I am new to this truck (97 F350 Dually 7.3L, 5 Speed 4.10 gear) and we intend to drag our 12,000 lb 5th wheel around the US. So here are my questions:

1. I will be towing through the plains of Nebraska in the summer, is daytime heat going to be an issue with the engine?

2. I will also be pulling through the mountains of Colorado up to around 11,000' as we go through some of the mountain passes, how big of an issue will this be?

3. The truck is pure stock. I have no gauges other then what Ford installed in the truck and the chip is stock so I'm looking to see what I should do to the truck so that I don't screw up a perfectly good engine, thoughts?

We are retired so going out and spending thousands of dollars to have pretty doo-dads and gee-haws installed is not on the agenda, just want to be careful and spend what little money we have wisely.

Thanks,
Kent

 

Just make sure the truck is in perfect running condition.

If the coolant system is up to par you won't have a heating issue
The coolant system on these trucks are way over done.

If it was mine I'd would open up the exhaust and put a 6637 intake.
You can get a good exhaust system and intake done for 500 if you can install it your self.

 

What Mike said. I would also invest in some sort of engine parameter monitoring, as in gauges or an Edge Insight (not a programmer). That way you can watch your trans temps, engine oil temps, exhaust gas temps, and things like that that are affected by towing heavy weight. Don't expect the stick truck to fly up mountain passes doing 65 mph. For longevity sake, open the exhaust, open the intake, make sure you have an aftermarket downpipe off the turbo so it can breathe and then go from there. Keep your oil changed as it helps the injector life. Most of us do every 5k. Other trucks can go longer and do the whole extended OCI thing, but these motors like clean oil. Like Mike said, make sure the cooling system is up to par and that your thermostat is working like it should. If you can do it yourself, buy SCA charged coolant made for semi-trucks to prevent cavitation. Flush your cooling system and start fresh, that way you know what you have. These are all basic mods, mild upgrades, and proper maintenance that shouldn't break the bank and you only have to do some of them one time.

Welcome to the forum and get to know these guys! You'll be glad you did!

 

You got some good advice here, #1 is the 6637 air filter and 3" down pipe. This alone helps a lot. Keep reading and you will pick up good points along the way. Small things that you can do that will not break the bank but help a lot in your pulling the 5er. Don't worry about the heat in NE, its pretty flat and like said, our cooling systems are good. At 11,000 feet with a stock truck you will be crawling along but it will do the job. I've been pulling a 5er around the country for ten years now, just do the maintenance so you will not be on the side of the road, been there, done that.