You need to check the towing chart at this link, page 16:
http://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/...s/2004_All.pdf

Depending on your gear ratio you may be over at 9,000 pounds, and even if you have 4.10 gears you are very close. There is a big difference between 7,000 and 9,000 pounds. Having 4x4 or a bigger truck further decreases your tow capacity. Remember that the tow capacity is what is left over after all gear, people, fuel, etc. are in the truck subtracted from GCWR. So realistically most can't get the max number listed anyway.

At 7,000 you would probably be okay. At 9,000 I wouldn't recommend it. You will get high revs like those on the thread are talking about but that isn't necessarily bad. Your gas mileage will be bad though, and I would worry about your braking capacity not being enough to stop it if you really needed to in a hurry.

Safer all around to try and stay 15-20% below your top rated capacity. Also note that in subsequent years the ratings go higher, as does GCWR. So if you are looking at a truck just google "FXXX (250 or whatever) YEAR towing capacity" and you should get a PDF similar to the 2004 one I linked above that will give you a lot of information.

Good luck and be safe out there!

 

I've read this thread from the start and I haven't seen anyone address the biggest problems these motors has had. How many spark plugs have been puked pulling these loads? It may have been only a problem with the 1st few years. But I would hate to be pulling a 10K trailer up a 10% grade and have that happen!

 

If a plug is going to launch it will launch it has nothing to do with pulling a load or not. The reason no one has addressed it in this thread is because it isn't a issue..

 

1) Trailer's have brakes. It's required by law in Texas for trailers over 7000# actually.
2) The braking capacity of an F250 is the same as an F350 of a comparable year. The braking capacity for a hydroboost diesel is roughly identical to a vac-boosted gasser. F350 duallies don't get special brakes.
3) Any SD ever made can tow a 9000# trailer fine. Even a 5.4 with 3.73s

 

What years/engines were blowing plugs? My '03 2v has regular looking plugs, and I can't see why they would ever blow out. Was it the '05 and later 3v engines that had this issue due to the 3-piece plug design?

 

The biggest factor in a plug being ejected is wrongly torqueing the plugs when changing them. I believe in 2002 they doubled the amount of threads in the head making ejecting a plug a little less likely. I haven't heard of a 3 valve losing one. The 3 valvers problem is getting the plugs out not keeping them in...

 

I'm not an engineer by any standards. But under the load of pulling an 8000# trailer up some of the hills in East TN, I would say if a plug will eject, it would be then. I had the 5.4 in a previously owned Excursion (wish I still had that) pretty reved up pulling a 3000# trailer. It was a 2002 and in the years we had it, it never had a plug issue. I did replace them before it was sold and I don't remember having the issues with that I've heard some have. I did use anti-seize so maybe the factory did as well on mine.

 

I've got 99 250 with the v10. The first owner had a blow out, which I found when I did a tune up recently. The problem was torque related. The head plugs will fail at over 100lbs of torque. Nobody torques plugs to that extent but they chose to torque them to 11-13-20 etc ft. lbs why?? I talked to Ric over at www.blownoutsparkplug.com and he said to torque them down to 32 ft. lbs on clean seats, which I did. After I found 3 of the 5 plugs finger tight on the drivers side I am going to be more diligent in checking the torque on the plugs.

 

i have only had my 2008 f250 super duty 4x4,5.4triton,81,000 miles, for about 6 months,i have a rockwood 24' travel trailer that weighs about 4800 pounds,it was great until i hit the mountains of va. around mt.pilot heading towards galax ,it geared down and the rpm's tacked at @4800 and i thought the pistons where going to fly out of the block,honestly i was a little worried,i pulled it before on the same highway with my 2007 ram 1500 megacab hemi,"that i swapped for the 250"and never had an issue,just wondering is this normal?and also,is it normal for that annoying tick sound coming from the right bank near the firewall?had a ford tech say it was but from the dealership from which i bought it,also had the rear left brake caliper lockup last week,since i drive it 5 hours a couple times a month from nc to va i decided to change out the calipers,brakes and turn the rotors on the rear,dont get me wrong,i love this truck,its in exc.cond and had been well taken care of and i plan the same,all comments are welcomeand have changed my plugs and the only problem i have heard of is with them sticking and breaking off while trying to remove them,and that is with the plugs with the smooth extension on them past the threads that get carbon buildup and seize up,so if any resistance is felt during removal spray carb cleaner around them,a lot,and let them set for awhille and try again,be sure to coat the new ones with anti seize compound on the threads and the shaft

 

1st: extra .3 liters. And the hemi is a horsepower hog.
2nd: 4X4 detracts some from the towing capacity (unless diesel).
3rd: I'm sure there's something else I'm missing.

 

I live in sw va and I have pulled those same hills as well as the ones on 26(Sams and Buckner gaps) with trailers ranging in weight from 6,500 to over 10,000 lbs and with the heavier weights my tach stays at around 4,200 rpm to maintain 55-60 mph. 500 miles roundtrip and 10 minutes of it is spent above 4,000 rpm and the rest is cruising between 2,000-2,500 rpm. It won't hurt your engine a bit to turn those rpms.

 

thanks,does yours have that ticking sound,i dont hear it when cold,only when warmed up and sitting at idle

 

Every time I cranked my 5.4 everybody standing beside it told me I needed to check my oil. It had to be low. I don't know about the 4.6, but every 5.4 makes a pretty loud rattle when starting. Never did after that.

 

I've had it since 2003 and never heard a ticking sound.

 

Had a ticking sound in mine when warm at idle and Ford replaced the cam-phaser.