Keep the 7.3 or get a 6.4 ??

[oceanstateperf]

Looking for opinions from guys that have 6.4's before I make a change. I have an '02 F550 4x4 crew cab pickup conversion with a 7.3 and 4.88's. I bought the truck to replace my '06 F350 6.0 truck because I needed something with more capacity and also didn't trust the 6.0 for heavy long distance towing. The F550 is great, I love it for towing, very reliable, etc...........no complaints about the truck except it's not as comfortable for a daily driver as I'd like so I ended up keeping my '06 6.0 truck to drive daily because it's just so much more comforable. Doesn't make sense to have 2 crew cab dually trucks IF I can get one that will serve both purposes. I'm thinking of making a move to an '09 or '10 F450 4x4 pickup as a compromise that will be closer in comfort to the F350 but have the beef of the F550. On the other hand I don't need a truck that is always breaking down and I read all kinds of horror stories here about blown 6.4 engines, etc. Maybe the majority of people that post stuff on internet forums are the ones with problems and there's lots of 6.4's that do just fine? I don't know. I'd probably do a DPF delete and Spartan based on what I've read. So the question is will a 6.4L truck be a relaible 200k - 250k heavy tow vehicle assuming it is maintained properly or should I stay away? Another related question...........am I getting the correct impression that a majority of the 6.4 problems are happening on '08 trucks vs '09 - '10? Did they get it figured out on the later trucks? My other thought is to replace the 6.0 truck with an Excursion or SRW SBCC truck for the daily driver and keep the F550 dedicated as a tow vehicle.

Any feedback from guys driving an '08 - '10 F450 as a daily driver and/or using one for long distance heavy towing would be great.

Thanks, Pat

[Tsgs69400]

Honestly I'd keep the 7.3. They are, in my opinion, one of the best motors and trucks ever built. Ya, they may not set any land speed records but their dependability is unsurpassed. My friend has 500,000 on His and it runs just the same as mine with 148,000.

[oceanstateperf]

Originally Posted by Tsgs69400

Honestly I'd keep the 7.3. They are, in my opinion, one of the best motors and trucks ever built. Ya, they may not set any land speed records but their dependability is unsurpassed. My friend has 500,000 on His and it runs just the same as mine with 148,000.

WOW............500k miles is impressive! That's why I searched for a 7.3 truck when I was looking. Before the '06 truck I had a '97 CC dually, towed a 21k lbs gooseneck trailer for 3/4 of it's life, and got rid of it with 260k miles still running strong. Best truck I ever had as far as reliability. The 7.3 CC F550 has rear air ride and I figured I'd also use it as a daily driver but I just can't get happy with it driving around empty. LOVE it as soon as I hook up a trailer though. It would be great if the '09 - '10 F450 would be the best of both worlds but I don't want to make the move and regret it with lots of break downs.

Thanks for responding, Pat

[blackcloud2k]

I went from a modded 2000 7.3 to a 6.4 a year ago and it was a great move. I loved my 7.3 for what it was but these new trucks are very comfortable to drive and the power is amazing. A stock 6.4 is an animal, and a modded 6.4 is a beast. Pulling your trailer around with the 6.4 will be night and day difference above your 7.3. You are correct on the 6.4 problems. Early job 1 08's had more problems than the late 08's and newer. But as always when you read forums, it will seem like a nightmare to you because this is where people come to solve there problems, so that is what you hear most about. The 6.4 is going to be a reliable motor as long as it is well cared for just like any other motor. I know there are a few guys on here that already have above 200K miles on there trucks.