)

I just happened to be on the local Craigslist at the right time and saw the ad about 10 minutes after it was posted. Called the guy and ended up trading my 97 f150 with a little cash on top to him to get the Dodge. Totaled around $4500-5000, depending on how you value my old f150. Pretty happy with coming across this deal, even though I'm going to want to put another $500-$1000 in her to get her running top notch. Wanna tear into it and get that dowel pin problem nipped in the bud.

Here's a couple of photos from when I first looked at the truck. Will get some more up soon actually putting her to work!

Yeah, I'd say you got a great deal. One thing that is a must for that booger is a fuel pressure pump. It can save you the cost of a new injector pump.
A lot of good info at dieseltruckresource.com and great prices for parts at rockauto.com

 

[Philbo]

Cool. Thanks for the resources. I've come across dieseltruckresource.com in some research already. Rock Auto is great. I've gotten a good bit of parts there cheaper than anywhere else I could find (even after shipping.)

Only thing I've noticed so far with the Dodge is that it seems to barely slip in 4th gear right around 2k rpm with some moderate acceleration. New clutch in my future? I just got the truck on Tuesday and had my neighbor (long-time diesel mechanic) service it and check over the whole truck. Very thankful to have him next door. I haven't had the chance to put it to work yet...gotta get pricey weighted tag on there first...

The flatbed measures 7.5' wide x 8.5' long. The side boards on it now are about 2' tall which equals 1 full cord (stacked to the height of sideboards) I feel like this truck should at least handle 1.5 cords of seasoned wood (~6k pounds in flatbed)

 

[Alan Smith]

Fields said I would stay away from the E4OD. They die at around 125K~150K, and cost $2500+ to rebuild. Well he is about right 117 k and $1800. for mine to be rebuild

 

[fields_mj]

I looked at a lot of them before I bought mine. I wanted a 5spd, but they were hard to find. Every truck I found with an E4OD and more than 125K either had a rebuilt tranny, or a blown one. I called several local shops and they all wanted around the same price for the repair which always included an upgraded solenoid. None of them would put their name on the repair without the solenoid

If you're needing a new clutch, I would highly recommend a South Bend clutch. A co-worker runs them in his trucks, and he just won the diesel nationals down in TX using one in his Dodge. I just replaced mine but used a LUK because I was in a hurry and didn't know about the South Bend clutches. I regret it.

 

[Milkman31]

I have the 2008 2500 6.7 cummins 6 speed and it don't know what quit is when it comes to pulling that being said our rv is around 14000 lbs and you can run as fast as you would like up any of the hills here in TN. soon to come is the H&S xrt pro and dpf delete with the south bend clutch. Now the the one I haul my fire wood on is a bone stock 1990 toyota 4x4 with the 22re with 5 speed load it to the top and take it home lol. You will love that 5.9 you got there keep us posted

 

[sunfish]

Now the the one I haul my fire wood on is a bone stock 1990 toyota 4x4 with the 22re with 5 speed load it to the top and take it home lol. You will love that 5.9 you got there keep us posted

94 Toyota 4wd 22r 5 speed here. Hell of a wood truck that I use in the woods like a tractor with a bed.

 

[cre10]

If it was me I would stay away from the E40D. If it got hot (anything over 225*) its dead. It may work, but for how long is the real question. I have the E40D in my 96" Powerstroke EX LWB 4X4 with 4:10 gears that I did a Dana 60 swap on. My tranny is with a HD torque converter, billet shafts, valves ETC... 5K is what it takes to get that tranny reliable. I'm currently collecting parts to do a 5 speed swap, if I can swing it I'll do a ZF6 swap. The 6 gears will be better for the local hills and mountains. I find I need to run in 4X4 low without the hubs in on the forest roads to keep everything moving slow enough for my comfort, and to save out the brakes. On the highway i can run 2wd and be ok. My brother has a single cab F350 4X4 with the Powerstroke and 5 speed and he can run slow in 2wd everywhere.
I live in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I have 6000-7000' elevation changes to do with my loads. I haul quite a bit and I really don't like the way the auto tranny. Pictures for reference of the weight I do, so you can compare to what to what you envision doing. The truck only load is green Sugar Pine. The trailer load is partially dried Ponderosa Pine. The trailer is 18' with 4'side racks.

They let you guys carry guns in Kaliforinastan?

 

[Sawdust7]

Cool. Thanks for the resources. I've come across dieseltruckresource.com in some research already. Rock Auto is great. I've gotten a good bit of parts there cheaper than anywhere else I could find (even after shipping.)

Only thing I've noticed so far with the Dodge is that it seems to barely slip in 4th gear right around 2k rpm with some moderate acceleration. New clutch in my future? I just got the truck on Tuesday and had my neighbor (long-time diesel mechanic) service it and check over the whole truck. Very thankful to have him next door. I haven't had the chance to put it to work yet...gotta get pricey weighted tag on there first...

The flatbed measures 7.5' wide x 8.5' long. The side boards on it now are about 2' tall which equals 1 full cord (stacked to the height of sideboards) I feel like this truck should at least handle 1.5 cords of seasoned wood (~6k pounds in flatbed)

At first I was thinking "torque converter lockout" but then I realized your talking about a standard. Mine is an auto and the trans was acting up between 45 to 50 mph. Come to find out the PCM was getting confused as to what gear it wanted the truck in so the torque converter would engage and disengage intermittently. Cleaned every single ground lead on the truck. Aka: Engine, body, frame, batteries and the pcm. Never had a bit of trouble afterwards. Is there any adjustment for the standard? I know in the way back day Fords you could adjust the mechanical clutches. The folks over at DTR will for sure be able to help you.

 

[mn woodcutter]

nice dodge! I hope its a good dependable truck for you. Would love to have one and came very close to buying a first gen but price and practicality won out in the end. I don't regret going with the old F350.