Total cost of ownership of 1-ton vs class 6-7 trucks

[MG84]

Let me start by saying I’ve never owned a 1-ton truck other than an old ‘69 F350 thats only used around the farm, hasn’t been on the street in years. For the sake of discussion lets also include the F450-550 sized trucks as a heavier duty version of a 1-ton.

For many years now my trucks for both the farm and my construction business have consisted of a 3/4 ton 4wd pickup and a class 6-7 dump truck. Over the years the makes and models have changed, but always had at least one of each. The pickup was for daily driving, pulling small equipment and trailers (usually under 10k), making parts and supply runs etc. Any real hauling or towing was done with the larger medium duty trucks.

As I look around I seem to be in a minority now. Almost every other contractor is running either a 1-ton or 450-550 size truck in what ever flavor you want, whether it be a flat bed, mason dump, service body or even a pickup bed. Do they know something I don’t? Is the cost per mile and total cost of ownership that much less with these trucks? I always figured (based on my rough accounting in my head) that although everything costs more on the big trucks, you actually come out ahead since the service life of everything is greater. It seems to me like the guys running 1-tons are on the verge of being overloaded daily, either towing or hauling, with the 450-550s being a little better but not much.

I haven’t really sat down and pushed the pencil on the total cost of ownership of my medium duties but I know many or you have. I do know that my commercial insurance is about the same compared to my pickup, purchase price honestly isn’t that much different, especially used, and my F700 gets a combined hauling/empty mileage of 9.5mpg. Parts are a wash, many are the same price as for the lighter trucks, or maybe higher but last longer. $400-500ea for good steer tires hurts but the $235 retreads on the back serve me well. I will admit tags/registration are a lot higher on the bigger trucks.

Are the class 6-7 trucks becoming less popular due to the increased towing capacity (at least on paper) of the smaller trucks? Are the smaller trucks that much cheaper to own and maintain? Peoples aversion to getting a CDL? What’s everyone’s thoughts on this?

 

[Coaldust]

Good points to ponder. When I was tracking fleet costs, I was surprised how expensive it was for us to operate F-550’s. Especially, the diesel powered ones. The cost per mile being similarly close to single axle KW T300’s in vocational use. I don’t have access to the spreadsheets anymore, so I don’t have the facts in front of me.

F-550’s ate suspension parts, 19.5” tires were more expensive to run that 22.5”, Powerstroke’s eat your lunch when they break, lifting cabs to work on the engine, finding people that can work on Ford diesels, and the downtime was much greater with the F-550’s because of excessive wait times for parts and service. Damn fancy headlight assemblies are $800 with a core charge.

Today, my cost to operate a F-350 is $1.85 per mile. I just calculated it.

It went up because I had to raise the insurance limits for a particular customer requirement to enter their terminals.

 

[MG84]

Coaldust, thanks for the data points. A lot of what you said about the F550s is exactly what I had assumed.

My father has a newer (2017-2018 maybe?) F450 cab chassis with a 10’ flatbed that he uses for pulling a cattle trailer, hauling tractors, hay etc for his farming operation. Over the years he has graduated up from a 3/4 ton SRW, to 1-ton dually to his current F450. The loads he tows have remained the same and he just has a truck now with a little more durability and margin of safety when towing. He is happy with it, however he also has a 4700 IH for heavy work. I realize there is a place for all of these models, I just don’t understand why certain trends have shifted the way they have. Maybe I’m just old fashioned and am not keeping up with the times.

 

[cuttin edge]

We stopped using diesel light trucks. Too expensive. Ford were the only ones that could be registered heavy enough. Mostly V10, a few issues. The new 650 has the new push rod V8 seems to work good. Big problem is putting teenagers on them and not explaining how the tow haul button works. A lot of time they can be expensive to run, but you can't always get the heavier trucks where you can get them. A necessary evil I think you call it.

 

[MG84]

If I were buying a new light truck today it would not be a diesel. They’ve lost everything that made diesels great IMO. Simplicity=gone, fuel economy=gone, durability=gone, ease of maintenance=gone. They do have a lot of power, I’ll give them that. The end of the 7.3 Powerstroke was the end of my interest in new diesel pickups. I’ve actually gone backwards in that department, had a ‘99 F-250 7.3/6-spd that was a great truck, unfortunately rust and electrical gremlins killed it. Windshield leaked onto the body computer which caused all sorts of weird problems. Body computer was obsolete from Ford and there were many different ones depending on options etc making finding a used one difficult. Sold that truck and bought a ‘93 F250, 7.3idi non turbo, 5-speed. I love it, all 185hp worth, lol.

 

[Truck Shop]

My brothers, last year of this body style with a whopping 69,000 miles. All highway miles.

 

[Acoals]

A lot of contractors I know are not truck drivers, never had a CDL, and never drove anything bigger than a pickup. They just think small, and when they want to go big, they get an overblown pickup (F550, ect). I think a lot of it is just a familiarity factor. Guys are used to pickups, and the OEMs are only to happy to sell them. That's how you get 6.7L engines pushing power outputs comparable to what the Cummins M11's used to be, pushing 75,000lbs of mixer down the road.
Because it is essential that a guy do 0-60 in 8 seconds with a skid steer on the trailer.

 

[Mike L]

When I bought my first service truck I shopped pretty hard and came to the conclusion that it was cheaper to buy a f750 than a f550. 19.5 tires cost as much as 22.5. If you have engine trouble on a smaller truck the cab has to come off. A class 6-7 is built more like a class 8 than a pickup truck which means you have heavier duty parts. Heavier suspension, more payload, etc. creature comforts is the only category where the 550 wins at least in my application.

 

[MG84]

My brothers, last year of this body style with a whopping 69,000 miles. All highway miles.View attachment 281046

Love it. My first truck was an ‘88 F250 4x4 ex cab long bed, 460 5spd. Had a 2.5” lift and 33’s, just enough to give it a good stance. In hindsight probably not the best vehicle for a high school kid, had lots of testosterone fueled fun in that thing Haha. Gas was $0.89 a gallon then, miles of road trips, off roading, drag racing, burnouts, taking girls down to the river, oh the memories...Still have the ol truck, hope to restore it one day.

 

[Truck Shop]

Because it is essential that a guy do 0-60 in 8 seconds with a skid steer on the trailer.

That sounds very familiar--like something Truck Shop would say.

 

[MG84]

A lot of contractors I know are not truck drivers, never had a CDL, and never drove anything bigger than a pickup. They just think small, and when they want to go big, they get an overblown pickup (F550, ect). I think a lot of it is just a familiarity factor. Guys are used to pickups, and the OEMs are only to happy to sell them. That's how you get 6.7L engines pushing power outputs comparable to what the Cummins M11's used to be, pushing 75,000lbs of mixer down the road.
Because it is essential that a guy do 0-60 in 8 seconds with a skid steer on the trailer.

Yes I think what you said has a lot to do with it now that I think about it. I grew up on the farm and was driving big trucks and equipment from an early age. In reality though my F700 with a 10’ box and 153” wheelbase is no bigger than a dually pickup, a lot of it is in your head I guess. I think nothing of parking the dump truck in a spot at the grocery store to pick up something on the way home. Heck, this morning took it to town to get a load of corral pannels, backed it right in a regular sized parking spot at McDonalds for breakfast.

 

[MG84]

When I bought my first service truck I shopped pretty hard and came to the conclusion that it was cheaper to buy a f750 than a f550. 19.5 tires cost as much as 22.5. If you have engine trouble on a smaller truck the cab has to come off. A class 6-7 is built more like a class 8 than a pickup truck which means you have heavier duty parts. Heavier suspension, more payload, etc. creature comforts is the only category where the 550 wins at least in my application.

Idk, the new medium duties are just as nice as the pickups inside. And you can get an air ride seat...

 

[Welder Dave]

I wonder if the companies ever do training on their trucks for the drivers or just hand them the keys? I had a 4 Ton Hino dump truck that was simple, economical ( 15 mpg) and reliable. Only reason I didn't keep it was because it only had a 6 speed transmission and 1st and reverse were too high for use off road. It had hyd. brakes and didn't require a special license. It could turn sharper than a pick up truck. Not a big powerhouse but always got the job done.

 

[Mike L]

Idk, the new medium duties are just as nice as the pickups inside. And you can get an air ride seat...

My f750 had a air ride seat with a hand pump. It would only pump up about 2” which meant when you hit a “how’s ya motha” your spine got driven into your cerebral cortex making you see double. No thanks. I’ll leave it on the floor and bounce around the cab like a pinball.

 

[CM1995]

A lot of contractors I know are not truck drivers, never had a CDL, and never drove anything bigger than a pickup. They just think small, and when they want to go big, they get an overblown pickup (F550, ect). I think a lot of it is just a familiarity factor. Guys are used to pickups, and the OEMs are only to happy to sell them. That's how you get 6.7L engines pushing power outputs comparable to what the Cummins M11's used to be, pushing 75,000lbs of mixer down the road.
Because it is essential that a guy do 0-60 in 8 seconds with a skid steer on the trailer.

LOL.

First work truck rig I drove at 16 years old was an '88 (new at the time) F350 with 351 Windsor and a 5sp with a 12' flatbed dump pulling an 843 Bobcat on a rickety assed trailer. Truck was a complete gutless wonder.

Currently have a '01 250 7.3, '13 350 6.7, RAM 3500 6.7 and '22 350 6.7. The '01 7.3 is light years ahead of that old 351 Windsor and the 6.7's Cummins or Ford is like comparing an F16 to a biplane. Love the modern pickup diesel engines and looking forward to the new Ford 6.7 HO.

We hire our dump truck work out as well as lowboy. Do have a '95 L9000 dump we use to move equipment short distances and onsite. I've had dump trucks before but we earn our money moving dirt and laying pipe.

 

[AzIron]

Your asking the right questions one big underlying factor is every contractor new wants a brand new 1 ton it's a status in there mind so to afford a new 1 ton they have to use it for personal use.

Now as far as fleet setup I see most outfits doing 550 strictly to avoid cdls and then they also will set up the same thing for cdl use cause the owner or fleet manager has no fricken clue what 35000 lbs behind a 550 stops like and has no earthly idea how to run vehicles without warranty

What your seeing a lot of is just bad buissness I will probably get disagreed with but the biggest thing I haul with a 1 ton is 35 mini ex. I set a 450 up for the vac trailer and hauling the mini ex otherwise it's done the dump truck or transport

The thing to know is I keep a w900 kenworth on the road and can double haul backhoes for cheaper than I can pay payments on a 550 to move one backhoe at a time I have a few friends that run 450s to haul there backhoes every 4 years they are truck shopping cause after about 120000 miles they start to have issues they simply are not built for the duty cycle required to move 40000 lbs day in and day out

 

[suladas]

Depends on the size of the company. For someone who only wants 1 truck the 1 ton makes the most sense because it can be parked in residential areas and used for personal reasons, and in most places if combined weight is under 26,000lbs no yearly inspections or special license. I had a Ram 5500 and went back to a 3500 as it was so much harder on fuel and only used the extra capacity a few times a year. For bigger companies it's probably just doing what everyone else does, regardless if it makes sense.

 

[MG84]

I wonder if the companies ever do training on their trucks for the drivers or just hand them the keys? I had a 4 Ton Hino dump truck that was simple, economical ( 15 mpg) and reliable. Only reason I didn't keep it was because it only had a 6 speed transmission and 1st and reverse were too high for use off road. It had hyd. brakes and didn't require a special license. It could turn sharper than a pick up truck. Not a big powerhouse but always got the job done.

Most guys I know just toss them the keys.

I’ve got an F600 that I use for smaller jobs, it doesn’t require a CDL (if your not towing), has hyd brakes and turns super sharp. If you ignore the two speed rear axle it just like driving a pickup. But, it also can legally haul 6 tons and has a GCWR higher than even the newest F450/550s.

 

[cuttin edge]

My boss, the older owner of the company drives anything with wheels. He even had a Mazda van for a while. Not real practical for the places he goes. The nephews run around in the fully loaded super dutys nicer than a lot of cars. One of then had a Ram duely with 35" BFGs all around

 

[cuttin edge]

Most guys I know just toss them the keys.

I’ve got an F600 that I use for smaller jobs, it doesn’t require a CDL (if your not towing), has hyd brakes and turns super sharp. If you ignore the two speed rear axle it just like driving a pickup. But, it also can legally haul 6 tons and has a GCWR higher than even the newest F450/550s.

They had to put steps on our 650 for all us short legged guys.