QUOTE(RV_Tech @ Feb 24 2017, 07:50 PM)
I just got a 6.2 F350 SRW to run against my 7.3 dually towing the same fiver and using the same hitch set-up to see which I like better (both long beds). Lots of folks say the 6.2 will pull as well as a 7.3, and I want to find out for myself. Driving the 6.2 is, for me, heads and tails more pleasurable than the 7.3 and the six speed tranny is a thing of beauty.
Just my opinion,
Steve
I've absolutely NO experience with the later model diesel engines so I can't speak authoritatively of their differences. &, the 6 speed transmissions are a total mystery to me. Stands to reason tho that an engine with a full cubic inch less displacement 'gives up' something along the line, whether it be longevity, or other capacity. The 6.2 is what Ford has selected as their basic, diesel engine for their light trucks. I have no doubt it has performed well in their tests but they thought the same about the 6.4 & 6.7 a few years ago. I'd expect that differential gearing & transmission makes a lot of difference & may well make a difference in user satisfaction. When I added the Banks Power Pak to my '85 6.9L IDI, non-aspirated engine in 1992, the only way I could tell it was effective was slightly better fuel economy (maybe a mile per gallon, if that much), & it didn't produce as much exhaust smoke as previously in higher elevations. Too, the pyrometer showed lesser exhaust temperature on heavy pulls.
I also owned a 1982 Ford, short bed standard cab, F150 4X4, with a 300CID 6cyl, 5-spd manual transmission that I towed an 18' travel trailer (probably 3500-4K# wt max'xd out). It did an admirable job for several years but I quickly learned that if I had to stop on a steep grade (facing uphill) I needed to shift to 4wd-Lo, or use the 'granny' 1st tranny gear' to get started again. Cubic inches again made all the difference...