I took the truck to the dealer and as usual their answer revolves around the check engine light only this time I spoke to one of the techs who basically said not to expect any kind of performance hauling 6000 to 7000 lbs. with high geared 5.4 on a F-250. Evidently Ford sacrificed the very necessary lower gearing on the 5.4 to allow for higway travel. If I were going to be pulling a load for any distance I would concider gearing down to the optional lower gear package but the distance and number of trips per year are minimal. I am going to try a tuner and see if that helps since I really only need a little more umph. (Which I might add the Ford Tech did not advocate)
Evidently this dilema seems to happen over and over. You would think that American Car manufacturers would have learned their lesson after the dog years of the late 70's and 80's.

 

I still think that your truck should do alot better then how you described.

 

That sounds exactly like my truck in OD but if i leave it in 4th it has plenty of guts

 

Yes. Sorry.

 

The 5.4 definitely underperforms compared to the other motors Ford had available. I feel mine struggles with just 5000lbs behind it, heck I think it has trouble moving itself without tipping into the 3500-4000rpm range (I know people say its ok and I do it). The 5.4 in my 05 F150 fell stong, but that truck weighed a lot less. I'm ok with what I have and am really just looking forward to not having any vehicle payments soon or if its worth something, sell it, and then get what I want. Since most of my towing is local on flat roads that probably average 35mph, it is no real issue. I think I went with the 5.4 because I figured it would get better mpg than the V10. Well after finding this site I came to realize that the difference between the two is negligible and the V10 has more power. Oh well. I may change my opinion this coming year as I will hopefully be towing more with heavier loads. For me as long as its doing the job, not destroying the truck, and helping me out I'll be good.

 

That is bull**** there is something wrong with your truck, bring it somewhere else.

 

The tech didn't want you to get a tuner because if you aren't careful you can damage your truck. (ex. Running an aggressive high-octane performance tune but using low-octane gasoline). As far as trailering goes, my trailer weighs in at approx 8000 loaded and my truck tows it with EASE. (2009 F250 5.4L Supercrew 4x4 with the 4.10 gears). I'm not sure exactly what kind of difference we are talking in towing performance with the 3.73 vs. the 4.10 but I wouldn't think it would be THAT bad. (The ford towing specs say the 4.10 is capable of 2000 lbs. of additional payload vs the 3.73)

Here is the Ford Towing guide for the 08/09/10 F250/350 5.4L gasoline engine trucks:



As you can see the maximum rated load is 9700 lbs with the 3.73 in a 4x2 (11,700 lbs with the 4.10 gears). Your 6000-7000 range is well below that so you *SHOULD* have no problem whatsoever.

I think people see a 3/4 ton truck and just immediately think towing power. This thing is not a diesel so it won't pull like one, however, it is MORE than adequate for towing a trailer. It may be a case where your performance expectations are set too high for this vehicle. Wouldn't recommend pulling any heavy duty type trailers bordering on 10,000 lbs. but in the range you are talking (6000-7000) with a proper WDH setup, it should be all good. Even pre-tuner when my truck was bone-stock, I had absolutely no issues towing my 8000 lb camper from Anchorage to Kenai and keeping it at 65 mph (while allowing slow downs to ~50-60 during steep hill climbs). And this is by no means a flat drive (several inclines as you ascend into the mountains).

Actually had a few family friends from Minnesota visiting last summer and had the truck loaded up with 5 full size adults and my trailer fully loaded, plus my truck bed fully loaded with luggage and several fully loaded fish coolers - Made it from Whitter to Kenai @ 65 mph with ease. One of my dad's relatives actually asked if I had a Powerstroke. I just laughed and told him it was a gas truck. (note: this was after my X3 SCT tuner with custom performance tow tune which works FANTASTIC btw.)

I know the 5.4L gets a lot of hate because its the low engine on the totem pole (for the 08-10's) but it's a very respectable engine. Just put that ******* into tow/haul and let the TorqShift do its thing.

 

Sounds like a drive by wire issue or tune issue.I have a 5.4 in my Excursion(7500lbs)
I pull a 4000lb trailer often in the summer with 4 passengers and I can't tell it's back there unlees I'm lugging the engine at 55mph. On that same trip it was getting 12mpg.

 

My 2006 F250 pulls a 40ft Newmar triaxle (20300 lb) all over the country.
5.4 works great only because of my manual trans. I tell the truck what
gear to use, not the truck telling me. I stay in the power band and can
coast down hills. 99% of the time youre not pulling so the gas milage from
the 5.4 is great. approx 12000 mi last year pulling. Added KN, catback,
Firestone air springs and jet programmer. By the way I work all over, not recreation pulling. Ive tried pulling with an Automatic in the past and it don't work for me. Just another opinon.

 

Actually the civic would probably do better.

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!

+1

What exactly is your definition of ease? Headed down a 20% grade with a tailwind?

 

FZ1Dave, I'm sure many people have asked already but how do you like the 6.2? If I upgrade I'm just curious if you are pleased with the perfomance?

 

I would like to thank everyone for all their input.
Yesterday I reprogrammed using a Superchips programmer for a 2008 Ford 5.4L F-250 4WD and right off the bat I have noticed quite a difference. After initiallizing the preset economy (light towing) program which requires 87 octane fuel throttle response seems quicker, the truck seems to shift smoother, and highway mileage has increased about 1.5 MPG. I figure to try the economy setting a few more days and then switch to the preprogrammed heavy tow mode which will require 92 octane fuel. The real testament to the programmers effectiveness going to be lugging around the additional 8000lbs. The Superchips programmer does allow for custom settings but I need to establish a baseline before I start to experiment and the preprogrammed modes are a good place to start. Realizing that most companies overstate their performance results while hiding behind perfect conditions disclaimers I am suddenly optimistic that the additional 32HP and 49Lb ft of torque that Superchips boasts may actually be possible. My first impressions are positive so I hereby award 10 tenative Kudos to Superships.

 

My definition of ease is the ability to maintain (and exceed if i wanted to) the speed limit of 65 mph. If your smart *** ever drove into the mountains from Anchorage to Kenai you would realize that is by no means flat terrain.

I thought the trolls were hibernating during the holidays....

It seems like your intent is just to bash the 5.4L's towing abilities. In my post I actually stated that the 5.4L will not perform as well as a diesel for towing, but for the OP's relatively light towing range, the 5.4L would be more than adequate.

As I said earlier, there seems to be a lot of hate against the 5.4L based on the fact that it pumps out the least power among the three engines offered in the 08-10 Super Duty's. I'm not trying to say that the 5.4L is better in ANY category compared to either of the other two engine configurations, however, it is WELL within the towing specifications for the OP's towing payload.

Don't want to start a war of words, just wanted to make sure you understood what I was trying to convey in my initial post.

 

A 5.4 towing 8k through the mountains at 65 mph is ease? Ever get out of first gear?

After owning one for 3 years and struggling to tow 7500#, I know what an over rated turd it is. I just call it like I see it. My opinion of the 5.4 will never change.

Sure, it's within spec. So was my camper. Ended up meaning nothing.

No war of words here, just opinions based on experience.

 

Let's just say what I thought I was getting with the 5.4, I actually got with the 6.2.

You can certainly say I'm pleased.