7.3 powerstroke

[blazn2170]

I have lurked a while and am a newb and appreciate any help i receive. I have a 99 F350 dually with the 7.3. what size her would you feel safe pulling flatland. I am looking at the total weight not dry. I don't want to overload or be unsafe just looking for opinions

thanks

[TXiceman]

The F350 DRW was rated for a GCWR of 20,000 lb. Depending on the truck configration, it will weigh about 8,000 lb. So that leaves about 12,000 lb. for a loaded trailer. You need to check the GVWR and rear axle GAWR for the maximum loads...on thedata plate on the drivers door jamb.

My 2002 has a GVWR of 11,500 lb and has the Camper Package.


I would recommend an aux. transmission cooler before towing heavy. Also if youare running a chip,gauges for turgo boost, pre-turbo temperature and transmission temp

Ken

[Cat320]

That 7.3L is the last truly proven good diesel Ford has made. Maybe the new 6.7L will be a good one, but like you, I'd stick with what you have and do the numbers to see what will work.

[fbh31118]

I started pulling commercially with an 02 F-350 super duty with the 7.3 when it had 238,000 miles. I bought it off a Chevy lot for $5500 and put another few hundred into it. Having said that, I don't think it can be over loaded from a power stand point(stock 250 hp/525 ft/lbs). Now, I'm not advocating over loading or law breaking by any means!! I do have a CAT scale sheet showing my combined weight at 21,750 while pulling a Keystone 5ver to a dealership in Maryland. The truck never lacked for power and had no problems with cooling or shifting. My truck is also single rear wheel and a short box with no programmer or modification of any sort. In short, you can pull just about any normal TT, 5ver , or just about any thing else you choose.

Also, as TXiceman said, add a large transmission cooler to your truck. I believe the 99 only has a single cooler as opposed to the dual cooler set up in later year super duties. Even my 02 with the dual cooler set up is not enough on a really hot day. fyi


jmho. Good luck and be safe!!

[Dwayne & Shara]

legal weight is misunderstood all the time. real legal weight is the gvrw of the truck plus the gvrw of the trailer add the 2 together and that is what you can haul. now whith that said your axle weight must be right also. even tho I have never seen a rv tt on a dot scale ever in over 2mil. miles of driving a bigtruck. now on to the 7.3 l it is the best deisel ever made in my book. if you are pulling a trailer get the tranny cooler and a egt gage. also get a stock turbo impeller for a 94-97 7.3L it will wake that truck up alot. also if you go with a chip get a boost gage also. never boost over 30psi with a stock turbo. you will be asking for trouble. I there are some free up grades you can do to help your truck even if it is stock. if you want to know them then pm me I'll help you as much as I can! ps I pull a 27' tt with my 97 f250 4x4

[jablair]

Well I guess you missed on the CAT scales at the Pilor in S.D.

[Muddypaws]

I have a 2001 F250 that I pulled a 30' Arctic Fox TT and later a 32' Montana (Actual lengths, not the mfg's number).

I added airbags and adjustable shocks first. Made a huge difference.

I use a Superchips programmer on it and consistently run 10-14 MPG TOWING!, added turbo temp, transmission temp, and boost guages.

I threw the stock exhaust system away and replaced it with a straight through muffler and bigger pipe.

Then the biggest transmission cooler I could find. There are bigger ones now. Go big, bigger, biggest. The transmission has an external thermostat that will bypass the cooler if it's not warm enough so don't worry about going too big. Going up a long hill or in traffic it still gets plenty warm. The torque converter, AKA spinning volcano, generates a LOT of heat when it's not locked.

I also added a Turbo Temp Minder (TTM) that will not allow the engine to shut down unless the EGT is below about 290F.

I replaced the front rotors with (non cryogenicly treated) slotted rotors and used Hawks ceramic pads all around. No more wondering if I'm going to be able to stop. Even unloaded the truck didn't brake the way I wanted it to. Now it does, and then some.

My truck has been back to Ford for repairs ONCE. The headlight switch broke at about 3 months. I don't really need it now, but I can't bring myself to sell it either.

[EMD_Driver]

You didn't say if your truck is early 99, or late 99... It does make a difference. If it was built prior to 12/98, it's an early 99. They re-designed the turbo setup between the two. Also... The early 99's did not have the transmission oil-to-water cooling, that the later Super Duty trucks did. They only had an oil-to-air transmission cooler.

I removed the stock cooler on my early 99 and installed a Tru-Cool Max stacked plate cooler, which is rated for a GCW of 40,000lbs. I also mounted twin 7" electric fans behind it.

As previously stated, there are several modifications you can make to these trucks. One of my first, was to trash the factory air cleaner box and install a big truck air cleaner. All diesels need to breathe.. I would also highly recommend, as a minimum, three gauges for towing. A boost pressure gauge, exhaust temperature gauge and a transmission temperature gauge. Living in hill country, I tend to tow by what those gauges are telling me and not how fast I want to go. These trucks are extremely reliable, especially when they are taken care of properly.

[fbh31118]

Good advice EDM, I wanted to upgrade my air box too now that you mention it.