5277 mile roadtrip
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Oct 2007
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5277 mile roadtrip
Home after 5277 miles pulling my 30', 8000# camper behind my 7.3 F350.
Camper towed great, no sway or brake issues.
The F350 is a very harsh ride on rough roads. It's ok on smooth-ish roads but when the maintenance crewsdrop the ball it is rough to the point that it is painful.
Westbound we went I-10, eastbound we went I-20. West Texas on I-10 is still pretty isolated between towns and fuel stops didn't line up very well with my 34 gal gas tank. A couple times I way overpaid on top of the already crazy gas prices.
I bought the F350 because of the size and weight trailer we were buying. I had a F250 6.7 and didn't think that it had enough CCC for the trailer, so I traded it for the F350. Turns out we bought a smaller and lighter trailer and the F250 would have been fine.
I'm thinking of going back to the F250 6.7 and upping the trim level. Next long trip is to Mt Rushmore and Little Big Horn this fall. I miss those vented seats when it's hot.
Camper towed great, no sway or brake issues.
The F350 is a very harsh ride on rough roads. It's ok on smooth-ish roads but when the maintenance crewsdrop the ball it is rough to the point that it is painful.
Westbound we went I-10, eastbound we went I-20. West Texas on I-10 is still pretty isolated between towns and fuel stops didn't line up very well with my 34 gal gas tank. A couple times I way overpaid on top of the already crazy gas prices.
I bought the F350 because of the size and weight trailer we were buying. I had a F250 6.7 and didn't think that it had enough CCC for the trailer, so I traded it for the F350. Turns out we bought a smaller and lighter trailer and the F250 would have been fine.
I'm thinking of going back to the F250 6.7 and upping the trim level. Next long trip is to Mt Rushmore and Little Big Horn this fall. I miss those vented seats when it's hot.
5th Gear
Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 5
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I just finished a much shorter few hundred mile trip in Northern AZ with our 7.3 XLT towing a 7500lb Travel Trailer and 4 people in the cab. Truck did great, started at 5000 ft, down to 3000 then the grade up to Flagstaff/Winslow area (I-17 and I-40) at 7000. It did like to drink gas but at no point was in underpowered. I haven't towed with a Diesel, If the 7.3 did this just fine, I'm sure the diesel would be awesome at it. I was surprised to see other recent Super Duties towing in the area that were also gassers. I don't tow enough to justify the diesel cost/maintenance even though I did consider it when I purchased my truck. I get 15-17 MPG non-towing (mostly rural/hwy) and averaging 9 MPG on this travel trailer per the computer. All mountain or high altitude since new.
I will agree on the rough ride/road comment. Truck is still newish so not gonna change shocks just yet, but I'm sure there is something to soften the road a bit. Transmission also did decent on the grades downhill, better than I thought it would.
I will agree on the rough ride/road comment. Truck is still newish so not gonna change shocks just yet, but I'm sure there is something to soften the road a bit. Transmission also did decent on the grades downhill, better than I thought it would.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Oct 2007
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We went from Atlanta to Tucson to the Grand Canyon, back to Tucson and back home towing a 8k trailer. 5280' around El Paso and 7000" just before White Sands. Truck towed much better on the way home than it did on the way out. I had just over 1200 miles on it when we left home. The 34 gal gas tank sucks, but I don't see an option for a larger tank. I averaged 8.5 mpg over the entire trip.
My F350 STX has most of the options that I care about. I got a smoking deal on it when Ford discounted the leftover 25's. To upgrade to a Diesel or to a Lariat, it looks like I will pay 35k + over what I owe on my current truck.
I don't know if a shock package and/or tire will improve the ride or not. It's a 1- ton truck and wasn't built for comfort.
My F350 STX has most of the options that I care about. I got a smoking deal on it when Ford discounted the leftover 25's. To upgrade to a Diesel or to a Lariat, it looks like I will pay 35k + over what I owe on my current truck.
I don't know if a shock package and/or tire will improve the ride or not. It's a 1- ton truck and wasn't built for comfort.
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