First real world trip towing.

[Dam Worker]

Well we took off with the 3160 RL for its maiden voyage.
It was real world, you know cold head wind blowing right at us 25/35 MPH. . Just another day in the Pacific North West. Destination Squaw Rock on byway 410 heading toward Chinook Pass, just west of Natches WA. My old F350 pulled it pretty well for only a four speed tranny. The longer we towed (only a little over a couple of hours) the better the truck ran. As we gained elevation we lost some of the wind and the truck performed flawlessly.
Today was reality day, clean up load up and head for home as there is plenty of work to get done around the yard before returning to work tomorrow. Cold Saturday night as we had frost on the picnic tables in the early morning. Not much wind and just a slight loss of elevation. Truck drove great as it was running only around five or six pounds boost on the 55/60 MPH section of our return trip. Even when we hit the 70 MPH freeway we were only running around ten or eleven pounds boost except a few of the steeper hills twenty/twenty five pounds for short durations. EGT's were a bit higher heading to camp still in a good range and even better heading home. Truck ran quite effortlessly on our return trip.
My truck handled the towing chores quite well. I need to lower the air pressure in the air bags just a little so the rear end does not sit higher than the front. Truck and trailer stopped quite well for a large RV, as good as I could expect. I will have to weigh it and compare to our old fifth-wheel which was not exactly light. This 3160RL is way more aerodynamic than the old 290 SL Vanguard. Over all I am pretty happy with the setup as it is.

Some time I hope to personally meet somebody with a trailer like ours or close to it and a newer one ton SRW pickup and get a comparison ride.

Tom Marty

[1retired06]

Sounds like all went well

[Starmaster]

Tom,

We are in the middle of the maiden voyage with our 3160RL, pulling it about 1800 miles with a 2014 SRW F350 diesel with the six speed tranny and 3.55 gears. We got an average of 10MPH pulling from Missouri to Florida.

It pulls quit well and smooth. I can tell that this one is about 2000lbs heavier than the previous 5er, but overall things are very good. I had a set of supersprings left over from the previous F250 rig, so I put those on the F350 for the 3160. With it hooked up the 5er nose sets about 1/2" above level, without the supersprings it sat about 3/4" below level.

I haven't weighed everything yet, but I figure we are right at the gross for the truck and am comfortable with that. I believe a 3160RL would be well over the GVWR for an F250 because of the pin weight.

We generally pull at 62-65MPH, about 1500-1600 RPM and 10lbs or so of boost.

Congrats on the new rig, I hope you like yours as much as we like ours so far.

Dave

[Dam Worker]

Thanks for your reply with good info Dave. Your truck is obviously newer than mine and has the 3.55 gears, but it sounds like it is a good match for your unit. I hope your trip is safe and you have a great time. I would like a newer truck but will probably wait a whole longer before pulling the trigger.

Tom Marty

[BB_TX]

Towed ours for 5 years with a 2007 F350 6.0 3.73 and it towed great, on the flats and up and down serious grades. Very happy with it. But traded for a 2012 F350 6.7 3.55 for no reason other than I made the mistake of browsing the new truck lot when I was in for an oil change. Wow! It is amazing how much more power the 6.7 has than the 6.0. You never know til you try one of the newer ones.

[TAKPAK]

Hi Tom. First, what year Ford is it (did I miss that) and does it have the 7.3?

Second, which dam do you work at? I'm down here in Portland, and many years ago, I worked with my dad on most of the dams on the river.

We have a new 2015 GMC with Duramax/Allison and a 2014 3725 Montana. The GMC is a single rear wheel, if you are ever in the area and want a ride.

[Jimmer]

We have a 2014 3582RL and we pull it with a 2006 F350. The truck pulls it fine. I have no problems. I would like a newer truck but not sure I want to pay the big price. My truck has 59K on it and 2 years left on the extended warranty.

[Dam Worker]

Terry my truck is a 2000 F350 SRW 4x4 with the old dependable 7.3. It has a few mods and has pretty good power for a 7.3. Different tranny also although it is an automatic.
As for the dams, I work for Grant County PUD #2 at both Priest Rapids and Wanapum dams or sometimes the maintenance center that helps support both of them. We also have a couple of small ditch plants which are horizontal units.
I appreciate your offer. If I am down that way I would like to take you up on it. It used to be Ford made the only truck that worker for me because of engines and cab size etc. That is not the case anymore.

Jim your truck I would assume has the 6.0 which seem to have good and bad reviews, but it has a better frame and suspension in my opinion. It actually turns way sharper and has more weight carrying capacity than mine. I am sure it pulls your unit nicely.

Tom Marty