I have driven one, and liked it a lot. The rig I'm pretty set on buying is a 7,500 lb empty toy hauler. With water, bikes, etc, I'm over 9,000 lbs. With the tow rating of 10,200 lbs (4wd), I thought I'd be pushing it.

I don't get the 10,200 lb rating, that truck looks like it would pull a house down!

 

I'd just go with the 4.30s for that weight trailer and then you'd have a real margin of safety. My F250/3.73 is rated for 10500lbs trailer and the same model with 4.30s is rated 12500lbs.

Gearing means alot. I notice all the new 1/2 tons are coming out with 10000lb trailer ratings and the manufacturers are bragging about them. New Tundra, GM's new 1/2 tons etc. But alot of those models are for 2wd models with 4.10 gears. With a truck like mine, you get a 10500lb rating and still get a 4wd model with only 3.73s plus it has a 1500lbs-2000lbs higher curb weight than any 1/2t ext cab.

Point is, you really have to read the fine print for tow data-especially with Toyota and Nissan entering the market with 1/2 tons and doing anything they can to make their new trucks sound superior. It's gooten really bad the last few years.

And Superduty V10s will pull down a house! As long as you don't drag it down a road on a trailer you're not gonna hurt anything!

 

So I got a quote for a gearing change on a 2004 4X4 F-250 V10 with 3.73 gears. 4 wheel parts wants about $1,700 to change the gears, parts and labor, then another $500 for a programmer. Sounds steep to me!

Do I really need a programmer?

Thanks

 

You will need a programmer to recalibrate your spedometer after the gear change. You can buy one for less than $500 though, look around and you can find Diablo tuners for under $300.

As for the price of re-gearing, that is not too far fetched, but on the high side. Since they have to do front and rear on a 4X4, it will cost more obviously. I paid $2200 for my 4.56 gears in my F-150, but that was Alaska pricing. I had quotes around $1300-1400 for the same job when I lived in Vegas.

Check out some local driveline and transmission shops and get pricing from them. Just make sure you are going with a quality gear such as Yukon, Ford Racing, Precision etc.

 

Ok, got a quote from Outlaw Offroad near my house for around $1,200, so I got the appointment set up for Wednesday. (1) Is the programmer something I can do myself, and (2) Should I go with the 4.10 or 4.30. Outlaw is suggesting the 4.30. I like the way the truck drives now, so is this going to drastically change things??? Thanks!

 

You will NOT have to get a programmer to recalibrate your speedometer after the gear change. I went from 3.73 to 4.56 and the speedometer was fine. The Super Duties read the speed off the axle (I believe) and not the gears. So regardless of what gears you put in, the spin on the axle will not change.

 

BTW... I would go with 4.30. I have not heard one complaint from people with those gears in a V10. I was always told to go up one size from the gear you thought you wanted.

 

Back to checking the ratio, my 99 350 has a tag under a dif cover bolt that is stamped 4.10 and a stamp on the side of the diff that says4/10 handy info if you look for a junk yard swap.

I just checked on parts only for the sd and found that the dana front gears were $500 and the dana rear were $700 so $1700 isn't bad if they are doin' the work. (I priced new, not salvage)

 

hey ride, mine has 4.10 and so did the other 4 on the lot.

https://www.f150online.com/galleries....cfm?gnum=9511

 

Wow, what year is yours? I wonder why that is? Maybe your dealer specifically requested those, or something.

Any-who, tomorrow's the big day for my new gears. I hope it all works out! Only two days with my new (used) truck and so far I'm stoked!

Nice truck too, that thing's sweet. What did you do with your stock rims?

 

NICE, that's what I wanted to hear!

 

Ok, got the truck back tonight, and so far, I'm very happy with the change. I can for sure tell there's a little more ooomph down low, but haven't got her up to freeway speeds just yet. From what I can tell, not a HUGE difference, which I'm happy about.

As far as the speedo, hard to tell really. I haven't owned the truck long enough to really notice, but if I had to guess, it seems the speedo is reading faster than what I'm doing. Would this be consistent with my gear change - 3.73 to 4.30?

Thanks!

 

thanks it is an 07'. i sold the stock wheels and tires on ebay

 

That would seem to make sense but...I talked to several people on another website who had their gears changed on their Super Duties. They all tell me the speedometer will not be affected. I noticed no change from 3.73 to 4.56 in the speedometer. I have not checked it with my GPS though. Another factor might be the sound of the engine making you think you are going faster since the RPM's are higher at slower speeds. Glad you like the gears. Enjoy!