I started towing a few thousand pounds a little over a hundred miles. Then I read in the owner's manual you're not supposed to tow until after 1000 miles. What is the point of breaking in the differential and what is likely to happen as a result of me towing a couple thousand pounds? Is there anything that I need to do now? F350 DRW

 

The gears in the differential have to mate to each other during the break in period so that you get years of trouble free service. Towing can cause over heating and damage to the surface of the gears. Could be no harm was done but you won't know for a while. Changing the diff fluid would probably be a good idea - it's cheap and easy to do. Can't hurt and might help.

 

My assumption would be they want you to stay away from towing things like 35' travel trailers and 40' boats. A few thousand pounds is nothing unless you're going up and down extreme inclines. I think you're okay...no damage done.

 

With my 11 F350 I was hooked to a trailer with a skid steer with less than 200 miles on it. It has 193000 miles on it now without any transmission or differential problems. My 06 F250 I'm sure I did the same thing and that truck went went 206000 miles without any drivetrain problems, the engine was another topic. It had a 6.oh no!
These trucks are made to work and tow things. Don't worry about, drive it and enjoy your new truck!

 

i pulled an enclosed trailer 2700 miles round trip when it had 300 miles on it. It was not that heavy and im not concerned. i also have the f-350 max tow rear axle though.

 

....."WE OWN WORK" ......Advertising
....."Baby it or it will break".....owners manual!!!!!!!!!


I have posted my arguments in other threads on this subject!!!

 

I don't mean to sound sarcastic here but the main reasons I have been driving Ford products since 1970 is because I trust the Ford engineers and the technical data and specification they publish in their manuals. It would be difficult to get into their head and understand why they recommend doing things that most of us can't understand.

 

If nothing else, I like using the break-in period to shake down a new vehicle, to get to know it better, to get comfortable with it, and to hopefully get past "infant mortality" concerns.

I've experienced too many new-vehicle issues over the years to just "hook up and go" and/or wander too far from home for the first 500-1,000 miles:

1) My new 1973 VW bus came with a bad battery
2) My "new to me" '73 Porsche 914 1.7 had a bad fuse holder; the engine's fuel injection system would intermittently cut out and then back in
3) My '72 "new to me" BMW Bavaria came with a clogged radiator and a cracked head
4) My new '86 Suburban suffered early 700R4 auto trans failure; it years before I towed with it
5) My new 91 Acura Legend was bought back by Honda due to a faulty ABS system
6) My new '97 F-150 came from the factory with a bad torque tube, and its "heavy duty" 4R100 AT failed early (during its first "after break-in" tow)
7) My new '00 F250 also came from the factory with a bad torque tube

Our new F350 has a bit 700 miles on the odometer, and so far, so good!

HTH,
Jim / crewzer

 

Which way would rather you did it?
Break it while it is brand new and they have to spend dollars to fix it, or break it when the warranty is up and you have to spend dollars to fix it?

Just asking!!

 

People can do obviously whatever they want to do. But as stated above, the fact that Ford specifically states not to tow for 1,000 miles to me means something. I trust the engineers far more then any members opinion (including mine lol.. and note, I said engineers, not techs). $70-$80,000 truck is nothing to sneeze about and follow their recommendations/requirements.

 

Yes, it means they've created a loophole to get out of doing free warranty work on the differential.

 

right.. that's exactly why they did it

 

Must be the area I live in lol I read this "Differential break-in" and my first thought was , Who would break into your differential and why?

 

Other vehicle components to consider during the initial break-in period are the brake rotors, brake pads, and tires.

HTH,
Jimn / crewzer

 

So it sounds like I have nothing to worry about and I can tow a few thousand pounds without worrying. I bought this truck because I need to tow and haul things and sometimes you don't have the privilege to wait 1,000 miles.