Hi
I'm new to FTE, and glad it is available.

I also am a new RV'er. This summer the wife and I bought a 5th wheel and hauler combo. The hauler is a '01 550 7.3L ClassyChassis conversion.
It also has a BullyDog GT with the driving coach. I made the mistake of assuming that "tow mode" on the tuner replaced the Tow/haul mode.
After going through the mountains of WV, I lost the transmission, which was replaced in 03/10. After all that rambling, what is the proper towing using the BullyDog?
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Welome to FTE. I am not familliar with the BullyDog. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on here. Stick around and gain a wealth of info regarding your 7.3 Power Stroke.

 

Welcome! I see you got a F550! Thats the way to do it! It scares me when I see people with a normal truck towing monstrous loads that they cannot control.

The BullyDog is a tuner, and an off the shelf one at that. The "tow mode" will increase power, and adjust your shift points to accommodate the big load. When you refer to "Tow/Haul Mode" are you talking about the button on the shifter? That is not "Tow/Haul mode" it is an Overdrive off button. Similar but not the same. "Tow/Haul" came to the F-Series in 2005 with the TorqShift transmission, and true "Tow/Haul" will change transmission parameters.

To achieve the best performance from your hauler set up, I would recommend a few things:
1) Get yourself a set of good gauges. At the minimum, get an EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature) gauge. You should get a transmission gauge temp gauge too.

Those gauges will let you know if anything is going wrong. I prefer the 3 Gauge Pillar Package from Clay at Riffraff diesel. But if you go with some brands cheaper than ISSPRO you can get a kit cheaper, but I love my ISSPRO, and they are made in the USA.
(Riffraff Diesel: RDP Triple Gauge Kit)

2) Next, I would suggest a new tuner. You dont NEED a tuner, but if youre going to have one get a good one! Sure BullyDog is a good tuner, but it is what we call "off the shelf" meaning it has a generic tune to work with a wide range of trucks. For a good tuner I would recommend DP Tuner (Diesel tuning products for Ford PowerStroke). They are great to work with, and have many years of experience with these trucks. I would give them a call and they can recommend some things for you, or you can order through their website.

The people at DP Tuner and Riffraff Diesel are both active members of this forum, so customer service is second to none.

That total package is a little pricey, but that's the cost of doing things right. Consider it an investment.

Welcome to FTE!

 

Welcome aboard, you will learn so much on here and these guys will help you out any way possible. They saved me so much money from not going to the stealership. Also X2 what Trey said. Also Dan (Kwikkordead) on here has a F550.

 

welcome to FTE. you have found one of the best ford websites on the net. im sure you soon will be able to fill in the rest of the blanks here for yourself once you meet the guys on here. once again welcome!

 

welcome to the 7.3 side of FTE. and nice to see somebody else has the "big truck". I love my 550 it'll tow whatever I can hook behind it. Does your truck have a set of guages? that will tell us alot about why your tranny died. What gear are you towing in? is it hunting between gears alot. I would assume your truck has 4:88 gears so RPM should not be a big deal. Some folks have recommended changing tuners. I have had Bully Dog and DP. one is OK the other is better. I've been running PowerHungry Tunes since 2008 and feel they are the best one for me. I tow heavy and I tow alot. Been living on the road for 6 1/2 yrs.

Barney

 

Bill At PHP makes great tunes for the 7.3, however you wont go wrong with a custom tuner.

 

Welcome to FTE looks like these guys are giving you some good advice. Where abouts in NC are you located?

 

as for the Trans, BTS and never worry about it again.

 

Use overdrive for flat land towing, take it out of overdrive when in hilly areas, get a large transmission cooler and monitor EGT, tranny temp, and oil temp. With a built tranny just leave it in overdrive.

The Bully dog is a 50 HP tow tune and depending on they weight of your 5ver could heat things up quickly. Using the mileage coach on a 550 with 4.88 gears towing heavy is amusing, it is more than likely giving you bad advise. Keep the RPMS below 2650 is all I shoot for. Millage towing 10k is around 12 MPG.

Can the Bully dog tunes be turned off or set to stock? If so, you might be able to get tunes from one of the tuners previously mentioned. You might then be able to use the Bully Dog as electronic gauges, code scanner etc.

Jody at DP tuner or Bill at PHP may know if this is possible. It would save $$. BTS also gets my vote.

Where in NC are you?

 

Appreciate all the advice. I am located in Creedmoor, NC. I do have pillar gauges, but I rely more on the gauge tuner for operating temps. Also a few other add ons, Banks cold air induction, 4" exhaust. I also have a few features from Classychassis, Auto drive (waiting for manual from classychassi), engine brake. The rest I am awaiting manuals.