I want to buy a 2004 f250 crew cab with the v-10 and 3:73 limited slip with a 12,500 rated hitch. I am going to pull a travel trailer which weighs #9600 completely loaded. Will this truck to the trick for me?

Thanks in advance

 

F250 2004 4X4 long bed auto V10 3:73 Flowmaster and newly installed K&N air filter... I think you will be close to the top end tow rating for the truck....I tow a fiver approx 9K and the truck handles the weight - however, I do not tow long haul trips or over the Western mountains. I run the Blue Ridge mountains in VA and Eastward...mileage is approx 9, 9.5 running 65-70MPH

 

Sorry did not read your post correctly -- you are apparently talking about a tag-along, I am not sure of the tow ratings with regard to tag-alongs...cheers

 

gvwr is 9400

gross dry weight is 6980

hitch dry weight is 893

I will never be close to 9400

What do you guys think??

 

You'd be close with the 3.73's. I'd recomend the 4.30 gears.

 

What problems if any would I have with the 3.73 gears over the 4.30?

Thank You

 

Towing capacity, of course. That's why he is recommending the 4.30's. They will give you all you need, about 12,500 lbs capacity for towing. With 3.73 it's 10,600. That's a F-250/350 Crew Cab, rwd,srw, 6.8 I got this right out of the Ford manual

 

Please make me understand more. I only need to tow a maximum of #9400 and the 3.73 will do #10,200 why would I need to get the 4.30 for #12,500?

 

You only need it if you want more capacity

 

believe me go with the 4:30's you'll be dam glad you did ,i have them with a 6 speed and I'm really happy with it

 

I think what folks are attempting to say and myself included -- your initial post was a little misleading....I run the 3:73 rear and very happy with the set-up, I can pull the load and still have some extra left when needed...but...I am a weekend to a week camper...and do not make long runs....with the 3:73 and the load you will be in DRIVE most of the time ... with the 4:30 rear you will probably be able to tow in overdrive and encounter less downshifting on grades...My V10 appears to be sensisitive while towing with Cruise Control engaged and tends to down shift on slight grades - so I do not use C/C when towing and eliminate these down shifts...I would think with the 4:30 rear end this would not be a problem...Lastly, it is better to have some extra power reserve when towing rather then towing close to the max weight allowable.. If your a serious camper and on the go the 4:30 would be best, I would think, if your like myself with short trips within 100 miles of home base, the 3:73 rear will work.....Hope this helps.. Cheers

 

My salesman told me that 3.73 LS is not available with the V-10 on the 2005 models. He said I can get 4.10 LS. Is he correct? I will do very little towing, so I thought 3.73 might be better for me. Opinions?

 

I have a 2001 Crew Cab long bed 4x4 V-10/auto trans/4.30LS gears. This truck does a splendid job of towing my 8,000 lb travel trailer. However, on several winding mountains roads I have wished it had even lower gears! Just remember, you can never have too much low-end grunt... ever...

Another thing to consider... I didn't need the 4.30 gears for my current trailer, but in the future when I step up to a 5th wheel with more weight & wind drag the 4.30 gears will be nice (and necessary).

Lastly, If you are ever considering larger tires, get the 4.30 gears. Last week I upped my tires from the stock 265/75R16s to slightly larger 285/75R16s. This effectively moved my gear ratio from 4.30 to around 4.15 which is still enough for my applications. If I had the 3.73s, it would have put me at an unusable (for me) 3.59.

Low gears are good...

Edmo

 

I have no problem with the 4:30 gears the problem is that there are none left for the 2004 model year. All I can find is 3:73 with the 250 crew cab 4x4. I dont want to have to spend 4,000 to 5,000 more and go with a 2005.

 

AH! Now you tell us it's a 4X4!! That cuts it down even more. About 400 lbs less.

Look, here's the deal. You haven't told us where you live, so it's helpful to know what terrain you'll be towing over. I live in the west, so I tow over high mountain passes regularly. My last Superduty was a 5.4 with 3.73 LS 4X2. I towed my trailer into high (10,000) mountains and passes with it just fine.

Of course I had to hit the lower gears a lot in higher elevations, but it got me there. I am not a full timer, but when I go, I go far from here.The 3.73's did fine. My trailer was loaded down and I was pulling about 7k pounds. That's near the limit.

My new superduty is a 2003 4X4 with the 3.73. Yes, I wanted the 4.10's but I tow long distances only once a year. (Besides, I couldn't pass up the 24,000 dollar price tag.) My other outings are near here in mountains about 7,000 feet. I am not at all worried about the fact I didn't get the 4.10's or 4.30's...

It all hinges on terrain, frequency of use, and proximity of your destination. Try the 3.73's....if you don't feel they handled the job well, re-gear it with 4.10's or 4.30's. But that will cost a few bucks because now you'll need a twin set with the 4X4 set-up.