For a 2003 F-150 Super Crew, what is the best (brand, size, etc.) tranny cooler to add. I've heard Draw-Tite is the best, but I don't really know if it is or not. Any advice is welcome!

 

Depends what you plan to do. Choose the load rating based upon the expected maximum load you plan to pull on a regular basis. Don't automatically choose the biggest cooler you can find. Most modern trannys work at a certain temperature range, not to hot AND not too cold. This was advice from two tranny shops and lots of reading and some personal experience.

Wild guessing is that with your model, your maximum gross combined weight rating GCWR is around 8-maybe 10,000 pounds so choose a cooler near or slightly above that if you plan to tow. Note that the 150 series can have extremely low tow ratings too, so check the manual and the door post sticker. I would only go with a huge cooler if you planned to exceed the tow ratings, but then you would have all kinds of other problems including legal.

The modern stacked plate(kind of look like honey comb) coolers appear to be the more efficient coolers and they are smaller and easier to mount. The gotcha is they are a bit more expensive. The older style tube types are less expensive but are less efficient and much bigger for comparable ratings.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

Thanks Jim, I'll pull a mc trailer with a Goldwing, carry mulch, etc. for the house. I live in SW Florida where its hot in the summertime. I figure a medium cooler for 2,500 to 5,000 lb tow/cargo/heat. Does this sound right to you and what brand/model cooler would you get? Thanks for your info. Wendell

 

Most coolers are rated by combined vehicle weight not the trailer weight. So figure out what the weight of your truck and trailer are, add in passenger weight, fuel weight etc and then choose the cooler for that rating or a bit higher. I have had good luck with Hayden and Rapid Cool. There may be other brands that are just as good locally for you.

If the cooler is rated for the trailer weight only, it gets tricky since you might have a toyota 4 banger or a Ford F750 superduty. The cooling capacity would be way different even though the trailer weighs the same. So it would be unusual or hard to figure if the cooler was rated for the trailer only. I guess any cooler brands rating this way are assuming the factory cooler is good for GVWR and that the auxilliary cooler is plus on top of that. That's my guess since I am no expert.

In any case a wild guess based upon not knowing your engine size, tranny, axle, etc would be that you are rated for about 10,000 GCWR. So choose one around that rating or a bit less since your trailer sounds like it will be light. A second wild guess is that your truck is GVWR(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) around 5,000 plus 2 to 3000 for the trailer and load puts you around 8,000 rating. Either way you are looking at a fairly small cooler rated around 10,000 or a little less. You may already have adequate cooling factory installed. I

f you live where it is usually warm a small cooler won't hurt. If you live where it is cold, too much cooling might not be advised.

Good Luck, and keep in mind I am no expert, just fried 3 trannies in my lifetime and got to pay experts for advice.

Jim Henderson

 

Thanks Jim, you've been most helpful. Wendell

 

Do Tranny coolers last forever or do you need to change them like radiators that have seen lots of service?
I'm about to make a 4000 mile trip faced high temp days and hills and was thinking about changing this just to be safe but not sure that it needs to be changed.
PS - 87 F-350 with 460 pulling 20' enclosed cycle hauler