Meet 80-year-old Mr. Freeland, the owner of a 2000 Ford F-350 DRW 7.3L Power Stroke Diesel with 1.3 million miles!

Freeland and his million-mile F-350 7.3L Power Stroke. Photo: T. Esterdahl.

Mr. Freeland from Texas bought the F-350 dually brand new and uses it for hot shot driving. Of course, using the pickup truck for the business of delivering goods will soon rack up the miles.

What’s even more fascinating about this truck, is that it still has the original engine, frame, rear-end, gears (manual transmission), and suspension.

What is the secret to keeping the F-350 Ford 7.3L Power Stroke Last?

There is no secret really. Mr. Freeland has maintained the truck (to a T). When a part needs replacing, it gets replaced and he gets quality parts fitted, like factory Ford parts. When it needs maintenance, it gets it.

In the video below, Tim Esterdahl from Pickup Truck and SUV talk asks about which parts on the truck he has gone through.

“Starters, alternators, clutches, batteries and [I] even wore the steering box out” chuckles Freeland.

He goes on to say, “I always try to keep Ford products, you know…I use Ford Motorcraft for the oil and the filters and the air filters. I always keep a little in the kitty for ol’ Henry [Henry Ford].

As far as tires go, he says Michelin tires are the best. He says they are a little pricey, but they work and explains that when you are running a hot shot, you can’t break down. The client doesn’t care what tires you have on the vehicle, they just want their part/delivery as soon as possible.

Being a manual transmission and doing lots of highway driving means less wear and tear on the brakes. Freeland says he gets about 120,000-130,000 miles out of a set of brakes.

Injectors. Everybody freaks out at replacing injectors (because of the cost), and Freeland wasn’t too excited about the cost either but says the didn’t even need replacing until nearly a million miles. Which is crazy. He does say though, that he uses additives such as fuel additives and oil additives.

It doesn’t snow (much?) in Texas, so with no salt on the roads, the bodywork on Freeland’s Ford F-350 is impeccable given the mileage. Although he did mention that he travels out of state too, but the majority of climatic conditions the truck has been in, shows.

So there you go, that’s how you make a Ford 7.3L Power Stroke Last!

Do you have a vehicle that has high miles or a good story to tell? Send us a message or comment below.

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