Am I going off the deep end ?!

Saddleup

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I’m looking at trading my 2019 F-350 6.7 long box for a 2020 tremor 7.3 I found this week.
please give any thoughts !
I use the truck 85% of the time with 750-1000lbs of gear in the back most of which are in a tool box. I pull a goose neck horse trailer 10-15 times a year max 3-4 hours usually an hour or less. I move hay loads once a year 10 miles. Other than that it is going to be driven with just the tool box and our kids as passengers.

I am at the point where I’m just annoyed with diesels. Everything from the additional fuel costs, oil change cost, fuel filters, def and really the most annoying part of a newer diesel is I like to let my trucks idle for warm up, glassing/hunting/ranching and I know letting a newer diesel idle for an extended amount of time is not ideal. Also tired of smelling the truck in regen mode. Without fail it loves to burn off on my 2 miles of slow gravel on the way home and then I pull in the driveway and it just stinks and smelling def gets old.

I live at elevation of 4500-5200 feet and will pull a few spots going down 2-3k feet as well as one spot around 6000 But I won’t regularly be pulling steep mtn passes with big loads and when I do I don’t have to set land speed records horses in tow.
ID prefer a long box and the bigger fuel tank but at the same time there is some benefit to the short and I think I have talked myself through that part. I like the simplicity of the 7.3 and I’m hoping to keep this rig for 100-200k miles and dealing with fixing new diesels with higher mileage is not something I want to depend on the extended warranty fairys for.
As long as the gas tremor will get 14-15 mpg avg I’m ok with that. My diesel gets around that anyway if in town or pulling and slightly better if On the hwy and under 75 mph.

I have thought about just waiting another year but that puts my 2019 with more depreciation, new tires and tags at that point. Pulling trigger now saves me about 2000$ just in expenses I’m looking at for running the 2019 another year.

Any thoughts is much appreciated from either side of the fence!! I love my 2019 6.7 overall but I do see many upsides to the 7.3.

Cheers
 
I doubt your gonna average 14-15 from what I have seen but it sounds like you have made you mind up about the gas vs. diesel anyways so just go get it and don't worry with the mpg's. If you planned on keeping the truck long term (think 200k plus miles) you might see those MPG's hurt vs the diesel but if no plans to keep it that long you will be ahead in choosing the gas.

FWIW, I haven't found DEF to be extremely problematic, the re-gens definitely smell... but it doesn't happen every trip, and fuel filters are changed after several thousands of miles. How many miles on the 2019? Oil change cost IMO won't be a huge cost difference, the newer gas engines require special oils and for small 1/2's routinely average 70 plus dollars each. I bet the 7.3 requires more oil and would assume, yes assume that they would be 80-90 bucks for one... someone here with a 7.3 probably knows more and could help shed light on that.
 
I had the same idea when trying to decide which way to go.

I've never owned a diesel but hear and read great things about it.

With the higher price of fuel, it lack of availability near by ( I'd have to drive 10 miles to refuel) all it's maintenance, plus the amout of miles I put a month on my personal vehicle it just wasn't worth the 9k upfront.

I drive about 6 to 8k miles a year. I planned to tow a 5th wheel under 13k lbs about 10 times a year

I'm getting just about 11 MPG so its not as economically better compared to the diesel but for how much I drive it suites my needs. I bought mine on March 13 and since then only added about 260 miles.

The engines simplicity, the great looking tremor package and the payload is sold me on my 7.3 f350

I have no regrets what so ever

Good luck.
 
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I’m in much the same position as you. I tow a boat and tractors around multiple times a year but not long distances and never more than about 12-14,000 lb. I did lots of financial analysis and while the diesel has tons of power, I ultimately decided on the 7.3. I’m a month in with right at 1,000 miles. Towing has been smooth, driving the big V8 is fun ( even with the fact I’ve been babying it during the break-in phase) and I’m getting right at 13 mpg avg. Love the truck and my decision. With the 350 you’ve got even more capacity than my 250.
 
I was in the market for a diesel, the 7.3 changed my mind. Love it so far with none of the "extra's" that come along owning a diesel. 200 miles in 13.2 mpg mostly in town plus 5 of the 12 engine hours on it are idling, so I am happy with economy. Very curious to get the trailer hooked up and see how it does towing.
 
I can definitely relate to your diesel dilemma, I have owned Ford diesels start to finish 7.3,6.0,6.4&6.7 and I am over it, my favorite is my 04 f250 w/6.0 bulletproofed believe it or not, but my f250 7.3 tremor is Awesome. It won't pull a hill as well as a diesel or get quite as good fuel mileage but I love the simplicity and the ease of maintenance and I don't see a better large gas motor from any other manufacturer, just look at all the reviews and Ford has nailed it with the 7.3.
 
Take a break from the diesel and give the 7.3 a shot. You can always go back. Trucks aren’t a forever purchase. Just look at your 19 For example. My guess is that you were going to keep that more than a year.

The tremor is my first diesel so it has some novelty to me. Plus it has 1050 pounds of torque. I don’t know why, but that really motivated me to get diesel. My buddies call it the Compensator and there is probably some truth to that.
 
Thank you all very much for the replies and thoughts!
If it even gets 13 mpg around town I can handle that. Heck I have buddies running tundras and eco boost with slightly oversized tires and they only get that.. I realize I could go with a non tremor and get better mileage but the tremor has hit a bit of a spot with me to be able to handle quite a few different items I throw at it better than most out of the factory trucks I can think of.

Other info I should have included was I drive about 17-20k miles a year and our horse trailer is about 10- 15K lbs depending upon the day.

I will be going from a loaded up lariat ultimate to a well equipped xlt so that will be a bit of a change. However it has everything I need except for leather seats but I plan to change that with some nice Aftermarket leather. Since the factory is down I’m stuck looking at existing inventory and ordering f right now could be an Eternity but I kinda like the idea of a less fancy truck and a price dddttag that makes this switch less painful.

I have had diesel trucks since 2003 and have gone through my fair share of all duramaxes till the 6.7. Ford won me over with the fact they listened to their consumers and kept making the trucks more useful and more well thought out features/operations etc. my 2019’ 6.7 didnt disappoint my expectations other than it still had the underlying annoyances of a diesel to me For my use of a truck. If I pulled big loads daily on the hwy then a diesel would be my truck, but I don’t so...
I have just reached a point for my use I think the 7.3 is the rightcall as long as Ford can truly produce a reliable and durable motor and Tranny for the long term on its first year out??? . From all the short term reviews I have seen it sure seems so far so good.
Maybe I’m sucking in too much high mtn air right now but I sure hope I’m making the right call and am not disappointed. Absolute worst case my neighbor is a mechanical engineer for a national motor Perfromance company and he really likes to install superchargers and tunes for whiskey !?

thankagain for all the thoughts!
 
I went from diesels to a 7.3, and my last truck was a Laramie Ram 6.7 and I’m now in a 7.3 XLT. I was worried about missing the power and luxury, but I miss neither. The engine is awesome, and XLT interior is just fine. Miss the good stereo but that’s about it.
 
I had a 2015 Lariat 6.7 that was fantastic for towing my 14k boat.. When I sold the boat, I sold the truck. The engine was fantastic, but using it as a daily driver with all the added maintenance of a diesel pushed me into selling it. I missed having a full size truck and have been waiting for the Tremor package to be released but I wanted the 7.3 gas engine. Just before the lock-down happened, a XLT Tremor arrived at a local dealer for a price below factory invoice that I couldn't pass up. The 7.3 is fantastic. I am averaging 13.8 mpg in mostly stop and go driving but have less than 400 miles on it. The heaviest load I've had is 2 yards of dirt and couldn't even tell it was there. The more I read about the 7.3, the happier I am about my purchase. If you are not consistently towing over 10k, I think the 7.3 is a solid choice. The rear seat is FAR superior to the 2015 design. My kids are much happier riding in the back of the new truck. The only thing I miss are the heated and cooled seats, but I could always add the heated portion with minimal pain. Good luck!
 
I’m looking at trading my 2019 F-350 6.7 long box for a 2020 tremor 7.3 I found this week.
please give any thoughts !
I use the truck 85% of the time with 750-1000lbs of gear in the back most of which are in a tool box. I pull a goose neck horse trailer 10-15 times a year max 3-4 hours usually an hour or less. I move hay loads once a year 10 miles. Other than that it is going to be driven with just the tool box and our kids as passengers.

I am at the point where I’m just annoyed with diesels. Everything from the additional fuel costs, oil change cost, fuel filters, def and really the most annoying part of a newer diesel is I like to let my trucks idle for warm up, glassing/hunting/ranching and I know letting a newer diesel idle for an extended amount of time is not ideal. Also tired of smelling the truck in regen mode. Without fail it loves to burn off on my 2 miles of slow gravel on the way home and then I pull in the driveway and it just stinks and smelling def gets old.

I live at elevation of 4500-5200 feet and will pull a few spots going down 2-3k feet as well as one spot around 6000 But I won’t regularly be pulling steep mtn passes with big loads and when I do I don’t have to set land speed records horses in tow.
ID prefer a long box and the bigger fuel tank but at the same time there is some benefit to the short and I think I have talked myself through that part. I like the simplicity of the 7.3 and I’m hoping to keep this rig for 100-200k miles and dealing with fixing new diesels with higher mileage is not something I want to depend on the extended warranty fairys for.
As long as the gas tremor will get 14-15 mpg avg I’m ok with that. My diesel gets around that anyway if in town or pulling and slightly better if On the hwy and under 75 mph.

I have thought about just waiting another year but that puts my 2019 with more depreciation, new tires and tags at that point. Pulling trigger now saves me about 2000$ just in expenses I’m looking at for running the 2019 another year.

Any thoughts is much appreciated from either side of the fence!! I love my 2019 6.7 overall but I do see many upsides to the 7.3.

Cheers

I would suggest taking the 7.3 for a long drive, in the hills / mountains before buying it. I have driven diesels for the last 40 + years & have a fleet of trucks, and I always keep 2 trucks for my own use. I have a 19' F-450 and the 6.7 Tremor. I originally bought a 7.3 Tremor sort of on a whim. I have owned 200 + 7.3 diesels and got caught up in the hype of the new motor. I took the 7.3 for a short test drive, in a flat area and bought it. Later that day a took it on a 3 hour trip each way. I knew 30 minutes into the trip that it was a mistake for me. I'm not knocking the 7.3 motor, but it wasn't for me. The truck feels and handles differently with the lighter front end. For me, it was more like driving one of our F-150's than a super duty diesel. (We buy the heaviest duty 150 work trucks) Nothing like I'm use to. I was surprised with the mileage, even though it was a new motor, it struggled to hit 12, unloaded without a trailer, and I'm not really all that concerned about mileage.

I found a diesel and bought it. Here's where I got a great back to back driving comparison, 7.3 vs 6.7. I traded the truck to a dealer that was 5 -1/2 hours away. I drove through the Appalachians mountains to the dealership. Elevations were up to 4,000' . On drive to the dealership the 7.3's front end felt flighty at times, the 10 spd. transmission continuously shifted/hunted for lower gears in the hills. On the drive back in the 6.7 felt much more planted, and the transmission shifted much less. The fuel economy for the 6.7 was about 5.5 /mpg better. My employees let the 6.7's idle for hours and we have never had an issue. The smell of regen hasn't been an issue for me, nor have I had anyone complain, I rarely even notice it.

Best of luck with your decision.
 
If it even gets 13 mpg around town I can handle that. Heck I have buddies running tundras and eco boost with slightly oversized tires and they only get that.. I realize I could go with a non tremor and get better mileage but the tremor has hit a bit of a spot with me to be able to handle quite a few different items I throw at it better than most out of the factory trucks I can think of.

You will not get 13 around town in the 7.3. I super duper promise, that isn't happening.

Expect 11's.
 
I don't know where folks are getting the "special oils needed for the 7.3, there is nothing special about 5w30 oil unless you want it to be. 8 qts is a lot less than the diesel and I use schaeffer 9000 full synthetic which is my choice of " special oil".
 
Thanks again for all the thoughts fellas. The heated steering wheel and stereo of the lariat will be missed for sure but oh well..

I have driven two 7.3 non tremors 3.55 rear ends but did not get to hook up to a trailer or drive a mtn pass. One was a short and one was a long box. I have watched the review videos of them pulling trailers with the 7.3 and feel pretty good about that I guess.

hoping to decide today or tomorrow. The tremor I have my eye on is not local so I can’t just go drive it which sucks.

Thanks again !
 
I don't know where folks are getting the "special oils needed for the 7.3, there is nothing special about 5w30 oil unless you want it to be. 8 qts is a lot less than the diesel and I use schaeffer 9000 full synthetic which is my choice of " special oil".

EXACTLY! They charge extra for the full Synthetic oils, and extra for the extra number of quarts. Granted, I have not read the oil requirements for the 7.3 so it might not be required but most new vehicles "require" synthetic oils and therefore its not the 29 dollar oil change of years past.
 
EXACTLY! They charge extra for the full Synthetic oils, and extra for the extra number of quarts. Granted, I have not read the oil requirements for the 7.3 so it might not be required but most new vehicles "require" synthetic oils and therefore its not the 29 dollar oil change of years past.
4$ a quart at wallmart for Motorcraft Synthetic blend (ford recommended oil)plus an 8 dollar filter, not bad at all if you do it yourself.
 
4$ a quart at wallmart for Motorcraft Synthetic blend (ford recommended oil)plus an 8 dollar filter, not bad at all if you do it yourself.

Nice, but obviously if you were to go have it done it is not that cheap.
 
Idk where you're at saddleup but there is a nice blue 7.3 tremor xlt in Delta,Colorado at the Ford dealership that's been there for at least a month now,don't know if it's 250 or 350.
 
I’m looking at trading my 2019 F-350 6.7 long box for a 2020 tremor 7.3 I found this week.
please give any thoughts !
I use the truck 85% of the time with 750-1000lbs of gear in the back most of which are in a tool box. I pull a goose neck horse trailer 10-15 times a year max 3-4 hours usually an hour or less. I move hay loads once a year 10 miles. Other than that it is going to be driven with just the tool box and our kids as passengers.

I am at the point where I’m just annoyed with diesels. Everything from the additional fuel costs, oil change cost, fuel filters, def and really the most annoying part of a newer diesel is I like to let my trucks idle for warm up, glassing/hunting/ranching and I know letting a newer diesel idle for an extended amount of time is not ideal. Also tired of smelling the truck in regen mode. Without fail it loves to burn off on my 2 miles of slow gravel on the way home and then I pull in the driveway and it just stinks and smelling def gets old.

I live at elevation of 4500-5200 feet and will pull a few spots going down 2-3k feet as well as one spot around 6000 But I won’t regularly be pulling steep mtn passes with big loads and when I do I don’t have to set land speed records horses in tow.
ID prefer a long box and the bigger fuel tank but at the same time there is some benefit to the short and I think I have talked myself through that part. I like the simplicity of the 7.3 and I’m hoping to keep this rig for 100-200k miles and dealing with fixing new diesels with higher mileage is not something I want to depend on the extended warranty fairys for.
As long as the gas tremor will get 14-15 mpg avg I’m ok with that. My diesel gets around that anyway if in town or pulling and slightly better if On the hwy and under 75 mph.

I have thought about just waiting another year but that puts my 2019 with more depreciation, new tires and tags at that point. Pulling trigger now saves me about 2000$ just in expenses I’m looking at for running the 2019 another year.

Any thoughts is much appreciated from either side of the fence!! I love my 2019 6.7 overall but I do see many upsides to the 7.3.

Cheers
My understanding is that the 6.5 boxes may be an issue with a gooseneck ... and I believe the 6.5 is the longest box you can get. You should check that out with your dealer.
 
Idk where you're at saddleup but there is a nice blue 7.3 tremor xlt in Delta,Colorado at the Ford dealership that's been there for at least a month now,don't know if it's 250 or 350.
sweet truck, but they are still asking close to retail. might be why still on lot
 
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