Tow Vehicle & 3400

[sreigle]

quote:Originally posted by houseof many dogs

On the subject of 4 wheel drive - it does reduce capacity of the rig and you are dragging about 600 lbs. of dead weight around all the time.

Personally, I recommend the one ton because of the increased size of laod bearing components - such as wheel bearings and ring and pinion gears. Bigger diameter, less rotation per mile, less wear per mile of use.

If I'm not mistaken, these are identical in the F250 and the F350. I think you can get larger components in the F350 but the ones that come with the majority of those on the road are, I believe, identical. If someone has info to the contrary, please say so. I was told this by a Ford parts guy.

[sreigle]

Montana Sky, I don't think it's the Allison transmission that makes the difference in tow rating between the automatic and the standard. The same difference has existed for years in all brands, including GM, well before they started having Allison design and build their transmissions instead of doing it themselves.

The difference is the clutch on the standard transmission. A good clutch man can handle a standard transmission towing heavy weight without hurting the clutch. However, the vast majority of standard trans drivers tend to slip the clutch when starting out. That burns out clutches in a hurry and costs a ton in warranty work. The lower tow rating for the standard is the way out of paying for warranty clutch work when a clutch is burned out while towing. This has been the situation for many, many years. An automatic transmission eliminates the problem. Whether the automatic is strong enough is a separate issue.

[Montana Sky]

Steve,
Yet another good point. Got me thinking back to the days when I had my 5-speed manual sports cars!! Oh the joy I had flying through those gears.

[sreigle]

Dave, you're still a young pup! But I agree with you. Those days were fun. I remember that, too. Besides my own vehicles, I once got to drive a Ferrari for about 45 minutes. Sweet. I don't recall the model but it was identical to Magnum PI's. Our older son was dating a heart surgeon's daughter and he often handed David the keys to the Ferrari and said go put some miles on it. One time he told David to bring it over and let me do that. You can believe I stayed out of town with it. No way was I going to take a chance on someone rearending or otherwise damaging that car. What a sweet ride!

[virgil47]

Speaking of manual shifting, I really having those gears. I have had trucks with automatic trannys but prefer manual. There is just something about shifting those gears that I enjoy.

[Montana Sky]

Steve
You are right, somedays I still ask myself what was I thinking getting into rv'ing at this stage of my life?? If things continue to go as they are, not sure how much longer I will be able to keep this up. I am just glad to have this group, learned more here in the past 2 years than I ever thought possible.

[sreigle]

Dave, I sure hope you are able to continue. You are a valuable member of this group and you provide a younger perspective that helps us all.

Virgil, I used to feel the same way but I grew lazy. With five and six speed automatics doing a great job I'm now content to let the tranny do the work, especially since it probably does a better job of gear selection than I would. For those of you more capable than I and who enjoy it, the manual can be a great way to go. Our youngest son still prefers to row his own. Come to think of it, our middle child, also a son, and his wife bought their new Maxima with manual six apeed, preferring that over the automatic.