Dont get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE my new 05' 6.0 crew cab dually 4x4. It without a doubt is the BEST truck on the market. This is coming from a Die Hard cummins man. My wife has an 03 eddie bauer 4x4 excursion with the same power train, and we are COMPLETELY satisfied. However, when being PUSHED downhill by a big goosneck, NOTHING beats an exhaust brake. Thats why big rigs have them. Dodge a jacobs exhaust break as a factory option on their manual tranny only, so i'm sure ford has not approved it yet.

 

I agree with you. All data that I have seen are that ’05 (not ’04) 6.0 is the best choice for heavy towing. If I leave in place far from Rockies I would be probably perfectly happy. Going once or twice across the big hill will not be an issue. But that is not case and if Ford dealer says no to exhaust brake then I need to reconsider if it is worth to lose warranty and buy Ford.

 

Although some companies sell exhaust brakes for the PSD (both 7.3 and 6.0), you are not supposed to use them on these engines because of the hydraulic valves. Actually, International asked Jacobs not to design a brake for these engines. Also, if you look in your warranty guide, damage from an exhuast brake (a real possibility on these engines for the above mentioned reason) will not be covered under warranty.

 

Great point John, I never thought of that. BTW, is there a valve adjustment required on this engine like the cummins needs every 135k miles?

 

You don't adjust the valves on this type of setup. That's why the Cummins can use an exhaust brake and the PSD can/should not.

 

Would someone explain what a 6% grade relates to. Would that be 6 degrees slope? Thanks, Rick

 

John,
From previous posts it looks like Torqushift is not enough on long grades if you pull heavy load (more than 12k). Exhaust brake may damage the hydraulic valves and should not be used. Is there any other option for PSD?

 

I think you guys are forgetting that an exhaust brake and the tow/haul mode of the torqshift are not designed to REPLACE braking, but to ASSIST braking. Certianly if you are towing within the limits of your vehicle and observing safe speeds there is more than enough braking ability to handle the load. Items like an exhaust brake are a luxery on a light duty truck IMO.

 

I guess that was my initial question: if Torqushift can provide enough breaking power that brakes can work without overheating. You are saying yes.
But I would like more than just yes: real experience (from people towing more than 12k) or the numbers such as Torqushift and 6.0l will provide 100 lb-ft (put right number) of braking torque at 3000RPM (or any other RPM). That may give us idea how much work (or energy) brakes need to absorb

 

I guess 100% would be 90 degrees slope. If I am right then 6% will be close to 6 degrees.

 

Consider an F450 if braking is a major concern. The braking surfaces almost double once you move up to the 19.5 tires. The exhaust brake is a feature that really does improve braking. My experience (On my 1996 Dodge) was to first install an exhaust brake which was marginally better than the Torqulock on my 03 F450 but then I added a B&D Torquelock (to the Dodge) and the whole system came together with terrific results. I could hold a 12000# trailer on a 7% grade at virtually any speed I wanted. The greatest gain that I feel I got out of the combination though, was that with the Torqlock engaged the transmission temps would decline on the downhill side. Whereas with just the exhaust brake the tranny would heat-up on the way up and on the way down. The Ford Torqlock is efficient enough to allow you to control your decent without overheating the brakes. Considering the costs, risks and inherent problems of adding an exhaust brake to the Ford I personally will not bother. I am safe on the road and satisfied with the Torqlock as it stands. just MHO

 

A grade is defined by the rise over the run. A 6% grade would be a 316.8 ft rise over a 1 mile run. 6% = 100 * (316.8/5280). The angle in degrees of the grade can be calculated by deg = arctan(rise/run).

A 6% grade would have an angle of 3.434 deg. A 100% grade would have an angle of 45 degrees, i.e., arctan(5280/5280) = 45 deg.

 

I pulled that hill

 

100% grade is a 45° angle

The steepness of a road is generally measured in % grade, which in
mathematical terms is the slope, or TANGENT of the angle, measured
from the horizontal. This is the ratio of elevation change per
horizontal distance traveled, often called "rise over run". Typically
a road that rises 1-in-10, is otherwise called 10% grade.

But a 10% grade does not mean a 10° angle. The relationship is not linear. It is close to linear under 10° but then diverges after that. A 6% grade or 6 feet rise per 100 feet traveled is a 3.43° angle and a 20% grade is an 11.3° angle.


Edited to add: Dang, I need to type faster, sorry for the repeat info.

 

Well it is easy to ride a bike up 6% tuff to run up....on foot.