Towing Limits of 7.3 Powerstroke
As my wife and I look at making the transition from a Truck Camper to a 5th wheel, the question about the suitability of our truck for the job comes into question. Someday a new truck with all the bel...
Forum Discussion
Wadcutter wrote:
I had a 99.5 F-350 SRW, crew cab, 4X4, 8 ft bed with the 7.3. I didn't have near the upgrades you've done. I ran a small programmer which gave me a little boost in HP and torque. I did the programmer mainly to get better shifting as it tweaked the shift points. I did not have an exhaust brake.
The last 5er I pulled was a 40 ft which loaded maxed at 14,500. Never had a problem pulling. Made numerous trips thru the Rockies. Pulled some pretty good hills and never had a problem. Even with SRW it was very stable in any wind direction. Without the exhaust brake I had watch downhill runs but that would have been the case with any truck. I never had the 6.0 cooler. All stock except for the low grade programmer.
The 7.3 was a good engine. A local truck mechanic friend kept trying to get me to really hot rod it saying it was near bullet proof and could really be turned up. It did all I needed without hot rodding it.
As said I towed nearly 16 years with the the early 99 Superduty 7.3 350 short bed. I wouldn't say I had a problem towing in the rockies considering I live here in the west. The most I towed was just over 13K , 38' fifth wheel. Have talked to many many people towing with a 7.3 over the years. Just curious occasionally I hear comments similar to yours , never had a problem, as said neither did I , but hopefully you were are a grade with a passing lane or you were holding up traffic :)
