Hello! Rookie on here...2012 F250 Lariat 60k pulling a 40ft Sandpiper 12.7k Dry. Transmission is leaking fluid and technician is saying I am pulling to hard or too heavy. I am not a engine guy so I apologize, but they are telling me I need to add another transmission cooler?


Any thoughts or advice. Relocating from Texas to New York and concerned about the terrain being even more strain on the engine than the heat.

 

You had a bunch of replies the first time you asked this in the other thread. To sum them up, you are in no way towing too heavy for your tranny. Since the transmission is the same whether you have a 250, 350, DRW etc.... your load is no where near it's max capability. Also note that the 250 is identical to a SRW 350. Bottom line is to get a new mechanic, get the leak fixed, and move on. The one you talked to is either incompetent, wants to sell you a tranny cooler you don't need, or both. You never mentioned where the leak is from? Not that it matters but I am curious. Also as suggested in the other thread, do you have the MFD in the center of your dash? If so, put it in gauge mode. I'm betting you never go over 215 on trans temp...

 

Agree. The suggestion the tow is too heavy is silly!

 

I pull the same load with a 2011 and have no leaks (knock on wood)

 

To be fair, he didn't see them when he posted here. He cross posted 4 minutes apart, well before the first user responded to his other post.

Stewart

 

Good point Stewart. However he hasn't been back to either to take said advice. Ah well...

 

Update everyone, thanks for all the input. after pressing the dealer a bit, they said the vent line could have leaked due to over fill. they replaced the torque converter based on something they felt in a test drive. I did feel it getting a little goofy, but didn't think it was major surgery. I opted out of the additional auxiliary cooler and will monitor temps while pulling this week from Houston to Henderson, LA.

 

And karl.... the first post I did not feel would reach the expert audience I thought I might find in this forum. Thanks for the comments everyone. Your input helped me make my decision over all.

 

I'm glad it worked out for you!

 

You are towing much more than the rated capacity of your truck. You should get accurate weights IMO.

How Much Can A Three-quarter Ton Truck Tow Without Exceeding Ratings?

 

He absolutely is not. The 250 is physically identical to the SRW 350 just badged and rated different on paper to fill a different market segment. So, while on paper he MAY be over his ratings, he is in no way actually over them. Look to the SRW 350 for the real ratings of a 250.

 

I recommend you read through the information presented on that site I linked to. They have no reason other than safety to post the information they provide. They treat all three manufacturers the same so no bias. Can the truck pull it yes, should the truck pull it?

Does the f-250 and F-350 share the same gear ratio?

His camper weighs 12.7k empty according to the MFG that uses random sampling of similar trailers. With options, LP gas tanks filled, trailer stocked ,toys in the toy hauler he could be several thousand pounds heavier. I would want a larger capacity truck. In the event of an accident the insurance company may also say the truck was undersized for the load. A truck rating 20% higher than the towed load used to be recommendation from the towing experts.

 

I recommend you look up all the part numbers between the two trucks as I did along with many other informed members of this forum. They are IDENTICAL other than the badging. Yes, the gear ratio is the same between trucks. Tires are the same. Axles are the same. Brakes are the same. Springs are the same. Everything. The 250 is quite simply de-rated to fill a different market segment.

As to the insurance company internet myth, they go by axle ratings only to determine an overweight situation. GVWR means nothing.

 

I have a DRW that is rated to tow a lot more than the op.....same transmission.

 

I did a quick comparison of the two trucks. You are correct in stating they are the same. The only thing I could not verify was the rear springs.

Can you plug your truck and trailer information into the tow calculator and see if you come up with the same results as a F-250?

The 2015s use different gear ratios between the F-250 and F-350 so the numbers are skewed. The calculator is all about the manufacturers rating for the vehicle and if the #s exceed that rating. For my 2001 F-550 the calculator is dead on the tow rating numbers that Ford used. I am curious if that is still the case.

Reading the site the information made sense and I want to continue to refer people to that site if it is accurate.