Hi all,

I am curious on what it is like to tow with a 6.0. I am considering buying a new truck and a 6.0 is definitely on the list of what I would consider buying.

I am curious how the experience is towing with a 6.0(stock, or very close to stock)? Right now in both mine and my dad's 7.3s we hook up and go. With our mild tow tunes about all we watch is the tranny temp in my dad's, mine has a zf6 so I don't care too much. Is the similar to what I could expect with a 6.0? Do I have to keep a close eye on oil and coolant temps or will an occasional check be OK? What about the tranny? I have heard the 5r110 is supposed to be much better than the 4r100 but is it something that I will still have to babysit? Also, can I expect this truck to tow heavy? We semi-routinely pull very heavy loads, with lots of stop and go, or speed up and slow down. Generally its only about 50 or 60 miles but sometimes farther. For example tonight we pulled a load of hay to my buddies and scaled across full at 38,420. Would I be insane to try to pull that with a 6.0 or would it be a routine pull like with one of our 7.3s?

I appreciate any comments you guys have,

Thanks,

Baatzy

 

You're mostly never going to have a problem with transmission temps. I tow a 10k TT with mine and it NEVER gets over 180*. As long as the oil cooler and EGR cooler are in good condition, the deltas will stay in also. I have a new oil cooler and EGR cooler in mine and see deltas of about 12 when towing, even up grades.

Maintenance is the key on these things. Keep the oil changed, the filters changed, the coolant clean and avoid tuners and everything will last quite some time.

 

That's a HUGE amount of weight. Unless your 6.0 is studded I would worry about high boost levels as that's what kills the TTY bolts of the heads and does in the head gaskets.
I just got back from west va. pulling about 7k. EGT temps never hit 1100 but I watched the gage religiously and drove by it vs the speedo on hills. Get a downshift and keep the RPMs around 2000-2500 and temps were good . Delete that EGR first thing on any 6.0...they are dangerous. The trans is a great one no worries there.
Maintenance and watching its numbers are a key and still no guarantee with a 6.0 but mine pulled gereat...I am having troubles with what I believe is the ICP sensor but that's a seperate issue that can happen to anyone.
Its not gonna be a 7.3 but a well running 6.0 is stronger than most 7.3's even a mildly built 7.3 can only match a stock 6.0.

 

You got to be joking, 38,420 pounds? Get a new 2015 dually with 430 gears, maybe a F450 will pull that for you.

 

Torque shift is a better transmission, better cooling, real tow haul. That being said those are crazy weights. It will tow it better than a 7.3 for sure. You should definitely monitor temps and be sure to do proper maintenance but I think the 6.0 is up to it. Are you using a gooseneck trailer or agricultural wagon?

 

I am not joking, we had a full load of hay on. This was on a gooseneck trailer. Quick math while we were pulling on to the scale had every axle holding less weight than it is rated for, so the truck should have no problem handling it. We also have never had any problem with any of our trucks not handling the weight. Yes we are over the GVWR and GCWR for the truck, as mentioned above, we are under the axle weight ratings.

I would go buy a brand new truck(actually, more likely a semi) to pull it but that would be ridiculous for this because its not an all day everyday deal, its a 10 to 12 times a year deal during baling season or when we sell some hay. Normally we probably gross between 20k and 25k. Also, right now, both of our 7.3s handle the load just fine in my mind, but I also know what to expect from the truck at these weights. I am just curious if the 6.0 could be expected to be as nice (or better) to tow with as a 7.3.

Unfortunately the 6.0 I had my eye on is now gone, but I am still interested as to how it could be expected to tow because I am always on the lookout for a new truck.

Thanks to everyone that has contributed, it is good to hear everyone's opinions.

Edit: Edited to add pictures I took of the scale readings for the load of hay hauled 6/23/2015.









Baatzy

 

all things considered, I would say the 6.0 should handle it better than the 7.3. For example, my 2001 F350 CCLB dually 2WD with a 4.10 axle is rated for 10,000lbs conventional and 13,000lbs fifth wheel. My 2006 F250 extended cab 2WD with a 3.73 axle is rated for 12,500lbs conventional and 16,100lbs fifth wheel.

The 6.0 is paired with a MUCH better transmission and tranny cooler. It also has a lot more power than the 7.3. The 05+ models have improved brakes and suspension that further help with towing. The downside to the 6.0 is that it isn't quite as durable as the 7.3 in the long-run. keeping an eye on some gauges will minimize risk and often prevent small problems from becoming big ones. I would definitely monitor EGT with that kind of load and be ready to fix head gaskets and install head studs if you're not careful.

I personally own both a 7.3 (for sale currently) and a 6.0. I much prefer the 6.0 myself, but I am not one to drive a truck past the 300k mile mark. The 7.3 has the potential to last longer than the 6.0 does. I have heard of a few 7.3s going as high as 700-800k miles. I have yet to hear of a 6.0 go past 450k miles.

That being said, is all depends on what you really want. The 6.0 will pull the load better than the 7.3, but has more potential for expensive repairs if you aren't careful.

 

You haven't been around here much have you ?
Lots of these bad boys are up there in miles and some that we know of past 800K. You do it right they will last for sure.

 

Have you considered an F550? That's a lot of weight for a pickup and I'm not talking about the engine and trans.

 

This might be the most important thing said so far.

At 38k# being under the axle weights is great, but stopping is exponentially more important from a safety perspective. 05+ with an integrated controlled (assuming the trailer brakes aren't the kind of hydraulic it won't work with) will work better than earlier models, and the brakes on the truck itself are better. Getting moving is ultimately a matter of patience, you won't lift the heads if you let the trans do it's job and don't just hold the pedal to the floor. Stopping is the real problem.

 

fixed it for you

 

I have considered heavier pickups, but at this time I don't think it makes financial sense for us. Getting up to speed and braking just take longer, and I expect that. Both my dad and I have been hauling heavy agricultural loads (hay, grain, silage, etc.) for years and understand the precautions that need to be taken with such heavy loads. Allow room for speeding up and slowing down, keep an eye on everything, watch everyone on the road etc., etc.

From what everyone is telling me the 6.0 would be an acceptable truck for what I want. Once again, not heavy enough to do that hauling all the time, but enough to get it done when I need, like our current superduties.

Thanks for all the input!

Baatzy