Ford 7.3 engine users?

I've got a 2022 F-350 7.3 with the 4.30 rear end. Currently I'm pulling a 8k lb TT, but I bought the truck to handle a 14-15k 5'ver that I will probably have by spring.

With a 350 your gear options are 3.73, or 4.30 unless it has changed since 2022. I'd get the 4.30 just to be on the safeside, I always like to have some extra capacity. I know when I was looking, the concensus on the forums was that going from 3.55 to 4.30 was about 1mpg difference. So I'd think the 3.73 vs 4.30 would probably be .5mpg. I'd rather have the extra capacity. Realisically I think with the 10 speed, a hill you would pull in 5th with 3.73, you'd pull in 6th with the 4.30, and be turning similar RPMs, and the only place you'd notice would be starting on a steep hill. What I'm not smart enough to understand is if that changes stresses along the driveline.

It tows my TT much better than my old Chevy 6.0 gasser, and with the 10 speed when the grade changes a little, it can downshift a gear and its only about a 300-400rpm change so it doesnt go from lugging along to screaming. It seems to always be able to find the right gear.

The engine brake works well, but it does not as effective as an exhaust brake on a diesel.

I daily mine, and I'm probably 90% stop and go around town unless I'm pulling my camper, so my gas mileage is about 12mpg around town. I did test it on the interstate on a trip, and running 70 on the flats it got a little over 15mpg, and when I bumped it to 80, it dropped to like 14.5. I've seen reports of 16-17 mpg at 55-60.

I think as a daily, and pulling a 15k trailer on the weekends it is a better option than the diesel. It is perfectly capable of pulling that trailer at the speed limit just about anywhere. It's going to turn some rpms on big hills, but normally I'm towing at 2000rpm on the interstate at 70mph, and it will drop 2 gears on a hill and be a little under 3k rpms.

It is like $9k cheaper, gas is cheaper, but less mpg, so that is a wash, maintenance is cheaper. There is none of the diesel emissions **** that seems to be a problem with many diesels, especially if you do a lot of short drives like I do. It just makes more sense for my use, especially since I keep my trucks well past the factory warranty.

If I was towing 15k daily, or 18-20k regularly, I'd probably go diesel, but the 7.3 with the 10spd really fills a great niche for the 10-16k campers.

I will say the transmission does act a little goofy at low speed stop and gos like in parking lots and neighborhoods. It quickly shifts from 1st to 3rd, then its has to go back to 1st sometimes. Its not bad, it just upshifts thinking you will continue to accelerate, but when you don't it gets confused. The shift points towing are great and I have know complaints. There is a shifting update that is supposed to be better, but I haven't had it done yet.

I would buy it again, and plan on keeping this one for 15 years unless my needs change.

I have a 2023 F350 Crew Cab short box with the 7.3 and 3.73 rear end. I tow a 11000-12000 lb 5th wheel and love it. When running on flat ground I can just leave it in 10th gear and it'll run 70 MPH all day long. Hilly terrain I just lock out 9-10 and it'll cruise at 70 in 8th gear at about 2100 RPM with no problem. I get about 9 mpg towing but it tows it effortlessly. Haven't gone to the mtns or anything yet so I can't reference engine braking but plan to next summer. I'd given some thought to the 4.30 rear end but with what I'm towing I don't feel it would be any improvement.

There isn’t a hill I’ve been on that I would be afraid to descend pulling a 16000 lb rv with the 7.3 gasser. Low gear and 6000 rpm is a lot of engine braking.

I towed a 16K 5th with my 2015 RAM 3500 Aisin with a 24,500 combined weight full timing for two years. I would not have wanted to towed it with a gasser. Pulled hard going up grades and was great going down mountain passes, with nice cool service brakes in case one had to quick stop.

Why get rid of a 2015 RAM? I loved my Laramie and would have kept it if I had know how quickly my wife of 40 years was going to step off the planet. ALS is a terrible disease.

A year ago I would have agreed with Me Again, but with the 10 speed transmission, these trucks are pretty impressive. We recently received ours and drove it labor day weekend and was pretty impressed, but didn't tow with it. It should have a goose neck hitch on it now. On FTE there's a few ex diesel owners who are reporting they are very satisfied with the towing performance. Most of them have 3.73 gears which is what we have.

These engines don't have cylinder deactivation nor do they have direct injection, and probably won't for the foreseeable future since their primary use is for F250 - F750 trucks. There has been some reported with lifter failures, but those appear to be mostly 2020-2021 trucks.

I’m curious what an “engine brake” looks like on a 7.3 or any gasser for that fact. Is it connected to the muffler bearings or the blinker fluid pump?

To the OP, yeah…..no. Not unless you want less towing capacity and less stopping ability and less mileage all while pulling a much bigger trailer a bunch of miles (in the future according to your last query).
Such a huge step backwards, exaggerated by what you plan on doing w the truck. Idk, don’t make any sense to me.

Me Again wrote:
Why get rid of a 2015 RAM? I loved my Laramie and would have kept it if I had know how quickly my wife of 40 years was going to step off the planet. ALS is a terrible disease.

My Ram is an 8 year old Tradesman, with awful stock seats that are murder on my back and butt for longer drives. I'm thinking my next truck might need to be a dually (but not sure yet). I currently have a company vehicle that I can drive for work and around town, but I retire from my current job in less than 3 years. I've got my next job lined up, which is fully remote but will require me driving my truck more.

When I retire from this job, we are hoping to do longer trips and staying at destinations longer. I'll have the time to go slower up the big mountains, and I'll be spending more time at the beach or lake and driving the truck to the supermarket, etc.

At this point I'm just doing my due diligence. I got fussed at in another thread for planning ahead, but I'm a planner. I might determine that a gas engine just won't work for my towing needs, but until I do the research, I just don't know... you know?

wowens79 wrote:
I've got a 2022 F-350 7.3 with the 4.30 rear end. Currently I'm pulling a 8k lb TT, but I bought the truck to handle a 14-15k 5'ver that I will probably have by spring.

Please come back and post when you get your new trailer! Sounds like you'll be doing the same thing I am considering. We'll be moving to eastern Tennessee hopefully, so we'll have some small mountains to contend with at home and we'll probably hit the Rockies once or twice on longer trips out West.

I hope that our camping will be longer stays, so less out and back with the trailer.

I love my diesel, but it's over $1 more per gallon right now and the mileage is a wash with those prices. I too keep my truck long past the manufacturers warranty. Couple years back I bought a $2818 DEF pump that threatened to put me in limp mode as we were driving home from Florida. The engine is GREAT, all the emissions garbage is awful. If I stay with a diesel engine, that will be coming off after the warranty expires...

Grit dog wrote:
I’m curious what an “engine brake” looks like on a 7.3 or any gasser for that fact. Is it connected to the muffler bearings or the blinker fluid pump?

To the OP, yeah…..no. Not unless you want less towing capacity and less stopping ability and less mileage all while pulling a much bigger trailer a bunch of miles (in the future according to your last query).
Such a huge step backwards, exaggerated by what you plan on doing w the truck. Idk, don’t make any sense to me.

Looking at TFL's video, the Cummins required 10 brake taps coming down the hill and the 7.3 gas required 10 brake taps coming down the hill. I know that TFL intentionally didn't put the truck in T/H mode, which would have made the EB much more aggressive. Makes me wonder what the 7.3 will do in T/H or with some minor driver input.

A new 350 would give me MORE tow capacity than my 2015 Ram. It is nice using the EB, but it sounds like the engine braking capability of the big gasser is decent (but admittedly nowhere near the EB). I won't be in a race, so I'm not dying to get another diesel. But again... I don't know what I'm doing just yet!

I think I like everything I'm hearing about the 7.3 and the 10 speed. However I would not compromise on the exhaust break.
Going up the mountain is more about speed and the time it takes to get to the top which is really not important. However coming down the mountain is more about safety and remaining in control.

You don't see runaway truck ramps going up the mountain, But they are present coming down! Maximum exhaust brake ability is a must. Ultimately lack of a true exhaust brake would be a deal breaker for me going with a gasser.