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2004 vs 2006

9K views 22 replies 8 participants last post by  Lilfarmrboy 
#1 ·
We are looking at two trucks to get for pulling a 5th wheel RV.
They are both f350 super cab dualies, with 6.0 turbo diesel engines.

One is a 2004 with 87k miles
from an individual I'm not sure I trust because his story changes on certain things... just a hunch.

The other is a 2006 with 136k miles from a used car lot.
That guy says the 2003's and 4's has some issues they were working out so the 2006 is more dependable.

The 2006 is less money than the 2004 by about 1k.

Personally I like the 2006 better because it has the bench seat in front which we want and is not as loud as the 2004 because the 2004 has a modified pipe.

What do you guys think? Any known issues with 03 and 4 models?

Thanks,
Kevin
 
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#9 ·
I have a 06' 6.0 and have been told by numerous people to stay away from towing because of notorious problems with them.
:hehe::hehe::hehe::hehe::hehe:
 
#3 ·
See about getting an oasis report on both vehicles, they are about the same honestly, I beleive the 03/04 have a 10 vans turbo opposed to the 05-07 with the 7 vane one, but aside from the grill/headlights there isn't much difference
 
#5 ·
Just about all of our duallies will haul it, but I beleive if your trailer loaded is at 18k you may need a 450 to be legal and within the trucks specs, I beleive the 350 is only at 23-24 gcvwr
 
#6 ·
http://www.ford-trucks.com/specs/2005/2005_Super_Duty_Specs2.pdf

These specs are for an 05 but they are the same for 03 through 07 with the 6.0L. I have no doubt that the truck would pull it but the rated capacity for the F350 is 16,700lbs. If your camper is 18k pounds then you are already exceeding that. Like 351 said the GVWR is only 23,500K pounds.

Edit: The F450 would be more than enough for you if you wish to be legal.
 
#8 ·
that 18k is if cargo is maxed out.. here are the specs for the trailer
Specifications
Length 42'1"
Width 8'6"
Height 13'2"
Hitch Weight 2,331 lbs
Dry Weight 13,719 lbs
Gross Weight 18,000 lbs
Cargo Weight 4,281 lbs

So dry weight is 13,719. is that what used in the legal calculations?

I don't think we will have 4000 lbs in cargo as we will not be hauling 4 wheelers or anything, even though it is a toy hauler.
 
#10 ·
So dry weight is 13,719. is that what used in the legal calculations?
:ORG welcome:
No... Dry weight is just that, dry. No water/sewer in holding tanks, no cargo, and no gas in fuel tank/tanks if its a toy hauler. You will be weighted and that's what they go off. The max weight is what they use for the axles. I'm not very experienced in the weigh scales... Maybe Jetjock can chime in... He's got a huge travel trailer too and he only uses a 06 F350 with SRW. He probably pulls heavier loads than anybody on this site regularly.
 
#11 ·
Should look in the tow section to the guys who post about teaching others what and how they tow things correctly


You need to go off max trailer weight IMHO for the vehicle you want to use to pull it with, I would look into the F450+ just because of your gross trailer weight, just because somebody else does things in correctly and gets away with it does not mean you should try it, being as how you don't have a truck yet and are currently still looking an f450 or bigger would be what you need to be looking into for the weights and what not you are obviously going to be hauling, good luck on your search
 
#12 · (Edited)
Your dry weight is the actual trailer weight. So your trailer only weighs 13k pounds. I don't know what weight you plan to add (the stuff you plan to take with you) but my gut feeling is the F350 should be good. That's a big difference between 18k and 13k pounds. Rough estimate but the dry weight and your truck weight leaves you roughly 3k pounds to play with on the GCWR.

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#13 ·
3k to play with is not enough imho
 
#14 · (Edited)
Depends on how much weight he needs to add. Myself I would be lucky if I add more than 500lbs to my camper since I eat out and tow with the tanks empty since I use full service hook up sites. My 5th wheel when loaded weighs just over 10k pounds. That and 4 grown adults in my 05 crewcab long bed and I didn't even know the camper was behind me. But I do agree with keeping legal at all times.

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#16 ·
OP - Go with the 06. Besides the engine, it has a better front suspension design that rides better and has a better turning radius (I'm assuming these are 4x4's) otherwise I believe the 2wd's are the same in that aspect.


Depends on how much weight he needs to add. Myself I would be lucky if I add more than 500lbs to my camper since I eat out and tow with the tanks empty since I use full service hook up sites. My 5th wheels when loaded weighs just over 10k pounds. That and 4 grown adults in my 05 crewcab long bed and I didn't even know the camper was behind me. But I do agree with keeping legal at all times.

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Same here, adding nearly 5,000lbs of weight to a camper is fairly difficult to do IMO.
 
#15 ·
I got a wife and kids, they have lots of cloths and toys :doh: but I would carry the water just in case :dunno: but I also never hauled a camper so I'm no expert
 
#17 ·
I'm not saying it can't be done but I don't think he will be adding 5k pounds to his travel trailer lol. Even folks I go camping with who pack like the apocalypse is coming don't add more than 1500k pounds if they are lucky. To the OP, if you plan on towing with your clean water tank filled just see how many gallons it is and then times that by 8. Water roughly weighs 8 lbs a gallon. But seriously you should be good. Also like bikeluver43 said I'd go with the 06 but I would have the Oasis report ran at a Ford dealer to see what the truck has had done to it. :thumb:
 
#18 ·
Thanks for all the advice guys! I'll dig around the towing section as well.

We have a class A right now and I always leave the tanks empty when driving.
we stay at full hook up spots.

In the toy hauler they have two fuel tanks, one for the generator and one for whatever toys you need to refuel. Those would likely be kept empty, which would also save on weight. With a wife and two daughters though that weight could be made up in make up and extra crap. :rofl:

I don't see a lot of 450's for sale and the ones I do see are quite a bit more. So who knows... we'll see how it goes.. :eek:hnoes:
 
#19 ·
Keep digging around bud but seriously now that I know the true weight of the trailer I feel better telling you that you should be good with an F350. Even with food, clothes, toys, and the weight of the people in the truck, etc... I would find it hard to believe that you would add much more than 2k pounds to the total weight of the truck and trailer. Let us know what you do!
 
#20 ·
I wouldn't hesitate to buy either, just check them both out really well. The coil spring front suspension in the 05-07 is leaps and bounds ahead of the leaf spring 03-04's in terms of ride and turning radius. I also like the dash layout of the 05-07's better. Engine wise no year of 6.0 is any better than the other. The whole theory of 03-04's being worse is due to very under-educated techs working on a new engine in the beginning years.
 
#21 ·
Kev-
FWIW, I just towed a very similar fifth wheel x-country. I've got an '06 f350, crew cab extended bed. I bought it used from a friends salvage yard with about the same mileage as the one youre considering.
Mine did fantastic all 3800 miles. I was cruising through the mountains even passing people.
Now, using this site as a great source of info I did a lot of PM before I left. Coolant flush, new oil cooler, Bullet proof egr and I have a good engine monitor. The whole trip my numbers were right where they should have been. Now its my daily driver and I couldnt be happier.
Nothing you get is going to be carefree. Hope this helps
 
#22 ·
So I went ahead and got the 06. It was $1000 cheaper, quieter, already bullet proofed, already has a turnover gooseneck hitch, also has adjustable air suspension added to the rear.
So far I like it!!! We don't have the 5th wheel yet, but it sure tows my 26' sailboat nice! I like the tow mode and how it slows the truck down differently when pulling, very comfortable. I still gotta get used to the WIDE turning radius compared to my Wrangler I traded in. :)
I'll let you guys know how it does with the 5th wheel when we get it.
 
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