On Sunday June 3rd we had another Ohio truck meet (past meets 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5). We talked trucks, drug a trailer around and had a blast!

Those that attended were:

2000silverbullet (Matt)
Senix (Scott)
I Eat Hybrids (Matt) and his neighbor Brian
KC8QVO (Steve)
goodmatt2002 (Matt)
Quad Racer (Jason)
And myself

As we have in the past other meets we met up at WalMart. After some hand shacking and bs-ing we headed for my house. It was site to see seven Ford trucks (and a Mazda RX8) roll down the road in a line!



Once there we prepared to tow a 14 foot dump trailer load with gravel that my neighbor Chad was kind enough to load up at his clay and gravel yard.



The trailer had an axle weight of 14,700lbs. I calculated about 1800lbs tongue weight which gave a total trailer weight of 16,500lbs! We hit the usual hill known locally as “Buffalo Hill” for our pulls.




First to volunteer was Scott (Senix) and his 2008 6.4.



FTE Meet June 2012 - senix - YouTube

I was impressed how the 6.4 rip up the first part of the hill. After that it kept the steam going and plowed ahead at a fast clip. He reach the first bend at 30 MPH and reach the top at 47 MPH.


Next up was Jason (Quad Racer) and his 2008 V10. This was the first 3V V10 we had come to a meet so I was excited to see how it would do. I’ll apologize in advance for the audio quality. I didn’t think about the back windows being down and creating so much wind noise.



FTE Meet June 2012 - Quad Racer - YouTube

The 3V V10 did very well. It rounded the bend at 25MPH and ran to the top at 45MPH. That’s 5MPH and 3MPH respectively vs. the 6.4PSD. One thing to note in the video is the transmission temps I don’t believe are accurate. I hooked my ScanGauge up to Jason’s truck but I don’t think I entered the right codes. The temperatures seemed too low.


Following Jason’s pull we had Matt (2000silverbullet) and his 2011 6.2.



FTE Meet June 2012 - 2000silverbullet - YouTube

The 6.2 was extremely impressive! It ran up to the first bend at 35MPH and topped out at 54MPH. That’s 5MPH and 7MPH faster than the 6.4PSD and 10MPH and 9MPH faster than the 3V V10! No doubt the 6 speed auto and 4.30 gears is a great combo and using the manual mode helped Matt hold the gear he wanted and time the up shift at the proper time.


Following Matt’s run we took a break for lunch. I subjected everyone to my grilling and whipped up some burgers and dogs. After wolfing it all down Brian and his 2010 F150 4.6 were up next. When Brian bought his truck he added the integrated trailer brake controller but unfortunately after hooking up the trailer it was not actuating the brakes. After some tinkering around we concluded there was an issue with the controller, wiring or more than likely the PCM needed to be flashed to work with the controller. We were all interested in seeing what the 4.6 could do but we’ll just have to make sure Brian gets his controller working and make it to the next meet.



And just so Brian can say he was hooked and pulled 16K (even it was a few feet testing the trailer brakes) here’s another pic.




After getting Brian unhook Matt (I Eat Hybrids) went next with his 2006 6.0 or as it got to be called the “jet engine”.



FTE Meet June 2012 - I Eat Hybrids - YouTube

With a 10PSI power brake boosted launch, Garrett Power Max turbo whistling out straight pipes Matt hit the first bend at 27MPH and reached the top of the hill at 45MPH. That’s only a few miles an hour slower than Scott and about even with Jason’s V10.

Steve (KC8QVO) had his 6.7 were there but he had his bed full of items and didn’t want to run the risk of flinging it all over. It would have been great to see what it would have done. Also Matt (goodmatt2002) had his Mazda RX8 but for some odd reason he didn’t want to make a pull. I didn’t want to subject my old girl to any more torture after it spent all day Saturday working hard one way or another for me.

At the end of the day everyone had a great time and we all learned something. I want to thank all of those that came and hope they’ll want to come back for the next one.

 

Glad all went well and a good write up. You noticed whether it was a gas or dsl they all made it to the same place with respectable times close to each other. That 6.2 was impressive gears and transmission matching make a world of difference.

 

It was a great time and a great host as well.

I think it is great that you can get one of these trucks be it gas or diesel and it arise to the occasion straight from the factory.

Only caveat that I have is for the long runs. If you tow cross country or everyday at those weights then the Diesel is a must.

With that load these were my readings below. I don't think I would want the 6.2 or V10 to work at those levels for a 2600 mile run.

 

Thanks again for hostin' Mike, had a great time! Food was great too!

I agree with Scott 100%. If you're pullin' that length of distance, the diesel is the way to go. Not that the gasser couldn't do it, but your pockets will be empty and the driver's gonna be worn out. But for the weekend campers, fear not, the gassers can, and will do it.

 

I am impressed with both gas engines. I would agree with Senix, Diesel would make for a more pleasant towing experience if you tow heavy every day.

 

What rear gear does Quad racer have?

 

4.10's I believe.

 

Great write up Mike. I was patiently waiting to see the videos like waiting for my race results a 2 year old. haha The meet was a blast and I will be at future meets. I'll need to get the proper guages so we can better monitor the trucks numbers. I was impressed by evryones truck at some point in the afternoon.

Stopping that load was the scariest part for me. I did break in the Hawk pads and after my run my truck stops better than ever. haha All the trucks pulled very well IMO, but like evreyone else said the diesel trucks are better suited for long haul and frequent use for heavy towing.

Lunch was great, the company was great, the weather was perfect what more could you want? It's nice to know how your truck performs slightly overweight.

And yes I have the 4.10 gears.

 

Nice job as always guys.

 

Man that looks like so much fun, great job guys! Awesome trucks too! I don't know if my 5.4 could handle 16k but it would be cool to at least attend sometime.

 

Always fun watching you guys put your trucks through the ringer.

Scott, I'll agree with on the long hauls with heavy weight like that. I know you've got a rather large 5th wheel. Do you find your numbers similar to those at the meet when towing your trailer?

Silverbullet, regarding emptying your pockets, my parents did a huge trip all through the west, up into western Canada and back to NY towing a travel trailer that is roughly 9000lbs with a 2500HD 6.0 gas at around $5000(I think) in fuel. They were gone for over 2 months. They had to plan for that trip!!

 

I think you were tuned as well? But not sure how much?

 

Couple of factors here that I think help or hurt results.

My towing numbers usually run on the open road aroun 210 for water and 200 for tranny as a rule. Going up a long grade you would expect these numbers but they are not the rule.

Also the RPMs. I will generally run about 1900 @ 65 mph. Much different from this type of run.

I also calulate my total gross at about 24,700 lbs. So that would make me the heavist of the lot too. I may need a diet

 

Awesome videos! I'll have to make sure my trailer brakes are working and come down for the next meet!

 

Your tires are about an inch taller than stock, aren't they? Is your speedometer calibrated for that?