Would this make a good firewood rig: 90 F250

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mywaynow

Minister of Fire
Dec 13, 2010
1,369
Northeast
I know there are some versed Ford folks here that will know one way or the other. Truck is reasonably clean.

90 F250, 4x4, 7.3 Diesel, Auto, crew cab, long bed, snow plow system,
Hitch, Good working truck.
 
Long bed plus a diesel...... That would make a good hauler for me! I have a long bed 1/2 ton with a 4.3 V6 and it has never let me down yet. If you are in the truck market and the price is right on that one, I'd jump on it.
 
The fact that is has been a plow truck and is now for sale means that it may or may not be on its last leg. Tranny issues and rust are common amongst plow trucks....ford, chevy, or any other maker. Check the brake lines for rust, thats not a cheap fix if they go. Neither is a tranny. Ask if its been flushed regularly and ask for service records. I'm sure MasterMech will chime in here with all the info you want. He's the wrench turning guru of the group.
 
fords are the best, stay away from dodge unless u like transmission shops
 
I know there are some versed Ford folks here that will know one way or the other. Truck is reasonably clean.

90 F250, 4x4, 7.3 Diesel, Auto, crew cab, long bed, snow plow system,
Hitch, Good working truck.


I like it if there's not too much rust. Plow trucks can go either way. They can be tired old dogs from a contractor/landscape service kind of business or gems that only plowed a few driveways in the winter for a homeowner and his A list.

Crew cab + 8ft bed is gonna make that thing L-O-N-G. Something to consider if you need it to go in the woods. Old Fords usually had manual locking hubs on the front axle. Some swear by them (reliable) but going wading in the mud to lock in your hubs kinda puts a damper on the fun if you ask me.
 
The fact that is has been a plow truck and is now for sale means that it may or may not be on its last leg. Tranny issues and rust are common amongst plow trucks....ford, chevy, or any other maker. Check the brake lines for rust, thats not a cheap fix if they go. Neither is a tranny. Ask if its been flushed regularly and ask for service records.I'm sure MasterMech will chime in here with all the info you want. He's the wrench turning guru of the group.

I actually have never been an auto technician. My experience is more with Outdoor Power Equipment, Golf & Turf equipment, and currently some very specialized industrial vacuum coating equipment. But thanks for the "guru" plug!
 
My 86 F250 is not diesel or crew cab, but she is a beast that will go just about anywhere and has never been short on power(351 4bbl). Have owned it for 10+ years and never a tranny problem. The auto choke became a real pita so I put on a manual choke and problem solved.
I can see where a long bed may be a problem with some of the places I get into. If you are not worried about geting into some tight spaces I would say it could be a heluvva firewood truck and with the crew cab lots of space to bring some helpers with you :)
 
I know there are some versed Ford folks here that will know one way or the other. Truck is reasonably clean.

90 F250, 4x4, 7.3 Diesel, Auto, crew cab, long bed, snow plow system,
Hitch, Good working truck.

It'd be a great wood hauler as long as you bear in mind is 23 years old and underpowered with that 7.3 NA diesel
 
Old Fords usually had manual locking hubs on the front axle. Some swear by them (reliable) but going wading in the mud to lock in your hubs kinda puts a damper on the fun if you ask me.

The ESOF (electronic shift on the fly) hubs must not be very reliable. At least one of mine gives me trouble most of the time so I just lock them both manually when I need 4WD. It must not be an isolated incident because I've heard that ESOF also stands for "every so often it fails" but in my case it seems to fail most of the time. :) I just keep locking manually and pulling the load.
 
my 86 6.9 idi did just fine with 38's it was a crewcab

 
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I run an 87 F 350 straight axle 6.9 idi diesel, 5sp tranny, manual hubs, no frills, & very few problems. Not overpowered by any stretch but it pulls 2 full cord of wet oak no problem. I don't care for automatic hubs, if I even think I may need 4X4, I just lock the hubs in. I leave em locked in all winter. As for the Ford, Chevy, Dodge debate, I'll stay out of it. I work on all three manufacture's stuff everyday, & they all have their good & bad points. If you can do some mechanical repair yourself you'll probably be all right. As was stated, look the bottom side over good for rust, esp. brake & fuel lines. The worst downfall to an F 250 imo is the IFS front end if equipped. They eat tires, they're a pita to keep straight, & the center u joint requires the diff to be split to replace. If you've got the straight axle you're good. My shop specializes in plow & truck repair in the winter, & the least replaced tranny is the Ford auto in those older trucks. The Allison seems to hold up best in the "newer" trucks.

What plow setup does it have? How well does it start? What kinda coin if I may ask? A C
 
I'm running a 1986 F250 with a 460 (7.5L) gas engine and the C6 transmission and couldn't be happier. Because I'm in the PNW they use no salt on the roads in most places so there is very little rust on the truck. My take on trucks that are light use is to go with a gas motor because of potential repair costs and because diesels usually cost a premium. You typically won't make back the money you save on fuel if you're only driving a couple thousand miles a year or less.
 

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Didn't know that. I have worked heavy equipment and automotive (have some certs in both), but haven't messed with small engines much. Of course an engine is an engine, they all go suck, sqwish, bang, blow though.

I actually have never been an auto technician. My experience is more with Outdoor Power Equipment, Golf & Turf equipment, and currently some very specialized industrial vacuum coating equipment. But thanks for the "guru" plug!

Brakes I wouldn't worry too much about, repairs are fairly cheap if you DIY repairs. Auto trans, i would AT LEAST inspect the fluid. Pulling the pan would be even better though if I were selling a vehicle I wouldn't allow someone do start tearing it apart that much.
 
Ok for some reason the computer or forum is screwing up and I can't edit my post?!

Anyway, the trans should be an E4OD. I'm not a big fan of them, but it is what it is. They are "ok" are far as reliabliy but they are quite expensive to repair compared to similar model trucks in the other brands. Also common for case damage when the trans fails.

The ZF manual trans is a decent unit though.

Experience on all this is working "part time" for a buddy's transmission shop.
 
I had an 89 or 90 Ford 250 with a 7.3 Diesel. To be honest I would pass on it, those older ford diesels didn't start worth a damn in the cold and the power was not worth having a diesel. It went through a lot of front end problems too, probably from the weight of the 7.3 motor. If I found one for the right price with a gas motor I would probably consider it.
 
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