I'm a lawn maintenance owner pulling a trailer that weighs 3500 lbs loaded and between 500-1000lbs of grass in the back of the truck by the end of the day. I'll stop at 15-20 houses in town and travel between 20-40 miles a day. Would a 7.3 or 6.0 be ok for this type of driving?

 

for reliability I would go 7.3...

 

Either would be ok, the 7.3 stock but the 6.0 would need the EGR deleted at the least. It would be best if you could arrange your route to get at least two longer runs in the course of the day, one in the middle to make sure the batteries get charged and another at the end of the day. A run of 8-10 miles will get the oil warm and drive the moisture out preventing problems down the road.

 

I would also say that if the lawn doesn't take to long to mow/trim maybe leave the truck idle....

 

I would NOT go with the 6oh.

When you shut down and restart the 6oh, you are putting SO much amperage draw on the batteries each time, and then it is not being ran long enough to get them recharged and healthy again. This is crucial for the health of the charging system.

Wet stacking will occur as well.

 

What is wet stacking?

 

When the fuel doesn't burn completely due to the low heat.

This can effect the EGR system.

Now the 6oh's, do have an additional gear that makes the idling higher after sitting at idle for a little while. But this is only if you do not touch the gas or brake pedal at all.

The high idle mod is one way to ensure no wet stacking occurs, but I still don't know how effectiveness of this mod, as I have not installed and I won't.

I should mention that wet stacking is still a debatable topic (for some) for the 6oh's, but I have drank the Koolaid on it, and I believe it can and does occur.

- Preston

 

I was wondering why my truck went into high idle, now I know, thanks.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wet_stacking


hope this helps

 

Just so you know, there are two different idle's

Stock factory one, which up the RPM's about another 200 RPM.

Aftermarket High Idle mod which is engaged when you engage the parking brake.

 

Mine is stock.

 

Unless you idle alot, don't get up to operating temps, or do short trips then I wouldn't worry about it.

That's why I won't invest in it. I do 500 miles a week and they are trips that get my truck up to operating temps.

Is this thread getting hijacked?!?! LOL!!!

 

For short trips and lots of stop/start cycles per day, either get a 7.3L, or a V10 gas, if your preference is limited to Ford Super Duties.