Pulling with F250 - Montana Owners Club

Famtwo · 03-07-2009, 04:12 AM

I have noticed that most are pulling with a F350, we have a F250 pulling a 2008 3400RL. Is this going to be a problem? Where as we have had the rig for little over a year have only been to a near by campground. (money is tight

) Hoping to get to Michigans up. There are much bigger hills there

.

racerjoe · 03-07-2009, 04:32 AM

We pull a 2950RK with our F250SD It has a V-10,auto 4WD, short bed,ext cab. with 410 gears. We have not had any pulling (or stopping) problems with this combo. I have hit some hills that has dropped it into a lower gear,but if we are traveling at 60mph we hit the top of the hill at no less than 45mph. I don't know how much heavier yours is but I am comfortable pulling this unit with the 250.

stiles watson · 03-07-2009, 05:30 AM

You didn't say whether you had a diesel or not nor what year. If you have a diesel, you certainly have enough engine. All I can say is that you need to run the numbers to see whether you are within recommended weight specifications. Then you will have to do what you think best.

I pulled my last rig with a 2003 F250 7.3 L PSD with 3.73 rear end. It lacked a little stopping power even though I was not overloaded. I did not realize the difference until I got the F350. My 2008 Big Sky 340 RLQ (about the same as your 3400 RL) is heavier than the old rig, but the dually pulls better and stops better. It is definitely with in weight specifications. The tow package on the 2008 facilitates towing in the mountains with good hill management. Happy RVing.............

bsmeaton · 03-07-2009, 05:30 AM

Welcome to the forum!

Actually you're not pulling with an F250 vs anybody elses F350, you're pulling with whatever drive train you keep under the hood and floorboards of that Ford combined with the gear ration, and they are pretty much the same in both trucks.

What you are doing that you should be concerned about is dropping about 2.400 to 2,800 lbs of pin weight in addition to you and your other half and whatevery cargo you carry into an F250 that probably doesn't have the payload rating to carry it.

But I suspect you already knew that.

richfaa · 03-07-2009, 05:41 AM

You need to run the numbers particularly cargo capacity (pin weight) against what ever drive train and diff is in your truck as Brad suggest. Pulling is not the problem.

ols1932 · 03-07-2009, 01:51 PM

All of us who use the F-250 diesel will all say we can pull any Montana. The problem lies in having to panic stop. My truck just isn't big enough to really bring her to a stop in a very short time of travel. Just normal traveling, well that's okay. If I had the money I would go for an F-350 or one of the other two 1-ton trucks.

Orv

exav8tr · 03-07-2009, 02:44 PM

I have a 3500 Chevy DRW D/A and I converted my Montana brakes to Disc, sure makes a difference....

racerjoe · 03-07-2009, 04:40 PM

Orv, I don't know if any truck will stop short with all that weight behind it,weather it be a 250 or 350 or 3500. I think the key to that is how well the trailer brakes work. You need all the help you can get in that situation.

ols1932 · 03-08-2009, 06:22 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by racerjoe

Orv, I don't know if any truck will stop short with all that weight behind it,weather it be a 250 or 350 or 3500. I think the key to that is how well the trailer brakes work. You need all the help you can get in that situation.

Yes, I'm aware of that. I'm just one of those who refuses to be complacent with what I have, knowing that even though I can pull it, I still have to be able to stop it. And, a bigger truck will help me stop better, even though a medium-duty truck (MDT) would be best at stopping. However, I cannot visualized my wife going to the grocery store in a MDT.

Orv

RickW · 03-08-2009, 10:26 AM

I am using a F250 to pull my new 3400RL. My pin weight does exceed the trucks capacity. With the economy the way it is I did not feel comfortable doing both truck and trailer this year. Plus I am just not ready to give up my 7.3l. Jury is still out on the new 6.4l (at least for me). I did add air bags. Kicking myself for not doing is sooner. Makes a big difference in ride and the truck is no longer squatting. I am also adding a Banks exhaust brake. It will be installed next week.

ols1932 · 03-08-2009, 11:04 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by RickW

I am using a F250 to pull my new 3400RL. My pin weight does exceed the trucks capacity. With the economy the way it is I did not feel comfortable doing both truck and trailer this year. Plus I am just not ready to give up my 7.3l. Jury is still out on the new 6.4l (at least for me). I did add air bags. Kicking myself for not doing is sooner. Makes a big difference in ride and the truck is no longer squatting. I am also adding a Banks exhaust brake. It will be installed next week.

Rick,
That's another reason I'm hanging on to my F-250. I love the 7.3L. I also have the Banks Exhaust Brake. You'll like it. There are others who have the PacBrake who swear by it, but to each his own. At the same time I had the Exhaust brake installed, I had the Banks Power Pack installed. Made a great difference in power and get-up and go. A side effect of the Power Pack was an increase of 2 mpg.

Orv

RickW · 03-08-2009, 11:12 AM

Orv,

I have had a Edge Evolution programmer for several years now. My mileage increased 8% (as long as I keep my foot out of it). I am looking forward to the exhaust brake. We can down thru the Eisenhower pass in to Denver back in 2007 and that is the only time I truly wished I had one. Brakes never got soft and never smelled brakes but it would have really been nice to have. With the new trailer being about 3000# more, I felt it was a must.

Mac · 03-08-2009, 01:01 PM

Not trying to start a war here but have you seen the latest Consumer Reports 2009 Best and Worst addition? Now I've always been a Chevy guy but I was really shocked about the F250, gas and diesel reviews. Not at all what I expected, my dad was a Ford guy and I've not really had a dog in the fight, just always liked a Chevy/GMC.

Just wondering if you Ford guys were as surprised as I was and what your thoughts are.

mac

bsmeaton · 03-08-2009, 04:44 PM

RickW -

I too loved my 7.3L automatic - until I bought the 6.0L automatic in 2006. Aside from the early 6.0 issues, this TorgueShift 5-speed tranny, staged turbo, and integrated brake controller makes this truck a real pleasure to tow with. The wife will even drive this one.

Every once in a while I miss the brute force of the 7.3L, but not often.

sreigle · 03-09-2009, 10:14 AM

Famtwo, what are the particulars of your F250? The 2005 and later F250's have a much stronger frame. And the 4x4 has a much stronger front end. And other parts are beefed up as well. The ratings are also higher by a good margin, higher than the competition's SRW 1 ton numbers in some cases. That doesn't mean you won't be over some of your F250 numbers, however. You have to decide if that's ok.

As for my experience, whatever that's worth, we towed a 2003 3295RK (14,320 lbs scaled) and later a 2007 3400RL (14,620 scaled) with a 2005 F250 diesel, SRW, crewcab, shortbed w/slider hitch, 3.73 rear axle. We put 85,000 on the truck before trading for this Dodge. Roughly 30,000 of that was towing those Montanas. We had no problems at all with the truck related to towing. Even the tires lasted 70,000 miles. I did have about an inch of rear end squat with the pinweight. I remedied that with airbags to level the truck.

As noted over and over, you'll probably be over some of the ratings. You'll have to decide for yourself whether that is ok or not. I've yet to hear of any 3/4 ton towing a Montana or similar fifthwheel having a weight related problem but we're still over the numbers. Shoot, my Dodge 1 ton has lower numbers than did my 2005 Ford F250 in several categories and it's also over some of the ratings. 44,000 with 17,000 of it towing and still going strong.

I agree with Brad about the TorqShift transmission. It is awesome and seems to be bullet proof. I like this Dodge six speed automatic even better but both are great.

Keep in mind my remarks relate to the 2005 and later F250's. I have no firsthand experience with towing with earlier models and for my money it takes someone who has done it to tell you their experiences.

RickW · 03-10-2009, 09:54 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by bsmeaton

RickW -

I too loved my 7.3L automatic - until I bought the 6.0L automatic in 2006. Aside from the early 6.0 issues, this TorgueShift 5-speed tranny, staged turbo, and integrated brake controller makes this truck a real pleasure to tow with. The wife will even drive this one.

Every once in a while I miss the brute force of the 7.3L, but not often.

I agree the Torque shift with Tow-Boss is a sweat setup but still not sold on the 6.0 or 6.4. Plus now you have all the emission equipment added on to complicate things.

I am a buy'em and drive'em until the wheels fall off kinda guy. Even towing heavy I think the 7.3l has a ways to go before it gives up. Plus not having a truck payment for the past 5 years makes it hard to want to jump in to a new one

sreigle · 03-11-2009, 06:44 AM

I've always been a Ford guy (well, that's true, but I've owned more GM than any other brand in my life.) but, when ready to trade, the 6.4 was brand new. I just was not willing to be an early adopter again. So after driving all applicable brands we chose the Dodge and have been very, very happy with it and its towing performance. I understand the tests say it's slightly (very slightly) slower up the hill than the others but it does so with little fuss. It isn't screaming at high rpm. Vicki says it never seems to work hard. The engine will long outlast the others. And we're very pleased with the truck overall. 44,500 on it so far, a little under 18,000 of that towing this 14,620 lb Montana.

Mac, I've not seen that article and have no idea what it says. Do you have a link? If so, would you click the envelope icon above this post and email the link to me? Thanks. I'm often a bit wary about Consumer Reports evaluations except when they base it on facts from owners. Their other evaluations often use criteria not important to me and don't consider those important to me. Still, I would like to see what they have to say, good or bad. Thanks.

scattershot · 03-11-2009, 09:35 AM

We tow our 2955RL with a Ford F-250 7.3L diesel. We have towed all over the country, with no problems. Coming down Teton Pass in Wyoming a couple of years ago, I wished we had had an exhaust brake, though. That was gruesome!

richfaa · 03-11-2009, 12:40 PM

We do have a early build Job 1 Ford F-350 6.4Land after 17,500 miles , mostly towing the 3400, we have had no problems and it is a very strong truck. As for the emmission standards all the new trucks have them , will continue to have them and it will not get any better. However..If I had a good running 7.3L and was satisfied with it I don't think I would buy a new anything brand....Another however...This IS the time to buy a new any brand.

sreigle · 03-13-2009, 05:08 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by RickW

I agree the Torque shift with Tow-Boss is a sweat setup but still not sold on the 6.0 or 6.4. Plus now you have all the emission equipment added on to complicate things.

Are you saying the TorqShift transmission is not available in combination with the Tow Boss option? I didn't know that. I do know the torqshift is available with the 6.0 and 6.4 so it must just be with Tow Boss that it's not available?

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