I need to tow a 32' trailer which weights 8500 lbs dry and will probably be 10,000 lbs full.

I have a F250 HD with 460, 4.11 rear and C-6 tranny. It is like a base F350. It's a great towing vehicle but I want to trade it for a 3/4 ton truck (e.q. F250 non-HD). It is not really suitable for daily driving with the big block and such low rear. It doesn't like highway speeds. I want a small block V8 engine, like Chevy 350 or Ford 5.8/5.4L.

Additionally, I want the 3.73 rear instead of 4.11. And 8-ft bed, extended cab for long wheelbase and tranny cooler. In my frugal price range, I am looking at late 80's or early 90's vehicles.

I have some questions about this setup:

Is it safe to occasionally tow up to a 10,000 lbs trailer a few thousand miles per year and most of that in a mountainous region? I don't really care about towing performance, I don't mind going slow, like 55 MPH. But I don't want to reduce the life of the drivetrain and run into overheating problems. If this setup will cause problems, I would rather keep the F250HD.

Also, I want the 4-speed tranny with over-drive. Most of the time, 90-95%, I will be driving on the highway, not towing and I want to drive at normal highway speed of 65MPH without hitting high RPMs. I want to get 15-16 MPG at that speed. Can a small block V8 (from any make, not just Ford) with 3.73 rear and overdrive accomplish this?

 

If you are towing 10000 lbs you probably better stick with the big block. Sounds to me like you really could use a diesel. It would give you the drivability you want and better towing performance at high elevations. I drive and tow with a 95 F250 351w. I wouldn't think it would last very long towing 5 tons in the mountains. Just MHO

 

Yeah a trailer weighing about 10,000 is a handful for even a 460 with 4.10 gears in the mountains. I tow a trailer that can get upto 10,000 with my 94 F250 with 460 E4OD 4.10 super cab 4x4. 90% of the time the 460 loafs along. But in heavy mountains and a full load it can bog down to between 20 and 30mph at high rpm in 2nd or 3rd. Acceleration in this condition is the pits.

So if you really are in mountains alot the big block may serve you better. A small block is OK for light loads and occasional towing but will strain itself under heavy use.

The light duty trucks also usually don't have the weight ratings to handle a 10,000 trailer safely.

Somewhere on this website is a towing rating page, check it out before you buy a truck that may be to light weight or unsafe for what you want to do.

Besides, I hear the smaller engine trucks don't do all that much better than the big blocks. Weight and drivetrain drag is more our enemy than engine size.

Good luck,

Jim Henderson

 

Carpe Diem
We tow a 28+ ft. tt with a slideout with a 2000 F-150 p/u with a 5.4, 3.55 RA, air bags in the rear, extended cab, short bed. The TT weighs about 7,000 to 7500 lb, depending on how things are loaded. We have always scaled our rigs. Our truck and TT come together at 12,900 lb. (13k is gcwr) with 25 -30 gal. of h2o in the tanks. Thus we usually only carry about 5 gal. when traveling long distances.

The worst mileage we have gotten is 9.6 in the hills in WV. I am sure out West it might get a little worse. Our high is 12.2 or so.

True, we don't go much over 55 mph and gearing down in the hills is not really a problem. We figure if we are in a bigger hurry, we take the sedan or minivan; or travel by air.

Scaling the rig is very important to know what you are really towing.

We like our p/u and I really don't want another one for 2 or 3 years, until I get to retirement.

Enjoy,

Frank

 

I confused GVWR with dry weight. The travel trailer is 8300 GVWR, not dry weight as I thought. The dry weight is 6500 lbs. But I will have to tow it at full GVWR. Does this change anything? It still looks like the 460 is a better choice because I am at 83% of its capacity.

460+4.11 rear + C-6 tranny is rated for 10,000 lbs
351W + 4.11 rear + C-6 tranny is rated for 8500 lbs.

Does that mean I could use F250 HD with the smaller 351W engine? In that case, what kind of MPG am looking at? In such a big truck, I suspect I could only gain 2-3 MPG.

 

I would stay with what you have. Unless you want to get a diesel. If necessary you could purchase a second truck and keep yours as a tow vehicle only. I dont think you could get a whole lot selling it.

Rand

 

I agree with Rand, the setup you have with the 460 is probably better. Mpg with the 351 would be dismal.

Froggy

 

I appreciate the reality check....

It looks like it is indeed the best choice, second only to a F250 HD PSD.

Let me ask, could I get better MPG at highway speeds with Gear Vendors Overdrive? They claim a 22% reduction in RPMs, so at 65 I would go from 3100 to 2400 RPMs. Is it possible at all to get 14-15MPG out of it?

 

You can buy a *****load of gas for how much that unit is..
how fast would it repay it self if indeed you got 3mpg better?

I still think your best bet is to get a ranger or maybe a f150 mid 90's and keep that for a tow only vehicle. I love my ranger with the 4.0. you just have to remember when you are actually towing with the load on the engine if you run low rpms it will eat MORE gas on hills and such.

Rand