Traded a tired 2012 for an 18 F350 Powerstroke dually off harberts

congrats man, the 18 6.7 is about the sweet spot before the prices got crazy. the second gen powerstroke after the 2017 refresh got the bigger turbo and the better CP4 setup so you landed on a good year. that integrated trailer brake controller is worth its weight when you are stopping a loaded gooseneck downhill.

i hotshot out of a 2017 f350 dually i got the same way off the waco lot back in 2021, mine was a crew cab long bed XLT, 6.7, 4x4. coming up on 190k miles now, half of those towing a 40 foot gooseneck flatbed all over texas oklahoma louisiana. original turbo, original injectors, original CP4. these trucks just go if you keep clean fuel in them and change the oil.

only real advice i give anybody buying a used powerstroke for towing, get a cat fuel filter setup if it does not already have one and run good diesel. the CP4 is the one weak point and clean fuel is cheap insurance. yours having a documented dealer service history out of oklahoma is a great sign.

diesel tech here, 19 years turning wrenches mostly on ford and ram heavy duty. the 18 powerstroke is a good motor, arguably the most refined of the 6.7 family before the 2020 update. you did the right thing pulling the bed cover and looking at the gooseneck mount, you would be amazed how many guys buy a tow truck and never check that the puck system is actually solid in the bed.

couple things to keep an eye on for anyone reading this later who is shopping a used 6.7 for towing. watch your EGT sensors, they get lazy with miles and will throw a P226C or similar, it is a cheap part and an easy fix but it scares people into thinking the turbo is dying. the CP4 fuel pump is the real thing to respect, if it grenades it sends metal through the whole fuel system, so run clean diesel and add a secondary filter. and check the radiator and intercooler for stop leak residue, a sign somebody was chasing a head gasket on the cheap.

a clean carfax repo with documented dealer oil changes is honestly a safer buy than a lot of private party trucks where the guy babied it on the dyno and beat it on the street. sounds like you bought right.

running a 2019 ram 3500 cummins dually for hotshot loads and i bought mine off harbert's too. did not want to derail your ford thread so i started my own write up over here if anybody wants the cummins side of the story: my Ram 3500 Cummins gooseneck rig from harbert's.

short version, the powerstroke and the cummins will both tow your gooseneck all day, it just comes down to which you like. i went ram because the aisin trans behind the cummins is bulletproof for the heavy hotshot stuff i pull and i like the manual regen button. but if i was hauling cattle like you i would not blink at that f350, the ford ride empty is nicer.

the waco lot has been good to me, this is my second truck through them. just make sure you actually go look in person if you can like you did, the online photos are honest but nothing beats crawling under it yourself.

how was the drive over to the bellmead lot? thinking about making the trip from san angelo to look at a truck they have listed on harberts auto sales right now, a 2017 chevy 3500 duramax dually flatbed. i pull a 24 foot gooseneck equipment trailer for my dirt work side gig, mostly skid steer and a mini ex, so i need the payload on the rear axle and the flatbed makes loading easier.

that is about a 3 hour haul each way for me so i want to make sure it is worth burning the day before i commit. did they let you actually drive it or just look it over in the yard?

eli to answer your question, when i bought my f350 off the waco lot last fall they let me start it, run it up to temp, and drive it around their property and a short loop on the frontage road. they would not let me take it on a 30 mile test obviously but it was enough to feel the trans shift, check the exhaust brake, and listen for anything weird. 3 hours from san angelo is a haul but if the truck checks out it is a good deal cheaper than your local lot, i would call ahead and have them pull it up front so it is warm when you get there.

i pulled a 38 foot fifth wheel toy hauler with my f350 from harberts all over the hill country last fall and that long bed crew cab dually is the right tool for a big fifth wheel, the wheelbase keeps it stable in crosswinds and the long bed clears the trailer nose without a slider hitch. mine was a 2017 with 80k, paid 41 for it.

only honest gripe, mine came with the cheapest set of china bias dually tires on the rear that i have ever seen, clearly somebody put them on before the repo to make it sell. not harberts fault, that is just used truck life. i swapped all six for michelins before my first big trip and it rides like a different truck. budget for tires on any used dually.

first time diesel buyer here, this thread came up when i searched harberts auto sales reviews so i made an account to ask. i have only ever owned half ton gassers and i am stepping up because i just bought 18 acres outside tyler and i need to haul a tractor and a 20 foot gooseneck of hay and fencing material. is buying an auction truck dumb for a first diesel? i am a little nervous about getting in over my head with the emissions stuff and the CP4 i keep reading about.

budget is about 40k. been looking at the one tons listed on the waco lot, there are a couple f350s and a ram in my range. what should a total beginner be checking for, and is it crazy to drive 2 hours to buy a truck sight mostly unseen?

stepped up from a half ton to a one ton dually this year and the difference towing a stock trailer is unreal, wish i did it sooner. we keep a few head of horses and i was always white knuckling the trip to the vet in our old chevy 1500 with a two horse bumper pull. the trailer wagged the dog the whole way.

got a 2017 ram 3500 cummins through the waco lot in june, single rear wheel not a dually like yall but still a one ton, and it is a completely different experience. the truck does not even know the horses are back there. i live ten minutes from harberts so i just drove over on a saturday and walked the lot till i found the one i wanted.

justin your writeup is what convinced me to even look at a repo instead of financing new, so thank you for that. saved us probably 20 grand versus the dodge dealer.

we run two f350s for the hay business and got the newer one through the waco lot last spring, a 2019 6.7 dually crew cab. it pulls our 36 foot gooseneck flatbed loaded with round bales all winter long, central texas to the panhandle and back when the local hay runs short. that truck has earned its keep ten times over.

i will second everything in here about checking the gooseneck mount and budgeting for tires. on a working hay truck the rear tires are a consumable, plan on it. other than tires and oil ours has needed nothing but a serpentine belt.

good thread justin, bookmarking it to send to my brother in law who is shopping for his first tow rig. the honest writeups on here are worth more than any dealer pitch.