Ranch Battle! Can a 26-Year-Old Ford F-250 7.3L Power Stroke Outwork the Legendary 5.9L Cummins? 

Fellow Coloradoan and 96' 7.3 owner. I exclusively use my 7.3 to tow my camper up and down the Rockies and I'm glade you covered these two dinosaurs. With that said, the 7.3 tows whatever I throw at it but they drive like a run away horse wagon, have a turn radius of a cardo ship, and do a 0-60 in 1 to 2 business days. Keep up the old school truck content!

I would love Ike Gauntlets comparing the different generations of trucks. Nothing super scientific like factory original trucks but seeing $25,000 used trucks vs $80,000 new trucks to see what the general differences are.

The smiles on these 2 guys driving the F 250 is priceless. You can tell these are truck enthusiast

Love seeing these older, simple diesels on the channel. Thanks guys. Looking forward to some Ike runs!

I love hearing David's thoughts and opinions.

You guys did something I wish I would've done. Real world reviews. Growing up on a small farm we had all three makes. '93 6.5 GM diesel, '98 1/2 24 valve Cummins, '94 & '97 Powerstroke, and '05 & '06 Cummins. Hauled livestock everywhere with Dad. I have to say the '05 & '06 Cummins were great albeit for the automatic transmission. '94 & '97 Powerstroke both manual kept up with the newer trucks. '93 GM diesel was no pulling king but it did what was asked of it. '98 1/2 Cummins pulled like nobody's business but I'm pretty sure it was because of Grandpa's heavy right foot 😄 These trucks were built for work. Unfortunately now for luxury.

I love the summer rain. David is a skilled, calm dude. Living the life.

I have a very early 99 powerstroke that had the older smaller turbo/intake setup. Converted it to the later bigger Garrett, slightly bigger injectors and T6 tuner. I’ve got about 5 grand into this truck total and it’ll keep pace with much newer trucks, with no def bullshit to deal with. I wouldn’t trade my old rattler for a brand new one.

I have 02 F250 and its mainly a fun truck at this point, havent towed in a while esp since I put a new engine in. They are just awesome trucks, the 7.3 has such a unique sound and sounds just so great with an upgraded turbo and straigh pipe.

I have owned five diesels. Two were 7.3 Power strokes, two Cummins 5.9 24 valves, and one Cummins 6.7. The 6.7 was the best to drive, but the extra pollution equipment caused the turbo to fail at about 90,000 miles. At about 115,000, it started having more issues, so I sold it. The Super Duty and Excursion had much nicer interiors than the Older Dodge, but I preferred the Cummins 5.9 engine. I currently drive a half to Ram, but am looking to purchase another diesel. While I like the power and features of the newer diesels, I am looking for something built before the additional pollution requirements were added. I am looking at 7.3's (1999-2003) or a 5.9 Cummins. Wow, the prices are high for anything with descent miles and no rust. Of course, with the price of new trucks, it is no surprise. Thanks for the review on the older diesels. Now compare your 97 Ford with Kace's Dodge. Thanks for all of the channels. Nice job guys.

The only powerstroke i would want is the 7.3. cummins is just a more desirable diesel to me. I like the straight six sound and feel. The problem with them is they put them in rams. Ford is a better truck. I need a ford with a cummins

I dont watch every TFLTruck video, but when i see our man David I HAVE to watch. Super cool and knowledgeable guy.

I know I tend to complain about the bias sometimes on these videos and that Andra is the exception. This video proves my point! Andre is the man!! He continues to bring straightforward videos that people can use for everyday life! I really enjoyed this video, and the comparison was brought fairly and completely. Great Job!!

Great video guys! Always good to see and hear from David on the practical, hard-working, real world applications of these trucks. Also always glad to see how TFL helps David keep those yaks happy.

So glad to see David on this, along with the update on his rock crawler project. Andre and David work very well together also. Good job guys.

I had both a 99 and 03 Dodge Cummins Rams with automatic. Both 2500. Both stock bought new. I could get 25 mpg with the 99 and 23 mpg with the 03 with the 305 HP. Loved them both. Wish I had kept the 03. No stupid converter or DEF to worry about either.

Love that David’s completely unbiased, you get more accurate reviews.

This comparison would have been better with the 6.0 vs the 24 valve 5.9, the 24-valve is 1 generation ahead of the 7.3. a 12v would have made more sense to me personally.

I love the old trucks but with a young family and going on long trips these trucks are ridiculously uncomfortable. These two definitely produce the best videos on the channel hands down. Great video guys!

When trucks where strictly for business. Love it.

Awesome video! Brings me back to the days where I used to read about the diesel shoot outs in Diesel Power magazine. 10 out fo 10. Great job.

I loved seeing David's thoughts and seeing both trucks being worked. The 7.3 sounded amazing and they both pulled like dreams! I'm also with David on owning a 2wd dually for regularly towing!

That has to be one of the classiest trucks on the road today 👌🏻

A stock 5.9 doesn't even need a pyro, especially the 03-04. They have much thicker piston crowns, and are so timing limited in stock form they can run all day. Just my experience with two 3rd gens, my 05 runs way way hotter than my 04 does. I have also had to rebuild my 05 from broken rings, my 04 hasn't skipped a beat. Good video for the newbies that are looking for an older truck. Address that stock fuel filter on the common rail 5.9 and replace the injectors and they are awesome trucks. I love the v8 but man I get heartburn just looking under the hood of a 6.4 powerstroke or a duramax.

David is always a great addition, they're both nice trucks!. Love that David’s completely unbiased, you get more accurate reviews..

David is always a great addition, they're both nice trucks!

A 12 valve Cummins vs a 7.3 could be called the Rattle Battle Edit: fixed spelling

I drive a 1997 OBS F-350 XLT 4x4 Crew Cab with the 7.3. Mine when I bought it was tuned for towing rather than racing. The previous owner added bigger injectors, Turbo, Cold Air kit, and 5 inch exhaust. Its equipped with Ranch hand front and Rear bumpers with heavy duty running boards. I also have an electric brake controller and Reese hitches front and rear, and a gooseneck 2-5/16 ball in the bed. I have not towed with it yet but just driving down the road, I feel it gets better fuel mileage than most diesels cause it breathes better. I have driven 1997 Blue Bird transit buses with the mechanical 12 valve Cummins engines and they seemed gutless compared to my pickup with the 5 spd manual. I do plan on @500K doing the recommended complete overhaul from Ford, as well as going through my ZF-5 Manual and B&W transfer case. Always wanted one as a teenager in 1997 and I got one now. Dream come true. PS: The whistle of my turbo scares off the moose on the side of the road.

You guys made a great video!! Very fun to watch!! I love both trucks, I have an ideticle 7.3 but I'd be just as happy with the cummins. Keep up the good work!

I love my RAM 2003 3500 Laramie LB HO w/129K. Modded and solid as a rock. I will never part with it after 20 years. Thanks TFL for another great video, coming from a neighbor in the Mile High City 🤙

I love these old standard transmission farm trucks, would love to own either of these!

I really appreciated this episode, I’ve always had Cummins, but have always wondered about the power stroke

Awesome video Andre. Ford for the win!!👍👍

I bought a 2006 2WD Dually for our family travel trailer. They’re not easy to find. It’s lower to the ground, super stable, and steers like a car. Simple front end will last forever with no issues. Has higher payload than 4WD too. Just don’t get it in the mud!

Really loving see the OBS Ford get put through it's pace's. I've always been a Ford man and have always owned Ford trucks, my first truck in high school was an OBS Ford "albeit with a gas engine". I know it wouldn't be easy as these older trucks are getting harder and harder to find with every passing year, but I'd love to see an old school big block showdown. Get an OBS Ford with a 460 a GTM400 with a 454 and I guess the Dodge would have be a V-10 since they quit using the 440 V8 sometime around the late 1970's. I know it's unlikely to get this test, but one can dream.

Can i just say, since the beginning when andre was brought on to TFL, His English has improved Substantially, and his knowledge of the auto world as well. Fantastic progress andre, keep it up!

Literally bought a 97’ 7.3 last week and put an exhaust and hydra tuner on it two days ago. It’s insane how much power it unlocked

That 7.3 is a childhood dream truck. Great video

Nice comparison of two interesting trucks. Fun and insightful to watch. Thank you. My trucks have always been gassers, and with one exception V-8s. But the most I tow is my 7,000 lb. travel trailer. My diesel experience has been with my John Deere tractor. Bullet proof in the 16 years I have owned it and very strong. Satisfying to do work with it and all that low end torque.

Thank you for strapping down your bales. Here in Texas I see so many hauling bales and no strapping at all. I haul hay, my friends and neighbors haul hay and we, mostly, agre that it takes one accident and the regulators will be all over us.

Cool video! TFL is the best automotive content with excellent practical videos. I totally understand why people love these simple old diesels. That said, I’m always glad I chose an old 460 truck. Just works better for my use case, which is not long distance towing. Keep these videos coming!

The perfect truck is a Fummins- an OBS F-350 with a 5.9L Cummins & NV6500 swapped in. The Cummins is a 1 million mile engine I the Dodge/Ram 300,000 mile body

I could watch video's like this all day guys. Thank you

So glad you are doing reviews on older equipment, this is very important considering that new trucks are so expensive ("Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous of truck buyers"" ought to be the newxt RU-vid channel to create, otherwise, the vids on new trucks won't really matter until five or more years from now when we we will actually consider purchasing a currently priced vehicle today. More reviews on old trucks until the dealers get a life!

I have the 7.3 powerstroke and the 6.7 Cummins. The 7.3 has very impressive power for its age. Sometimes I think it even pulls just as good. Great video 😅

That construction company trying to get someone killed. The flag guy needs to be visible from further away. He's standing not far from the work going on.

Good seeing older trucks at work. Well they will pull way more than that. We put about 20k behind ours when hauling hay. Keep turbo spooled and up the hills they go. 7.3 is happy at 2500 rpm. Manual trans is the only way to go when towing. Yes they make good autos. But most of the time we hardly had trailer brakes working properly. We use gears to slow the loads down with. Most of the time the only thing that will go wrong is the clutch and it will normally tell you when it gets close to failing. Auto can leave you walking. And no def fluid junk to shut you down. Crazy government doesn't use it in military vehicles but everyone else has too.

As a flatbed truck driver, I am very happy to see proper securement used on those hay bales. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've seen pickups hauling trailers full of hay bales with only a front and rear strap, or in some cases, only chocking the bales in place.

The 97 F350 crew cab 4x4 long bed 7.3 power-stroke with manual transmission is my dream truck.

I worked for a roofer in high school and he had a 1995 7.3 f350. We could hear him coming 5 minutes before we saw him. Those trucks have such a distinctive sound.

I like that f250, but I'd still take the Cummins.

I picked up my 1st Cummins a year ago! 04 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4, she is a good running truck!

Having a 4x2 truck doesn't seem that odd if your main focus is towing. You get more towing capacity and the dual wheel arrangement is great for stability.

Old 7.3 was a great engine for the time, had one in a F250 roofing truck it never broke! Are newer Duramax will obviously tow way more weight but it's not as fun to drive as the old Ford.

This is my favorite vehicle ever. I have wanted one ever since my grandma pulled in the driveway with her new work truck back in 2000 and it was a 97 f250 power stroke in white. I have loved it ever since I was 5 years old. It made my week when you guys released the first video of this truck!!

I had that exact 03 ram 3500 2wd quad cab 6spd but in a SRW setup. My favorite truck ever.

I always learne something when David's on the videos.😊

I have a 02 F250 7.3l I have loved these models ever since they were first put into production. I am right around 250k it pulls like a king even with running an automatic and 35 12.50/18’s. Keep up the content fella’s!

as a fellow Canadian we like your video and comments. very helpful in my decision to buy a new 3500.

Keep this type of content coming. These are trucks that common folks can afford.

I'm with David on the Cummings easier to work on and cheaper if there a dually. Powerstroke has a good sound though.

The 7.3 performed better at higher rpms due to the intercooler great video!!

We need this guy in more videos! Great to hear an unbiased opinion!

Hey guys, big fan of your channel and OBS fords. I think I would speak for a lot of enthusiasts of these trucks and would like to see how it does offroad on some serious trails. I have one myself and want to make and overlander out of it and it would be nice to see some comprehensive testing done on it and see it's limits and potential. Thanks and cheers!

As a 14 yr. Dodge tech the 2007 5.9 Cummins with the 48RE was the epitome of Cummins power/ reliability in a Dodge. With a mild chip an 07’ Cummins Auto could swing 28mpg and that trans would hold up for 300K miles easy. Wasn’t the smoothest shifting trans but they had that old school 4spd down to a science.

I like the superduty 7.3 it seems to be a more modern truck and the build quality is better

When it comes down to it 7.3 is one of the best built diesel ever designed. They are super reliable when doing regular maintenance and not dogging the hell out of it. They arent really known to make big power, aftermarket set of injectors and a chip and tuner they are pretty decent. Cummins are really good trucks as well! But its just something about the OBS 7.3 that gets me everytime. I got a 95 f250 7.3 and fixing to pick up another 97 f250 7.3

enjoy the video as a heavy duty mechanic, and loving my 7.3! want to comment on EGT's 1200F is the warning mark, but not a big deal if its only a couple min. pulling a hill loaded, have had mine at 1350F gong through the mountains, no issues

It’s crazy how much engines have changed in (what seems like ) a short time. My little Ford V6 ecoboost has way home horsepower, and even more torque!

I would love to see an “early modern” diesel truck series. The 06 5.9, 6.0, and 6.6 used as working trucks. I think this was a great era of truck for everyone.

Personally I think that in most circumstances the slower revving motor is the best in towing heavy loads. It offers better fuel economy and the feeling of a safer engine function. Many thanx guys.-

8 years ago I bought my son the same truck just a regular cab 1997 1 owner 7.3 4×4 Florida truck brilliant truck 328,000 Going strong, both of these are great 👍

Both are nice trucks & I'd take either one of these over a new diesel truck, but with that said I'd take the Ford all day long over the Dodge.

Had an 06 duramax, once hauled 37 large square bales on a 30 foot tri-axle gooseneck. Actually handled it well

Great video guys! What a good comparison between these two classic trucks. Nothing against the Cummins but I prefer the 7.3 OBS Ferd only because I have owned 3 of them and never had any major problems or issues with the motors (other than a valve cover wiring harness on my 97'). Also the exhaust note is awesome especially with a 3" downpipe, a cat delete, and a nice high flowing muffler.

I can appreciate a Powerstroke and a Duramax. I am a little partial to Cummins though. I have a 2015 Ram 3500 diesel with the manual transmission. The gear shifts are close together, so I only use 2nd, 4th and 6th when unloaded. I have accidentally started in fourth before and the thing barely struggled to get started. 😅 Unloaded of course. Edited to add, after he mentioned the low value of his Ram at the end of the video I know what he means. Mine is equipped the same way as his truck and with only 77k miles in really good condition, blue book is only $39k the last time I looked.

they both work good run for miles. i remember dave having couple chevys.

Good video Guys 👏👏... Have a good day everyone ✌️

I bought the 2004 SRW 4WD version of the Dodge with the NV5600 in 2009. When I was test driving trucks I also drove a lot of 7.3s with the ZF6. I also noticed the same thing about the clutch being almost all the way up before engaged. The clutch was the one deciding factor to go with the Ram.

I have a 96 dodge 3500 Cummins Dually, 5spd. It runs perfect. My dad was original owner and I have all the paperwork back to original window sticker. I love that truck. . I used to run a 96 7.3 powerstroke wrecker. I loved that truck. Neither were as nice and comfortable as my work truck which is a 2020 6.7 Cummins Ram 4x4 3500 Dually. That’s just because of technology and refinement. My other favorite truck was my 02 Silverado 1500HD with the 6.0 gas engine. Only ever replaced fuel pump, alternator,, driveshaft carrier bearing, and vehicle speed sensor. It was horrible on gas, but it was very comfortable, made it through all 4 of my kids learning to drive, and paid for itself many times over. Each of these were great trucks, but my 2020 Ram is the best out of all of them, simply because of technology and refinement like I said.

I daily an '02 5.9 HO, and while its not neaely as fancy or as eye popping as the modern trucks it gets the job done, and its super, super, super reliable. The one thing ill say about the older 5 9 vs the 7.3 is that stock for stock, the 5.9 is no match. Both are phenomenal trucks with great motors, but when you start building the motors those 7.3s can get meeeeeeaaaaaan.

Cool video! I’m pretty sure Ford went to a 6 speed manual in 1999 behind the 7.3 when they went to the Super Duty body style. Would’ve been a little more apples to apples, but entertaining nonetheless.

i love the sound of my 7.3 and people always be looking when my turbo spools... my 02 is rusty af too but sounds amazing

Both are AWESOME pickups, the larger tires on the ford will make it work a bit harder, Hauling loaded trailers is a real world test of trucks, add a 6% or 7% incline and you will separate the men from the boys. I have an older 1997, 12 valve Cummings with some minor upgrades. It is a beast and has never left me wanting more. Yes, different trucks for different purposes, my daily driver is a 1500 Chevy, perfect for what I use it for, the Dodge in my towing Truck. Great video, Thank you!!!

26yr old Ford has over 400k miles on it. Just had a turbo replaced. Then take a newer truck a duelie against a single axle Ford. Still more impressed with the Ford.

Man I hauled a lot of feed with 7.3 & IDI back in high school working at feed store. The IDI was soooo slow the 7.3 Stroke was an awesome motor upgraded from the IDI.

Colorado native, my 99 7.3 f250 pulls 10k all over the rockies. Love the 7.3s!

I would love to see your opinion on the 93 f250 7.3 idi with stock ATS turbo. I've had one for 13 years and I love it. I have never been able to find another one though. They were only made for 6 months.

The 7.3 powerstoke is known more for it's wolf vs cheetah ability. It will run and run and run and just keep running. That truck isn't afraid to pull anything you put behind it.

I am a 16 year old teen, I love the 1990 ford f-250 and up and I would absolutely love to own one of these monsters

Cool video, appreciate the more mature approach to comparing two legendary trucks/engines. Although, I think it would have been more apples to apples to compare that Ford to a 12v cummins with a single rear axle, both from the same era and much closer in power specs. I think the results and comments would mostly be the same, but the difference just not quite as noticeable. Also it would be clear that for both trucks in the same era, one would quickly appreciate what Ford did with the rest of the truck aside from the engine, compared to the Dodge. Ford was well ahead of Dodge at the time when it came to the durability of the body, suspension, interior, etc.

Just bought a f350 96, 7.3 4x4, I'm okay without that next GEN stuff. No emissions being pre99 diesel. I love the sound of the motor.

16:32 I just realized the 555lb ft rating of the 5.0 Cummins is probably symbolic of the 03 H.O. Cummins. The horsepower is nearly the same too (310 vs 305)

I still have a stock '96 F250 with the 7.3 liter turbo diesel! Love my old truck!

I’ve never seen anyone strap hay down, or use an aluminum trailer. I’ll be darn! 👍

What I find most interstellar is that for all the generations and displacements Ford’s PS has gone through, a 7.3 sounds like a 6.0 sounds like a 6.4 sounds like a 6.7. More or less noise from peripheral items, but the primary running sounds are the same.

So I have a 1990 f250 with a 7.3na. I replaced the auto with a zf5. Which was a better direction but still not enough. I wanted the low gear ratio for the towing but super high for cruising. So I put a 5 speed out of a 1969 chevy c60 in backwards. I made it so reverse and first were not available. ( due to them being 700% overdrive) so I now have 20 forward gears in my pickup. I can cruise at 80mph in 4th in the front and 3rd in the rear 1600rpms. So far a few thousand miles later and still working well. Still tows the same as before but I gained the fuel economy while empty. And it is really fun to drive

My 97 had a factory turbo on it, after the catalytic converter fell off, cough cough that turbo went wild plus I had it chipped 65 over. Not only did it gain power but empty on the highway I could get, sometimes, close to 21 mpg on the interstate at 70 mph. I greatly miss it.

I love the look (and sound) of that Ford, but I am a little biased. I have a ‘92 F-350 7.3L IDI. That Ram sounded (and looked) hood towing that load too, though!

I’ve never had an issue with the duraslack all my buddies wives drive them!