Ideal service truck

[Alfred Lord Tenniscourt]

Let's say you are in charge of a fleet of trucks for a power company or a large farm, and you get to order whatever parts you want for your trucks (all of which start out as 67 F-250 highboys). What would you get?
The idea is to keep total costs low, reliability high, and have something that can be used on an interstate efficiently, is capable of hard off road use, and is durable enough to withstand people who are mad at their employers beating on it.

Here are some options I might consider:

1) low vehicle cost higher operating cost:
Stock 300ci six with NP435.

2) Low operating cost high vehicle cost:
Diesel with a six speed

3) Compromise
New FI 300ci six with NP435 and external overdrive to improve fuel economy.

Don't be afraid to get crazy. If you have a way to run the trucks on french fries or belly button lint I want to hear about it!

[averagef250]

Bump 250 4x4 body and frame

86-91 kingpin 60 front 3.54 (low cost)

sterling rear axle 3.55 (low cost)

80-97 power steering box (low cost)

255/85R16 BFG mud terrains on stock 90's alloy wheels

160 HP non-intercooled inline pump 12 valve cummins

super cool radiator

Ford diesel 5 speed

mated NP205 t-case

It would average mid teens for mileage offroad and city. It would get mid 20's highway with a light foot or atleast low twenties running the snot out of it.

You'd need a clutch and tranny rebuilt every 100- 150K miles under hard, stupid, employer hating driving.

If driven respectably it would go 300-400K before needing any major repair with fleet maintenance.

Including purchase price of a solid truck, all parts and new or rebuilt and shop labor of around $5000 for the work I'd put a rough estimate of $20K for total investment.

[averagef250]

Low cost-

stock 78-79 F-250 4x4 with a 4 speed and 355 gears

drop in 4BT cummins and 33" or larger tires.

Would tap out at 65 on the freeway, but still get great mileage, just not comfortable for cruising.

Add a ZF 5 speed for better highway.

From a fleet maintenance and repair perpective the 4BT makes far more sense than the EFI six.

You'd have to have someone with good knowledge of Ford EFI to troubleshoot and repair it.

[averagef250]

Here's a thought-

I take it you're on this train of thought because you have a situation where this is a feasible solution?

What kind of business is it? Diesels burn anything oily with the exception of volatile thinners, brake fluid and high test synthetics.

You can build a killer oil eating cummins engines with a 12 valve. The parts are well proven and reliable to assemble a mostly autonomous two tank oil burning setup. The engine starts and gets up to temperature on #2 diesel and automatically switches over to burning straight waste oil, veggie oil, whatever once it's up to temp.

Takes some driver input because you have to be sure to run the engine for the last minute or so of the day, before it's turned off overnight, on diesel fuel to purge the lines. Summertime this isn't worrysome, but in winter cold the engine will not start on thick oil.

[19674x4]

well i think my options would depends on what part of the country im in. If i was on the east or west coast i would go with a diesel and if i was in the mountainous regions, I.E.: wyo, colo, mont, ect, and the plains, i would gogasser just for starting reliability.

now then for my gasser setup--- obviously the 67 highboy frame and body. 9ft flatbed with pockets for optional stake sides. toolboxes under the bed, MIG welder, Oxy/Act. torch. Blue printed stroked and bored 302 with a 4bbl holley, zf-5, dana 60 rear, dana 60 high pinion up front. 3.83 gears. 33x10.5x16 bfg all terrains. Movebale winch. B&W turnover ball.


For the diesel setup.
hooped up 6bt(turbos, exhaust, ram air, ect.), 6 speed, same body setup and options as above.

[averagef250]

If you're putting together a rig that less than intelligent employees will be driving you can't trust them with any sort of a performance engine.

The gen1 dodge cummins (89-93) trucks with a 3 speed auto have been a huge hit ever since they came out as the most reliable diesel work trucks. They can't be killed. You can run the engine on the governor all day long, the truck doesn't have enough power to break anything and you can't get a speeding ticket in it.

The last thing I'd want is an employee driving an expensive custom truck with an 800+ lb/ft torque diesel baking the tires off, frying clutches, breaking axles and getting tickets.

The 302 would be a pretty poor choice in a heavy truck with a ZF 5 speed. You'd be replacing clutches every other month and the engine would be very short lived. Fuel mileage would be pretty poor as well. If I was stuck with the 302 option the only tranny I'd consider would be a C6 auto.

[Alfred Lord Tenniscourt]

Nobody likes the six? Here I thought about a dozen people would rise as one and tout the reliability, economy, and efficiency of the trusted old six. Shoot, 67 4x4 would rather have the 302!

The idea of a diesel is really cool, especially when there is the posibility of free gas. It would also be handy that there is a tank already in the cab where it will stay somewhat warm (or at least if the tank were heated it would keep the passengers somewhat warm) so that vegatable oil (or whatever) could be kept there, and another tank could be added underneath for normal fuel oil. Some guy on the local cable access channel was installing a special biodiesel kit on his jeep last Saturday. That thing looked really slick. It tapped the coolant line, and then had fittings so that the fuel line was run through a coolant line which ran back to the tank. There was an electric heater on the tank, and there was some kind of control module that switched the fuel over to the diesel tank when you cut the ignition and kept the engine idling until all the lines and injectors were full of fuel oil at which point it would shut the engine down automaticaly.

One thing that strikes me as strange though is that I have had one eye open for a good diesel for a long time now and have never really noticed one. Where do you guys find them? I never see anything but worn out junk that people want too much money for. Of course, there may just be more of them in your neck of the woods, and I may not be comparing apples to apples when I put them up against gas engines (I have never even paid for a gas engine, although I guess I have spent a lot of money fixing "free" engines).

The cold start thing worries me a little too. Not that I have had great luck with carberated gasoline engines in the cold, but what happens if you take a trip to Minnesnowta and "the bottom falls out" as they say up in the iron range? I guess if you have a torch in the truck you don't have to be very smart to figure out how to get it running, but what would you have to do the make it run on its own? Would it fix the problem to install dual batteries and electric heaters?

[truckguy]

Me and my dad need a service truck and was looking forever and one today on are way to a job, we drove by a blue dodge ram. So we stop and said it has a gasser in it. Then we seen the cummins on the side, ok so he want 10 grand for his truck. No wrong again he wanted $6,500 for it and we take it home for 6 grand and a snow plow. It is the best. Before that are first service trucks we a re 68 f350 with a 360 and the second one was a 86 f150 with a 300 in it.
Here is a pic of it.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd20 ... 1202179919
Kyle

[averagef250]

A tiny bit of ether will start any diesel no matter how cold it is.

Direct inject diesels like the B cummins have very good cold start ability. For insurance below 20 degree or so weather I'd be sure to have dual batteries and a grid heater that works.

It doesn't get that cold here, the coldest I've seen this winter has been high teens. At that temp my 4BT fired right up without a grid heater and a single battery.

The 300 six is a great engine, it'd be my first choice behind a diesel.

[truckguy]

If you got eveything working like it should then to will have no problems.
Kyle