Community Forums

kevin925 · 01-10-2005, 05:20 PM

looking at buying a adirondack 31bk,dry weight 6368 lbs and 35 ft from bumper to hitch.wondering if my 2004 f250 5.4 engine with a 3.73 rear can pull this. also a number of people say pulling that long of a trailer is really terrible as far as handling? need advice from some vet. rvers. also i am keeping my truck so i know some pro deisel owners will tell me to buy a deisel, i would if i could afford it. my dad has a deisel excursion and i like it just as much as my truck. so lets just stick to my truck. thanks and thanks for the your replies.

kevin925 · 01-10-2005, 05:20 PM

looking at buying a adirondack 31bk,dry weight 6368 lbs and 35 ft from bumper to hitch.wondering if my 2004 f250 5.4 engine with a 3.73 rear can pull this. also a number of people say pulling that long of a trailer is really terrible as far as handling? need advice from some vet. rvers. also i am keeping my truck so i know some pro deisel owners will tell me to buy a deisel, i would if i could afford it. my dad has a deisel excursion and i like it just as much as my truck. so lets just stick to my truck. thanks and thanks for the your replies.

TXiceman · 01-10-2005, 05:29 PM

We have friends with a 28' Prowler and he felt that he could pull it with a 5.4L, 3.73 axle F-250, crew cab and he not happy and now looking to get a diesel. Besides the bad gas milage, he says he is tired of listening to the think rev in second gear to make a grade.

The 5.4L is just not a very strong runner and it is a bit thirsty. If you plan to keep the 5.4L, I'd look at a smaller trailer...max of about 26'.

Sorry for the negative report, but I have heard numerous folks complain about the poor power from a 5.4L.

Ken

cwsoules · 01-10-2005, 07:37 PM

You need to punch the tables, learn the GVWR of truck and trailer and the truck GCWR. Weigh the truck and estimate what else you will have to add to make it tow this trailer. There is a good chance your truck will not be able to handle such a big trailer. You can probably tow it, but can you tow it fast enough to not hold up traffic? The other question would can you safely stop it?

kevin925 · 01-11-2005, 04:11 AM

the weight seems to be with in my limit,close to max. and as far as stopping the f250 have the same brakes as a f350 .it is a superduty. gas milage is not a issue, blowing the tranny or engine is.

Dave Pelletier · 01-11-2005, 06:43 AM

Kevin;

- The advice to weigh everything and check your GVWR and GAWR's is sound. Keep in mind that the trailer dry weight is sometimes way low once the unit is loaded up. For that reason I usually work off the trailer's GVWR rather than dry weight. That all having been said, I suspect you'll be within your ratings.
- So assuming you are within the manufacturer's recommended ratings, the next issue is power. Obviously more power is better, but whether you will be reasonably happy towing your trailer will depend (IMO) on how often you tow it and where you tow it. Interstates and mountain passes will be the worst, obviously.
- I've always found that my longer trailers towed better than the shorter ones, all things being equal.

good luck,
Dave

6MISFITZ · 01-11-2005, 08:25 AM

Since your truck is a HD, you at least have the right chassis and brakes.

If I remember correctly, Ford boosted the HP and Tourque of the 2004 5.4L truck engine so it should not be as week as previous years. One thing that will hurt you is the rear axle ratio.
3.73 does not give you quite the same pulling power as 4.10 but one way to overcome this problem is to tow in low 3 all the time. (Frequent shifting causes extreme heat and early failures)
Towing in low 3 boosts the engine rpms (and therefore its power) close to where the truck could better manage the weight of the trailer and saves the transmission from shifting in and out of OD.

Never look at the trailer's dry weight as the measure of if your truck will tow it or not, use the trailers maximum weight instead. Know your maximums before you buy and get the rv weighed once loaded for a trip to give you an idea of where the numbers are.

Depending on the rv dealer, would they allow you to do a test tow on the highway to let you evaluate your truck with that load?

If you do tow anything, make sure you maintain your tow vehicle with yearly fluid changes of the tranmission and axle(s) on top of the regular engine oil changes.

Mike.