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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 |
RV and bus conversion info since 1996.
email Mark O.
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