What can I safely tow?

[7_3diesel]

TRUCK: 1997 F-250 Heavy Duty 7.3L Powerstroke 4x4.

There seems to be lots of detailed information about weight (dry v. loaded, what the truck's rated at, etc). According to Ford, provided I'm reading the document right, the GCWR for a 1997 4x4 manual 7.3L F-250 is 20,000lbs & 14,000 trailer weight. What is the maximum weight I can safely tow?

So I'm just now starting to investigate fifth wheels & I have a few novice questions that I'm hoping the community can help me with:

What modifications, if any, will improve ride quality & safety of my 1997 F-250 Heavy Duty 7.3L Powerstroke 4x4 when hauling a 5th wheel?
I'm currently looking into the TorkLift StableLoad, sway bars, add-a-springs, helper-spring kits, airbags & tires. I'm starting to get a bit overwhelmed and afraid of being sold something at the RV dealership that I can't safely tow... Does anyone have any recommendations on any of these mods?

Roughly at what trailer weight do people need to upgrade duallies?

Any experienced recommendations, suggestions & stories are much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

7.3diesel wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
#1 The lack of intercooler hurts this engine. (this can be fixed)

Which intercooler do your recommend? Banks looks expensive. Are there any other options?
Sorry, I don't have a recommendation for you. I can say get the biggest one that will fit no matter what brand or make.

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
#2 The lack of HP really hurts this engine. (this can also be fixed)

The truck has a cold air intake on it, and I'm having a complete turbo-back exhaust with thermal wrap put on next week.
Cold air is not going to do anything for this engine. Save the money on the thermal wrap for a good intercooler or tuner. It won't do anything either.

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
#3 The crank sensor can be problematic. (again, this can be fixed)...get a new spare crank sensor.

I wasn't aware of this. What does this do & where do I find one?
It tells the puter what position the crank and cam is in. Ford dealer.

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
I would also think about beefing up the tranny. They were on the week side during these years and if you add some power you will do it in that much sooner.

The truck is a manual & shifts alright, although I haven't towed with it. But yeah, I might have to upgrade to a heavier duty clutch. We'll see how she tows with the stock clutch.

Sorry, this advice was for an auto. If you have a manual you are in much better shape.

If you get a tuner and an intercooler it will wake this truck up. And as said above you need to get the intercooler to keep the charge cool. And you need to get a tuner to give it more fuel. IOW's you need both.

[Passin_Thru]

Buy Airlift Airbags, We used them on our 7.3. That thing rode as rough as a wagon before we put them on. I wouldn't pull more than 16,000 gross with a 7.3 as it is a little underpowered actually. Usually when I hauled trailers with it I was around 15-16K and it worked it. Avg was 9 MPG or less and maybe 13 ety. Yes, the intercooler made the difference.

[7_3diesel]

KTMsc wrote:
Adding a tuner made a huge improvement in power and firming the shift points, however as soon as I got in the hills, egts went up fast and had to switch back to stock setting.
The truck needs an intercooler to go with the tuner. Then you will be able to tow closer to the trucks rating.

I've got a tuner with tow settings. Does an intercooler really make that big of a difference?

KTMsc wrote:
Also it is the cam position sensor that fails, they issued a recall.

So will Ford still replace it for me?

[KTMsc]

Just sold my 97 7.3 for all the reasons your listing.
Payload is very low, 1800-2200 depending on your cab, bed, and drive.
Mine was a supercab, longbed, 4x4 with 4:10 gears.
I had the exhaust replaced from the turbo back to get rid of the flat section, I did not notice a huge improvement.
Tried a cold air intake, made alot of noise but did not notice an improvement.
Adding a tuner made a huge improvement in power and firming the shift points, however as soon as I got in the hills, egts went up fast and had to switch back to stock setting.
The truck needs an intercooler to go with the tuner.
Then you will be able to tow closer to the trucks rating.
Mine was an automatic so the tranny was next to need upgrading.
Also it is the cam position sensor that fails, they issued a recall.
In the end all of the upgrades were going to be more than the truck was worth to me, so I ordered a new one.

[7_3diesel]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
#1 The lack of intercooler hurts this engine. (this can be fixed)

Which intercooler do your recommend? Banks looks expensive. Are there any other options?

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
#2 The lack of HP really hurts this engine. (this can also be fixed)

The truck has a cold air intake on it, and I'm having a complete turbo-back exhaust with thermal wrap put on next week.

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
#3 The crank sensor can be problematic. (again, this can be fixed)...get a new spare crank sensor.

I wasn't aware of this. What does this do & where do I find one?

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
I would also think about beefing up the tranny. They were on the week side during these years and if you add some power you will do it in that much sooner.

The truck is a manual & shifts alright, although I haven't towed with it. But yeah, I might have to upgrade to a heavier duty clutch. We'll see how she tows with the stock clutch.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

I'll let others talk about weight issues.

The 7.3 engine is a great engine for reliability but it does have some minor problems.

#1 The lack of intercooler hurts this engine. (this can be fixed)

#2 The lack of HP really hurts this engine. (this can also be fixed)

#3 The crank sensor can be problematic. (again, this can be fixed)

It all boils down to where and how you are going to tow. If you are going to tow on the flats most of the time a stock HP engine will be fine. If you are going to tow in the mountains I would want more power or you are going to be down to around 20 to 30 MPH on steep mountains with a 10K+ trailer.
I would install an intercooler, put more fuel to it and get a new spare crank sensor. I would also think about beefing up the tranny. They were on the week side during these years and if you add some power you will do it in that much sooner.

[7_3diesel]

lawrosa wrote:
Its 10000 lbs for TT and 13500 for 5th wheel.. But thats with an automatic.. Thats per the tow rating list I found for your truck...
WE ASSUME YOU HAVE 3:73'S as all the 7.3 turbo diesals list this..

Dunno the gearing unfortunately. The truck has had 2 previous owners & several aftermarket modifications. All I know is 1st gear is very tall. I never use it because I have to shift immediately to second (I've also not towed with it yet, so I've never needed 1st gear either). Previous owners have towed both fifth wheels & bumper-pull TTs with it.

lawrosa wrote:
Want to know what you can tow??
Go weigh the truck with full tank of gas and you in it... Get seperate axle weights at a cat scale..
Post back those #'s with the axle weights on the door tag of the truck.
And post the tire weight ratings at max inflation from the side wall...

Great advice, I'll do this ASAP. Thanks.

[7_3diesel]

azdryheat wrote:
My last trailer was an Everest 5th wheel, 37 foot, that had a max weight of 14,000 pounds and a pin weight of 2000 pounds. I towed it just fine with a 2009 Chevy 2500 short bed with a payload of 2500 pounds. I did add Firestone airbags to lift the back end and Bilstein shocks.
The trailer I have now maxes out at 19,000 with a pin weight of over 3,000 pounds. I upgraded to a dually with a 5,000 pound payload, which handles the trailer with ease.

Good to know.
I'd like some feedback on the idea of airbags. I've been reading that they have lots of failure points: potential bag bursting (road debris might hit it), lines might freeze up in colder temperatures, etc. I was thinking about going with a simpler setup: TorkLift StableLoads, anti-sway & maybe Timbrens as opposed to bags. What are your thoughts on this?
Thanks.

[lawrosa]

Its 10000 lbs for TT and 13500 for 5th wheel.. But thats with an automatic.. Thats per the tow rating list I found for your truck...


WE ASSUME YOU HAVE 3:73'S as all the 7.3 turbo diesals list this..

I think a manual trans will reduce this weight..

And as said pin weight and axles weights will be the issues..

Want to know what you can tow??

Go weigh the truck with full tank of gas and you in it... Get seperate axle weights at a cat scale..

Post back those #'s with the axle weights on the door tag of the truck.

And post the tire weight ratings at max inflation from the side wall...

[azdryheat]

My last trailer was an Everest 5th wheel, 37 foot, that had a max weight of 14,000 pounds and a pin weight of 2000 pounds. I towed it just fine with a 2009 Chevy 2500 short bed with a payload of 2500 pounds. I did add Firestone airbags to lift the back end and Bilstein shocks.

The trailer I have now maxes out at 19,000 with a pin weight of over 3,000 pounds. I upgraded to a dually with a 5,000 pound payload, which handles the trailer with ease.

[azdryheat]

The pin weight is how much weight the trailer puts in the bed of your truck. It depends on the trailer itself. Trailer manufacturers will tell you what the pin weight is for their trailer.

[7_3diesel]

Thanks for the quick reply ChooChoo,
What does the pin weight measure?
How do I go about finding out my pin weight?
Thanks 🙂

[ChooChooMan74]

Pin weight will be your limitation.