Ford F-250: History, Generations & Specs

Key facts

Generations at a glance

Where the F-250 sits in the F-Series

The Ford F-250 is the three-quarter-ton member of the F-Series, rated for higher payloads than the half-ton trucks and built with heavier axles, brakes, frame, and springs. For most of its history the F-250 shared its cab and front sheet metal with the lighter F-Series, so a 1970s or 1980s F-250 looks much like the F-100 or F-150 of the same year but carries a stouter chassis underneath. The F-150 nameplate launched for 1975 between the F-100 and the F-250. The major break came for the 1999 model year, when Ford split the F-250 and F-350 onto the all-new Super Duty platform, with their own body, frame, and chassis. From 1999 on, the F-250 is engineered separately from the F-150, which is why a Super Duty F-250 is not simply a larger F-150.

The diesel engines, from IDI to Power Stroke

Diesel power defines the modern Ford F-250. The first diesel was the 6.9L IDI (indirect injection) V8, built by International Harvester and offered in the F-250 from the 1983 model year. It grew to the 7.3L IDI for 1988, gained a factory turbocharger as the 7.3L IDI Turbo for 1993, and was replaced mid-1994 by the 7.3L Power Stroke, a direct-injection turbodiesel also built by International/Navistar. The Power Stroke name continued on the 1999 Super Duty, where the 7.3L served until the 6.0L Power Stroke replaced it during the 2003 model year. The 6.4L Power Stroke, a twin-turbo design, arrived for 2008 and was the last International/Navistar diesel in the truck. For 2011 Ford introduced its own in-house 6.7L Power Stroke V8, nicknamed the "Scorpion," which has been upgraded repeatedly and, in 2023 High-Output form, reaches 500 horsepower and 1,200 lb-ft of torque.

The gas engines, from inline-sixes to Godzilla

Before diesel, the Ford F-250 ran Ford's gas truck engines. Early three-quarter-ton trucks used the 240 and 300 inline-sixes and FE big-blocks (360 and 390), with the 302 small-block added for 1969. The 1970s and 1980s brought the 351 Windsor, the 351M and 400, and the 460 (7.5L) big-block. The 300-cubic-inch (4.9L) inline-six remained a durable base engine into the 1990s. The 1999 Super Duty launched with the 5.4L Triton SOHC V8 and the 6.8L Triton SOHC V10. For 2011 the 6.2L "Boss" gas V8 replaced both. The 7.3L "Godzilla" pushrod gas V8 arrived for 2020, and for 2023 a new 6.8L gas V8 became the base engine, derived from the 7.3 Godzilla.

How the front suspension changed

The four-wheel-drive Ford F-250 used a solid front axle through the 1979 Dentside trucks. For the 1980 Bullnose redesign Ford fitted Twin-Traction Beam (TTB) independent front suspension to the four-wheel-drive F-250, using a Dana 44HD on lighter trucks and a Dana 50 on the heavy-duty F-250, an arrangement that continued through the 1987-1997 trucks. The solid front axle returned with the 1999 Super Duty, which uses a solid Dana front axle on its four-wheel-drive trucks (leaf-sprung through 2004, coil-sprung from 2005). This is a key difference from the F-150, whose four-wheel-drive trucks use independent front suspension; the F-250 Super Duty's solid front axle is part of what makes it a heavy-duty truck.

Transmissions of the Ford F-250

Early Ford F-250 trucks used three-speed and four-speed manuals (the NP435 granny-low four-speed) and the C6 three-speed automatic. The OBS trucks added ZF five-speed manuals and the E4OD four-speed automatic for the diesel and big-block. The 1999 Super Duty offered a ZF six-speed manual and the 4R100 four-speed automatic, then the 5R110W TorqShift five-speed automatic, which arrived for 2003 on the diesel and spread to the gas engines for 2005. The 6R140 TorqShift six-speed automatic arrived for 2011, and the 10R140 TorqShift ten-speed automatic arrived for 2020 with the diesel and the 7.3 Godzilla gas V8.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the Ford F-250 and the F-150?

The Ford F-250 is the three-quarter-ton F-Series pickup, rated for higher payloads than the half-ton F-150 and built with heavier axles, brakes, frame, and springs. Through 1997 the two shared cabs and sheet metal. For 1999 the F-250 moved to the separate heavy-duty Super Duty platform, engineered apart from the F-150, with its own body and frame and a solid front axle on four-wheel-drive trucks rather than the F-150's independent front suspension.

When did the Ford F-250 become a Super Duty?

The Ford F-250 became part of the Super Duty line for the 1999 model year, when Ford split the F-250 and F-350 onto an all-new heavy-duty platform with its own body, frame, and chassis. Before 1999 the F-250 shared its body with the lighter F-Series; from 1999 on it is engineered separately as a Super Duty.

What diesel engines has the Ford F-250 used?

The Ford F-250 diesel began with the 6.9L IDI V8 in 1983, followed by the 7.3L IDI (1988), the 7.3L IDI Turbo (1993), and the 7.3L Power Stroke (from mid-1994). The Super Duty era used the 7.3L, then the 6.0L Power Stroke (from mid-2003), the 6.4L Power Stroke twin-turbo (2008), and Ford's in-house 6.7L Power Stroke (from 2011).

Does the Ford F-250 have a solid front axle?

The four-wheel-drive Ford F-250 Super Duty, from 1999 to the present, uses a solid front axle. Earlier four-wheel-drive F-250 trucks varied: the 1967-1979 trucks used a solid front axle, but the 1980-1997 trucks used Twin-Traction Beam independent front suspension. The solid front axle is one of the heavy-duty traits that separates the Super Duty F-250 from the independently sprung F-150.

What gas engines does the current Ford F-250 use?

The current Ford F-250 Super Duty (2023 and later) uses a 6.8L gas V8 as the base engine and the 7.3L "Godzilla" gas V8 as the larger gas option, alongside the 6.7L Power Stroke diesel and the 6.7L High-Output Power Stroke. Earlier Super Duty trucks used the 5.4 Triton V8 and 6.8 Triton V10 (1999-2010) and the 6.2 Boss V8 (2011-2022).

Sources

• Ford factory specification sheets and shop manuals for the F-250 and F-250 Super Duty
• Wikipedia, Ford F-Series and Ford Super Duty
• Ford Power Stroke engine references (6.9/7.3 IDI, 7.3/6.0/6.4/6.7 Power Stroke)
• Ford-Trucks.com and DieselHub generation and engine histories
• VIN and data-plate decoding for engine and axle identification