Need Advice on towing
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Need Advice on towing
I have an 04 F250 XLT Crew cab long bed 6.0 Diesel. I am looking at a travel trailer that is 30 Ft. and 9000 pounds. Will this truck be alright pulling up mountains?? Thanks Truck is all stock.
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Originally Posted by kochennv
I have an 04 F250 XLT Crew cab long bed 6.0 Diesel. I am looking at a travel trailer that is 30 Ft. and 9000 pounds. Will this truck be alright pulling up mountains?? Thanks Truck is all stock.
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My 07 pulls my 10K enclosed trailer just fine, as well. But don't misinterpret that. I know I did reading posts like those before me.
It's not like it pulls it and you don't realize it's back there. It will struggle some with grades and accelerating when compared to unloaded. While that is obvious, it was more than I expected ... a LOT more.
Fuel mileage will suffer tremendously as well. I went from 15/16 combined to 10 on a 1000 mile round trip, loaded. That was about the same as what I got on my big block gas motor.
So, your 6.0 will do just fine, but just don't expect it to cruise along without any worries. You got to get'er spooled up and cooking to make grades. Once you are committed and then attempt to spool up, you have lost so much momentum it will struggle. Again, I'm coming from a gas motor ...
For grades or passing, you have to keep the revs up, above 2500 and closer to 3K to maintain speed or not drop off too much.
Like I said, my old truck works great. I just had to adapt quite a bit coming from a big block gas motor.
HTH
It's not like it pulls it and you don't realize it's back there. It will struggle some with grades and accelerating when compared to unloaded. While that is obvious, it was more than I expected ... a LOT more.
Fuel mileage will suffer tremendously as well. I went from 15/16 combined to 10 on a 1000 mile round trip, loaded. That was about the same as what I got on my big block gas motor.
So, your 6.0 will do just fine, but just don't expect it to cruise along without any worries. You got to get'er spooled up and cooking to make grades. Once you are committed and then attempt to spool up, you have lost so much momentum it will struggle. Again, I'm coming from a gas motor ...
For grades or passing, you have to keep the revs up, above 2500 and closer to 3K to maintain speed or not drop off too much.
Like I said, my old truck works great. I just had to adapt quite a bit coming from a big block gas motor.
HTH
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Joined: Dec 2006
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From: Melbourne, Ky
I would assume a 30 foot trailer will be a fifth wheeler. Make sure you have mirrors that will see down the sides of the camper. I can't tell you how many people I see driving down the interstate pulling a camper and I can't see any mirrors until I get up beside them. You need to be able to see what's going on beside you, and your camper.
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From: Northern Utah
I pull a 15,000 lb oversize load (see avatar) in mountainous terrain at high elevation.
The truck is an absolute beast
As briefly mentioned by others, be certain to use tow/haul and keep the rpm's above 2,000 when on steep inclines. There is no need to get a "run" when approaching mountain passes although it is best to hit the bottom of the hill at your desired speed. At 9,000 lbs you should be able to hold whatever reasonable speed you want... I towed 7,500 lbs for several years with an 03 6.0 and found the (speed) limiting factor to be trailer tires not lack of engine power
The truck is an absolute beast
As briefly mentioned by others, be certain to use tow/haul and keep the rpm's above 2,000 when on steep inclines. There is no need to get a "run" when approaching mountain passes although it is best to hit the bottom of the hill at your desired speed. At 9,000 lbs you should be able to hold whatever reasonable speed you want... I towed 7,500 lbs for several years with an 03 6.0 and found the (speed) limiting factor to be trailer tires not lack of engine power
Last edited by utahtom; Jun 1, 2007 at 09:47 AM.
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From: Redondo Beach, CA.
From my understanding, tow/haul mode will help prevent the transmission from shifting excessively. Basically, it will hold a gear longer so it doesn't shift, then shift back if it starts loosing pull. Frequent shifting is one of the things that will kill your transmission, as well as tranny slip.
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From: Denver, Co
Just to add to what dchestnut stated, the Tow/Haul button puts the transmission controller & PCM into a slightly different strategy mode. The primary purpose of this is to lock up the torque converter more frequently than it would if you were not in Tow/Haul mode. The Tow/Haul logic also dictates that if the transmission does downshift, that it will hold that lower gear longer before shifting up to the next higher gear.
This will minimize wear on transmission components and the excess heat generated by the torque converter slippage. It also helps prevent what most call gear "hunting" or "seeking"; wherein the transmission will continually down shift for a bit, then up shift for as little as a couple seconds before down shifting again.
Now, having stated that, I seem to remember reading somewhere that this also caused the clutch fan to kick in earlier to help prevent heat spikes/build-up while towing with a decent/large load. I have not found anything to support or debunk that in the Ford literature though.
This will minimize wear on transmission components and the excess heat generated by the torque converter slippage. It also helps prevent what most call gear "hunting" or "seeking"; wherein the transmission will continually down shift for a bit, then up shift for as little as a couple seconds before down shifting again.
Now, having stated that, I seem to remember reading somewhere that this also caused the clutch fan to kick in earlier to help prevent heat spikes/build-up while towing with a decent/large load. I have not found anything to support or debunk that in the Ford literature though.