Ok heres the deal I would like to have a bigger truck and trailer to move equipment with.I always seem to find a deal on a lathe or mill to big for my smaller trailer.The brother in law is selling some of the older trucks and trailers from their construction busness. I have a chance to get an 2001 F450 flatbed with 124,000 miles on it and a 20' gooseneck trailer also a 2001 model. The truck has the 7.3 diesel and 6spd manual tranny. Good or bad what can you tell me about these trucks. I have to keep a CDL for work so weight or license to drive aren't an issue. Ins will be about the same as on my 3/4 ton chevy not a problem either.

I had a 2001 F250 with a 7.3 then a 2006 F350 with a 6.0 and now a 2010 F250 with the 6.4. Really liked the 7.3. One time at a rest area a truck driver offered to buy the one with the 7.3. You might try http://www.thedieselstop.com for more opinions. Good forum

Excellent year for an excellent truck. Kan't say a whole lot more. Good milage too, you can expect a lot more out of it.

My main biz is diesel engine work, and not a whole lot eve these engines come through the shop when compared to the amount out there... and the truck is even better.

If the price is right then buy it. The 7.3 is the best diesel in the Ford lineup so far. We will see what the new one in the 2011 proves to be. Also the manual tranny is a good thing. Clutches are much cheaper to fix than automatic transmission rebuilds. The 450 is a straight front axle which tends to stay in alignment better than the independent suspension on the 250 and 350's although it does present a rougher ride. It should pull most anything you put behind it within reason. I had a 94 crewcab that I used to pull a nine ton excavator on a gooseneck trailer. It did it though it was a little hard on it. I think you will be very happy with it.

Mark

7.3s sell for more money around here than later 6.0s do. I think the only significant issue in the 7.3 is keeping the proper additive in the cooling system to prevent damage to the cylinder block casting, if that is done and normal maintenance is followed they last forever. If it's in decent condition grab it.

a 2001 7.3 will be a forged rod engine. In 2002 they went to powder metal rods. The 7.3's had a simple old fashioned turbo, not the variable displacement one they had so much trouble with on the 6.0's. Tuners are available to make the 7.3's just as much HP and throttle response as the 6.0's. The 6.0's only downfall was they blew the heads off if you pulled them hard and often. The 7.3's seem to take heavy service quite well. There are utube videos showing the main differences 7.3 and 6.0. It may not have quite the abuse factor of the cummins 5.9, but the 7.3 is still a good engine.

The 450 is a good platform, like was mentioned that year 7.3 is one of the best and the ZF 6 speeds used in those trucks are the best 6 speed manual used in pickups for a number of reasons IMO. They shifter bettwer than the dodge 5600, are just as strong, have a built in pressure lube system and cooler circuit and are far more plentiful and affordable to rebuild.

The biggest downfall of choosing the 450 over a 350 in my eyes is the 450's often have very low rear gears 4.56-4.88 and lower. For this reason unloaded cruising is uncomfortable at freeway speeds and engine life is shortened.

I have a similiar F350 cab chassis long wheelbase 4x4 truck that was a 7.3 and now has a 12V cummins after the 3rd 7.3 gave up the ghost in 900K miles. If it means anything the 900K or so miles on this truck weren't easy, it was overloaded many times and sits at 12K empty with a 12' service body. The frame has never had an issue, the tranny, t-case and axles gave more than thier expected service between rebuilds. The part that failed more than any other on the truck was the body. The truck is on it's 3rd pair of doors, second core support, fenders and hood. All of these were ruined by the ride of the truck on rough gravel roads and diesel vibration. The cab should have been replaced when the front clip was, but I just pulled it back together and welded some reinforcement plates in.

You should expect to get 200K miles out of that F450 before any major work is needed and maybe 300-350K if you take really good care of it.