Choosing a Farm Truck

Anyone who has a farm or homestead knows the usefulness of a good pickup truck. You can haul many things in the bed and pull any type of trailer that is within the weight limits of the truck. There are many good used trucks on the market. A quick search of Ebay, local papers, estate sales, or word of mouth will find you a truck. Any 3/4- or 1-ton truck will do anything you need to do. Gas or diesel really doesn't matter. If you go the gas route it would be better if you get a 5.8 or bigger. I would personally go for a diesel with a stick shift. Some of the automatics in the older trucks have had a lot of problems, especially Dodges. The newer trucks have very strong automatics and have good reviews. But with anything there are good and bad ones out there. Our farm truck is a 1997 Ford F-250HD with a 7.3 Powerstroke and 5 speed. It has pulled anything I have ever hooked to it, including my dad's loaded big rig. After a few modifications it runs and pulls like a freight train, sometimes smokes like one too when it's pulling hard. The simple modifications it has are a TS 6 position chip, a 4" straight exhaust, a S&B cold air intake, and stage 1 injectors. If you have mechanical aptitude these modifications are very simple to do yourself.

Some considerations between gas and diesel engines is maintenance. A diesel takes more maintenance than a gas engine, but a diesel has a much longer life span. A diesel is more expensive to maintain. They take 12-16 quarts of oil. The oil filters start at around $20 and go up from there. The S&B air filters are $45. In the wintertime you have to run fuel treatment to keep fuel from gelling. I know fueling stations put treatment in their fuel when it comes in, but double protection keeps you from being broken down on the side of the road. Diesels usually get better fuel mileage also.

If you have a goose neck hitch in the truck you can pull a livestock trailer or flatbed. I have a B&W turnover goose neck hitch in my truck. This is. my personal opinion, the B&W is the best hitch on the market. You can go from pulling a trailer to hauling sheets of plywood or drywall, with the quick pull of a lever in the driver's side wheel well. Within 30 seconds you can go from pulling a trailer to hauling cargo in the bed. The B&W Companion fifth wheel hitch is the perfect companion for the turnover ball. It fits into the goose neck hitch where the ball sits inside the bed. But first remove the ball. We use it to pull our fifth wheel camper. It is very simple to operate. You back it up till the kingpin on the trailer is tight in the jaws of the fifth wheel. Then you rotate a lever on the driver's side of the hitch to the rear and lock it in place with a pin.

Until next time Ya'll stay safe on the farm and have a great day.

Here are the links to the parts used to upgrade our truck.

S&B cold air intake: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LREREVK/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I2H5YLPPSK0W28&colid=22BZ65TA3V2LI&psc=0

T.S. 6 position chip: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B5L5QJ8/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1XIR4J50T453U&colid=22BZ65TA3V2LI&psc=0

AFE 4inch exhaust: https://www.amazon.com/aFe-49-03001NM-Aluminized-Turbo-Back-Exhaust/dp/B007W464GQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1518138777&vehicle=1997-54-667-------------0&sr=1-1&ymm=1997%3Aford%3Af-250&keywords=1997+ford+f250+7.3+diesel+exhaust

Stage 1 injectors: https://blackclouddiesel.com/udp-stage1-160cc-performance-injectors-1994-5-1997-ford-7-3l-powerstroke/