This beer is emty now. I'll get another and be right back.

 

This beer is empty now. I'll get another and be right back.

 

well I'm the first to believe that your truck can stay in 5th gear when towing at any speed above 50 mph. This is due to one of my past 7.3's with a five speed, 4.10 and tuner would never need to be shifted out of 5th once rolling with loads up to 12k. I also go out west hunting with friends 4 quads, toy hauler, and rest of gear in a 04 5.9 auto-trans that has been worked that doesn't even shift out of OD while towing.

 

I believe that you can pull without having to downshift! I used to tow with a 7.3 5-speed and anything overhe tra 50 mph with loads up to 12k. I go out west hunting with friends 4 quads and toyhauler using a 03 5.9 auto and it stay locked up in OD pulling 13k tranny does have a suncoast torque converter and banks 6 gun. The point is diesels create great torque down low and if you never owned one you wouldn't understand the difference.

 

You are still missing my point.

I know when you joined the argument. Remember I said that I've been following this forum for the past couple of months and I know what's been said by which side. I'm not sticking up for the misinformed owners that think their 5.4L is god. You were totally right to come in then and tell them the facts. What I'm saying is that argument is long gone and dead, and you are the only one bringing it up as if it's justification for you to continue putting other trucks down. No one in this thread is still saying that their 5.4L will pull circles around older diesels or the 460. All that's been said in this thread is that they like their new F150 because of how nice it is, how quiet it is, how they like it over a bigger truck for their needs. There's nothing wrong with that! All the cool gadgets may not help performance or durability, but they don't hurt it much either. So why are you persisting? Even if someone out there still did think their truck would outpull yours, it's obvious by now that they aren't going to change their mind. So why don't you be the bigger man and let it go?

 

tis the season for a margarita or two or three.

lol..wharrgarbling

 

I'm pulling 5,000 lb loads with chevy 3/4 ton w/6.0 and it works fine. I want to buy F-250 but see only 5.4 or 6.8 gasoline engines offered for 2010. i go up some steep hills with trailers. will the 5.4 do the job or do i need the 6.8 gas guzzler?

 

I plan to buy F-250 4X4. I worry that 5.4 engine does not have enough torque to pull my 5,000lb trailer up hills. 6.8V10 has GOT TO GUZZLE GAS.
I'm currently using Chevy 2500 w/6.0. Would like comment from anyone using 5.4 to pull 5k-6k loads on and off road.

 

Come visit the V10 forum sometime.

If you compare the 5.4 and the V10 doing the SAME TOWING JOB, the V10 can actually get BETTER mileage because it's not working as hard.

Unloaded highway driving can be around 1MPG less for the V10, but again, towing, it can actually get better mileage than the 5.4

 

i admit i did choose to gloat a little excessively when peter gave us his results. i didnt like being told i was wrong and that i should leave the forum and never come back because i gave the results of peters test BEFORE he even drove the truck. but consider the argument dead now.

 

5k lbs is well within the 5.4's limits, assuming youre not climbing huge grades on a regular basis. but dont expect to do much towing in OD, even on small hills. if i was looking at buying a new truck then i would go with the v10 100% of the time. its only a few hundred dollars more, the mpg's unloaded are too close to make a difference and the performance and mpg's when loaded arent even in the same ballpark.

 

If 5-6000 lbs are going to be the extent of your towing, a properly equipped F150 would do just fine and get much better fuel mileage than the same engine in a SD F250. By properly equipped, I mean 5.4L, 3.73 gears, max payload springs and E rated tires. I have 3.55 gears and P-Metric tires and my 06 pulls my 7000 lb enclosed car hauler great. I added an Add-A-Leaf the the rear springs to get the same ride height that my 05 SD had and I am surprised at how stable the truck is pulling the trailer. The only thing I need to do now is get the E rated tires for it. I know I can't run 75 mph down the highway as easily as the the Power Stroke did and it won't climb long grades with the ease of the diesel, but it does good enough for the times I do tow. And I get much better mileage than if I would have gotten a SD V-10 or 5.4L.

 

I had the 3.55 as well hauled about the same load as you are and my rear end trashed out. I may have been making longer and more tows that you though. I support the 5.4L 3.73 comment though. That should be fine unless your doing a lot of mountain to heavy hill towing then the larger trucks are the only way to go.

 

What do you mean by trashed rear end? bearings, ring gear and pinion? These things come with full synthetic lube and are very dependable, I have had a lot of them in 3.73, 3.55, 3.31 ratios and pulled a lot of weight and never trashed a rear end like you say.

 

Like you say thats your experience. Mine was different. It was not really trashed I installed a kit for around 300$. I dont think it liked the elk hunt. Like I did.