Is there a break in period before I can tow?
I am buying a new 2017 f250 0 miles on Friday. We leave out for a 3 hour tow 8700 lb travel trailer 6 days after that. Is there a certain mileage I should but on this before hooking and towing?
Forum Discussion
proxim2020 wrote:
Yes BUT... The big rigs tow 80K or so. It is all relative
I would caution you against comparing your F250 to a class 8 rig. Compare how many quarts your diff holds to the gallons of a class 8. The ring gear alone weighs every bit of 50 lbs. The big boys are built to take some abuse.
In reality, gear mating is a relic from the past.
When machining wasn't as good as it is today, and installation wasn't either.
Installed properly, the gears will be matched with no mating needed.
Proof is in the magnant. In the past, it was common for there to be metal on it, especially at the first fluid change from the mating during break in. My last trucks, and the one I regeared myself 10 years ago have had very clean magnants.
Just as motor production has improved to the point where break in isn't needed anymore, so has the gears.
Remember the days of break in oil? It doesn't even exist anymore.- Yes, gone are the days of engine break ins, special motor oil, and the need to change gear oil at the end of the break in period. To this day all manufacturers still find it necessary to carry the same 500-1000 mile warning. It could be valid or it could be outdated, I don't know. All I know is if I just spent a pretty penny on a brand new truck, I'm not going to explicitly do the opposite of what the manual says and risk damage to my truck.
- With all the comments to change the motor oil at 3000 or less miles I would think the same people would claim you need 5,000+ miles of special controlled break-in miles before you tow.
RTFM - Two things. First, manufacturing tolerances are light years better than they were years ago. There is little need to “wear in” the parts. They are right from the start.
Second, look at the tens of thousands of contractor trucks on the road. Many contractors get a new fleet pickup, hook up an overweight trailer on day one and tell a laborer to get to the 30 minute away job site in 20 minutes.
Rarely have I seen a failure in the 39 years I’ve been a licensed general contractor. And when they do, warranty has covered the problem.
