# New F-450



## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)

Well it’s been a long month but I finally took possession of my new to me plumbing truck. It’s a 2011 Ford F-450 Diesel. It only has 170,000 miles on it and I got one heck of a deal. It has a 16’ box. I’m pretty excited to get back into something where I can have some organization. I don’t know how guys running out of a pickup truck can do it. 
Anyway, right now the plan is to keep it organized relatively simple. Materials on one side and tools on the other. Basically the idea is to free up the basement and garage at home.
Not sure how to flip the pictures.







































Sent from my iPhone


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## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)




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## Fatpat (Nov 1, 2015)

That looks bad ass, your quite the carpenter too


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## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)

Fatpat said:


> That looks bad ass, your quite the carpenter too


Thanks! I enjoy wood working, although I'm going to cover the faces with sheet metal. I'm giving a buddy who owns a heating company a hand to catch up so I'll bend something up on lunch.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

When you save pictures on your computer right click and choose rotate clockwise. Then you can upload them...

Now it's time to put them upright and repost.


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## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)




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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

My Master’s last cube was a f450 with the 7.3. It was a van, not a truck though and an ‘07 I think. He ended up trading it in for a ‘16 used because it would have cost over $8k between engine and front end repairs. Ford had sold the design and production of the front end parts to a company in California. Because this company is now the sole source of those parts they charge what they want.

I hope yours doesn’t have the 6.0. I’ve heard nothing issues with that engine.

Other than that, congrats on the new truck! I agree about working out of the pickup or small van. I had worked out of a van for years then worked out of a cube. When I went out on my own I bought a Dodge 2500 van. After the second week of working out of it I started looking for a cube.


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

I always preferred a stepvan my self,

if you are working with a heating man you might want to thank about running some heat back in that box in the winter I am sure it will be as cold as a REFRIGERATOR !
I would run some lines off the Radiator, with some in line valves get a heater with a 12v. blower


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## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)

OpenSights said:


> My Master’s last cube was a f450 with the 7.3. It was a van, not a truck though and an ‘07 I think. He ended up trading it in for a ‘16 used because it would have cost over $8k between engine and front end repairs. Ford had sold the design and production of the front end parts to a company in California. Because this company is now the sole source of those parts they charge what they want.
> 
> I hope yours doesn’t have the 6.0. I’ve heard nothing issues with that engine.
> 
> Other than that, congrats on the new truck! I agree about working out of the pickup or small van. I had worked out of a van for years then worked out of a cube. When I went out on my own I bought a Dodge 2500 van. After the second week of working out of it I started looking for a cube.


This truck has an solid front axle. I looked at a van 450 and it had just tiny front suspension with bolted on adapters for the duals. Ford vans are notoriously know for weak front ends, which ultimately turned me off of it. It was also a 5.4 gas motor, I couldn't afford to run it down the road at 6 mpg and 6.00$ a gallon for gas. This one has the 6.7l diesel, I have one in my pickup and its an awesome motor.


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## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)

MACPLUMB777 said:


> I always preferred a stepvan my self,
> 
> if you are working with a heating man you might want to thank about running some heat back in that box in the winter I am sure it will be as cold as a REFRIGERATOR !
> I would run some lines off the Radiator, with some in line valves get a heater with a 12v. blower


I drove a step van before with the last company I was with and I couldn't wait to get out of it. I liked how easy it was to get in and out, and the fact it was all aluminum. But it was freezing cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Most mechanic shops around here hate working on them. Also being a "Fire person" seeing them after an accident was a big turn off. I liked the fact that once I'm done with the chassis on this truck I can simply buy another chassis and re mount the box on a new chassis.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Dpeckplb said:


> This truck has an solid front axle. I looked at a van 450 and it had just tiny front suspension with bolted on adapters for the duals. Ford vans are notoriously know for weak front ends, which ultimately turned me off of it. It was also a 5.4 gas motor, I couldn't afford to run it down the road at 6 mpg and 6.00$ a gallon for gas. This one has the 6.7l diesel, I have one in my pickup and its an awesome motor.


Good deal! I’m glad you did your research and ended up with anything other then the 6.0! Had me worried for a moment.

My Chevy gasser gets about 8.5 gpm, master’s new V10 gets about the same.

Is gas really $6 a gallon up there?! I start btching at $3/gallon which is were we’re at now.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

OpenSights said:


> Is gas really $6 a gallon up there?! I start btching at $3/gallon which is were we’re at now.



Some quick math because I'm not good in gallons but in liters.

5.06$/gallon in my city.
5.45 in Montreal

I'm going to start adding 5$ for gas to my material price for each customer I get. Maybe raising it to 8 or 10 dollars.

I don't know if I should write it down or just add it to the material without them knowing.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

My word! The left in this country always has a temper tantrum when a republican is elected and threaten to move to Canada. They never do.... now I know why. I wish they would, kinda selfish on my part... don’t wish their ignorance on anyone.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

OpenSights said:


> My word! The left in this country always has a temper tantrum when a republican is elected and threaten to move to Canada. They never do.... now I know why. I wish they would, kinda selfish on my part... don’t wish their ignorance on anyone.


It's not so bad I just charge more, to hell with with the average plumber rate.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

In my GMC savana I used to put 110$ to completely fill the tank this last fall, now the last time was 134$ or something near it. I can do less than 10 jobs on a tank. I got a V8 5.3L engine.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

I scored a neighborhood about 45 minuets away from me. Good paying people, generally non emergency stuff so I try to book a day just for them. Round trip is just over a quarter tank. 

But you know what, I’d rather have more than what I need than not enough. Why I drive a cube with crappy mileage.


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## JohnnieSqueeze (Mar 23, 2016)

loved and still miss my boxy, I have a 14’ enclosed I bring on larger jobs otherwise my utility bed 7.3 is fine


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)

Tango said:


> Some quick math because I'm not good in gallons but in liters.
> 
> 5.06$/gallon in my city.
> 5.45 in Montreal
> ...


I paid 1.39$ per liter for diesel yesterday. Regular unleaded was 1.43$ or 94 octane for 1.60$ per liter.


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## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)

OpenSights said:


> Good deal! I’m glad you did your research and ended up with anything other then the 6.0! Had me worried for a moment.
> 
> My Chevy gasser gets about *8.5 gpm*, master’s new V10 gets about the same.
> 
> Is gas really $6 a gallon up there?! I start btching at $3/gallon which is were we’re at now.


8.5 gpm does the fuel truck just fallow you around? haha

The diesel I've only really driven it around in the city but I'm getting 12.5 mpg


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

That’s about right. Chevy was smart enough to put a 25 gallon tank on my pig!:vs_laugh:

Ford usually gives you a 50! Other then frequent stops for gas, I can’t complain too much. My wife’s ‘09 car has cost me more in repair than my ‘97 cube.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Dpeckplb said:


> I paid 1.39$ per liter for diesel yesterday. Regular unleaded was 1.43$ or 94 octane for 1.60$ per liter.


Back in ‘99/‘00 when I was in Okinawa, out in town gas was just over 400 yen. It was roughly 100 yen to the US dollar. On base it was just over $2/gallon. At the same time, in the Philippines it was 115 Pesos/gallon. 40 pesos to the dollar.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Dpeckplb said:


> I paid 1.39$ per liter for diesel yesterday. Regular unleaded was 1.43$ or 94 octane for 1.60$ per liter.


Geez do you live far away from a big city?? I think regular gas was 1.30$ yesterday.


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## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)

Tango said:


> Geez do you live far away from a big city?? I think regular gas was 1.30$ yesterday.


Closest big city is an hour away. I'm smack dab dead center between Windsor and London. But today I was getting 16.1 mpg bombing around the country side.


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## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)

Here is the mock up of the advertising on the truck.


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