I've towed my 5th wheel (7700 # dry) with my 98 LIGHT DUTY F250 (also a 5.4L 3.73 )for 6 years with no problems........a little heavy going up over the pass (0 - 4500 feet) but it moved it right along and no problems with 90K miles on the engine. I always thought it was a little light though and always THOUGHT I wanted a SuperDuty.

I kind of got sucked into an impulse buy on the "freinds and family" deal last year and wound up with a 2005 F250 SuperDuty with the 5.4L 3.73...... it's a nice rig body and interior wise but to me it drives like an airport shuttle bus compared to my Light Duty F250.........

My mechanic tells me my new rig actually has 40-50 MORE HP than my old one and it's just a perception thing on my part.

I'm making a substantial tow this weekend (300 miles RT and up over the pass) so I guess I'll get a better idea of how it's going to work out

I'm thinking of maybe adding a Flowmaster or Magnaflow just to make the darn thing SOUND better and maybe this will help

I'm on the verge of not liking this truck (which I I planned to keep for many many years when I bought it)

I only tow my 5th wheel a handful of times a year...... so if this truck is as capable as my LIGHT DUTY F250 was it should serve me very well

Any thoughts on towing or experience on how this particular rig handles a load? (I would guess that with gear and passengers we will be CLOSE to the max listed towing weight for this model)......

Thanks!!

 

IMHO, you got the wrong engine for towing a 7700 lbs (probably around 9000 lbs when loaded). I have an '05 F150 with the 5.4 and 3.73 rearend. I tow a trailer that weighs about 5000 lbs LOADED, and I definately wouldnt' want to go any heavier than that with my engine. Plus, your truck is heavier than mine, so the power-to-weight ratio is higher for me. But then again, you have the TorqueShift tranny, which should help a little.

Anyway, chances are your old truck was much lighter than your new one, so there's one possible reason for a decrease in performance. The 5.4 is a great engine, but not for towing 8000-9000 lbs. You'd be MUCH MUCH happier with the V10, or better yet, the PSD. Either way, I wouldn't blame it on the truck... Blame it on the engine choice you made.

 

Capability (tow ratings) has little to do with power and how quickly it can accelerate. Brakes, suspension, frame transmission, gears, hubs, bearings all are designed for more load. The F250 you have now weighs at least 1000 pounds more than the old F250LD. Little you can do to make any significant improvement in towing power short of gear swap or forced induction. You can try an aftermarket tuner, just makre sure you request a tune for premium fuel for towing.



I agree about the engine, though. The V10 was a $600 option. I don't understand why more people don't take it over the 5.4L in the SD. The fuel economy difference is maybe 1mpg different. Anyway, not much you cna do about that now.

 

i tow a25' fith whell with my 05 150 about the same# no proublems just came back from 250 mile round trip pics in my gallery