Ford F350 6.7 Towing

[Rick and Mindy]

I spent some time on this forum several months ago discussing preferences for tow vehicles. Finally after searching for weeks I found a brand new Ford F350 Crew cab single rear wheel long bed. It is a 2011 that had never been sold and with great reservation (I'm not a Ford lover)I made the purchase. I recently made our first long trip with the 31sl in tow. We went round trip from Louisiana to Minnesota and back. Let me tell you, this Ford Super Duty has made a believer of me. Prior to this vehicle I towed with a Dodge 2500 with the Cummins 5.9. I drove anywhere from 280 to 480 miles per day and I just set the cruise on 60 and let the truck do it's thing. The first two days I drove all day in 100 - 102 degree temps. The 6.7 diesel with the 6 speed automatic transmission performed flawlessly. This truck is so quiet and shifts so quietly that you don't even realize you are in a truck pulling 14,000 lbs down the highway. I have been thinking of having disc brakes installed on my RW 31sl but the integrated exhaust brake has almost changed my mind. The exhaust brake kicks in when the brake is depressed and will slow this thing down fast. The built in hill holder kept the truck and trailer at a complete standstill on a steep incline stop until I pressed the accelerator. With only 6,000 miles on this truck I managed to average around 12 mpg traveling 60 mph. I'm hoping that the mileage will increase after the engine really gets broken in. Never did I wonder if this truck was out of it's league. I know this may sound like I have stock in Ford and I'm being paid for a commercial but trust me, out of all the big three heavy duties, Ford was my last choice!! Now I may be forced to swallow my pride and admit "Ford Rules"!

[johnboytoo]

You are not alone...

the engine and tranny (and well the Platinum package) have not disappointed me at all

and with stock suspension my rear end only sags about 2 inches or so with the heavy 38gk on the back...

As Piperguy said, maybe its the extra length of the gk that distributes more of the weight to the trailer than the rear axle of my tow vehicle...

But each of the big 3 have something to offer now that works.... after all, they've been studying each other for decades

And on edit,
have you discovered the gear display and have you tried putting it into manual mode and leaving it into sixth gear?
I do that 90% of the time when I can get away with it so there's less drama when going up and down small grades... it allows the turbo to pull you over without downshifting, then upshifting, etc....



Edited by: johnboytoo

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by johnboytoo

You are not alone...

the engine and tranny (and well the Platinum package) have not disappointed me at all

and with stock suspension my rear end only sags about 2 inches or so with the heavy 38gk on the back...

As Piperguy said, maybe its the extra length of the gk that distributes more of the weight to the trailer than the rear axle of my tow vehicle...

But each of the big 3 have something to offer now that works.... after all, they've been studying each other for decades

And on edit,
have you discovered the gear display and have you tried putting it into manual mode and leaving it into sixth gear?
I do that 90% of the time when I can get away with it so there's less drama when going up and down small grades... it allows the turbo to pull you over without downshifting, then upshifting, etc....

Are you referring to taking it out of tow/haul mode? I have not done that but I have a friend with the old 7.3 and he says he pulls in overdrive all the time.

[atom ant]

Wow, a NOS 2011. That is quite a find!

That 7.3 doesn't have near the transmission you have (Torqueshift). He has to do what he has to do, and he'll still have to rebuild it every once in a while.

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by atom ant

Wow, a NOS 2011.Â* That is quite a find!
Â*
That 7.3 doesn't have near the transmission you have (Torqueshift).Â* He has to do what he has to do, and he'll still have to rebuild it every once in a while.

It was quite a find. I was searching all over the United States and this one finally showed up 150 miles from my house. The price was right and the trade they gave me was great too!! They said they purchased it from another dealer and the man that was going to buy it ended up not liking the color so it was placed in the back of the dealership and then another dealer bought the dealership and started bringing in additional vehicles. Months went by before they discovered they still had the pickup. Enough said, it's mine now!!

[johnboytoo]

This is my 2nd 6.7 = had a 2012 250 that I liked, but LOVE the 13 350
fyi - I rarely use tow haul - this drive train doesn't need it 90% of the time, even with my heavy 38gk !

Glad to help - even though the dogs beat the Tiga's, I'm still in a good mood...

glad to talk over what we've discovered on ours -
send me a pm with your cell and can help the learning curve on these nice trucks...

or you can go to ford-trucks.com, they have a 6.7 specific forum that I've been going to for years - some very knowledgeable people there too: http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum205/




Edited by: johnboytoo

[Blenhardt]

[/QUOTE]Are you referring to taking it out of tow/haul mode? I have not done that but I have a friend with the old 7.3 and he says he pulls in overdrive all the time. [/QUOTE]

I thinks he is talking about the small rocker button up on the shifter lever toward the dash that allows you to hold a gear if you wish. I use it some and like to see what gear I'm in.

[almcc]

Rick, we also have a 2011 and we love it.

A couple of suggestions that you may want to look at.

If the 2011 is an early build, they had slightly lower HP and torque, Ford provided a re-flash to the computer to bring the HP up to 400 to Beat the competition. I would assume that the re-flash was done by your dealer but you may want to ask.

The early 2011's also had an issue with harsh shifting, partially cured with a re-flash and in the worst case cured with a replacement of some tranny components.

The final issue that our truck exhibits is a bit of a shudder from a start with the trailer connected. It is a driveline issue that hasn't been fully solved by Ford. It doesn't worry me and I'm loath to have the dealer rip the driveline apart as "the cure may be worse than the disease". It may be a DRW only issue.

[Buddy]

I have the 2012 F450 Lariat and I am well satisfied as well. I only drive 55 MPH and don't know it is back there. Also got 12.5 MPG with it in the towing mode.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Blenhardt

I thinks he is talking about the small rocker button up on the shifter lever toward the dash that allows you to hold a gear if you wish. I use it some and like to see what gear I'm in.

No, 7.3 wasn't that fancy. It was they typical button in the end of the transmission shifter that let you take it out of overdrive. These were 3 sp autos with OD.Edited by: atom ant

[Blenhardt]

My mistake. I had meant to quote the following.

"have you discovered the gear display and have you tried putting it into manual mode and leaving it into sixth gear?
I do that 90% of the time when I can get away with it so there's less drama when going up and down small grades... it allows the turbo to pull you over without downshifting, then upshifting, etc...."

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Blenhardt

My mistake. I had meant to quote the following.

"have you discovered the gear display and have you tried putting it into manual mode and leaving it into sixth gear?
I do that 90% of the time when I can get away with it so there's less drama when going up and down small grades... it allows the turbo to pull you over without downshifting, then upshifting, etc...."

Oh man - I'm sorry. Now that I see what you were saying I was way off base!

I

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by almcc

Rick, we also have a 2011 and we love it.

A couple of suggestions that you may want to look at.

If the 2011 is an early build, they had slightly lower HP and torque, Ford provided a re-flash to the computer to bring the HP up to 400 to Beat the competition. I would assume that the re-flash was done by your dealer but you may want to ask.

The early 2011's also had an issue with harsh shifting, partially cured with a re-flash and in the worst case cured with a replacement of some tranny components.

The final issue that our truck exhibits is a bit of a shudder from a start with the trailer connected. It is a driveline issue that hasn't been fully solved by Ford. It doesn't worry me and I'm loath to have the dealer rip the driveline apart as "the cure may be worse than the disease". It may be a DRW only issue.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will have to check that out. I have noticed occasionally a hard shift but it is only when the truck is cold. I have the single rear wheel long bed and I also notice some shudder from a start but like you, I don't think it's worth noting at this point.

[rayrussel]

The Ford F series Super Duty is an amazing machine. After 35 years as a commercial contractor I have seen nothing to compare to it. I was so impressed with my 2011 F250 I traded for a 2013 F350. Will pull my 38GK
up a 2%-3% grade and gain speed doing it. All with the comforts of a luxury car.

[Dan]

Originally Posted by rayrussel

The Ford F series Super Duty is an amazing machine. After 35 years as a commercial contractor I have seen nothing to compare to it. I was so impressed with my 2011 F250 I traded for a 2013 F350. Will pull my 38GK
up a 2%-3% grade and gain speed doing it. All with the comforts of a luxury car.

Wish we had 2%-3% grades around here all I have seen around here are 8%-12%

[Oriana]

Dan - having spent a couple of weeks in the Interior this past summer, I can vouch for that.

[sinder]

Rick a hard shift earlier on could be the transmission going through its self learning mode. This is especially true when you first start towing after hook up and also when you unhook and drive just the truck for the first several miles at 40-45 mph.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Rick and Mindy

Thanks for the suggestions. I will have to check that out. I have noticed occasionally a hard shift but it is only when the truck is cold. I have the single rear wheel long bed and I also notice some shudder from a start but like you, I don't think it's worth noting at this point.

I had the shutter in my 2006 SRW, and this 2008 DRW. Kind of annoying. I don't remember it in my 2000 SRW.

[rayrussel]

Roads seem steeper than they are. A 3%-4% grade is pretty steep and is the max engineers try to maintain. You will find some 7% grades around the Rockies but they are rare and difficult to handle. I'll leave towing a 25,000lb. rig up a 10%-12% slope up to you guys.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by rayrussel

Roads seem steeper than they are. A 3%-4% grade is pretty steep and is the max engineers try to maintain. You will find some 7% grades around the Rockies but they are rare and difficult to handle. I'll leave towing a 25,000lb. rig up a 10%-12% slope up to you guys.

The last leg of I-70 into Denver is 7% (they lie ) and it goes for miles and miles. I grew up here, but it still stresses me a little when towing.

After a great week we were coming back to Denver and it was raining extremely hard, I couldn't see the lanes, and at night with the flashing signs I felt like we were on a ride in a spook house:

"TRUCKERS - YOU ARE NOT DOWN YET - 11 MORE MILES OF 7% GRADES - USE LOW GEAR"

"RUNAWAY TRUCK RAMP 1/2 MILE AHEAD"

"SPEED LIMIT 45 - VEHICLES OVER 26,000 LBS" (we are 26,350 lbs)

"RUNAWAY TRUCK RAMP 1/4 MILE AHEAD - KEEP RIGHT LANE CLEAR"

"ROAD CONSTRUCTION 5000 FEET - BE PREPARED TO STOP"

"FOR FLASH FLOOD - CLIMB UP"

"MERGING TRAFFIC"

"DEER CROSSING"

At the last sign, my DW looked at me with white knuckles on the dashboard and said "that deer can just forget it!" Edited by: atom ant