Thoughts on a heavy hauler...

I wasn't really suggesting going into the water delivery business. (unless you're looking for a job)

More that having a tanker sitting around six days a week seems like money tied up.
But if a few neighbors pitched in on the purchase/rehab it would be working more often and all could have access to something they couldn't justify for themselves.

Thanks guys... Ford did offer 4x4 Cab and Chassis F350’s in this era, but they are rare to find and I’m thinking I should go heavier than a F350. Having it be 4x4 or having the possibility to convert it later on is a nice thought but definitely not the priority.

I have looked at, and thought about dedicated tank trucks, but most are large enough to require a CDL. I wouldn’t mind obtaining such an endorsement, but it is an area of scope creep I had best avoid for the moment. There are several home business water haulers in our area. I don’t know if the market is saturated so to speak... but again I just want to take care of our own needs at this time. I did see this ad, and love it, but it’s more than I really want to spend and at 30K GVWR it is in CDL territory:
https://yuma.craigslist.org/cto/d/tacna-ford-diesel/7073720706.html

This turned up which is more in my price bracket, but it is quite far and my Spanish is good enough to understand that it needs work. No clue how much or whether it would make it back to AZ. Also don’t know if the GVWR is under 26K or not:
https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/d/perris-1980-f700-dump/7072898344.html

Cali is a good place to try to buy a F450 since they have essentially been banned (for commercial use I believe) on some kind of emissions issue. A couple years ago they were being parted out like crazy 😥. This is a nice truck, but is really far from me. I would rather have a 5 speed IDI than an automatic PSD but it would be ready to use:
https://lasvegas.craigslist.org/cto/d/vacaville-ford-super-duty/7071665620.html


My preferred choice would be a 80’s/90’s F600. But I have to admit it is more truck than I need, and I mostly want one because they are impressive machines and look like a giant Bullnose. Those are not very rational reasons to put it at the head of the list:


I thought an older F600 might be the answer, but I was looking through my camera roll and found some pics of a dentside F600 in a junkyard that I pulled mirrors from. It’s GVWR actually isn’t any higher than a F-Superduty “F450”:


All of the F600/700 trucks will have much higher costs for tires and parts, and no doubt fuel use. The F-Superduty is probably what I should be looking at, since it is the minimum for what I need to do the job. Evidently F-Superduty is the correct term. There was no F450 moniker until 1999. I’m waiting on a call back from the seller of the non running one. I may go check it out later if he is available.

Please allow me to take a side trail... Jonathan mentioned F600s [1980 - 1986], and a quick search turned up a 1955 F600 in Oregon. Look how well preserved this truck is and keep in mind that it was/is a work truck!!!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1955-Ford-Other-F600/223899377774?hash=item342171606e%3Ag%3AeooAAOSw8xJeGtH3&LH_ItemCondition=3000%7C1000%7C2500

I absolutely love that truck David. The rounded sloping back reminds me of our Streamline camper. I love the little start burst designs on the dash and gauges. It has so much more character than the new vehicles.

Thanks for preserving the photos!

David, that '55 really does have character!  👍

Jonathan,
As was mentioned in Gary's thread, while there may not BE an F-450 until FORD sullied the Superduty name in '99, many of us consider anything with F4 in the VIN and ten lug hubs an F-450 regardless the model year.

Those are some good looking trucks.

Ive been thinking about this today and I was thinking about the guy that delivers water out here. His setup is:
90s Dodge with a cummins, single rear axle
Homemade high clearance trailer
He does one cube in the truck at probably 300 gal and a bigger tank on the trailer. He says he does 1000 gal a trip although Im not sure his trailer is doing 700.

Do you not have the room to maneuver a trailer? You could really up your capacity without going huge on the truck.
I dont mean to be throwing ideas at you, just trying to help based off what I know (which isnt much)

Sam, I actually do own a 14’ tandem axle flat bed, GVWR 7,000 lbs. That was the original plan (and may still happen), to haul the 1,050 gallon tank on it. However, access to our cistern drop is lousy. The trailer will be a nightmare. Hitching and un hitching every time I want to use the truck for something else will also be a hassle. The transmission that is currently in my ‘81 truck won’t work. I will need to change it for a NP435 and add a stout receiver to tow with. The trailer needs tires. I am realizing the whole set up is marginal, and since we will be living here and hauling water for the foreseeable future I think investing in a more appropriate vehicle is needed (instead of dumping $ and time into my trailer set up).

I’m still looking at all options, but the F450 route is looking right-sized for the tank I have. The Diesel engine option that shares parts with my F350 build makes sense also. The non-runner on CL does not thrill me, but there are not many around.

Good point about the California trucks. Northern Californians are advertising them in Southern Oregon because of the emissions.

I figured you might have an accessibility issue with the trailer. I know what you mean about having too many pieces, I figured Id ask anyway.

I try to stay away from Southern Oregon CL, because I always see something I like. Theres a youtube channel, elderlyiron, that hauls trucks out of peoples yards up there. He does a good business restoring but also finds vehicles for out of towners. One of his projects was an old water hauler.

https://youtu.be/aG7nS_FNuAU
Thats a newer water truck, I cant find the really old one

I generally do not spend time looking at Craigslist ads from states away. PNW offerings are phenomenal in terms of value and nice condition, but are just not practical to respond to. I have a hard enough time interacting with sellers that are a two hour drive from me. I don’t mind looking and drooling but I try not to get lost in the hypothetical poppy fields when I know the trucks are out of my reach.

In this particular instance I have made an exception to look at Southern California because it isn’t ~that far from me, and because of the smog laws hammering trucks over 14,000 lbs. GVWR. I’m actually not finding much... my guess is that the selling frenzy happened years ago.

https://santafe.craigslist.org/pts/d/santa-fe-ford-super-duty-diesel-f450-at/7079141522.html

Idk where you are with this project but I recall you thinking a 450 might be the ticket for you.
Hope youre figuring it out.

Thanks for the links! I don’t know what his actual price on these might be, but the newer F450/550 are a bit out of my comfort zone being computerized direct injection Powerstroke diesels. I know the 7.3 PSD is dubbed the million mile engine, but that does not happen all by itself. I prefer the devil I know, the half-million mile mechanical IDI.

That said, I am kind of in the middle of a Ford truck love triangle....

1. In Las Vegas there is a guy selling the 1989 F450, 7.3L IDI Diesel, ZF-5 speed with a reasonable weight wood deck flatbed. Price is $2,600. He still has it, he is out of town until the end of the week.


2. In Orange CA there is a 1992 F700 that was owned by a roofing company and they must sell due to new emissions law. It has a 5.9L Cummins and Allison 545 automatic. Price is only $1,600! The seller said it was sold but texted me back this morning that the guy never showed up. It has a 8’x20’ stake side flatbed and some damage to one of the fiberglass fenders. The 5.9L is laughed at in the medium duty world as being too small, and the 545 does not have the greatest reputation especially holding back on mountain grades. It is probably fine for water haul though. He texted me a video of it running and it sounds great.


3. In Phelan CA there is a 1992 F600 with what the guy thinks is the 8.3L Cummins and a Clark 5 speed manual (Lo + 4 regularly used gears). It has 80,000 original miles. Price is $3,500. The flatbed is maybe 14’? We talked on the phone last night and I am first in line, but he says the wolves are at the door with other interested buyers. He may be trying to pressure me, as there are others for similar price, just not manual transmission, and many have a mile long wheelbase.


I’m leaning toward spending the extra on #3, but #2 is such a screaming deal, and #1 is probably right sized? I just can’t help but think the bigger trucks might come in handy since I want to build a house and may want to heat it with a wood stove and need to bring cord wood from the mountains. I know the upkeep will be more, but the initial investment isn’t that different. Go big or go home? Maybe none of the 3 above?

Is this something that's gonna be registered? I can't speak for anywhere other than Florida, but my Ranger costs me $45 yearly and my 9-10k GVWR F350 is gonna cost me a little over $100 to register each year. And it just goes up from there. If I were to pick up an F600+ here, I can only imagine it would put me above $200 each year based off of the GVWR.

In Cali it is based off of vehicle weight. In Arizona it is based off of vehicle blue book value. I should indeed check to verify that there are no weird fees for heavy trucks, but I don’t believe there are if it is for private use. It may have to display “not for hire” or similar, but the one in Phelan has Arizona plates now and the guy says it is registered non commercial like a pickup.

The 450 should be enough for your other tasks. Looks like you could do 2 to 3 cords of wood easy. Thats more than id like to cut in one trip anyways, but I lean to the lazy side
Plus idk what your forest roads are like but youll be able to get a little deeper in to cut and load with a smaller truck.
and it should haul enough 2x4s and sheetrock to keep you busy for a while.

I think the water is probably the biggest load, so if you think it can handle the water it should be able to do everything else.
Looks like you got good options on the menu!

Id hate to try filling an 8x20 box with wood but if you have a good winch, you could cut and load then buck them up at home. You could definitely maximize your time with a big bed like that. But then what would you do with the water tank when you need to get wood?
Dont mind me, Im living vicariously with through you right now!

That was my thought, to load long wood and cut and split it at home. The water tank is fiberglass and not all that heavy. It’s mostly just hard to get hold of because of its shape. I will probably just build a small stand the height of the bed and roll it on pipes. That’s how I’ve moved it around the yard (on round fence posts) and it is quite easy for one person.

I think you can't go wrong.  But you know the IDI's, so my bet would be on the '89 if it doesn't need a lot of work.  And it is closer to you?

Then the 1992 F700 might be my second choice, but it is a lot of truck.  And if anything goes wrong it'll be big bucks to fix.

Gary, knowing the IDI is both a reason to get the F450 and also a reason to avoid it if that makes any sense. I will admit that I am judging a book by its cover, but in my experience from picking at these trucks in the junkyards, a truck that looks like this one on the outside usually has a very tired, oil puking engine under the hood that may also be ripe for cylinder wall cavitation if SCA’s have not been maintained. I have not seen it, and it may not be that way, but I probably wouldn’t risk the purchase at all without the running 6.9 in the parts truck I bought. The medium duty with 80K miles has a much heavier industrial grade engine, but is one that I know very little about. It’s the big brother to the 5.9 Cummins 12 valve, and is all mechanical, that’s about all I know. I also have not seen it, and the truck is a little rough on the outside also. If the 80K is accurate it has been a hard working 80K. It is just hard to ignore that it’s only a $900 price difference for the much heavier truck. I wish I could see the F450 first, but it’s not working out that way.