Choosing service truck

[Vetech63]

I take it Passed on the Crawler UC?

LOL nope. I just use bigger prybars.

 

[DMiller]

Come-a-longs help greatly!!

 

[dieseldog5.9]

I didn't want to be the negative guy on your purchase because others have had different experiences than me, and when I bought a service truck it was a big deal and couldn't find what I wanted, everything had a ton of miles or was 100k. Seems when I am buying nothing is available and once I purchase that item seems to be everywhere.

That being said, After 03 I would not touch a Ford, I would buy an 2wd 88 superduty with a N/A diesel before I bought a 13. I agree with everything said above, personaly I would purchase a DT466 before I bought a C7 or a FSeries with a cummins, but either a way better than the engine in a 550.

I have an older 550 with an IMT 2020, and It does everything that I need, however I gross at 18k with air bags all the way around, and juice brakes are for hondas.

 

[Denys]

I didn't want to be the negative guy on your purchase because others have had different experiences than me, and when I bought a service truck it was a big deal and couldn't find what I wanted, everything had a ton of miles or was 100k. Seems when I am buying nothing is available and once I purchase that item seems to be everywhere.

That being said, After 03 I would not touch a Ford, I would buy an 2wd 88 superduty with a N/A diesel before I bought a 13. I agree with everything said above, personaly I would purchase a DT466 before I bought a C7 or a FSeries with a cummins, but either a way better than the engine in a 550.

I have an older 550 with an IMT 2020, and It does everything that I need, however I gross at 18k with air bags all the way around, and juice brakes are for hondas.

That what I see for now everything is high miles and just tired or 100k+, and the guys who sell used dodges put skyrocket price on it, and the dodge itself is not perfect either, the engine is good though, bigger rigs will not be a good start especially in my are
But damn need me service rig cause uncle Sam gets annoying those days, especially in mechanics field, no money and no freedom with uncle Sam unless you are lucky,

 

[JLarson]

I would not recommend a 6.7 for any type of high idle app, service truck, bucket truck, I've had to work on too many that have had issues and have too many buddies that have had issues with them in their service trucks.

Not a fan of the underhood compressor thing either, we seem to run our compressors a lot either for die grinders and needle guns on fab work or 3/4 guns and air hammer on mechanical work. Why put idle hours on the truck.

I get along well with a smaller elec/hydro crane, picks up all your everyday stuff, pull heads , cylinders, lift tooling, often use it to hold my wire feeder suitcase up in the air on boom, tank repairs, pull small submersible pumps. Usually when we need more crane we need a lot of crane, the boom truck has to come or we call out a mobile crane, like for generators or to fly bypass pumps.

 

[Steve Frazier]

I'm a Ford guy when it comes to the smaller trucks but I've read that for some reason there have been a lot of crankshaft problems with the 6.7 PowerStroke in the 450/550 chassis. They seem to work fine in the 250 and 350 version, it's a strange oddity. Just something to be aware of.

 

[Mike L]

I suppose another option if you were looking at new would be that Chevrolet international medium duty mess that their pushing. Even thought you’d have to be willing to trust anything that international put their name on.

 

[funwithfuel]

My co worker has one, navistar MV . He was so happy the company provided a new rig . Has the same GVW as the 550. 19.9k it has 4WD and has the turning radius of the Queen Elizabeth. A 3point turn for him is 18 maneuvers. Under the hood is a duracrap. After all that , its been a reliable truck for him. It is very quiet. Once he got all his tools and rigging loaded, he didn't have enough weight left for a welder. He was a little disappointed. We now refer to his rig as the Ken and Barbie adventure wagon.

 

[Birken Vogt]

I wonder why the turning radius changes so much from one build to the next. When we got the first F550 we thought that it was the end of battleship 4wd trucks, that thing will practically turn so sharp the inside rear is not rotating. And now to hear IH apparently thought that was not really necessary.

 

[funwithfuel]

I wonder why the turning radius changes so much from one build to the next. When we got the first F550 we thought that it was the end of battleship 4wd trucks, that thing will practically turn so sharp the inside rear is not rotating. And now to hear IH apparently thought that was not really necessary.

In all fairness it's a beefy front axle looks like fabco design. I'm sure a straight axle would turn better.

 

[dieseldog5.9]

I am going to put an odd thought out there, I know everyone wants the big fancy service truck, however to get started a 3500 chevy gas engine would do the job. I got started years ago in a used van that the dealer I worked for was sending to the auction.

My point is quality of work is more important than the truck you show up in, I dont know you or your work but it takes a certain person to work on their own without the support of a big brand.

I have fixed multiple machines after the dealership F750's with fancy lettering, left and I showed up in a pickup truck and fixed the machine, in the dark, with the tools behind the seat of my truck. Anyone can buy a service truck, it takes no skill to purchase a fancy service truck, just a credit score.

 

[92U 3406]

My last 2 trucks I had when in the field were a 2012 and a 2014 F550 with the 6.7L Powerstroke. Aside from it being jammed under the hood and the VMAC jammed in there I can't really complain.

Truck got started up at 6am and ran until 6pm (or later) just about every day. Might have driven maybe 2 or 3 hours out of the day on average, rest was idle time. Never plugged in (even at -35). Always started and never had a lick of emission trouble in the 1 year spent in the 2012 or the 3 years spent in the 2014.

 

[92U 3406]

I am going to put an odd thought out there, I know everyone wants the big fancy service truck, however to get started a 3500 chevy gas engine would do the job. I got started years ago in a used van that the dealer I worked for was sending to the auction.

My point is quality of work is more important than the truck you show up in, I dont know you or your work but it takes a certain person to work on their own without the support of a big brand.

I have fixed multiple machines after the dealership F750's with fancy lettering, left and I showed up in a pickup truck and fixed the machine, in the dark, with the tools behind the seat of my truck. Anyone can buy a service truck, it takes no skill to purchase a fancy service truck, just a credit score.

I have to agree for the most part. Image plays a big role too though IMO. There's a difference between rolling up in a (relatively) clean and organized pickup truck that looks maintained vs a rusted out, smacked up pickup that hasn't seen a carwash in 2 years.

 

[CM1995]

JMO..................stay away from Powerstrokes. UGH

I have 2 - Powerstoke 6.7's that have been great. One is a '13 F350 SRW with 180K on the clock that grosses 10K all loaded up every day. The other one is an '18 F350 SRW with 51K on the clock. I have nothing bad to say about the 6.7's and will buy them again. Everyone I know that has a PS 6.7 loves them.

Also have a '19 RAM 3500 with 6.7 Cummins that has been great.

Now I escaped the 6.0 abortions with more than my fair share of wasted time and money.

 

[Mike L]

I am going to put an odd thought out there, I know everyone wants the big fancy service truck, however to get started a 3500 chevy gas engine would do the job. I got started years ago in a used van that the dealer I worked for was sending to the auction.

My point is quality of work is more important than the truck you show up in, I dont know you or your work but it takes a certain person to work on their own without the support of a big brand.

I have fixed multiple machines after the dealership F750's with fancy lettering, left and I showed up in a pickup truck and fixed the machine, in the dark, with the tools behind the seat of my truck. Anyone can buy a service truck, it takes no skill to purchase a fancy service truck, just a credit score.

I agree with what you said however if you show up with a decent looking, clean mechanics trucks people will assume you are probably the real deal and not some fly by night hack job. My truck isn’t new or fancy but it is recognizable and when I show up to a job I have what I need to get the job done.

 

[crane operator]

Not mine, just saw it for sale and thought of this thread.

 

[crane operator]

 

[Mike L]

Sweet 359!

 

[petepilot]

someone fairly close to me has a setup similar to that one . have`nt seen it close up just passing on the interstate

 

[Hallback]

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!
I have one and it is horrible! Gutless, rides like crap, bad brakes, one problem after another! I am getting into a Pete 337 tomorrow!

I suppose another option if you were looking at new would be that Chevrolet international medium duty mess that their pushing. Even thought you’d have to be willing to trust anything that international put their name on.