GM guy thinking of buying a ford

[DiamonD 550]

Well let me start off by saying hello and im new to this site and after this weekend i will be the new owner of a used 2000 ford f550 70k 4x4 7.3 psd.

I own a concrete/snow plowing company and im looking to replace 2 trucks with one ( summer only 2wd dump15k gvw and winter only 4wd dump12k gvw
so i dont have to hear one ford should replace all of your gm's lol) truck that i can use all year round.

i joined this site to see what problems to expect, things to look out for, and so on. This site ill have to admit has lots and lots of info on the bulk of the problems that these trucks have. I have been reading here for the past 2 days and im now going to go out and pick up a cps for the truck to keep in the glove box and also going to price out a new tranny.

i havent picked up the truck yet so i cannot say which of the brands i like better, im hoping to be impressed with the truck and look towards buying maybe another ford. I have a fleet of over 13 gmc's and untill now wouldnt have it any other way.

I guess for the question part of my post would be:

What are the absolute must have additions to the truck? i dont mean cd player or rim type of add ons. i mean like , must put bigger tranny cooler on or you will cook the tranny. Like with my new gmc, i had to upgrade the tierod ends because they were prone to failing. stuff like that. This will be a work truck and it wont be uncommon for me to be pulling 15k+ loaded trailers, and pushing snow for 8-12 hours straight. Any input would be great. Thanks in advance.

[Jesse.James]

Since you are getting a 7.3 your problems should be few and far between...atleast mine have been. The CPS is a good idea and you might want to upgrade to the 6.0 tranny cooler (im assuming it is an automatic). If you get the truck and find you would like a little more power you can upgrade the exhaust and intake and put a chip in it relatively cheap. Also i would recommend your first purchase be some gauges especially since you are going to be pushing and pulling alot. Im sure you will get alot more opinions here soon.

[unholy1]

Another GM guy gone Ford. I feel ya. After owning 23 GMs, I bought a 2000 F-450. That F-550 you got is one honkin' work truck. I can't advise too much cuz I'm new as well. I can tell you that upgrading to an aftermarket or DIY intake will help HP/TQ and protect your engine. Also, consider a good chip or tuner. Even my ****ty SuperChips tuner gives a bunch of TQ over stock.

[DiamonD 550]

yes it is an automatic tranny, is there any advantage to the 6.0 cooler than just a big aftermarket cooler?

[Jesse.James]

i honestly dont know because i have a 6 spd but i would think any bigger cooler would be better.

[Robsr]

If you are going to plow with this rig, add a larger trans cooler with a thermostatically controlled electric fan. there is plenty of room behind the grille with a little trimming. if you are interested in this install, I can put up part #'s



"if I'd have bought a plow last fall, I'd be retired right now"

[dieseldan2005]

Welcome to the ORG all of you GM guys! The 6.0 cooler is a good one, but they can get kinda spendy. I think other guys also run the tru-cool 40k. You should really like your 7.3. Nice to see you found one with low miles too!

[cliford]

if you chip it... make sure you get customs tunes. . .

[dieseldan2005]

Yep. you have to get either tony wildman, dp tuner, or PHP tunes. Custom is the only way to go.

[DiamonD 550]

to get cumstom tunes dont you need a custom tuner? not just an out of the box tuner? yes i am interested in the part numbers. buy the way, if i put a custome fan there, would i be getting rid of the stock fan???