5th wheel towing-Ford F250 PSD 7.3

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5th wheel towing-Ford F250 PSD 7.3

Home > Discussion Forum > Mechanic's Corner - Engines

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All Messages in Thread	Author	Date
5th wheel towing-Ford F250 PSD 7.3	diane	9-16-07
I have a 2000 Ford F250 diesel 7.3 engine. I am looking at 5th wheels and worry that I won't be able to tow it up a hill. I know my truck which is a 2000 F250 PSD 7.3 is rated to tow 10K, so an 9000 lb. 5th wheel trailer should be well under the limit. I have stock engine with the exception of an AFE intake and Gibson exhaust and currenly have trouble towing a 5000 lb. trailer up hills. I'm wondering if a programmer will make much difference. Can anyone tell me if this will make a big difference in towing performance? What other mods can I do to get it to haul up hills with no problem? Also, I wonder if the suspension will be sufficient for the weight of a 5th wheel. Also, is this pushing the limit for my truck? thanks for the advice.
Re: 5th wheel towing-Ford F250 PSD 7.3	wrench	9-21-07
You should not have problem to tow 15K, but you have to be aware that pulling 9K + the weight of the truck(7K)with all the stuff you need,(water, fuel, husband, kid, toys,food) you will be in the 20K range & that impact the performance of a truck & it need to be taken easy& not cross country. The differential ratio should be 4.10, if you got under that(3.55-3.73) that will make hard to pull up hill. Even with 5K trailer, don't expect to up hill like with 500LBS in the bed. Now you can crank up the power, but you need to able to watch temp & know how to handle that. You may need different tires. You should consult some one who KNOW about towing trailer preferably a mechanic, not a truck salesman. wrench
Re: 5th wheel towing-Ford F250 PSD 7.3	Mark O.	10-3-07
You don't mention which transmission you have. You also do not mention if your F-350 is a dually or a SRW. If your truck has an automatic transmission, IMHO you need to get another truck. The F* light truck automatic transmissions are PIA POS transmissions. They are basically identical to the transmissions used in Crown Vic's, F-150's, and the Aerostar vans. When the E4OD and later transmissions are used in heavy duty applications they cook themselves. You can install shift kits and monster coolers but the reality is the transmissions are just too small for the application. If the transmissions don't cook themselves, the diesel engine will knock the stuffing out of them just from the torque and the rattle of the diesel combustion process. It isn't a question of if the transmissions are going to fail but when they are going to fail and how far your truck will need to be towed when they do. The reverse clutch pack was "improved" in the newer versions. The "improvement" was a smaller clutch pack which is why it is not recommended to try and back up uphill. If your truck does not have dual rear wheels then IMHO you need to get another truck. You are going to need the extra stability dual rear wheels will give you. I have had three F's with the 7.3L engine. Over a period of 300K miles I had replaced six transmissions and all three had dead transmissions when I got rid of them. I also didn't think the brakes were adequate for 12K+ lbs--front brake pads lasted less than 10K miles. Some sort of auxillary braking system should be serioiusly considered if you are going to be hauling in excess of 5K lbs. You can pump up the 7.3L quite a bit. You can pump it up high enough that you would never slow down for any hill. But going down the other side could be just a little bit scary if you kept to the same speed. Again, just my two cents worth from a person who is not a fan of F** products. Mark O. Castle Rock, WA
Re: 5th wheel towing-Ford F250 PSD 7.3	BILL	4-10-08
I OWN A 2000 F250 7.3 DIESEL AND TOW A 38 FT 5TH WHEEL THAT WEIGHS 14,000 LBS AND HAVE HAD NO ISSUES WITH THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION OR POWER. IN MY OPINION IF MARK HAS HAD TO REPLACE HIS TRANSMISSION THAT MANY TIMES HE BEST LOOK AT WHAT HE IS DOING WRONG, NOT THE TRUCK. I HAVE 82,000 MILES ON MY 2000 F250 AND VIRTUALLY ALL OF IT HAS BEEN TOWING. IF YOU ARE HAVING POWER ISSUES THE MOST COMMON CAUSE IS A DIRTY AIR OR FUEL FILTER. 7 PERCENT GRADES BARELY SLOW MY TRUCK DOWN WITH MY TRAILER BEHIND ME. AS FOR THE TRANSMISSION JUST SHIFT IT OUT O/D ON HILLS AND YOU WONT HAVE ANT PROBLEMS.
Re: 5th wheel towing-Ford F250 PSD 7.3	joe	5-14-08
1997 f350 7.3 TD slams into gears, I have to antiscipate the shift and then back off throttle, OD light flashes constantly. Any ideas out there?
Re: 5th wheel towing-Ford F250 PSD 7.3	BILL	4-11-08
I OWN A 2000 F250 7.3 DIESEL AND TOW A 38 FT 5TH WHEEL THAT WEIGHS 14,000 LBS AND HAVE HAD NO ISSUES WITH THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION OR POWER. IN MY OPINION IF MARK HAS HAD TO REPLACE HIS TRANSMISSION THAT MANY TIMES HE BEST LOOK AT WHAT HE IS DOING WRONG, NOT THE TRUCK. I HAVE 82,000 MILES ON MY 2000 F250 AND VIRTUALLY ALL OF IT HAS BEEN TOWING. IF YOU ARE HAVING POWER ISSUES THE MOST COMMON CAUSE IS A DIRTY AIR OR FUEL FILTER. 7 PERCENT GRADES BARELY SLOW MY TRUCK DOWN WITH MY TRAILER BEHIND ME. AS FOR THE TRANSMISSION JUST SHIFT IT OUT O/D ON HILLS AND YOU WONT HAVE ANT PROBLEMS.
Re: 5th wheel towing-Ford F250 PSD 7.3	Dave	6-9-08
I have a 05 PSD, 6.0, I tow a 9000# 5th wheel. No problems towing up hill at all. Just use the tow/haul button and she cruises like its not even there.