# 2004 ford 6.0



## bluefarmer

Neighbor/widow has a 4 door 2004 89,000 miles still has the plastic on the carpet from the factory. I could buy it for 15,000. Only problem is the 6.0 power stroke I hear. I know nothing about them. The wife really likes the truck and we would like to purchase but...... ?


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## NewBerlinBaler

Before buying, consider this:

In 2006, Ford sued (engine-maker) International Truck because of the 6.0L fiasco.

Gary


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## sethd11

If you can afford to drop off at a good tech and have 4 grand of work done to it then it's worth it. If not don't buy. Headstuds, EGR delete, possible injectors and a few other minor deletes/upgrades. Transmission is stellar in those trucks. Also programming is necessary. Then drive the truck without beating it to death and it will be awesome.


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## somedevildawg

bluefarmer said:


> Neighbor/widow has a 4 door 2004 89,000 miles still has the plastic on the carpet from the factory. I could buy it for 15,000. Only problem is the 6.0 power stroke I hear. I know nothing about them. The wife really likes the truck and we would like to purchase but...... ?


I would pay $10k....if all is nice. Gonna need about 5-6k of work more than likely....may not tho. Nice trucks


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## Lostin55

I owned one, right up until it started making antifreeze. Then someone else owned it.
We got 104k miles out of it. I wouldn't own another 6.0 It ran great, it pulled great, it was a nice truck. I just refused to put that kind of money in it with that many miles, and known issues.


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## JD3430

Only buy it if you can plunk 5k in a reserve account to make the necessary repairs. 
I'm a Ford or GM guy. I skipped the Ford 6L era after I read all the problems back around '03-'04. Bought 2 GM/duramax trucks and rode out the 6L debacle, then jumped back into Ford when the 6.4 came out. No regrets.

The bottom line on that truck is that the rest of the truck is great, but the engine will be likely to give you trouble. If you get it cheap enough, you can take it in and have all the work done and it will be a good truck. 
Did you ask the seller if they did any work to the engine? If it's already had the head studs, egr, etc done, then it might be more attractive to buy.


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## PaCustomBaler

We own several powerstrokes. Service truck is a 2004 6.0 and wife's truck is a 2007 6.0. I'm a 7.3l fan, run 2 of them. Here's a way to look at it...

7.3L....high reliability, low power.

6.0L....low reliability, high power.

I don't mind the 6.0's, you just have to run them. Don't let them sit. I've heard of guys doing a bulletproofing for $2500. Yeah I'm sure if you have someone else do it, you'll be around $5k-6k. A bulletproofed 6.0 is one hell of an engine with some ass behind it.


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## JD3430

PaCustomBaler said:


> Here's a way to look at it...
> 
> 7.3L....high reliability, low power.
> 
> 6.0L....low reliability, high power.


Agree, but I would add:

7.3L high reliability/low power/*lousy transmission**

6.0L low reliability/high power/*excellent transmission**

**automatic transmission*

Also, IMO, the last 7.3L rolled off the ass line almost 15 model years ago. Their numbers are declining rapidly. Its now considered a pretty old truck.

The cost to rebuild the transmission for the 7.3L is probably similar to a "bulletproofing" job on a 6L, so if thats the case, might as well get the newer truck with more bells & whistles and a better 5 speed auto.

Now if its a manual transmission, disregard most of the above. haha


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## azmike

I ran an 2005 from 2007 until this year, 60,000 to 190,000 miles. I ended up changing all of the injectors (eventually) and had a electric control module go. No huge bills, good truck but I was always ready for a meltdown! I got the truck for a smoking deal and just sold it for $15k.


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## seanb02

The earlier 6.0 trucks had more issues than the later ones. If you choose to buy you will be best off taking care of all the shortcomings immediately than dealing with it later when you have a large tow bill getting it from who knows where to a shop you know nothing about since you aren't close to a place you know.

Expect around 4-5k to make it a good truck for many years to come. No it won't beat a Cummins or a 7.3 for longevity, but stock to stock it will have a little more power. Myself I'll stick to Cummins for real work. But I'm a Chevy guy for everything else gas powered.


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## tomc

I bought a 2004 with 104Kmi. Nice clean truck that looked good and ran good. It had a gn hitch so it had towed at some point but probably not frequently. Ford service records showed it had head gasket service which implies new head bolts. This seemed good (fresh head bolts) since Ford head bolts are a weak point in this engine design. All was well until I started towing heavy and got the engine heated up. Multiple weak points (oil cooler, egr cooler, head bolts) all conspired to result in stretched head bolts again. So, got the bullet proofing done (~$4K) and the truck has been a reliable work horse for past 4yrs.

If the 04 you are looking at has seen regular maintenance and no heavy hauling then the engine may be sound. A mechanic with a degas cap gauge can test for combustion / coolant system leaks under load to verify good condition. If this is all good then a profalactic egr cooler (large tube style) and oil cooler replacement may be enough to ensure engine will survive long term.

I will continue to look for low miles good cond 6.0L trucks because they seem to be the sweet spot (in Fords) between good performance, good fuel economy, and overall complexity / maitenance cost.
You just need to test them when purchased and then do the profalactic egr and oil cooler replacement. And don't bother the Ford dealer about any of the profalactic or bullet proof fixes ; I suspect they are under lawyer's instructions to say there are no design problems and just keep replacing the weak oem parts with same.


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## somedevildawg

I was delivering hay to a customer and his friend rattles up in a '05 F350.....bought it with 90k and it had 240k on it......asked him if it had been bulletproofed "I don't know, I've never done anything to it other than change the oil" 
I'd buy one in a minute if the price is right....and it usually is, the 6.0 made good numbers on the dyno....just had to keep it together


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## JD3430

somedevildawg said:


> I was delivering hay to a customer and his friend rattles up in a '05 F350.....bought it with 90k and it had 240k on it......asked him if it had been bulletproofed "I don't know, I've never done anything to it other than change the oil"
> I'd buy one in a minute if the price is right....and it usually is, the 6.0 made good numbers on the dyno....just had to keep it together


Theres a chance it was bulletproofed by the previous owner.


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## mlappin

Hehehe, Dad just rolled 650,000 miles on his cummins.


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## JD3430

mlappin said:


> Hehehe, Dad just rolled 650,000 miles on his cummins.


Well, sure I believe that, but you cant drive an engine. I'm sure dad replaced many many parts other than the engine. And that adds up to plenty of cost, too.

Overall, Dodge's repair record is no better than Ford or Obama Motors, when it comes to overall cost of repairs during ownership.


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## bluefarmer

We passed on it. My mechanic said the same thing about changing out the egr early on.


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## somedevildawg

mlappin said:


> Hehehe, Dad just rolled 650,000 miles on his cummins.


Not surprised the engine has lasted that long, but I'm surprised the odometer worked that long......


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## mlappin

somedevildawg said:


> Not surprised the engine has lasted that long, but I'm surprised the odometer worked that long......


He claims he's gonna get a million miles on it, might do it since he doesn't tow anything with it, original owner was a tight ass and didn't spring for the posi trac, a 2 wheel drive pickup with all that weight on the front and no limited slip is about worthless on anything but asphalt.

I can also guarantee he didn't have to drop 4-5K on the engine just to make it run half this long.


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## JD3430

So basically it's a 4x2 pavement queen that won't tow anything and gets stuck on wet grass.
Not much I could do with that.
Not that there's anything wrong with that if that's what you want, but I'd rather pay more to own something with 4WD that can tow a 25,000 lb load of hay legally.
It's too ad Ford ever burdened their reputation with the 6L. They really do build a nice heavy duty truck.
Someday they'll put an engine that matches the ability of the truck in them.


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## mlappin

Oh no, it delivered many a camper back in the day, last big job was it pulled a 700 bushel grain cart home 75 miles cause somebody didn't wanna pay for delivery.


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## somedevildawg

JD3430 said:


> So basically it's a 4x2 pavement queen that won't tow anything and gets stuck on wet grass.
> Not much I could do with that.
> Not that there's anything wrong with that if that's what you want, but I'd rather pay more to own something with 4WD that can tow a 25,000 lb load of hay legally.
> It's too ad Ford ever burdened their reputation with the 6L. They really do build a nice heavy duty truck.
> Someday they'll put an engine that matches the ability of the truck in them.


They do...6.7 liter Ford


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## JD3430

somedevildawg said:


> They do...6.7 liter Ford


Im not so sure...

Early versions had problems, too.

$75,000 is a lot to spend on a modest improvement.

In fact, the 6.7L is actually de-rated 50 HP compared to my earlier "junk" 6.4L diesel.

So I trade-in a 350 HP truck on a "new & improved" version with only 300HP?

I'm with MLappin on the Cummins.


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## r82230

mlappin said:


> Oh no, it delivered many a camper back in the day, last big job was it pulled a 700 bushel grain cart home 75 miles cause somebody didn't wanna pay for delivery.


Hope that cheapskate, bought him a nice Christmas present for the use of a fine truck. 

Larry


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## JD3430

So here's a pic I snapped yesterday at the mulch hay yard of (2) 7.3L powered Fords. Each one went across the scale before me. One weighed 34,900. The other was 37,000. 
They are from Maryland, almost a 50 mile drive on some pretty hilly ground. 
I see them there often with the same load every time. Truck up front is stock. I don't know about the other.
Pretty impressive for trucks that are that are probably over 15 years old with 7.3L engines at 225HP to get that work done.


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## mlappin

JD3430 said:


> So here's a pic I snapped yesterday at the mulch hay yard of (2) 7.3L powered Fords. Each one went across the scale before me. One weighed 34,900. The other was 37,000.
> They are from Maryland, almost a 50 mile drive on some pretty hilly ground.
> I see them there often with the same load every time. Truck up front is stock. I don't know about the other.
> Pretty impressive for trucks that are that are probably over 15 years old with 7.3L engines at 225HP to get that work done.


And again like before, if you wanna haul that much, get a straight truck and a trailer, bigger tires, bigger brakes, bigger engine and a transmission to handle it.

I spent a lot more on maintenance delivering square bales with a pickup and trailer than using a straight truck.


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## JD3430

mlappin said:


> And again like before, if you wanna haul that much, get a straight truck and a trailer, bigger tires, bigger brakes, bigger engine and a transmission to handle it.
> I spent a lot more on maintenance delivering square bales with a pickup and trailer than using a straight truck.


You missed my point. Those guys own a father/son hay business and have been hauling 9-10 ton loads of hay with those trucks for 10+ years. 
They told me the engines and transmissions are original!


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## r82230

Gotta, agree with Mlappin, it is not the pulling that the engine / tranny can do, what about the stopping.

I just spoke with a friend of my son's who just so happens to be a State Police, weigh master. I ask, 'How much can I legally, haul with my new truck, with a trailer and what license do I need?' His answer was two parts, "legally in Michigan 26,000# (or your trucks GVW from manufacture if less), with no CDL BUT if hauling for your farm (my product), there is no weight limit, however, we will not turn are head, if you get into an accident and we find you overloaded, causing you be unable to proper stop the load." He then said "if for some reason you need to overload / over weight a load, I would be extremely cautious of where I was driving to and lower my speed accordingly".

Of course this is MY area not yours.

Larry


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## JD3430

Well obviously they can stop the load, or they wouldnt be towing those weight loads for 10+ years with those old low power trucks with smallish brake systems. Like I said before, there's lots of hills in my area. Plenty of stop signs, too.

Those trucks are probably factory rated GCWR of 22,000lbs. At 37,000, they are far and beyond those limits.

Mines GCWR is 33,000. I have a CDL and tagged my truck at 36,000, but I only go 2-3,000 above the 33K manufacturers limit. I wouldn't ever exceed the wight limit those old Ford boys do. They told me those 2 old Ford trucks take hundreds of loads per year like that, too.


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## mlappin

JD3430 said:


> I wouldn't ever exceed the wight limit those old Ford boys do. They told me those 2 old Ford trucks take hundreds of loads per year like that, too.


And eventually their luck will run out, just hope it's not a mini van full of kids that's in front of them when they can't stop.


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## JD3430

mlappin said:


> And eventually their luck will run out, just hope it's not a mini van full of kids that's in front of them when they can't stop.


Agree, but hey, they aint the only guys towing WAY beyond recommended GCWR. I think a lot of us do that on a regular basis. 

Only point I was trying to make is that weak old 7.3's are pulling and stopping loads over 35,000lbs.


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## PaMike

The thing that always scares me with those heavy pickup/trailer combos is when either the truck or trailer isnt working properly. My duramax wouldnt go into tow/haul mode when pulling an 9k trailer. I only have to go about 8 miles, but with out tow/haul your braking/slow down power is GREATLY diminished and I was uneasy. All it takes is a pinched electric brake wire half way through a trip to makes things real hairy real quick


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## JD3430

PaMike said:


> The thing that always scares me with those heavy pickup/trailer combos is when either the truck or trailer isnt working properly. My duramax wouldnt go into tow/haul mode when pulling an 9k trailer. I only have to go about 8 miles, but with out tow/haul your braking/slow down power is GREATLY diminished and I was uneasy. All it takes is a pinched electric brake wire half way through a trip to makes things real hairy real quick


YES! I remember the fear I had when I lost an air brake hose on my triaxle. Got it stopped (barely), but scared the shit out of me.

Why wouldnt it go into tow mode?


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## PaMike

Broken wire in the steering column/shifter area. Its real common problem. Buddy works at GM dealer and knew right where to look to fix it...


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## PaCustomBaler

JD3430 said:


> So here's a pic I snapped yesterday at the mulch hay yard of (2) 7.3L powered Fords. Each one went across the scale before me. One weighed 34,900. The other was 37,000.
> They are from Maryland, almost a 50 mile drive on some pretty hilly ground.
> I see them there often with the same load every time. Truck up front is stock. I don't know about the other.
> Pretty impressive for trucks that are that are probably over 15 years old with 7.3L engines at 225HP to get that work done.


Haha, passed that front truck last year on rt30 hauling 3x3s to chester co....his trailer brakes were smoking!!

Poor truck looked beat to fu**...good to hear it's still moving.


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## mlappin

JD3430 said:


> Agree, but hey, they aint the only guys towing WAY beyond recommended GCWR. I think a lot of us do that on a regular basis.
> 
> Only point I was trying to make is that weak old 7.3's are pulling and stopping loads over 35,000lbs.


Dad hauled the backhoe and the excavator a maybe once each with his one ton dually, after that nobody got to "borrow" the straight truck set up to haul the big trailer, went less than ten miles with each and still said his nether regions were puckered right up.


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## JD3430

Here's another pic of me and my Ford. 22 825lb bales. 
This one was 35,800lbs.


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## PaCustomBaler

Didn't you hear round bales are going to become illegal?


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## JD3430

PaCustomBaler said:


> Didn't you hear round bales are going to become illegal?


No please elaborate.

It'll give me an excuse to switch to big square


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## sethd11

I still run "old" 7.3 powerstrokes. Owner of 3 f350s. I own them because I can fix them. I can't fix new trucks so I don't even try. They stop just as good as new trucks with good trailer brakes... Without brakes on trailer... Your screwed. 
Finally bought a semi so I could actually stop large loads.


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## JD3430

sethd11 said:


> I still run "old" 7.3 powerstrokes. Owner of 3 f350s. I own them because I can fix them. I can't fix new trucks so I don't even try. They stop just as good as new trucks with good trailer brakes... Without brakes on trailer... Your screwed.
> Finally bought a semi so I could actually stop large loads.


You may laugh, but these 550's have excellent brakes!
Even at 36,000 lbs, truck stops easily. My biggest buyer has a very steep hill on the way to his plant. It even has the "trucks reduce gear" sign at top of hill. I think it's an 8% decline into a town intersection. My truck easily stops. No squealing or smoking brakes, no drama. 
Sure a semi is bigger, but I'm pretty pleased so far. 
The old 7.3's were good easy to fix engines, but the rest of the truck is somewhat lacking.


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## sethd11

I loved the brakes on my f450 didn't need trailer brakes.. 7.3 f450/f550 had monster brakes.


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## PaCustomBaler

JD3430 said:


> No please elaborate.
> 
> It'll give me an excuse to switch to big square


Animal's aren't getting a square diet   

(It's lame, I know. Broker told me it)


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## Dan_GA

bluefarmer said:


> Neighbor/widow has a 4 door 2004 89,000 miles still has the plastic on the carpet from the factory. I could buy it for 15,000. Only problem is the 6.0 power stroke I hear. I know nothing about them. The wife really likes the truck and we would like to purchase but...... ?


RUN! Don't look over your shoulder, don't stop to grab anything. RUN!


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## shortrow2

Making a 6.0 reliable (bulletproof) isn't bad, once you've done the necessary homework. I did all of the work on mine at home, and I don't own a lift. That was 8 years ago, still running strong.


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## slowzuki

Depends on the year and the damage done when you buy it. If you don't know what you're getting into best to steer clear of the 6 point oh no.



shortrow2 said:


> Making a 6.0 reliable (bulletproof) isn't bad, once you've done the necessary homework. I did all of the work on mine at home, and I don't own a lift. That was 8 years ago, still running strong.


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## somedevildawg

Have friend with a 6.0 he wouldn't get shed of it for any amount of money I don't think.....270k last I heard, 06 model.....bulletproof at 100k, will really make the HP....he also has a satellite TV in it


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## shortrow2

slowzuki said:


> Depends on the year and the damage done when you buy it. If you don't know what you're getting into best to steer clear of the 6 point oh no.


I will agree, they're not for the mechanically faint-of-heart. Mine was bought with low miles, it was only a few years old. If I found another like it, I'd be on it like a duck on a junebug.


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## somedevildawg

shortrow2 said:


> I will agree, they're not for the mechanically faint-of-heart. Mine was bought with low miles, it was only a few years old. If I found another like it, I'd be on it like a duck on a junebug.


Wait....ducks eat junebugs? Never quit learnin in this world.....


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## JD3430

Dan_GA said:


> RUN! Don't look over your shoulder, don't stop to grab anything. RUN!


No, I think it's "run while shooting over your back shoulder". (That's what I was told to do when looking at ~200HP tractor- I was looking at Case MXM tractors hehe).

As a slight diversion in this thread, I'm looking at a third diesel truck. '07 or newer Duramax dually 4WD cab and chassis with a few other trinkets (PW, PDL,etc) under 18K. I found ONE within 200 miles and it's black, not my favorite color. Talk about a tough truck to find!!! Whew! My '08 F-350 is probably going to be sold.


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## MT hayer

This is high debate subject! The best thing is to own them all and determine what really happens. I owned one gm. It was alright.....For the pavement! I own a dodge and two Ford 6.0 pickups. There is a learning curve when you own a 6.0. The 5.9 is a different class, being an in line engine, hard to compare. Keep the cab on the frame of the dodge, the engine will always be there.
Now, the 6.0 engine is like driving a race car engine. It is finicky, and needs maintenance. Do the usual egr delete, look at the exhaust pipe for smoke, might need a turbo. Biggest thing, DO NOT run 15W - 40 oil in one!! The tolerances are way tighter than an old 7.3. You will gain mileage and starts way nicer. I have learned this the hard way. Two sets of injectors in the one. Oil stays clean now, changed every 7 or 8 thousand, always drain it hot and over night, with a filter change at 3500 0r 4000. I run 10w 30 diesel oil. Even better is the synthetic oil. Always let it warm up some before lift off. Once warmed up, drive it like no tomorrow. I drove one from brand new. I recommend getting one. Don't get the 03 or early 04. They had issues and sound different. The 05 -07 are a good pickup. Like most everyone before me said, prepare for a fix, but they are a good pickup.
Everyone gets the bullet proof done to them. I honestly think the issue is the high pressure oil lifts the head, because 15 40 is too heavy to start with and the pressure has to go somewhere. I have 227,000 on one, and it is original. To each there own, this is my experience.
Go to you tube and look for the Ford help videos from the shop in Georgia. I think it is Bill on there will explain every part of Ford's you want to know about.


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## mlappin

JD3430 said:


> Agree, but hey, they aint the only guys towing WAY beyond recommended GCWR. I think a lot of us do that on a regular basis.
> 
> Only point I was trying to make is that weak old 7.3's are pulling and stopping loads over 35,000lbs.


Uh no actually. I have straight trucks at my disposal. Heavier frame, heavier transmission, much better engines and air brakes, why risk your luck with a pickup when you have the proper tool at your disposal?


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## JD3430

mlappin said:


> Uh no actually. I have straight trucks at my disposal. Heavier frame, heavier transmission, much better engines and air brakes, why risk your luck with a pickup when you have the proper tool at your disposal?


I have the proper tools. An F-550 with a gooseneck is the proper tool for hauling 22 round bales.

I'm making the point that I see a lot of guys hauling way beyond their trucks limit on a daily basis and the trucks seem to handle it. Im not condoning it though. I don't know, maybe that's what your referring to?


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