New to this great site!!

I've been shopping (and following this site) for about a year now and finally came across a deal I couldn't pass up. Found an 03, F350 4x4, Lariat, CC, SRW with 15000 miles on the internet for $27,999. I go to the dealer to check out the truck and it is like new! After a test ride I get the paperwork going...salesman comes back with a list price of $35,999. I show them the add for $27k, they freak out because it was a mis-print which they are obligated to honor, and I get the truck for a great price...! My question relates to towing. The truck has a 3.73 rear and a 4" suspension lift with 315/75R-16 tires. According to the Ford towing chart I should be able to tow a 10,200lb fifth wheel... Will the lift and/or tires affect that at all? What can I realistically expect to be able to tow without tearing up the trani? (The wife and I are currently looking at a 32 ft 5th wheel that weighs in at about 8000lbs) Thanks in advance for any advice!

Chris

 

The 4" and taller tires add more torque disadvantage to the 3.73:1 rear end. In stock trim it would have pulled a 5er @ 8K-9K pounds with little problem. However, I suspect you will not like the lack of climb power and the horrid fuel mileage that your proposed trailer truck combo will provide.

Take some of the savings you realized on the deal and get a competent shop to drop 4.30 or 4.56:1 gears in her.

 

Maxbm , I went to a tire site and your tires are 34.6 " . that is tall and Fred is right on as usual. The other option you might have is dropping the truck and going back to stock tire size. That would be low or no cost as you might be able to trade with someone who wants to raise their truck. I love the look of a raised truck but with a fifthwheel it is not as practical. I have had to raise my previous 5th wheels just to work with stock 4X4s in the past. Remember you want a full 6 " between the bed rail and the bottom of the fiver and you want the fifth wheel level or slightly high on the front for good towing. Level is best for livability while travelling. Sounds like you got yourself a sweet truck. wellcome to the site and I hope you enjoy your new ride, Wrench.

 

Thanks for the replys. Any guess as to how much a new set of gears will run? Would it be better to have it done by a Ford shop or will any mechanic do? Anyone interested in raising their truck...?


Chris

 

Or, you could swap in some 4.56 gears and go for a travel trailer, that way you could have it all. Most the TT manufacturers are making a fiver style travel trailer, ie; front bedroom-big bath floorplan. Not everyone wants to lose their bedspace to tow a trailer. But with 3.73 gears and those larger diameter tires you've gone to a 3.30-ish gear ratio, which I'd bet cuts your tow rating in half plus you're going to tear up your tranny, your carrier bearings and u-joints. New gears should be $500 to $600 installed per end. Go to a dedicated rear end shop, there's alot of good ones around, good luck and welcome to the V-10 forum, Ken

 

maxbm

The replacement ring and pinion plus the install kit are not too expensive it is the labor charge that will give you a mild heart attack especially for two sets on a 4x4.

The better/cheaper alternative is as Wrench suggests.

Here is one other trick that works 100% of the time and gives you best of both worlds.

Find a tire/wheel store that has a set of "Take Offs" that the customer let them keep when they bought new rims and tires. They usually can be had for $50-$75 per corner, and mostly the tires are very low mileage. Even better if you find a set off an 99-04 with 8 lug factory wheel with the smaller 235 series tires. Then you have two sets, one for towing, and a cool set for every day around town show off truck.

 

This is a great idea, I think though that with the 4" lift there won't be enough space to back under a fiver unless he does the old axle flip trick on the TT. And aren't the new F-350's a little higher anyway ? I've seen guys on the rv forums complaining about the height. And finally, 235 tires with a 4" lift, now that's a picture I don't want to see

 

Yea it would look silly but certainly be back in the cruising rpm band.. and I think the 4 inch lift with the smaller tires will come down low enough and then the weight of the pin bring it down to near level. I am not a fan of flip axles as the typical 5er is already pretty top heavy and I would not want to raise the CG much more... I see it done a lot thought and the folks who do it seem to handle it ok.

 

fred did you catch maxbm's sig. usarmy retired.
maxbm rank and what did you do. several of us are military retired here in the v10 area.

 

Thanks again for all of the info! I spent my first four years in an airborne infantry unit in Alaska and the next 16 with 1st Special Forces Group. Had a good 20 years but it was time to move on....

 

I was Arty and Aviation, worked for 160th for a while. Now we get to test new stuff for SOCOM and some of it is truly neat equipment. I appreciate what SOF does and fear them a little...there are some scary guys out there!

Chris thank for your service! Enjoy the BSEG time in the SuperDuty!

Couple of years ago we got to play with the SmartTruck an urban assault Ford F-350 based bad AZZ truck the Tank Automotive Command was prof of concept testing and trying to get SOCOM to fund. Very cool stuff!

Can't find the picture link but here is the open source non-copy righted description:
The light tactical vehicle, a production model Ford F-350, is designed to provide the Army with an electronic platform to test, integrate and showcase cutting-edge technologies entering the market from the automotive industry.

The initiative allows the Army to insert the latest wireless communication, situational awareness and soldier safety technologies into its tactical wheeled vehicles. The objective is to demonstrate these technologies through the integration of commercially available intelligent subsystems using a standard data link.

The truck is capable of disorienting the enemy with its headlights, fending off attackers with electrified door handles, and emitting smoke screens to obscure a pursuer's line of vision, among other things.

http://www.4x44u.com/Features/SmartTruck/

 

Special Forces................I think I better be nice to Maxbm. He sounds like he could kick some serious *** . Thanks for you service to the good old USA. I am a Canadian but I love the States. Take care, Wrenchtraveller.

 

Thanks for the comments and keep those folks deployed overseas in your prayers!

On another note, given the situation with my truck (4" lift, 315 tires and 3.73 rear), if you had to choose between changing the tire size back to stock OR changing the axle ratio to 4.10 or 4.30, which would you do. BTW, we opted for a travel trailer instead of a 5th wheel...

Thanks again

Chris

 

I would have the gear sets changed to 4.30:1 and grin every day about the big honking truck setting my fat butt deep into the seat EVERY day even towing! Grin

 

You have decided to go TT. Check out rvdirect.com for good deals on several brands. Even with TT , I would lower the truck and go stock tire size. Raised trucks with big boots cost you at a minimum of 1 MPG . Well with a V10, that is going to be a min. 10 % extra cost of fuel. I find these trucks plenty tall stock and my wife finds mine hard enough to get into now, so I didn't keep the same girl for 34 years by not listening to her some of the time. So if you factor in a gear change costing way more then going back to stock, paying 10% extra ( and as high as 15% ) for fuel empty and towing, You have to really like the looks of a tall truck to keep her that way, Good luck, Wrench