Not overly impressed.
#46
06-18-2018, 06:31 AM
Hotshot
So many of you guys are telling the OP to push the pedal harder, or use manual gearing. If you read his original post...he's got the pedal to the floor and he's tried manual gearing. Nevertheless, it still doesn't maintain speed as well as his previous GMC. I'd note that this echoes the comparison test TFL Truck did in the rockies pulling a max load...the GMC did best, RAM second, Ford third...despite best torque or horsepower. This truck was a 4.10 dually. BUT...because of GM's lower towing limits, they were all towing at the GM's max...but under the max for Ford and RAM. I'm thinking with an even heavier trailer, Ford would have done best because everyone would have to be slower and the Ford engine would be in the sweet spot with gearing.
#47
06-18-2018, 06:54 PM
I pulled my 5er back over the Rockies today. I took some of the suggestions here. Moved my peddles, readjusted the seat etc. The wind was significantly better and the truck did much better on flat and moderate hills maintaining my 70mph cruise control setting. However, on the big mountain passes things where only slightly improved. I was able to maintain 50-55 MPH on long 6% grades and had to shift from 4th to 3rd on the steepest portions to maintain that speed. RPM in 4th gear from 65 MPH down to 55 MPH was in the 2200-2500 range and 55MPH to 50 MPH in 3rd gear was 2600-3000 RPM. I’m not sure if new 3.73 or 4.10 would help and I’m not pulling this pass that often so I’m not sure I’m going to worry about it. Just a little disappointed that with all this torque and power that it seems to struggle on these hills where my last truck did better. I did weigh the trailer at my storage facility and with a full tank of water and full waste tanks it weighed in at 16,233 pounds. Certainly not light.
#48
06-18-2018, 07:56 PM
Contrary to some thinking, peak torque, rear ratio, tire size, and fuel type aren't what matters for maintaining speed towing big hills. It is all about horsepower. If you, for an extreme example, had a 2.73 rear with 37" tires pulling a hill in a gear that had your 6.7 at 2800 RPMs next to my 4.30 with 31.5" tires in a gear that had my 6.7 at 2800 RPMs, they'd pull the same. If you are in the 2600-2900 RPM range pulling the speeds you like to climb, changing the rear will not help one bit with the hill performance.
I like my short 4.30's for starting, throttle feel, and much less shifting when towing. I climb mountains in 5th. If I had a taller gear and climbed in 4th (SRW with a 3.55 For example), it would perform the same. (Ignoring the 1000# more F450 weight.)
I like my short 4.30's for starting, throttle feel, and much less shifting when towing. I climb mountains in 5th. If I had a taller gear and climbed in 4th (SRW with a 3.55 For example), it would perform the same. (Ignoring the 1000# more F450 weight.)
#49
06-18-2018, 08:09 PM
Hey don't worry about it. I'll pull it with my 6.2 and 4.30s. Hehehehe! Sorry just had to. Can't say I would not be disappointed too with the truck. If it's hot out there maybe that could be factor. Maybe the truck is limiting the power. Kinda like Ram and the gear hold feature they have on high load situations. Just a thought.
#50
06-19-2018, 03:02 AM
Hotshot
#51
06-19-2018, 09:39 AM
After talking to Ford diesel owners for years and hearing all of the stories for about how a Powerstroke could tow 15k to 20k up any grade and maintain 65 mph, I too was quite disappointed with the lack of power of my new 6.7 diesel (same configuration as the OP) but I have gotten over it because it does handle the weight of my trailer really well. My 05 Dodge with a very mild tune actually feels like it has more power than my 17 Ford 6.7 but does not handle a heavy trailer nearly as well. I'm probably most disappionted with the lack of passing power while towing with the Ford but again, I really like the truck overall. I've never been one to overstate the performance of something I've purchased just to make myself feel good like so many people do.
#52
06-19-2018, 09:55 AM
After talking to Ford diesel owners for years and hearing all of the stories for about how a Powerstroke could tow 15k to 20k up any grade and maintain 65 mph, I too was quite disappointed with the lack of power of my new 6.7 diesel (same configuration as the OP) but I have gotten over it because it does handle the weight of my trailer really well. My 05 Dodge with a very mild tune actually feels like it has more power than my 17 Ford 6.7 but does not handle a heavy trailer nearly as well. I'm probably most disappionted with the lack of passing power while towing with the Ford but again, I really like the truck overall. I've never been one to overstate the performance of something I've purchased just to make myself feel good like so many people do.
Most of us should remember the time that RV'ers would be the cause of many a traffic jam in the past. This is because they could not go any faster. Now I hear people complaining about not being about pull their 20,000 lb toy hauler at high way speeds, zipping in and out of traffic like a mini cooper. High quality problems I say.
When pulling a load it is slow and steady that wins the game. Pick the right gear to keep the motor at the upper range of peak tongue and settle in for the ride. If you don't have any peddle left then downshift and slow down. Every thing has limitations, even the Ford super duty.
#53
06-19-2018, 10:30 AM
Lead Driver
Well, you hit on a good point, expectations. In the same vein, you'll have guys say they get the same fuel mileage "loaded or unloaded", which is a physical impossibility (against the laws of physics and all that). It takes power to do all the work you're talking about. One needs to pull a heavy load with a lesser motor before they can appreciate a modern 1,000 ft lb diesel .
Most of us should remember the time that RV'ers would be the cause of many a traffic jam in the past. This is because they could not go any faster. Now I hear people complaining about not being about pull their 20,000 lb toy hauler at high way speeds, zipping in and out of traffic like a mini cooper. High quality problems I say.
When pulling a load it is slow and steady that wins the game. Pick the right gear to keep the motor at the upper range of peak tongue and settle in for the ride. If you don't have any peddle left then downshift and slow down. Every thing has limitations, even the Ford super duty.
Most of us should remember the time that RV'ers would be the cause of many a traffic jam in the past. This is because they could not go any faster. Now I hear people complaining about not being about pull their 20,000 lb toy hauler at high way speeds, zipping in and out of traffic like a mini cooper. High quality problems I say.
When pulling a load it is slow and steady that wins the game. Pick the right gear to keep the motor at the upper range of peak tongue and settle in for the ride. If you don't have any peddle left then downshift and slow down. Every thing has limitations, even the Ford super duty.
Also, as stated, the torque management can have a part in this also.....does anyone on here REALLY know how it works? Or are all just assuming they *know*? I had a 97 Kenworth (I know, apples and oranges) with a Cummins 410 they called ESP+. When leaving a stop sign loaded, it was a dog; gave me about 25 lb boost and took forever to get up to speed. BUT........... get into a hill, foot on the go pedal and just start dropping RPM, the boost would come up to 35 PSI, and one would need a big dog to stay in front of it. There were several guys I worked with that had trucks with 450’s and 500’s that hated me!! LOL
#54
06-19-2018, 10:44 AM
Just to be clear, I was making a comparison to my LML Duramax, which had less horsepower and less torque, compared to my new 6.7 Powerstroke with higher ratings. I’m pulling the same trailer and the Duramax simply pulled these mountain ranges and passes better. This obviously is a disappointment to me as I like to maintain my 65-68 MPH range regardless of pulling on flat land or pulling up a mountain pass. I do recognize that I am pulling a mini houses behind my truck, and stability, slow and steady speeds, and being safe are very important. This truck certainly does all of that and I am absolutely not disappointed in this truck as a whole. The technology alone is enough to make me overcome the down fall of not being able to drive up a hill as fast. The main objective of my original post is to ask for advice and others experiences with pulling these large loads and if there is a possible solution. For example, could I possibly add a tune or an emissions delete to gain more power. At the end of the day, if I can only go over a pass at 55 MPH then I guess I get to my destination 5 minutes later than expected. Not a huge deal.
#55
06-19-2018, 11:41 AM
Lead Driver
Just to be clear, I was making a comparison to my LML Duramax, which had less horsepower and less torque, compared to my new 6.7 Powerstroke with higher ratings. I’m pulling the same trailer and the Duramax simply pulled these mountain ranges and passes better. This obviously is a disappointment to me as I like to maintain my 65-68 MPH range regardless of pulling on flat land or pulling up a mountain pass. I do recognize that I am pulling a mini houses behind my truck, and stability, slow and steady speeds, and being safe are very important. This truck certainly does all of that and I am absolutely not disappointed in this truck as a whole. The technology alone is enough to make me overcome the down fall of not being able to drive up a hill as fast. The main objective of my original post is to ask for advice and others experiences with pulling these large loads and if there is a possible solution. For example, could I possibly add a tune or an emissions delete to gain more power. At the end of the day, if I can only go over a pass at 55 MPH then I guess I get to my destination 5 minutes later than expected. Not a huge deal.
#56
06-19-2018, 12:24 PM
Purchased a 2018 CCLB SRW Platinum......
Yestersay I pulled my 15k Solitude 5th Wheel over the I-70 mountain range in Colorado and I was not very impressed. It seemed like the truck was hunting for gears, with no throttle left to get up these hills any faster then about 35-40 mph. I started using manual transmission control to keep it on a lower gear to get power but the truck just seemed to struggle. I know your can’t race up hills with this weight but I expected to be able to maintain 60 mph on a 4-6% grade. It also kept shifting into 4th gear while on flat road going 68 mph, again like it was struggling to keep up or find the right gear. It was somewhat windy so I’ll give that some latitude Honestly, My old GMC pulled up these hills doing 65 no problem. Is there anyway to get more throttle response out of this truck or possible change gears. Any thoughts. Other than this I reallly do enjoy the truck.......
Yestersay I pulled my 15k Solitude 5th Wheel over the I-70 mountain range in Colorado and I was not very impressed. It seemed like the truck was hunting for gears, with no throttle left to get up these hills any faster then about 35-40 mph. I started using manual transmission control to keep it on a lower gear to get power but the truck just seemed to struggle. I know your can’t race up hills with this weight but I expected to be able to maintain 60 mph on a 4-6% grade. It also kept shifting into 4th gear while on flat road going 68 mph, again like it was struggling to keep up or find the right gear. It was somewhat windy so I’ll give that some latitude Honestly, My old GMC pulled up these hills doing 65 no problem. Is there anyway to get more throttle response out of this truck or possible change gears. Any thoughts. Other than this I reallly do enjoy the truck.......
Personally, I have always chosen the higher gear set in my 1 tons (my DD) and the lowest I could get (4.88) in my heavier trucks. However, the combo of 3.55 and 34" stock tires gives me pause.... but this is all Ford currently offers in my DD configuration (CC LB SRW high trim diesel). I would have loved to get 4.10s and run 37" tires.....
#57
06-19-2018, 12:39 PM
Another thing to keep in mind as this is a SRW truck we are talking about, is once it drops to 3rd, getting back to 4th on the grade may not be possible due to the torque management, for 1st - 3rd on the SRW trucks. If you did not have enough torque to hold 4th, and the computer drops to 3rd, but the engine management system does not allow you as much torque in 3rd as you had if 4th to begin with.
#58
06-19-2018, 04:56 PM
The 3.55 SRW with 20" tires, 4.10 DRW F350 and 4.30 DRW F450 are very similar regarding where they hit peak HP when climbing - the DRW's just do it in 5th instead of 4th. The 3.55 DRW is the worst combination for these speeds IMO (3045 RPMs @ 70 in 4th, 2270 in 5th - ugh).
#60
06-19-2018, 05:19 PM
