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I have a 1999 Powerstroke F250 4x4 with 235,000 miles and just got back from vacation on Friday. We pulled our 30' travel trailer loaded down with food, water, clothes, bedding and drinks along with a pickup truck bed full of bicycles and campfire wood and 4 people and 3 dogs. The empty truck weighs 7100 lbs, and the empty trailer weighs 7500 lbs, so add at least 1000 lbs to each. We went 450 miles most of which was fully loaded and averaged 14 MPG (first tank was 289 miles divided by 20.4 gallons) and had plenty of power to merge and stay with 70 mph traffic.
I had thought of "upgrading" to a newer gas v-8 1/2 ton pickup truck, but lets face it, I won't get better mileage, torque, or power than my old diesel from virtually any gas motor. In the last 6 months, I have rented a small trackhoe, and a full sized bobcat for helping to build our new barn, and just brought home 350 80lb bales of hay in one trip on two hay wagons, and in the bed of the truck (28,000 lbs of hay without the weight of the truck and hay wagons.
All of this means that I will buying another diesel truck (hopefully a nice used 06-07 with the more powerful diesel.
If you are looking at the new Ford diesel 6.7, it has 440 HP and 860 lb ft of torque (nearly twice what my truck is rated) that is a towing monster !
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