It does happen all the time. Fleet owners does wait until 1K is on the ODO. If you need to then do it.

Try to at least get another 100 or so anyway. If you do tow then take it easy. 12K is not so much so no full throttle take offs, they to vary your speed a bit and generally drive conservably and you'll be fine.

 

Get 1k miles on it with no towing, then tow for a trip or two and drop the diff oil out for a change. Inspect for cleanliness and metal specifically. New fluid, preferably synthetic and get on with it. Gives the gears run time to burnish and seat in good.

 

I just did that with mine, it had 400 miles on it when I hitched the camper on, if I remember correctly the owners manual said "do not use full throttle towing for the first 500 miles", said nothing about no towing for break in. Plus, I believe it takes quite a few miles to break-in a new diesel engine, not sure if in 10,000 miles it would be fully broke in.

 

 

Got a new 19 in February, had my travel trailer parked on my parents fron drive, then someone called the city as we can't have trailers parked in Front from Nov-April so had to tow in to a friend's acreage when I had 500km on truck, and was - 25 truck was not happy that day, everything was cold and stiff and think I was getting about 7mpg

 

I had 200 miles on my 2012, we picked the truck up just before a trip we had planned. Trailer and 4 Harleys weighed in around 8000-9000 or so lbs. so I didn't have a choice. Didn't abuse it but didn't baby it either. Traded that truck with 135k and never had a driveline issue. These trucks are designed to pull loads and that's what they do best.

 

I'd wait if at all possible. You need to break in the differentials. They are REAL tight when new.

 

If you can wait, then wait, the manual has those entries for a reason.

That being said, I didn't wait with mine. Due to shipping delays, I didn't get my truck until the Monday before a planned annual camping trip. (I was panicking up till then.) Hitch got installed on that Wednesday, and on Thursday, I hooked up and towed the fiver 100 miles or so to our first camping trip of that year. Probably had less than 100 kms on the odometer at the time. Towed it back after that weekend, 2 weeks later I towed it out again to second camping trip, with maybe 400 kms on the truck. Towed it back after that trip.... And then I finally got far enough in the manual to read about the break-in period (They really should have the info up front!). Truck didn't break, nothing seems off, but who knows what I might have done to it's longevity. Only time will tell.

 

 

Hook up the trailer and don't even look back. Don't give it a second thought. Enjoy the truck.

Sam

 

As said a number of times, the break-in is just to ensure that all of the new metal-on-metal interactions have a chance to sort of "mate" with one another. I probably wouldn't want to immediately tow 20,000 lbs up a 6% grade, but I otherwise wouldn't worry too much about it. I think Ford recommends 1,000 miles. Frankly, after a few hundred miles, I wouldn't be bashful about towing an RV/trailer.

 

Echoing others. My 2011 had 100 miles on it when I towed a 5er for 5k miles straight. That truck was issue free for over 100k. I took it easy at first, stopped every 200 or so miles and let the truck cool for an hour. That probably was not necessary but it made me feel good.

 

Thanks to Everyone who replied. Still looks like 50/50 on replies. Trip is 130 miles one way. All but 25 miles is highway.
Still undecided.