I have owned an 86 6.9 with an automatic trans. I always seemed to destroy the torgue converter. I did not abuse the truck i just used it on the farm. I traded and got an 84 with a 4 sp and was happy until someone offered me more for the truck than i could stand. Then i made the biggest mistake one can make....i bought a 92 dodge with a 5.9 and a 5 speed...the motor is wonderful ......but ......ITS A DODGE.......rides like a log truck but pulls wonderfully...to make a long story short...I am in the maket for a 96-02 ford...4x4. I want the 7.3 as it, in my humble opinion, is the best engine that ford ever had. But all i can find is automatics. I'm afraid that i would get back into the same problem as i had on the 86.....

What kind of loads can I pull without ripping a trans out. I pull, grossed out over 16K alot of the time. I live in the mountains and i need something that can pull mountains without blowing up........I need opinions....let me have them....honest ones............thanks

 

with that kind of weight, i don't think any auto trans will last.

 

i live on a 2,000 ft mtn. the main hwy is about 8% some of the side roads mightr be a little steeper in places....the loads are normally 24' hay trailer with about 10-11,000 in weight or fertilizer 9800 plus the weight of the buggie or cattle 16' trailer with 12 or so 6-700 lb calves....don't put that many miles just use it as a work truck and don't want problems....fords pull just not sure about automatics....they are expensive to fix and i'm po

 

I like my ford. 01 7.3 4x4 .I had to replace the trans at 87,000 miles. Rebuilt in a shop for 2000$ Then agine at 110 miles in no where Alaska. That should not have happened but I think the Alaska boys did me a good job and I think it is much better than factory for another 2500$. I lost the water pump in NM at about 140,000 and a under valve cover wiring harnace in one bank at 170,000. I expect at least 300,000 miles from this truck and if I could change anything it would be the transmition. I like the standard with a clutch. Most of my miles is pulling a 10,000 lb 5th wheel TR for a total weight of 17,500. Mostly HY miles

 

Larry
seems like you have had the same results that i have seen in most of the classified ads. The transmission dies and its really expensive to get it fixed. I think I will continue to look until I can find that dream truck (96-02,4x4 , crew cab with a 5 or 6-speed Manual transmission). Money comes too hard to have to spend that kind of change to rebuild one. Since I live in the mountains I don't mind shifting gears, that way i can control everything......
Thanks again....Joe

 

Joe
I am with you on the 5 or 6 speed. I bought my truck new and as I went out the door to buy it my wife said I want to drive it too , be sure it is a auto. I will blame her. But there is some good after market improvements. The Alaska mechanic had 3 helpers and was building tough boxes for people all over Alaska. He had 5 fords and 3 Dodges while I was there. He hardly ever sees a Allesen.
One of my friends drives a dodge with a 6 speed manual. It is chipped up and pulles like a train, lots of miles pulling a hot shot trailer. Some loads 22,000 lbs. He has went through 5 transmitions to date and they are not cheap either. I know some of them cost 2000$. And 1 engine right off the bat. A blade off the turbo went through it and the warrente bought the engine.
Any way you go these trucks cost big bucks (*any way to a small fry like me) but they do a big job like small trucks have never been able to do.

 

If you get the latter year Powerstroke's (99-02) with an auto it will have a 4R100 tranny...have a good shop work it over with reliability upgrades in mind. Stay away from Ford remanufactured tranny's...not that they are bad...but you are pulling heavy and you need a tranny from some of the specialized shops. Perform a search on this site and I am sure you will get a lot of info. Be aware that these upgraded tranny's with torque converter will be in the $4k to $5k price range. Also make sure that you have an adequate tranny cooler installed, and that the rest of the drivetrain is up to the task (driveline, yokes, u-joints, rear gears, etc). Mark Kovalsky (former Ford Tranmission Engineer) lurks on these forums...find him and send him a pm...he is a wealth of information on that tranny! Good luck.

 

You can get an the 4R100 built to easily handle those loads. I worked on a ranch for several years, and my truck there was an 02 7.3 auto with over 300K miles on the orginal tranny. It spent half of its time pulling a 24ft cattle trailer. The only thing I've ever had to do to it was tighten the bolts in the valve body.

However I prefer pulling with my 99 with my ZF6 than 02 with the 4r100, but if my 99 burned to the ground tomorrow night, I wouldn't be fearful of replacing it with an auto, I would just prefer the ZF6

You need to come down a couple forums into the 99-03 forum and ask about the 4R100 down there.

 

Larry
My first diesel was an 84' 6.9 and it was a monster with that 4 speed manual. had 5" of exhanust on it and it had been turned up. if it had had a turbo on it i'd probably still have it, but it died like a sick cat when you hit the mountain with a load. Thats how I wound up with this old dodge 92' 4x4 5 spd, 5.9(i'm ashamed). The truck rides like a log truck, parts are hard to come by,its ugly, but pulls like nothing else with that old 12 valve 5.9 and a 5 speed manual. If its not physically attached to the earth it will move it. I have pulled many loads in excess of 18,000gvw up the mountain that I live on and had to ease off on the fuel to keep it from overwinding 2nd. No way to pull that in 3rd, you'd kill the transmission , its 5 miles of 8% or maybe a little better grade. Big rigs loaded make about 20-25 mph top speed on the climb. I don't mind shifting gears, really sorta like it. My wife can also drive a standard. Its just gonna take a while for me to find my ideal truck. I'll keep the dodge before I buy an automatic. I'll just have to make due with the dodge until I can. Maybe a tree will fall across it and destroy the body then I can find an old 80's model ford crew body and put that 5.9 in it. Now that would be a truck.....INDESTRUCTABLE!!!

Joe