i have an 99 f350 with 300,00 and still running strong!!! the only thing is that on cold days she starts rough but she still starts!! my brothers a die hard cummins man so we compette , ya the cummins have more power but ask diesel builder, the majority say the 7.3 is a work horse, that if you want a trust worthy work truck teh 7.3 is the way ta go!!!!!!!!!!

 

fords are nice put everyone has 1 buy a cummins either way your a chick with a diesel so u cant go wrong and the whole plowing thing is ridiculease or how ever its spelt ive been plowing snow for almost as long as i could walk ive plowed with gas diesels and machines a to z never had a diesel over heat on me u want a somithing that shouldnt be plowed with try plowing with a backhoe or lull sorrey about the rant thought it was nesscearry and sorrey i cant spell

 

I hate everyone talking **** about the 6.0, its a good engine if you have time to fix whats wrong with it.

 

@fumminsplease - I worked for Ford and experienced the headaches the 6.0 gave first hand. Lots of disgruntled customers who had taken the time to fix it but it still gave them problems. The 7.3L us still one of the best diesel engines out there and others are right it is a workhorse.

 

I would have to agree. snach the EGR junk off, throw some head studs in and upgrade the oil filtration (to keep from clogging the oil cooler) and you have a solid diesel. but as for the 7.3 if you find one that has been taken care of you should be golden.
The cummins is a beast to be reconed with of course, but in my experience the truck just wont be there for the life of that engine. Old Body Style Ford with a Cummins Drop-IN would be the Ultimate in Longevity and Power, In My Opinion.

The illusive Fummins is hard to find. My vote would be the Ford. After loosing a total dash in my '01 Dodge and partal sections missing out of little brothers '04 and various other truck issues due to premature ware and tare. I would shy away from anything that wasn't fairly new. As for draggin arround 4-6 horses, either one should do an awsome job.

 

yes maam it is, mine has been able ta do anything i put it too, i mean ya cummins has more power, but power isnt always everything, your best bet is the 7.3, esp if youre pulling alot

 

5.9 or 7.3...you won't go wrong... I normally don't stray down the middle of the road but it really is true.

 

Unless you're in my driveway

 

I am deffinately biased to the Cummins, but wouldn't shy away from a 7.3. The only thing that would make my shy away would be if you were wanting to "hot rod" it, in which case, the Cummins will deffinately be the better choice, but if you want it to use as a truck is intended, 7.3 would do just fine. As for the plowing issue, if your worried about it overheating, just put it in low range when possible, that would accomplish two things, first it would allow it to turn higher rpm's for a given speed allowing the fan to pull more air, and second it would be easier on the transmission by reducing the strain of getting going under a load. Good luck, and I do think the Ford is the better built truck, just doesn't have the best engine for me.