Will this pull a whisper chipper?

[Koa Man]

Pssssssst, We are talking about a F-100 1/2 Ton truck not a 1 ton.

DDM, if you are referring to my post, I said that is too much for even a 1 ton.
I know he is talking about a 1/2 ton.

 

[pbtree]

There is more to this than just pulling...

The brakes are not up to the job
The 5 lug wheels and axle are not up to the job
Unless you have LT tires (which frequently are not put on half ton turcks) you will overload the tires
The drive train (u-joints, drive shaft) are not up to the job either...

I would recommend a F 250 if you are going to pull the weight and chips...

Just my 2 cents...:biggrinbounce2:

 

[clearance]

There is more to this than just pulling...

The brakes are not up to the job
The 5 lug wheels and axle are not up to the job
Unless you have LT tires (which frequently are not put on half ton turcks) you will overload the tires
The drive train (u-joints, drive shaft) are not up to the job either...

I would recommend a F 250 if you are going to pull the weight and chips...

Just my 2 cents...:biggrinbounce2:

Not all F 250s are the same, some have full floating rearends (what you want) and some have semi-floating rearends (like half ton rearends). Semifloating means that if you break an axle the wheel comes off, bad. full floating means you can pull the axle out while the truck is standing, all the axle does is turn the wheel, semi float axles carry the load as well. Easy to tell the difference, full floats have a big hub sticking out past the wheel with bolts on it, semis are flat across the wheel. Good point about 1/2 tons often having P and not LT tires.

 

[BigUglySquirrel]

Hola amigos! Been awhile but I'm back for the evening.
In regards to the issue of a F100 being up to the task. Nada. I'm in total agreement with the majority here. The 300 I-6 is a stout motor, but your driveline from the bellhousing back is lacking. As is the entire brake system. As is the suspension. Modifying the truck to fit your needs is dead OUT. For the cost of the necesary upgrades you can find a 1 ton truck that will be beefier without the headaches.

You're in Indiana so I'm guessing that your better bet is not the Fords, but in the Chevy family. I say that because we're in the same area and Chevy parts are cheap and plentiful around here. The even better news is the older Chevy's are better trucks than the newer ones. I wouldn't go with anything newer than about '89 on the 1 tons. We picked up an 89 C30 (or is it 3500? anyway..) with low miles on a 350 w/4 speed granny transmission, new tires, hi-side bed with a Muncie dump in nice looking shape for $2000. That's cheap, but they are out there. Expect to find them for around $4k or less in like shape. You'll thank me later for the dumpbed advice.

STEER CLEAR OF THE CHEVY DIESELS FROM THIS TIME FRAME!!
The 350 is your best bet (400's overheat, Chevy's 6.2 is puny and the 6.5 Turbo will suck money out of you faster than you can make it. The 454 will cost you $10,000. a week to keep fuel in it's tank.) Go with the standard trans. The automatics overheat and burn up. Entire clutch job will cost you around $200 to do yourself and it's an easy...alas time consuming job. Make sure it's a dual wheel rearend and that it is a full-floating 14 bolt. The HydraBoost trucks should have 11 front discs and 13x3.5 rear drums. Try to find a truck with HydraBoost brakes. (PM me and I'll tell you what to look for) This is KEY for all you guys out there that think that a 1 ton can't stop a full load of chips with a chipper. Bull. We have a 6x12 bed about 5'6" high and a Morbark 290 strapped to the pintle. Stop on a dime. With a full load. Pulls it like a champ. Holds more than our bucket truck and handles it better to boot.

This is getting lengthy so you can PM me and I'll help all I can. My point is scrape up about $4k and let those 1/2 tons and 3/4 tons slide. (Yes even the 3/4HD with the full floater. The brakes are too small and the springs aren't heavy enough) You'll be time and money ahead in the end.

 

[clearance]

Ahhh, old Chevys. Pretty good advice, 350s are great, 454s are better, the gas milage isn't that much worse. The 4spd. (465) tranny is best, but the turbo 400 auto will survive with a big tranny cooler. I believe the 1 ton dually rearend is a Dana 70, pretty much the same as a f.f. 14 bolt. I prefer the ones made before '87 cause they have a carb. instead of injection. They are the best, you can work them forever, as long as you use the grease gun and change the oil in all components often.

 

[BigUglySquirrel]

the 400T is a good tranny, but I prefer the SM465. Automatics consume their internals by design because they are engineered to constantly slip. This generates friction which generates the heat you mentioned. Yes a big ole cooler and a larger pan will help, but the cost of rebuilding one is pretty steep compared to the actual longevity between rebuilds. Sure, you can burn a clutch up, but they're cheaper to replace and don't require the services of a shop if you're even just slightly mechanical. (except the machine work to the flywheel) It should also be noted that a standard trans will chew up around 15%-22% of the power it's feeding to the rear axle. In automatics it's around 30% and the torque is greatly affected.

I'm not certain about all of the 1 ton units, but all the Chevy's I've dealt with are of the 14bolt corporate variety. I know that Dodge and Ford used the 70 in some of theirs and it's a really good unit too. (As is the 60) I prefer the 14 because the parts are easier to find, they're cheaper and if you should manage to have to work on the gear set, the 14 bolt is super stupid easy to set up.