The one man show to grow

[Sterff]

Is the Hyundai your machine or a rental? Looks huge next to the Cat.

 

[Fastdirt]

Shimmy that's a great machine you just picked up. As far as compacting with a skid steer you have to have a full bucket of dirt so it puts all the weight on the front and it works for me but it's not for everyone.


That Hyundai was just a rental. It was over 70k lbs. My sales guy said he was sending me a 320 that weighed 73k. I said back that he needed to know a 320 weighs 45,000...... he quickly got on me as he set it straight... Oh.

That was a pretty ugly job but we came out of it with the help of two pumps. I couldn't use the wrecking ball because of the water springs. It just stayed muddy and that won't work dropping a ball.

Here's a video of it when it arrived. I've used this driver a few times and he is a great guy but he is a bit on the reckless side. I've heard stories of him running a dozer off at the equipment yard. Then when I dropped my truck off at the first shop I saw his KW W900 cab in the yard crushed. He used to run a nice KW 900 7 axle lowboy set up. He was pulling two mini excavators. Went around a left curve and lost the right tires off the pavement. It got pulled over by the trailer. Nobody got hurt. http://youtu.be/WdiTOO40IXI

The 94 L9000 squeezing in. Cutting limbs with the chainsaw as we go. http://youtu.be/hVV_GG1_2lQ

 

[Fastdirt]

 

[JNB]

Well thanks for all the good words.

Got hung up on this one. Went in and hit rock and water. Had to pull off and return with a hammer. The water and rock were as bad as it gets. It was near Rock Springs Rd.

Rock Springs Road...hehe.

 

[Landclearer]

You went from one extreme to the other, rock and water to pretty red clay. Must be fun getting in all those tight little spots. We will dig commercial pools but not residential ones, to much headache around here. Looks great as always!

 

[Georgia Iron]

I think quite well. I am pleased this far with the durability.

I have been looking patiently for awhile for a Ford F450/550 with a hauler bed. I was looking for a diesel 4x4 crew cab with a 7.3. I wanted black on aluminum 19.5's. A 7.3 never surfaced....... and this one did. Drove to South Carolina and bought it off the original owner. It's the 6.0....6.0....6.0. I have been avoiding those like the plaque. I couldn't pass it up and couldn't be happier with what I got for the money. It rides like my dump truck but it's exactly what I wanted. The plan is to put a removable 13 hp compressor, diesel tank, and two tool boxes. It will tow the tl150.

Your new hauler is a bomb waiting to go off. If you use it with a programmer, kiss the motor good bye. I bought my 6.0 new and it is sitting right at $25,000.00 in repair work done at the dealer under warranty. It is still under warranty for another 20k miles. Mine has had 4 injectors, 2 egr coolers. 2 oil coolers, injection control module, turbo, numerous egr parts, 2 sets of head gaskets, etc.... The down time was so bad that I built a 2nd 7.3 auto f550 into a 4x4 manuel truck. Took me 5 weeks to get it right. The 7.3 is programmed and it is all that you think they are. I looked for 2 years for a good 7.3 most all of them now for sale need motors. I just bought a non running truck, built the motor , put in good running gear with that bad boy zf6 and 4.88's and a dp tuners tow tune. As Optimus prime says let's roll!.

I know you have a tl150 and will be pulling it. If so there is a company that can machine rings around
Cylinders to help stop the known head gasket failure problems. That with the egr delete and arp head studs would be in order. It will cost about 10 to 14 k to get that motor right. I have the machine shops info if you need it, just call me. They are up near road atlanta. From what I understand the cab has to be pulled to do the motor.

Every time I have went on a long trip my 6.0 has failed me. Including my last trip to get my tl150. I drive it hard and it breaks. We had another 04 model 6.0 that was a fine truck till it got totaled with about 180 k on it. F350 manuel 4x4. Two injectors was it for it , we only used it to pull buildings and it hauled it's whole life. Never programmed and never used to pull serious weight like that 150. We got that truck new also.

The truck does look like you though. Very well kept. Good luck with it.

 

[Sterff]

I wouldn't worry about the 6.0. I put 158,000 on my 03 before I got my 6.7. I changed the serpentine belt and 4 injectors in that time. If you are religous about the maintenance you should be fine. The first thing I would do though is put a coolant filter on it and service the whole truck.

 

[amstall]

Great thread Fastdirt!! In the last 2 days I've read every post in here and your work on those pool bases is almost unreal. Keep it up and the pics flowing.

PS good luck with the 6.0. I've seen people drive them forever and I've seen them go with less then 5000 miles on them. The ford mechanic back home told me once that the majority of the 6.0's with problems are those with the manual transmission. Apparently, people shift too early bog them down and they just aren't designed for that low RPM grunt like you would assume a diesel would. I personally am scared of them and am still rocking 2 '99s with the 7.3

 

[CM1995]

Welcome to the Forums amstall!:drinkup

 

[Mark13]

Your new hauler is a bomb waiting to go off. If you use it with a programmer, kiss the motor good bye. I bought my 6.0 new and it is sitting right at $25,000.00 in repair work done at the dealer under warranty. It is still under warranty for another 20k miles. Mine has had 4 injectors, 2 egr coolers. 2 oil coolers, injection control module, turbo, numerous egr parts, 2 sets of head gaskets, etc.... The down time was so bad that I built a 2nd 7.3 auto f550 into a 4x4 manuel truck. Took me 5 weeks to get it right. The 7.3 is programmed and it is all that you think they are. I looked for 2 years for a good 7.3 most all of them now for sale need motors. I just bought a non running truck, built the motor , put in good running gear with that bad boy zf6 and 4.88's and a dp tuners tow tune. As Optimus prime says let's roll!.

I know you have a tl150 and will be pulling it. If so there is a company that can machine rings around
Cylinders to help stop the known head gasket failure problems. That with the egr delete and arp head studs would be in order. It will cost about 10 to 14 k to get that motor right. I have the machine shops info if you need it, just call me. They are up near road atlanta. From what I understand the cab has to be pulled to do the motor.

Every time I have went on a long trip my 6.0 has failed me. Including my last trip to get my tl150. I drive it hard and it breaks. We had another 04 model 6.0 that was a fine truck till it got totaled with about 180 k on it. F350 manuel 4x4. Two injectors was it for it , we only used it to pull buildings and it hauled it's whole life. Never programmed and never used to pull serious weight like that 150. We got that truck new also.

The truck does look like you though. Very well kept. Good luck with it.

Sounds like you've been F'ed hard by people who don't know what they are doing when working on your 6.0.


ARP studs, Ford gaskets, egr delete, new oil cooler, blue spring kit, stc fitting, dummy plugs, updated degas bottle, and a few other things and you're set.

If your FICM maintains 48v and the truck has good batteries your next concern is injectors.

The average truck would be $4-6k to be turn key reliable and more fun to drive the a 7.3.

If you're programming it, then SCT with tunes from Gearhead are a good choice. You can use the SCT as gauges too.

 

[catman305]

6.uh oh

Your new hauler is a bomb waiting to go off. If you use it with a programmer, kiss the motor good bye. I bought my 6.0 new and it is sitting right at $25,000.00 in repair work done at the dealer under warranty. It is still under warranty for another 20k miles. Mine has had 4 injectors, 2 egr coolers. 2 oil coolers, injection control module, turbo, numerous egr parts, 2 sets of head gaskets, etc.... The down time was so bad that I built a 2nd 7.3 auto f550 into a 4x4 manuel truck. Took me 5 weeks to get it right. The 7.3 is programmed and it is all that you think they are. I looked for 2 years for a good 7.3 most all of them now for sale need motors. I just bought a non running truck, built the motor , put in good running gear with that bad boy zf6 and 4.88's and a dp tuners tow tune. As Optimus prime says let's roll!.

I know you have a tl150 and will be pulling it. If so there is a company that can machine rings around
Cylinders to help stop the known head gasket failure problems. That with the egr delete and arp head studs would be in order. It will cost about 10 to 14 k to get that motor right. I have the machine shops info if you need it, just call me. They are up near road atlanta. From what I understand the cab has to be pulled to do the motor.

Every time I have went on a long trip my 6.0 has failed me. Including my last trip to get my tl150. I drive it hard and it breaks. We had another 04 model 6.0 that was a fine truck till it got totaled with about 180 k on it. F350 manuel 4x4. Two injectors was it for it , we only used it to pull buildings and it hauled it's whole life. Never programmed and never used to pull serious weight like that 150. We got that truck new also.

The truck does look like you though. Very well kept. Good luck with it.

I have 06 f550 6. the term "throwing good money after bad" is what would best describe a 6.0. It's studded, injectors, ect ect. no matter what the truck looks like the engine is pure :Banghead.

IMHO any machining, headstuds whatever you do will not make it any better. Don't make the $$$$$ mistake I made

I've read this entire thread. Impressed, you do some nice work

 

[lumberjack]

I have had 2 06 6.0's. I sold the F550 with 214k miles on it. The 250 has 133k or so... Main problem with it is I've replaved the 550 with a 6.7 550, and the upgrades have the 250 headed to the block this spring or summer.

Both got studs and Bullet Proof EGR cooler.

 

[joispoi]

I had an F250 with the 7.3. It was a great truck. I know a few people who've had 6.0's without any of the problems that go with the reputation. I don't know if I'd spend $4,000 in mods to prevent a $5,000 problem that MIGHT occur (just making up numbers here). Granted, I might spend $4,000 in mods to make it faster and tell the wife that it was to prevent an imminent $5,000 problem.

The trucks look good, Brian. I have to say, I was slightly jealous watching your video where you pulled into that driveway nose first with your trailer. :tong Around here, there are a still a lot of driveways with 8' wide gates.

 

[Fastdirt]

Thanks so much for the nice words.

I know that shamed 6.0 is a Ford nightmare. I swore against it myself. My brother's 6.0 went out twice and it was the nicest truck he had ever bought for himself. I felt horrible for him. I bet the insurance companies have red flagged the 6.0 trucks against insurance fraud. I recently heard a story about a pond and a 6.0. I still love this truck like voters love their candidates though. Ford should reimburse those in my opinion. It's wrong but it's going to take more than one motor to stop my passion for a Ford. I bought this truck for every single thing about it but the motor...the wheels, 4dr, 4wd, hauler bed, XLT w a vinyl floor. Have you ever heard of a C9 or a Black Mamba 7.3 in a super duty... LOl. I don't want to tow with it as much as I want a work truck for diesel, tools, air, etc. It's so much safer to tow the tl150 behind the L9000 anyway. My mechanic says around $5000 to do the work and he says he's done quite a few and loves the motor. I will get to work on it here in the next couple of weeks. I still haven't tagged it so I haven't been using it other than moving a 46' 8 ton gooseneck around my house in which I have gotten in two situations where I had to lock hubs and reverse uphill off road before bottoming the trailer. I was impressed. 4WD is a necessity at that point lol.

 

[AKSNOW]

I have an '05 F-250 with 190,000 miles on it and (knock on wood), have had only to replace 2 injectors. We live in the mountains and receive an average of 300" of snow a year and have a 1 mile road to our house. I use this as both a plow truck and my daily commuter. I think the biggest problem is people use these for "cars" and don't work them. I drop and flush the coolant every 60-75,000 miles,change oil every 3000 (use only motorcraft filters and Mobil synthetic oil) and never let it idle too long or avoid small trips. It has the 6 speed manual and in the summer gets 22 mpg on highway. I did put a bulletproof EGR cooler in it and use Motorcraft fuel additive every tank. Hope I can get 300,000 out of it like my last Ford Diesel with the N/A 6.9.

 

[eddie1986]

Hi Fastdirt,
This is a great thread and you have some lovely equipment.
I am a new member and have to confess that I haven't read all 35 pages yet, hopefully I will get there over time.
I am just curious to hear your opinion and experience of the CAT 312cl, I think they are a fine machine, I have looked at a couple of 2007, 2008 models for sale and I liked them but I have very little experience of them as Hitachi is the main player here in Ireland.
I am just wondering if it gave you any trouble or is it a reliable machine?
I know you may have covered it in the thread already and apologies if you have.

 

[mike1589]

Fastdirt, just basically read all 35 pages of this thread. Thanks for taking the time to post all the great pics. I'm just starting up my excavation business on my own and it's very motivating seeing how you've grown your company from the ground up. Keep up the great work!

Also, I've owned several 6.0s. They're one of my favorite motors, and I know them very well. I have dealt with many problems with them, but like several of these guys have said, maintaining them and doing a little bit of work to them make for a great, powerful motor.

 

[Fastdirt]

Hi Fastdirt,
This is a great thread and you have some lovely equipment.
I am a new member and have to confess that I haven't read all 35 pages yet, hopefully I will get there over time.
I am just curious to hear your opinion and experience of the CAT 312cl, I think they are a fine machine, I have looked at a couple of 2007, 2008 models for sale and I liked them but I have very little experience of them as Hitachi is the main player here in Ireland.
I am just wondering if it gave you any trouble or is it a reliable machine?
I know you may have covered it in the thread already and apologies if you have.

Thank you. I couldn't read 35 pages of anything either. Maybe a couple pages before boredom but I'll post as long as people read it. I guess it's getting long.

I've ran as many excavators as anyone could want to run. I am very picky about equipment. I have been on many excavators that I had negative issues with balance, speed, power, etc. I think the 312CL is one of the best machines I've ever ran. I've put over 3000 hours on it and it's been a great experience. It's never failed me. It's a long stick with the long undercarriage and it's designed right. It's just a great operating machine. It will hold a full bucket way out over the sidetrack with no issues. It has a great cab with lots of room. It is great on fuel consumption. I can get two good days of work in on a full tank. The controls feel great. Tracks pull strong. I really have no complaints whatsoever. It has done me wonders in the aspect that I have not had to focus hardly any of my attention to this piece of my business other than maintenance. It's also capable of doing jobs in a tight situation or on a big scale.

Fastdirt, just basically read all 35 pages of this thread. Thanks for taking the time to post all the great pics. I'm just starting up my excavation business on my own and it's very motivating seeing how you've grown your company from the ground up. Keep up the great work!

Also, I've owned several 6.0s. They're one of my favorite motors, and I know them very well. I have dealt with many problems with them, but like several of these guys have said, maintaining them and doing a little bit of work to them make for a great, powerful motor.

Well thanks. I am still very much on my new business high. It was always something I thought about as I was out there working for other companies. It's still new to me and everyday is a new venture to better it.

 

[Fastdirt]

 

[Fastdirt]