after reading several posts of towing complaints on the 5.4 i just have to say my 5.4 tows my 8,000 lb. camper pretty good up hills.its nice to gain speed and not lose.i just took the advice of others on here and let the rpm's up high.so this is a guy who is happy with the 5.4.

by the way.thanks for all the help guys.

 

Glad to hear you're trucks working out good. I really find it hard to believe that people would think that the 5.4 can't handle towing, if you remember the 80s and late 70s Most trucks didn't break 255 hp with all the emission BS, and yet they still towed all my equipment and material to job sites. My favorite story I tell everyone is my brother has a tundra with the 5.7 fast truck, but when it comes time to move his horse trailer Guess who's truck gets used ;-), its like I tell people getting weight to start moving is not a big deal trying to stop it or control it that's the big concern . Take care

 

Good to hear this. I've had pretty good experiences towing our camper (~6,600 lbs) around PA including all the 9% and 10% grades of western PA. I believe the 4:10 rear gears in mine really help the 5.4 in my truck. I grew up on a farm driving trucks and tractors powered by both gas and diesel engines. Each have a place in hard working equipment. I learned that knowing how to drive them means a lot in how well they perform.

I'm very pleased with my truck and how well it fits my current needs.

 

Nice....now you can expect the V-10 and PSD crowd to deny you can do it.

 

I have towed with a 5.4 and they will do most lighter loads just fine.

 

on my '08 F250 4WD CC 5.4/3.73 last month in an almost cross county (WA state to TN and back).

I pulled a 7,000 pound+ enclosed trailer (aero drag as well) with close to 2K pounds in the cab/bed. I ran 5 mph over the speed limit (including 80 mph in the west) everywhere - I just set the cruise and let her rev. The CC only kicked off on one or two steep grades and I never went below 60 mph. Most often I slowed for curves before I lost power. I also have to give the transmission (and chassis/brakes) kudos - I never felt I was anywhere near my limits, it's just a wonderful towing platform.

I didn't win any fuel economy awards, worst was around 8 mpg or so, my average was probably around 9.5 mpg, but she gave her all without a hiccup.

Most contractors & realtors around here run 5.4's because they're cheap to run, reliable, and use regular gas. My contractor has two, one has over 300k miles, and one has almost 250k miles. My realtor has an Expedition with over 270k miles. They all said they have had no issues and say they run great.

Enjoy the much maligned (usually by non-5.4 owners) 5.4!!

 

I'm glad to hear some people are happy with the 5.4. Personally I thought it was a gutless turd. The handling aspect of the truck was superb, just thought it would provide more oomph. Maybe I just expected too much. th_huh.gif?t=1287202670

I was only towing a 7500# travel trailer which is well under the "rated" capacity. The truck was bone stock with a 3.73 rear end and 17 inch tires.

 

I love my 5.4 it does great! I have the 4.10 gearing its does pretty good. Also lately I've been getting absolutly crazy gas mileage!!!! Like 17-18 mpg maybe more! I drove for a week and a half without a trip to the pump. Another thing about this motor is it rarely gives trouble 142,000 awesome miles!

 

again can't say enough about the under rated 5.4...i moved back to school with a 5000# trailer 1000# in the the bed and 3 passengers through the Berkshires of Western Mass and had zero trouble moving the load got to love letting the engine roar at 4500 rpm and a flow master exhaust...week later pulled a 6000# concrete trailer at 70

 

Had had an 07 5.4l till about a year ago and I really liked the truck. I knew that I was going to be towing a much heavier load, and needed the extra capacity so I traded into a PSD. You will not hear any complaints about the 5.4l from me. It proved itself to be a pretty good hitter with most everything that I needed. Out of 5 stars, the 5.4l gets 4 where the V10 and PSD get 4.5 stars......

 

A perfect example of why people tell you that the 5.4 can't handle heavy loads "I have towed with a 5.4 and they will do most lighter loads just fine" bill11012 how do you consider 10,600 GVW A light load ? I'm really not trying to start a fight with you I just want to know what you're hauling 16,000 GVW fifth wheel. Then I would even consider anything less than a diesel, if I were going to pull 12 GVW every day it would be a diesel no questions at all. It's going to be really curious in a few years since the 6.8 L are no longer an option F250 or 350s how people will be arguing about the 6.2 versus the 6.7 diesel. I wish you could've seen my 1981 GMC 2500 with a 305 the trailer loaded to the roof with ceramics and hardwood flooring Well over 8,000 pounds on a truck that was never meant to haul more than 6500 pounds LOL. I honestly never understood why Ford offered a 10 cylinder if you need that much serious hauling power you need a diesel fuel savings alone Diesel would be the way to go take care.


PS please don't turn this into a 10 cylinder versus PSD argument you may convince other people with your BS. I've made a life of hauling equipment and materials to job sites, Gasoline engine will never have the power of a compression ignition engine or the effective braking effect When you're trying to stop that weight and as far as longevity goes a well maintain diesel will outlast the body it's sitting in. I grew up on a farm, and before I could ride a bike I drove a tractor :-) . I laugh when I hear people tell me the maintenance on the diesel is hard, drain the water checked the fuel filter regularly and keep up on your oil changes.

 

No complaints here with the 5.4 though when I bought my van for a dropped-floor wheelchair conversion, I wanted the V-10.
I pull a 7-8 thousand lbs TT over the passes in Calif w/ no problem.

Thanks, pk

 

Yes, I think anything over 10,000 the V10 is a much better choice, but the 5.4 can still do it just fine. I have hit 27,000 lbs GCVW before, do you really want to do that with a 5.4?

I don't want to get into more V10 vs PSD stuff in threads other than that one, but no, I would not get a diesel to tow 12,000 lbs every day. Ford offers the V10 in trucks up to the F750, it can take more then 12K.

They offerd it becuase there are people ( like me) that want the pulling power of the PSD with the maintance cost and reliablilty of the 5.4.
It does just that.

 

I have had my 99 F250 5.4 for a month or so now. It was very gutless to start with but I have since put a K&N full intake and magnaflow exhaust. Not a kit but the exhaust shop made it to fit. It has a lot better power after that stuff but I have a Edge programmer, headers and a high flow y pipe on the way and am expecting a huge difference. The headers should add a lot of low end which is what it needs right now. I will keep you updated on how everything works together.

 

Well I see I spark some interest, LOL bill. You make some very valid points and as I stated to other people the 6.8 is a great motor Had the chance to drive one for two weeks before I bought this truck, I'm simply trying to stay that on this site People are always putting the 5.4 down for lack of power. If you're old enough to remember the 70s and 80s, which I made my living through and still to this day Thank God, most trucks didn't break 240 hp, and nobody complained about lack of power. I just think it's the world today that we are all caught up in a numbers game. When people are requesting real-world feelings of how the truck hauls and drives. It's very susceptible to opinion I'm just giving my opinion as a nearly every day, hauling contributor can give, and I've owned a lot of different trucks Over 42 years , And guess what they all got the work done. So usually I get aggravated when I see someone asking if a 5.4 will haul their camper or boat to the lake, and someone automatically says you need a 10 cylinder or a diesel didn't mean to imply that you personally made an attack I apologize. I was just trying to see what you're hauling That's all and I'm still curious why you think a diesel would not be reliable? Take care