Wife and I are looking at moving up to a 5TH wheel approx. 12-12.5K lbs loaded with about 2400 lb pin weight. Current setup is 11K lbs between trailer, golf cart, and camping supplies with approx 2500 lbs weight on rear axle. Truck does great. Helper spring doesn't even touch both bumpers. In the next year I can either put a good amount of money in current truck or upgrade to a new F-350(Haven't decided on gas or diesel yet). Really don't want another truck payment unless current truck will be on the edge of being over taxed. Truck only has 169K miles and I would like to keep driving it. Any advise towing this amount of weight is appreciated. Thanks

 

I don't see any negative issue with the small step up in weight, in fact moving off the back of the truck to over the axle will make an amazing positive difference in how nice it tows. I haul a 22 foot goose neck horse trailer with up to 8 horses for my back country hunts(well over 12k lbs with trailer, horses, gear), no issue towing over the mountains of MT at all.

 

Thanks onelionhunter. I'm looking forward to possibly finally being able to put some money in my truck after owning it for almost 10 years! I know our trucks are only rated for towing 12.5K and payload of 2K lbs but I know they can do more.

 

All things considered, if your truck is in good shape, running well, and not needing any major repairs, stay with it. The loads and setup you mentioned should not be a problem.

 

I would keep your current truck and do a few mods.

However, if you must sell, keep me in mind as I am only a couple of hours away. If you buy new, 6.7L Powerstroke all day long. They are super nice as in WOW!

I have a DRW and it pulls 16k all day long up and down these hills west of you with the mods in my sig and never complains.

 

12k isn't too much for a 7.3 by any means. What's the air resistance like on the new trailer? I've put many, many miles on the 7.3 and recently got a 6.7. I just about cry every time I stop at a gas station and figure out how pathetic my fuel mileage is. 12k pulling against the wind you won't see any double digit mileage unless you find a very long downhill stretch with the 6.7.

 

chris
is that comparison with the same TT when you talk about lower MPG with 6.7 vs 7.3.. how much you talking if you dont mind sharing..

 

My father pulls his 36ft 5ver over 13K lbs with a 2002 ext cab 7.3 with 220,000+ miles that is mildly tuned, open element intake and straight piped. It has a beefier torque converter and better transmission cooler. No worries here and he has had it in the mountains here on the east coast a bit. I know it's nothing like you guys have out west but there are a few pulls around here at 7% for a decent amount of time.

 

Thanks for all the input so far. I figured my truck would handle that amount of weight fine. Nice to have supporting evidence though. New '17 Super Duty's sure are nice though. I've driven an F-250 6.7 CCSB 4x4 XL, I was very impressed. At over 50K for an XL thats a lot of dough! We could afford the payment, but with owning a truck that does the job already and is paid for it becomes a WANT and not a NEED. And with 2 little girls(5 and 1YO) I don't like the idea of getting a large truck payment. Other problem is I enjoy my truck too much! Damn You 7.3!!!!!!!

 

I'm just pulling flat beds that are a bit more aerodynamic. A 16' bumper pull with 8,000 lbs for 85 miles got me around 11.5 mpg. Load was shorter than the standard 16' trailer side rails so no wind resistance at all. A 25' goosneck double stacked with hay drops me below 10. A 25' flatbed gooseneck that's empty gets me around 12 or a hair over. These are both tandem singles in the relatively flat lands of Texas. If we had mountains here, I wouldn't be that shocked if the MPG's started reading a negative number.

I do the same kind of driving either empty or with a trailer now that I always have. I always fill up when it gets to 1/4 tank. I'm going 100 - 150 miles less on 3/4 of a tank now with the 6.7 than I used to with the 7.3. That's technology for you.

 

guess all them "new" ponies ford is touting need more "feed" to to feel good.. 100 to 150 less miles is quite a bunch of miles for sure.. is the tank same size on 6.7 like the 7.3.. my 03 CC with regular bed is 28ish.. did hutch and get 31 if i pack it.

 

Yes, both 38 gallon tanks.

 

For my truck, I would install air bags and traction bars. That last part may sound silly to some, but I have learned first-hand that traction bars make a huge difference in handling on the 7.3L era Superduty.

As with anybody looking for engine performance for towing - air, air, and more air.

 

I pulled a 12.5k lb toyhauler all over the country (up to 30k miles per year) with my tuned, stock Excursion (BTS trans and modded suspension). No complaints.

Prior to that, I pulled a 5ver that weighed about the same with my 6spd dually that had stage 1 injectors (175/0's) and 38R (eventually T4/S366). More power and lower EGT's resulted from upgrades.

So yes, your truck is capable. 167k well cared for miles is nothing for a 7.3, but you can expect higher maintenance than a brand new truck. Things like brake parts, ball joints, axle seals, hub bearings, water pump, belt tensioner, engine sensors, etc can need attention. Some of these things give some advance notice or do not require immediate attention (i.e., ball joints). Other things can be monitored and maintained with PM (brakes, caliper slide pins, etc). But, some things can leave you on the side of the road while you're on vacation (water pump, belt tensioner, etc).

My choice is to keep my 7.3 alive (~420k miles now). Of course I'm stubborn and I don't mind fixing my junk on the side of the road if necessary - some folks here know the extent of that....).

i think you can mitigate your chances of a breakdown with extensive PM before a road trip and rely on aaa/SAMs club/etc in the event of a worst case scenario.

 

I pulled 80,0000 pounds with my 01 250 in 4 low with 340,000 miles