Ford F-350 Super Duty | 7.3L V8
Discussion
Around the end of 2021 we realized that we needed our own dedicated tow vehicle for some of the heavier gooseneck trailers. As in the UK, used car values over here in the US were absolutely ridiculous, way overpriced due to low supply and high demand. So for the first time in my life, I placed an order for a brand new vehicle, a 2022 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 4WD, with the 7.3L "gas" engine nicknamed by Ford's engineers as - Godzilla.
We didn't want a regular bed on the truck as it'd be used for hauling occasionally, and having a low bed with no sides makes hooking up and towing a gooseneck trailer much more pleasant. So we specced the truck as a chassis cab, meaning that it came from Ford looking like this:
Due to ongoing shortages with metals and employees etc, and getting burnt by two different suppliers, it took over 6 months to source a bed and have it fitted, but finally, the truck was complete.
As heretical as it is (to me at least) to refer to anything other than a Skyline as Godzilla, the 7.3 does make a great noise even with the standard intake and exhaust system, and the 10 speed gearbox does a great job at keeping it in the right place. I don't have any plans to replace the entire exhaust system, but an electric cutout valve and aftermarket intake may be on the shopping list.
Also on the list are new wheels and tires once the existing tread has worn down, but as the truck didn't come with a spare I was able to treat myself to one new one almost immediately.
At over 20ft long it is an occasional pain to use outside of its designated role, but it does have to pull double duty sometimes.
Thanks for reading!
We didn't want a regular bed on the truck as it'd be used for hauling occasionally, and having a low bed with no sides makes hooking up and towing a gooseneck trailer much more pleasant. So we specced the truck as a chassis cab, meaning that it came from Ford looking like this:
Due to ongoing shortages with metals and employees etc, and getting burnt by two different suppliers, it took over 6 months to source a bed and have it fitted, but finally, the truck was complete.
As heretical as it is (to me at least) to refer to anything other than a Skyline as Godzilla, the 7.3 does make a great noise even with the standard intake and exhaust system, and the 10 speed gearbox does a great job at keeping it in the right place. I don't have any plans to replace the entire exhaust system, but an electric cutout valve and aftermarket intake may be on the shopping list.
Also on the list are new wheels and tires once the existing tread has worn down, but as the truck didn't come with a spare I was able to treat myself to one new one almost immediately.
At over 20ft long it is an occasional pain to use outside of its designated role, but it does have to pull double duty sometimes.
Thanks for reading!
Edited by lndrp119 on Tuesday 25th June 21:06
Edited by lndrp119 on Monday 1st July 14:17
tvrfan007 said:
Behemoth! Interesting to see it described as a pain because of its size when the roads are so huge, you see them so often and parking is rarely an issue. Suppose it depends on which state!
We're in Georgia so it's actually not too bad on the road, and if the car park I'm in has spaces that line up end to end then I can straddle two with ease.Niponeoff said:
My old boy had an F150 super duty for quite a few years in MA, not quite as big as yours but also had a 5th wheel attachment I believe for pulling plant trailers. Despite its size, he never had a problem taking it anywhere.
We've had a few instances (a hotel car park, an excessively tight turn on a drive-thru pharmacy) but yep for the most part as long as you're sensible and remember what you're in it's not too bad.I don't have any pictures of it with the bed and hooked up to the main trailer, but here's how it looks mocked up.
It has a gooseneck towing capacity of 19,000lbs so even with two chonkers on board we're comfortably inside that.
Edited by lndrp119 on Monday 1st July 14:16
The truck continues to chug along, now almost at 30,000 miles. It doesn't break a sweat pulling the trailer or hauling heavy loads but you pay the price at the pump! 11 mpg (US) unladen and 10 when towing. Luckily petrol prices over here are still a fraction of what I'm used to.
Loaded up with 1800kg ish of gravel:
I had skimped on a trim package when ordering the truck as I felt that it wasn't discounted enough. For the regular aluminium bed trucks this trim package includes 360-degree cameras and other tech tidbits, including full LED headlights and fog lights, but you only got the lights on the chassis cab option. I regretted not speccing it almost immediately after taking delivery of the truck, so fitted some aftermarket lights recently.
They're not as good as OEM units (aftermarket headlights never are I've found), but they're a reputable brand (Morimoto) and so far have been an excellent upgrade. Good light throw and adjusted properly so they're not splashing oncoming traffic.
Loaded up with 1800kg ish of gravel:
I had skimped on a trim package when ordering the truck as I felt that it wasn't discounted enough. For the regular aluminium bed trucks this trim package includes 360-degree cameras and other tech tidbits, including full LED headlights and fog lights, but you only got the lights on the chassis cab option. I regretted not speccing it almost immediately after taking delivery of the truck, so fitted some aftermarket lights recently.
They're not as good as OEM units (aftermarket headlights never are I've found), but they're a reputable brand (Morimoto) and so far have been an excellent upgrade. Good light throw and adjusted properly so they're not splashing oncoming traffic.
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