f250 7.3l 3.71 rear end 10,000lb 5th wheel trip summary

[oldryder]

4800 miles 8.8 mpg overall. low day of 6.8 mpg high of 10.1, typical day 350 - 400 miles. Ford tow/haul very helpful. 10 spd shifts too much, in roller coaster areas I just disabled the highest gears which eliminated a lot of shifting and didn't seem to hurt mileage at all.

new F250 was great except for nuisance "Weight Restriction" and "Low Overhead" messages that were very annoying ("bong"). These were generated by the trailer towing software ("bong") combined with the Ford navigation software ("bong") which no one uses because the smart phone apps are vastly superior. Even worse it gives you the alerts ("bong, bong") even when the overhead clearance is more than your trailer needs and "Weight Restriction" ("bong") should never come up for a 10,000lb trailer. Figured out the notifications ("bong") could be silenced by turning off all notifications ("bong") in the trailer set up. Not an optimum solution as I think that also silenced the trailer lighting fault notifications. Definitely a "not ready for prime time" feature by the geeks at Ford.

Also the "Hold" function that supposed to let you take your foot off the brake when waiting at a light doesn't actually exist on the Super Duty trucks even tho it is in the downloaded manual and the manual you access thru the screen on the dash.

Good truck.

 

[Onyrlef]

Not sure what you mean by T/H very helpful and 10 spd shifts too much? Were you trying to tow in hills in cruise control?

 

[oldryder]

Tow/haul on down grades automatically downshifting. Yes to cruise and shifting. Some learn

 

[oldryder]

... some learning curve there with 10 spd trans.

 

[Onyrlef]

Cruise in hills won't work, your computer is going to signal the engine to do whatever it takes to maintain the set speed. I wouldn't recommend CC ever when towing. T/H is only signaling the tran. to stay in the lower gears longer between shifts and you should be in it automatically if hooked to your tow.

 

[Sierranevada]

I thought Ford 7.3 diesel engines ended production in 2003. Maybe this is a gas engine.
Have a nice day, George

 

[DonTom]

I thought Ford 7.3 diesel engines ended production in 2003. Maybe this is a gas engine.

How does Ford decide between the six speed and ten-speed auto trannies?

My 7.3L in my 2022 30' Class A has the six-speed auto-tranny. It seems to fit perfectly, just the right number of gears, IMO.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[xrated]

Cruise in hills won't work, your computer is going to signal the engine to do whatever it takes to maintain the set speed. I wouldn't recommend CC ever when towing. T/H is only signaling the tran. to stay in the lower gears longer between shifts and you should be in it automatically if hooked to your tow.

I don't have the 7.3 gasser, I have the 6.7 diesel and it's a Dually, and my trailer is a triple axle Momentum 20,000 lb GVWR trailer. I use the Tow/Haul mode all the time, as well as the Cruise Control while towing it. The key to using the cruise control, especially out west where the grades are fairly steep is to reduce the towing speed (say 70 mph), down to the trucker speed limit in that section....which might be 50 or 55 mph. But that needs to be done BEFORE you hit the peak and actually start the descent. I've gone down 6 and 7 % grades and never touched the brake pedal on the truck.....letting tow haul and Cruise Control do what they are designed to do.

 

[Derby6]

7.3 is the Godzilla gasser.
Ford went to a 10/speed in 2020.
I have both 2019 6 speed and 2022 10 speed. Both are diesel and like them both.

I didn’t know you could still get a 6 speed. Maybe it’s a gasser option?

 

[DonTom]

I didn’t know you could still get a 6 speed. Maybe it’s a gasser option?

I heard somewhere that Ford puts the ten-speed tranny only in the diesel. Perhaps because of the extra weight of the diesel?

Otherwise, I would think the diesel has more torque and would need less gears.

IAC, my 2021 Ford Chass in my 2022 Class A is a six speed with the 7.3L gasoline engine.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Lou Schneider]

I thought Ford 7.3 diesel engines ended production in 2003. Maybe this is a gas engine.
Have a nice day, George

Ford's 7.3L "Godzilla" V-8 gas engine was introduced in 2020 as a medium duty truck alternative to diesel engines due to the ever increasing cost and complexity of diesel emission control equipment (DEF filters, etc). The Super Duty version is a relatively low speed, high torque engine, there's also a high performance version that replaces the V-10 and Boss V8 in cars. It's available on the F250 - F600 Ford trucks, school bus and motorhome chassis.

Ford Godzilla engine - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Onyrlef]

I don't have the 7.3 gasser, I have the 6.7 diesel and it's a Dually, and my trailer is a triple axle Momentum 20,000 lb GVWR trailer. I use the Tow/Haul mode all the time, as well as the Cruise Control while towing it. The key to using the cruise control, especially out west where the grades are fairly steep is to reduce the towing speed (say 70 mph), down to the trucker speed limit in that section....which might be 50 or 55 mph. But that needs to be done BEFORE you hit the peak and actually start the descent. I've gone down 6 and 7 % grades and never touched the brake pedal on the truck.....letting tow haul and Cruise Control do what they are designed to do.

If you were going up a steep grade at 70 mph towing 20k, you’re the man.

 

[xrated]

If you were going up a steep grade at 70 mph towing 20k, you’re the man.

That doesn't usually happen. But there are times that after you've made a climb at maybe 55/60 mph, it kind of levels off for a bit and you can get your speed back up. The key is to be aware of what's coming up ahead of you and if you see a pretty steep descent, back the speed control off again to the truck's speed limit before you start down. I probably worded it wrong in my first post. Hopefully, that makes more sense...LOL!

 

[solarman]

Here is my experience with my 2024 chevy 2500hd crew cab SRW 4x4

Average mpg unloaded 16 to 19
Towing 9000lbs - 9.3 @ 65 mph
overall, i'm very happy with the truck, it's smooth, quiet, very roomy, has
a load capacity of 3500 lbs, towing capacity of 16000lbs and tongue capacity of 1600lbs
I'm at 9000lbs ( 56% capacity ) and 1200lbs ( 75% capacity ) tongue. handles very well.. i'd say a 9 out of 10 rating.

the only dislike is the truck height, i need a small ladder to get onto the tailgate. !
I'm having a bed "slider draw" made to slide my stuff in and out, also installing
a bed camper shell too.

 

[Derby6]

solarman--Those numbers sound about right on the money to me. Very comparable to both my F350's.
So surprised to see your post. I am so used to the folks saying I get 25+ empty and 16 overloaded doing 80mph....LOL

 

[solarman]

solarman--Those numbers sound about right on the money to me. Very comparable to both my F350's.
So surprised to see your post. I am so used to the folks saying I get 25+ empty and 16 overloaded doing 80mph....LOL

yes, I have seen those posts too.. guys claming 30mpg from a deleted cummins towing 50,000lbs uphill.. LOL.

 

[Onyrlef]

Here is my experience with my 2024 chevy 2500hd crew cab SRW 4x4

Average mpg unloaded 16 to 19
Towing 9000lbs - 9.3 @ 65 mph
overall, i'm very happy with the truck, it's smooth, quiet, very roomy, has
a load capacity of 3500 lbs, towing capacity of 16000lbs and tongue capacity of 1600lbs
I'm at 9000lbs ( 56% capacity ) and 1200lbs ( 75% capacity ) tongue. handles very well.. i'd say a 9 out of 10 rating.

the only dislike is the truck height, i need a small ladder to get onto the tailgate. !
I'm having a bed "slider draw" made to slide my stuff in and out, also installing
a bed camper shell too.

My little Nissan Frontier ( 6 cyl) with relatively super high torque only gets 15-18 mpg unloaded. It gets about 11 mpg when loaded down towing.

 

[oldryder]

Here is my experience with my 2024 chevy 2500hd crew cab SRW 4x4

Average mpg unloaded 16 to 19
Towing 9000lbs - 9.3 @ 65 mph
overall, i'm very happy with the truck, it's smooth, quiet, very roomy, has
a load capacity of 3500 lbs, towing capacity of 16000lbs and tongue capacity of 1600lbs
I'm at 9000lbs ( 56% capacity ) and 1200lbs ( 75% capacity ) tongue. handles very well.. i'd say a 9 out of 10 rating.

the only dislike is the truck height, i need a small ladder to get onto the tailgate. !
I'm having a bed "slider draw" made to slide my stuff in and out, also installing
a bed camper shell too.

which engine and rear end ratio?

 

[solarman]

which engine and rear end ratio?

it's the 6.6 L8T gas with 10 speed allison 3.73 rear end

I think it's a good replacement for the diesel at my towing weight.
The torque off the line is real good. makes for a relaxed drive.

just to be clear, those mpg figures are sea level towing, hand calculated over 6 tanks..they will drop at high elevations...

 

[oldryder]

Thx. good info. I can't help wondering why the OEM's don't make a turbo version of their big block gassers. My 4 cyl 2L turbo edge has noticeably more power than my wifes slightly older 3.5L V6. Can't see why a towing oriented turbo for the big gassers wouldn't expand the market for those engines and provide a less expensive alternative than the diesels. Maybe just too small of a potential market?