This is a bitter sweet “Old vs New” comparison video. The main point of this episode is to see how a brand new Ford F-550 4×4 chassis cab compare to a 1976 Ford F-600 4WD flat bed truck. It is also my final goodbye to the old F-600 that is now named “Clifford” – the big red Ford. I sold this old truck to my friend Dan, and he immediately started to upgrade it and make it way cooler. Dan is taking it back to Georgia with him.
The new truck is a 2025 Ford F-550 XL 4×4 chassis cab with is equipped with a 6.7L Power Stroke turbo-diesel V8 engine and a 10-speed heavy-duty automatic transmission. This truck’s rear axle is a 4.30-to-1. Ford brought back the F-600 4×4 chassis cab several years ago. However, these trucks are difficult to find. The higher the number (F-550 or F-600 or …) – the higher the total combined weight rating of the truck.
The new Ford Super Duty can cruise on the highway all day at any speed limit. I drove it at 75 mph on the interstate to get to David’s ranch. The cabin is comfy and the wireless Apple Car Play was playing my favorite automotive podcast.
The old 1976 F-600 4WD is powered by a 361 cu-in gasoline V8 that is backed up by a Clark-5 speed manual transmission. The four-wheel-drive system transfer case and the heavy axles were originally supplied by Rockwell. This truck’s rear axle ration is 6.83-to-1. This truck’s top cruising speed was barely 50 MPH. Dan swapped out the wheels and tires to make the F-600 about four inches taller. The larger tires gave it an ability to drive at just over 65 MPH on the highway. This is when the truck is revving at 3,500 rpm in its top gear. The red line of this gasoline V8 engine is close to 4,000 rpm.
What do you think about this 50 years of commercial truck progress? Please join Dan, David, and I in the video below. Dan and I drove about 2.5 hours to buy this F-600’s original PTO front winch. This F-600 used to work at Mount Bachelor in Oregon. This truck is now retired and his golden years will be spent in Georgia and surrounding areas.
