2011 Ford Super duty 6.2 3.73 tow 10k+?

[chrsnl05]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I bought a toyhauler and are looking to upgrade our truck. We have a 09 f250 crew cab short bed with the 5.4 and 4.10 gears. It pulled our former 27 ft travel trailer well at about 9k fully loaded and even with a 600 lb utility quad in the bed.

The toyhauler (07 Raptor 3110 TT not 5th wheel) we bought is 9200 empty and has a gvwr of 13k. I towed it home from the dealer and the 5.4 did ok at under 60mph but when i turned onto the interstate 65 - 70 what a stuggle but we had a hard headwind (trailer was obviously empty since we were bringing it home from dealer). We bought the trailer assuming we would look for another truck.

I like the 6.2 and we are looking at used but the 4.30 gears seem impossible to find used or even new for that matter. I have test drove a few 6.4 psd but the fuel and maintainence cost concern me especially if it breaks down. I have been reading through post in the 6.2 all week and have found plenty of people that town heavy with 6.2 and 4.30s but not too many with the 3.73. Will the manual shift option make up for the taller gears by not using 6th gear? or will it feel underpowered? I understand that it will likely be in 1 gear lower then the 4.30s on hills but concerned that it will run out of power when pulling heavy since the towing capasity is only a few hundred lbs more then my 5.4 (11700 vs 12000) but the 4.30 are rated for around 15000. We usually camp within 3 hrs of home but have alot of hills in my region (WNY and Northern PA) but would like to go to some of the offroad parks in tn ky and wv 8 to 10 or so hrs away. Im not concerned with empty mpg since i have another vehical that is my dd. towing power is more important to me then 1 or 2 mpg. But if the 3.73 will do the job better fuel economy is never bad.

I have not driven a 6.2. We found 1 we like at a good price but it is 5 hrs away and dont want to waste our time to go look at it if its not up to the task.

Thanks for your help

[chrsnl05]

modern family wrote:
I too have the exact combo you are questioning. ( see sig) I am usually about 9000 fully loaded, I do sometimes add 2 atv's to the bed adding about 700 pounds. I always lock out 6th and run in manual, it runs great in that mode. It really does not like 6th gear with that much weight and will keep shifting if you keep in tow / haul mode. Even in my 4 hour trip out of Florida from tampa, 6th gear is rarely used... Still runs better in 5th.

It sounds like the manual mode is one of the best features of the 6r140. I like the color combo of your truck BTW.

[modern_family]

I too have the exact combo you are questioning. ( see sig) I am usually about 9000 fully loaded, I do sometimes add 2 atv's to the bed adding about 700 pounds. I always lock out 6th and run in manual, it runs great in that mode. It really does not like 6th gear with that much weight and will keep shifting if you keep in tow / haul mode. Even in my 4 hour trip out of Florida from tampa, 6th gear is rarely used... Still runs better in 5th.

[SoCalDesertRid1]

The smallest stock tire size also has the lowest load weight capacity. This negatively affects the truck's ability to carry a heavy hitch weight. Better off having a higher rated tire (18" or 20"), with a lower ratio axle (4.30).

[Gdetrailer]

chrsnl05 wrote:

Jack_Diane_Freedom wrote:
I have never locked out 6th and I believe the lockout feature is available on all trim levels. Tranny will pick 5th when necessary and then go back into 6th when it can. I do not keep mpg records as towing and mpg is an oxymoron. You get what you get. I do use tow haul mode at all times when towing.

I just don't want it hunting for gears which generates more heat and is harder on the tranny. I like the idea of locking out high gear. Its nice to hear that's not something that just the higher trim levels get. I hear you on towing mpgs but if running one gear over another helps its a simple adjustment. Sometimes a bit higher rpms will use less fuel because the engine isn't working as hard.

I will continue to look for a 4.30 but from the posts here and on FTE it sounds like the 3.73 should not be discounted as an option.

I am towing 7K with 3.73 axle although lighter than what you will be towing the 6.2 really does a FINE job. Unlike a lot of folk here who feel you always need 4.x ratios, turbos and other mods I do not feel that is need.

YES, the 6.2 does not "jump" off the line, it is PROGRAMMED that way, it is a drive by wire throttle. When you step on the go pedal it is not connected DIRECTLY to the engine.

Instead it is nothing more than an input to the engine computer. The engine computer then decides when and how fast to open the throttle. a 4.x axle will do nothing for this. It is programmed that way to reduce wheel spin.

This engine really comes to life once you get above 20 mph and seems to have endless torque.

Instead of worrying about the gear ratio, I would suggest looking for the SMALLEST STOCK TIRE SIZE with the 3.73 (17" rims with the smallest stock tire). The reason for this is the larger optional wheels are also often larger in diameter, effectively changing the gear ratio. This is a very low cost way to alter the gear ratio a bit...

[pawatt]

We pull a 12,000 lb loaded fiver with our 2012, 6.2, 3.73 gears F-350 gasser. Have done a lot of mountain towing and it handles it just fine. I traded up from the old 6.0 diesel. Very happy with the 2012 6.2 3.73 gears F-350 gasser.

[MFL]

chrsnl05 wrote:

MFL wrote:
I have the 6.2 with 3.73 gears, and it works for me. I special ordered mine, just didn't need the 4.30. The 6-speed tranny makes a big diff. I often lock out 6th gear in a head wind, or hilly terrain.

The big gain with the 4.30 is starting out on a hill, or if towing in the Mts. a lot.

The 6-speed is double overdrive, so even towing in 4th is no problem.

Jerry

Hi Jerry,

How much do you tow?

Hey Chris, sent you a PM!

[chrsnl05]

Jack_Diane_Freedom wrote:
I have never locked out 6th and I believe the lockout feature is available on all trim levels. Tranny will pick 5th when necessary and then go back into 6th when it can. I do not keep mpg records as towing and mpg is an oxymoron. You get what you get. I do use tow haul mode at all times when towing.

I just don't want it hunting for gears which generates more heat and is harder on the tranny. I like the idea of locking out high gear. Its nice to hear that's not something that just the higher trim levels get. I hear you on towing mpgs but if running one gear over another helps its a simple adjustment. Sometimes a bit higher rpms will use less fuel because the engine isn't working as hard.

I will continue to look for a 4.30 but from the posts here and on FTE it sounds like the 3.73 should not be discounted as an option.

[Jack_Diane_Free]

I have never locked out 6th and I believe the lockout feature is available on all trim levels. Tranny will pick 5th when necessary and then go back into 6th when it can. I do not keep mpg records as towing and mpg is an oxymoron. You get what you get. I do use tow haul mode at all times when towing.

[SoCalDesertRid1]

If you can't find a factory 4.30 truck, have the gears changed. It doesn't cost that much for a 2wd and is VERY well worth the money.

You don't have to have it done at a dealer either. An independent axle and driveline shop can do a better job for less money than the dealer, typically.

Also, it doesn't matter if you lose the factory or dealer warranty on the gears, the manufacturer of the new gears warranty their own product and the installer, if reputable, will warranty their work.

An '07 5.9 Cummins dually would be nice. 🙂

My F350 dually parks all the same places my F350 SRW parks. Remember, your mirrors are much wider than the fenders and tires, on any truck...

[chrsnl05]

Mdamerel,

I have concidered a dually but i do on occation use the truck for work to tow a 14' enclosed trailer and am concerned the fenders may be in the way in tight parking lots. If found an 07 Ram 3500 drw with the 5.9 and 6 spd. that would tow nicely.

[TheGriswolds]

I have the exact truck you are looking at, I also bought used (27k miles on it). It is a pretty stripped down xlt package and it has the 6 speed tranny that you can lock out the gears you don't want to use and still be in auto mode. You can also go to manual and do it all yourself. My trailer is only 9k loaded but it does great. And yes, if you google the vin number you should be able to find the window sticker, that will have the axle ratio on it.

[mdamerell]

chrsnl05 wrote:

mdamerell wrote:
I'd be taking the 13,000# that trailer grosses and finding a truck that can tow say 14,000# by the numbers (guide). In the 2009 model year you are looking at a diesel. Why guess at having enough truck. The V10 taps out around 12,000#.

If you can buy newer 2014 Tow Guide if you found the 4.3 rear you'd b ok (15,000#)but they are probably a special order.

Tow Guides by year

The 09 is what I currently own so
I am not necessary looking for a 09. I found a 2011 f350 ccsb srw but its 5 hours from me. Only asking $23k. The down side is it has 90k miles on it. The miles don't concern me much since its not a daily driver so I won't put many on it

If you click on the tow guide and pull up the 2011's for a 13,000# trailer they are directing you into DRW's unless it's diesel. Then you can do 14,000# on a SRW. If it's just to pull your trailer and not a daily drive why not just get the bigger truck and cover yourself?

Good luck.

[americanrascal]

chrsnl05 wrote:
I'm sure 4.30s will out preform 3.73 I'm just not sure I I can find one. I looked at 15 or 20 new and used trucks online and in person and they all had 3.73. I don't think I can afford a new one or I would order it. Does anyone know if the vin will tell the axle ratio? I know about the door tag but not all dealers post a pic of that.

I'm pulling about 10500 on my 5ver with the 6.2 and 3.73.(bought a new one) Runs great even in the mountains. Glad I went with gas instead of the diesel. I am well satisfied with the power, and have been pleasantly surprised how well Ford manages to keep the engine and tranny so cool under tough towing conditions.

[chrsnl05]

MFL wrote:
I have the 6.2 with 3.73 gears, and it works for me. I special ordered mine, just didn't need the 4.30. The 6-speed tranny makes a big diff. I often lock out 6th gear in a head wind, or hilly terrain.

The big gain with the 4.30 is starting out on a hill, or if towing in the Mts. a lot.

The 6-speed is double overdrive, so even towing in 4th is no problem.

Jerry

Hi Jerry,

How much do you tow?

[MFL]

I have the 6.2 with 3.73 gears, and it works for me. I special ordered mine, just didn't need the 4.30. The 6-speed tranny makes a big diff. I often lock out 6th gear in a head wind, or hilly terrain.

The big gain with the 4.30 is starting out on a hill, or if towing in the Mts. a lot.

The 6-speed is double overdrive, so even towing in 4th is no problem.

Jerry