Oh Bill please don't think I was being condescending I wasn't. I was just trying to convey things I have learned from personal experience. Sounds like you have quite a bit of that yourself! That is a good thing. I am sure you have seen the guy pulling the trailer down the road and thinking to yourself...."WHAT AN IDIOT!" People and trailers scare me....LOL It is easy to take a life with heavy loads, your own life included. But I am just freaked out by the idea of taking out a mother and children or a family. I worked in law enforcement. I have seen more than I care to remember, want to think about or admit! LOL That is another reason you won't see me on a scooter either. I don't care how cool the hogs are. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

Bill have you got the stock exhaust on yours, something is not right. In 83 when these came out they started the power wars on pickups that has ended up with more horses than a lot of over the road trucks. Ford came back out with the 460 in 83 the same year and it was no match for the 6.9 in either torque or mileage at that time there was no other pickup on the road to compare as a workhorse period. I have a 5.4 and it is impressive for what it is but I would not hook the same loads i used to pull with my IdIs, now I just use a semi though it is easier. lol

 

I did not think you were being condescending at all, I just re-read this
And realized that I made it sound like I have never towed. I was just kind of filling in the back ground info around the question with the second post.

I really like the fact that you thought I was new to towing and gave me all that info, thats what makes FTE so great! Rep sent.

Yes, I saw one just last week. A DRW chevy towing a 35 or 40' tri axle tag along enclosed trailer, going about 75 down the free way.

I look over, and he is using a cheap, thin 5,000 pound 4" drop shank ( think the cheap crap that wal*mart sells) to tow what must have been a 20,000 gross trailer. I watched it for a few seconds and realized that it was flexing at every bump.

I do have to agree with that, they look fun but I like having steel all around me.

 

My N/A 7.3 is all stock right now, I am going to do an intake, turn the pump up and run true duels after I rebuild it.

The 460 may not be a match for TQ or MPGs, but with more HP it does pull harder.

 

Now there is no substitution for speed and power and the best power to weight ratio comes on two wheels, not the hogs though they are way too slow.

 

Something is weird there I have owned and worked them both and the 460 was always behind a little on power.

 

IIRC the 460 had 212HP in 83 and the 7.3 had 180 in 90.

I think the TQ was pretty close.

I have not gotten to tow with the 7.3, but just driving it around before the HG blew it did not have the pep the 460 does in traffic.

 

Right on Bill. I bet you were sucking up the seat watching that flex. LOL I use the solid receivers in all of my hitches. My drop hitches are welded the the trucks too. I am starting to pull with goosenecks more though. I really like the way they handle and it seems the trucks don't "fight" the loads as much. Here in Oklahoma DOT is coming down pretty hard on guys with trailers. I work with a landscaper when he needs skid steer or excavation work. Here is his story;

Went to BA Hitch to get my trailer serviced and my buddy was in there. He was NOT HAPPY! He had a fist full of tickets from ODOT! Understand that this guy just uses stuff without regard to condition. The tickets:

Lights not working/missing
Improper use of trailer - not commercially tagged but being used commercially
No insurance - Commercial that is
No safety chains
Improper receiver hitch
Over weight
Unsafe tires/odd sizes bald
Truck not rated for weight of trailer and/or load
Trailer deck in disrepair
Trailer brake not functioning/non-existent on the truck

Yeah that one cost him a few thousand! Another reason I am **** about my trailers. What is really bad, I offered to help him fix it up a month earlier. He wasn't worried about it. His hired hand was pulling the trailer with commercial lawnmowers during work. He past ODOT and they popped him. Mikes truck and trailer got impounded as well. He had to have me go get the stuff for him. They are cracking down hard in Oklahoma. Even the farmers are having a rough time with ODOT pulling tractors, hay, equipment and livestock. It is freaking amazing!

Anyway, I know exactly where you are coming from. I promise that IDI will do anything you ask her to...just do it nicely. LOL

 

DPS ignores light trucks.
Unless you do something to stick out like a sore thumb you will never be noticed.

Trailer deck in disrepair is a ticket?

ADTman, do you have a turbo or is your truck N/A?

 

Horsepower means nothing as far as pulling a load. I had several cars with over 400 horsepower that wouldn't pull anything. and have drove several trucks with as little as 220 and 238 horsepower grossing well over 100,000 pounds. My oldest 6.9 has pushed several 80,000 pound trucks into town, I could never get in 4th but could bring them in in 3rd. lol That truck had a gas tranny with the lower low gears though I'm not sure any of the other ones would have started it off without being hard on the clutch.

 

LOL in texas and cali a dirty truck is a dot ticket on a commercial truck. And in texas them fine amounts on the back of the tickets don't mean anything if your commercial. Or thats the way it was a few years ago anyway. Dot was cracking down on pickups some even getting the portable scales out around marble falls and that was 20 years ago.
My cousin was telling me about them getting someone with a skid steer last week so they will, if you run into the diesel gods at the wrong time. lol

 

So if 2 motors have the same torque, but one has more HP it would not be at a definite advantage?

 

Dirty truck is a ticket?

They may do crack downs but for the most part they don't care.

I have never been bothered for anything other than speeding.

 

Both of my IDI's have factory turbos Bill.

 

Not a disadvantage but what I'm saying is it is way different. Also ford and others were not for years truthful about the numbers for more than one reason. Eaton finally stopped this on big trucks because there trannys are rated for a certain amount of torque so they quit wuarrantying them. so now at least in the big truck industry cummins detroit and used to be cat has the torque standardised. John deere always under rated there motors compared to case and international for what reason I don't have a clue. In 94 ford I think only claimed seems like 5 or 10 more horsepower with the turbo, but that was because the stroke was coming next week.lol I have never used a v10 ford and have no doubt it will out do an idi for awhile, I don't think it will be there for the long haul if worked hard every day.