New guy with 2 6.4's and DPF questions
 

Hello there! Great to be on the site!

I'm a farmer and have (2) 2008 6.4's
1. F-350 reg cab 4WD XLT 137,000 mi
2. F-550 crew cab 4WD XL 110,000 mi

Both trucks are towing at or a little beyond their factory GCWR's with gooseneck hay and dump trailers and I'm ready to explore modifying the DPF's to hopefully prolong engine life and get rid of the gray smoke. Overall I like the trucks.
However:
The F-350 smokes like its blown a head gasket at times, but it hasnt. I think the DPF is cracked inside and allowing unburnt fuel to pass by. Smoke is gray and has a diesel smell to it. Overwhelming at times. Other motorists unhappy.

The 550 does same thing to a lesser degree.

My Ford diesel mechanic :oval has suggested a "tow tune" and deleting the inside of the DPF (not a straight pipe). However, I dont want my trucks to be too loud. I will leave the small mufflers on.

Looking for suggestions on whether my mechanic is on the right track and which tow tunes you would suggest. I do not want to increase EGT's or place more strain on drivetrain. I have plenty of power-even at 36,000GCWR, I am satisfied with my trucks factory power.

How can I get the DPF shut off and NOT be much louder than stock?
Also, I would like more exhaust braking if possible. Do any tow tunes work the exhaust brake more aggressively on the turbo?

Thanks for looking!

Welcome!

So to me it sounds like your truck is having regens more often than they should. Usually they regen every 500-600 miles with a healthy dpf. Once they'd start getting clogged up it start getting lower and lower. I've hauled hay before and when I did it the trucks just crept through the field while everybody gathered the hay or the tractor operators loaded them down with round bails. That type of driving will clog up a dpf. They need to be ran down the highway or interstate for long trips to keep them cleaned out good.

As far as tow tunes I wouldn't run one while towing. I would buy a tuner and delete the truck and run it at stock power. It would be plenty of power to get the job done.

I'm not sure why you would want to hollow out the dpf unless you need to pass a visual inspection. Putting a straight pipe in will make it louder but so will hollowing out the dpf. With a muffler I don't think it would be loud at all.

You can run a delete tune at stock power and use the stock muffler. That is what I do.

be sure to put in a delete pipe or gut the dpf.

Yeah what he said ^^^.