Guys, i am beyond thrilled to hear that news. I feel like i've won the lottery.

Any idea on the actual tow rating on these things as opposed to what they'll actually pull?

I've actually been doing some reading and it appears that everyone hates the TTB-50 (i think that's it) front axle in these things because it kills ball joints for some reason along with a few other reasons.

Looks like the D60 is a popular swap because they came in the 350s. Is the D60 a direct swap assuming the gear ratios are the same? Same width etc etc? Worth swapping?

Is there a specific tranny cooler or a factory one that came with these trucks or should i just buy the biggest one that'll fit and cram it in there?

I think i'm just going to use the brake controller in there now until it either breaks or stops working and then buy another one.

Here's a picture of the beaut.

 

nice rig! enjoy!

 

Put a true cool trans cooler in there. I put a 6.0 cooler in but its a real squeeze. As far as weight, I pulled 23K a few times no problem but I'm sure I was over legal.

Nice truck!

 

You PULLED 23k or you GROSSED OUT @ 23k? big difference

 

I am having a hard time finding them now too. Even their site is down. I hope they didn't go out of business

 

The theory is sound but I didn't have any luck finding them either!!

 

They used to sell the kits on e-trailer.com. I looked yesterday and didn't see them there either.

 

i pulled a 79 trans am on a trailer home without trailer brakes at all. it was only about 80 miles and i kept a lot of room in front of me.

i also have a stock truck (except dp and 6673) and she did just fine.

if u need a hitch, amazon has the class five curt for a really good price ($180-190) . i would upgrade my class three if i could sell it.

Richard

 

Richard, I've pulled heavy for over ten years now and all I can say is that your lucky! When following, yes, keep your distance. But, when it comes to stopping, its the idiots that cut in front of you, cutting your safety zone down in distance, that gets you in big trouble. There is also a lot of other situations where your safety zone disappears putting you in a bad situation.

 

Re-bumping this thread in an attempt to gain more knowledge from you folks.

Plugged a trailer with trailer brakes into the truck the other day and the brake controller didn't light up. I looked at the wiring in the back of the truck and they were frayed. I figure it's one of the two and since i'm going to be towing more often now i want to do this right.

My questions;

1. Brake Controller. I know it's already been discussed but what do you guys like? Top seller on amazon is the Tekonsha P3? Anyone have one?

2. Tow Rating. Does anyone know how much a Stock 7.3 with a limited slip and 4:10s is rated to pull? I'll be pulling mostly cars so i'll be in the neighborhood of probably 5,000 pounds (Car + trailer weight).

3. Upgrades i should invest in to prevent premature failure of things?

4. Intercooler? Should i invest in one? If yes, a factory 7.3 intercooler or should i go aftermarket and cram in the biggest i can fit?

5. Is a Tuner/chip worth it in these? I'm not trying to get absurd, just make towing easier on the truck.

6. Overdrive. Should i turn it off when towing? If overdrive is off, should i have the truck in "3" or just leave it in "D" with overdrive off?

7. Tires. Truck needs new tires. Any recommendations on a good tire for this truck? I know this is all mostly preference but if you like them i probably will too.

8. Anything else i should be looking at? Am i missing anything?

The transmission on this was rebuilt at 55,000 miles and there's just shy of 140,000 miles on the truck now. When the transmission was rebuilt the guy who rebuilt it said he did something to make the truck better for plowing and towing or something along those lines. I was too illiterate to ask for more details, so that is literally all i know. Any ideas what he could of done? I think i remember something about shift points but i could be wrong.

Sorry for the novel, just trying to do things right and set this up correctly.

 

At 5000 lbs you will do fine even with 3.55 gears. For these trucks 5k is nothing. I would still get a set of guages and the brake controller.

Richard

 

What gauges? What should i be monitoring? Oil pressure, tranny temp, and boost?

Any recommendations on brake controllers?

 

I'll help you out....
It would be best if a mod would create a new thread for you, and all of this stuff has already been discussed many times over. Do a search and start reading, even though I'll be answering your questions. It will help you out in the end.

1. I think the p3 has been discussed in this thread. It is a popular controller for a reason. It is plenty suitable for most applications, but as was discussed, there are better ones on the market.

2. Tow rating is in the range of 12500 or something. Your owners manual has it listed in the back with all combinations of engines and trans and rear ratios.

3. Trans cooler is always helpful. Gauges are a great way to tell if something is different than the normal day.

4. Intercooler helps. E99 spider I believe bolts in, then modify the charge pipes to fit. Superduty ic will fit and be plenty sufficient at doing what you need. Search and you'll find install pics.

5. The off the shelf tuners and programmers are ok, but there are plenty of better ones out there. I like dp tuner, but it's all in which tuner you are closer to usually as to what to buy. Again, this has been beaten to death. Please search.

6. Taking the trans out of overdrive is obsurd. This myth has zero merit. They only time you need to take the trans out of od is when it's hunting for the right gear. Up/down shifting every minute is bad for it and obviously you would lock it out. But hyway towing, let the trans do it's job. Maybe help it out a little by using the od/off button before it needs to downshift, that way you keep your momentum and can run the hill a little better. It's just part of towing.

7. Tires are preferance. If you like 235s, then keep them. If you want beefy tires, get 285s. I think 265 is a perfect tire for these trucks though. But again, it's preferance.

8. Anything else.... Yup, search and read. Very helpful. Lots to read, and we all have learned so much by just following others topics and reading the forum. You'll read something today that will help you out next week. And if you read it now, even though it may seem irrelevant, it will help you next week because you won't need to ask the question or do a search.

 

You are in a thread about brake controllers, if you have not read from post one until now, then I really suggest you do that. It has been a while since I have read all 40 posts but I really believe that there is quite a bit of information here. Also if you did a search for brake controllers, I really feel as though most all of your questions will have been discussed and answered.

 

There is only one thing I can think of right now that JR didn't say, get a trans temp gauge. Other then that, JR explained it perfect!! The gauge and trans cooler is a must for towing heavy. Of course, you also need to watch EGT's with a chip or tuner.