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Ford F-Series Towing Questions

46 messages,  Last post on Oct 04, 2010 at 6:48 PM

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What is this discussion about? Ford F-150, Ford F-250 Super Duty, Ford F-350 Super Duty, Towing, Truck

Messages Page 3 of 5

#17 of 46 2004 f-350 crew cab towing by seamule51

Dec 16, 2006 (12:11 am)

just bought a 2004 f-350 and plan on towing a fifth wheel toy hauler. the owners manual rates it at 12,200. automatic/6.0TD. What happened to the 05's,06's, and 07's that they can tow 4000lbs more? Dilithium crystals? I've also looked at the ford body guide that was refered to and it rates me at 12,800. the door jam sticker rates it at 20,000 gcrw. I guess i should weigh the truck on a scale and whatever is left over i can tow up to 20,000. Also, how can i tell if i've got a 3.73 or 4.10 ratio? Thanks, Smitty

#18 of 46 Re: 2004 f-350 crew cab towing [seamule51] by wpalkowski

Dec 16, 2006 (3:58 am)

Replying to: seamule51 (Dec 16, 2006 12:11 am)
For '99 and up Superduties, the axle code is on the vehicle certification sticker on the lower doorpost behind the driver's door. That code tells you axle ratio and if it's limited slip or not. The only code-breaker I know is in the Helm shop manual. Here it is for a F-350 PSD DRW:
  
37 = 3.73 non-limited slip
4L = 4.30 limited slip
4N = 4.10 limited slip
 
There were a whole bunch of small tweaks to the Superduty drivetrain and chassis in '05 that allowed it to have a bigger payload and towing capacity. Ford had to keep up with Dodge and GM.
 
Difference between body guide and manual may be for the bed length of your truck. Long bed is heavier and has 35% bigger fuel tank than short bed.

#19 of 46 Thanks for the comeback by seamule51

Dec 16, 2006 (10:15 am)

I looked on the sticker but found nothing referenced to that code. Guess I didn't do all my homework when I bought the truck. Thanks, Smitty

#20 of 46 Re: Thanks for the comeback [seamule51] by wpalkowski

Dec 16, 2006 (12:01 pm)

Replying to: seamule51 (Dec 16, 2006 10:15 am)
Here's another site that might help you decode what's on your truck
 
Ford VIN Decoder
 
You can also look on the cover of the rear differential. There may be a coppery-colored tag hanging on it with the code # for axle ratio stamped on it.

#21 of 46 F-150 Auto Transmission Towing in Overdrive by lylet

Jan 29, 2007 (12:03 am)

#22 of 46 F-150 Auto Transmission Towing in Overdrive by lylet

Oct 30, 2006 (1:27 pm)

Does anyone have any information about towing in or out of OD. I have heard that towing with the OD on might not be a good thing on the transmission. Comments please.

#23 of 46 Re: F-150 Auto Transmission Towing in Overdrive [lylet] by wpalkowski

Oct 31, 2006 (4:08 am)

Replying to: lylet (Oct 30, 2006 1:27 pm)
When towing, heat is the number one enemy of your transmission. If the transmission has to keep shifting repeatedly, it'll cause heat buildup. Too much heat for too long degrades the transmission fluid and over time the tranny will fail.
 
If you're towing a light load, and you're on relatively flat land, or small rolling hills, you can tow in O.D. If the tranny stays in OD almost continually and doesn't keep searching back and forth between OD and 3rd (or 4th) gear then you're okay to use overdrive.
   However, if you've towing heavy and each time you want to go 2 mph faster, the tranny drops out of O.D., or if you're trying to climb a hill and the tranny can't make up it's mind what gear to stay in every 30 seconds, then you're much better off locking it out of O.D.
   Same goes with regular gears too. If you're pulling a load and climbing a big hill and the tranny's searching between 3rd and 4th. Downshift to 3rd and keep it there for the duration of the climb. You may go a bit slower, but the tranny is spinning faster, slipping less, and able to dissipate heat much better.
 
If you tow a lot there's a couple of good investments you can make. First -- transmission temperature gauge. You'll acutally be able to track how hot tranny gets pulling a hill. Basically, you don't want your tranny fluid to exceed about 225 degrees for more than a couple of minutes and the fluid looses its friction modifiers and you start eating up the tranny. If you overheat the tranny, it's adviseable to replace your fluid with in a realtive short time to save your self a much costlier repare later on, Other investment is a supplmental transmission cooler - allows you to dump that excess towing heat quicker than stock, and as a result tranny doesn't heat up anywhere near as bad on a tough pull. You've only got an F150, so you shouldm't be towing a skid steer or 12K lb, 5th wheel trailer, but still even with the lighter loads you should be aware of how you're using and/or abusing your transmission.

#24 of 46 Re: F-150 Auto Transmission Towing in Overdrive [wpalkowski] by lylet

Nov 01, 2006 (4:54 pm)

Replying to: wpalkowski (Oct 31, 2006 4:08 am)
Thanks for the suggestions

#25 of 46 towing w/f150 in OD by fish12

Nov 04, 2006 (8:54 am)

i tow a 15' boat to fla. every fall 1500 miles each way.As #2 stated,if it is a flat drive and the tranny is not shifting all the time then OD is ok.i drive it at 75-80 the entire way and no problems.i even averaged 14-15 MPG.

Messages Page 3 of 5

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