Noob tow rig questions

[Maverick]

Good real world info. It's appreciated by those of us that don't think a deezel is "all that". I could live with the mileage indicated above.

Yup, great info. Speaking of the Hemi, I've always been down on the Powerwagon cuz it didn't have the diesel. Lately though, I'm reconsidering. I think those PowerWagons are pretty dang cool...I think about having one all the time. It'd pull the jeep as much as I need it to, and kick it's own trash the rest of the time.

I agree with the maintenance upside to DDing your wheeler. Even driving it once or twice a week, you notice stuff that could cause problems if all you did was drive it on and off the trailer. Plus, it's fun to drive your junk! Driving to and from the trail, in a rig that doesn't have to take you to work on Monday is less stressful than wheelin' your only rig.

Last summer, we took the jeep up AF, driving to and from Draper in the jeep rather than the usual trailer. It was fun, a lot of fun. A week or two later, we went up again, but trailered it. Glad for the trailer that time, cuz the transfer case mount broke.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I got an offer to trade this for my truck. Just wondering if you guys think it's a decent deal or not.

I'm curious how it'd be driving/towing with a truck this tall. It sure looks cool with the lift and tires, but I'm wondering how it'd be for longevity and towing. 38" tires aren't exactly cheap to replace, or lightweight. I assume it'd really affect my fuel mileage.

Details" 99 7.3L PS Diesel. New 38x15.5 toyos hydraulic ram assist steering, cross over steering, BTS transmition, 456 gears. 140k miles.

 

[BCGPER]

Why aren't you heading to Idaho already?? That one, depending on option and condition, is worth $10-$15K. Be realistic, you're never going to see that out of your's.


That would be a major profit on your end, if he's willing to follow through with it. Carfax it to CYA, then keep in mind what it's going to take to make it "Utarded". As it sits, it'll never make safety.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Well, I love the truck, I'm just curious if the 38" tires will make towing worse. I'm a total noob to these, so I don't know if it'd even affect the ride for towing.

I'm guessing it just needs the tint removed from the front to be "utarded" and street legal.

That one, depending on option and condition, is worth $10-$15K. Be realistic, you're never going to see that out of your's.

I admit that I won't get $15k out of mine, but I will get $13k. That Ford looks to be a killer truck. I appreciate your help BCGPER

 

[BCGPER]

It'll need the tint yanked, flaps, and possibly a rear bumper to pass safety (depends on how picky the inspector is. On top of that, it'll have to pass emissions, which shouldn't be a major deal.

Yes, the 38's are a drawback. But with that gearing, you wouldn't want to go much smaller on the tires.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Here are a few more details from the owner:

I've had it for a year. When I got it I replaced the tie rods and ball joints. It has the 7.3 diesel with a 8" lift rides really nice little bouncy but for a diesel and lifted it's not bad. In my mind you wouldn't need to replace anything I have gone through it and replaced what was needed. It gets around 12-13 mpg and no accidents. The only thing I need to look at is getting a stiffer spring for my waste gate on my turbo, when the boost gets high it dumps the PSI so a stiffer spring would let the boost keep building.​

It's the 12-13 mpg that worry me, along with the non-stock suspension. That being said, it seems like a solid truck.

 

[BCGPER]

Wow, an honest diesel owner??? 12 to 13 is pretty good actually. If that scares you, you don't want a tow rig.

 

[jentzschman]

I would not want that for towing/DD

If it were stock, maybe. I would still want a quad cab 4 door

 

[sixstringsteve]

I'd prefer a quad cab, but the extended cab isn't a deal-breaker for me.

 

[mbryson]

Wow, an honest diesel owner??? 12 to 13 is pretty good actually. If that scares you, you don't want a tow rig.

WOW, even my Cummins (just got back from St. George) used a full tank towing the heep back (granted, I wasn't exactly trying to save fuel on the way home) this evening. The fuel light kicked on just as we hit Davis County. I think it's a 36 gallon tank? Google maps shows 311 miles.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I know rick's cummins get 20 MPG. Not that I'm expecting to get that, but that's why I say I'm not thrilled with 12-13mpg. That's gasser territory.

Thanks for the feedback as usual.

 

[Herzog]

I know rick's cummins get 20 MPG. Not that I'm expecting to get that, but that's why I say I'm not thrilled with 12-13mpg. That's gasser territory.

Thanks for the feedback as usual.

Depends how it's driven too. If he's a pedal to the floor with it, 12-13 might be pretty normal.

Looks like a good truck though!

 

[LT.]

The truck looks good. If you are serious about towing with it then don't be afraid to drop the tire size a little. It seems to have the right gears for the current tires but, you may find yourself a little, how should I say it, aerodynamically challenged. The lift really is not a big issue provided that it was done correctly. Proper steering geometry, brakes upgraded, drive lines corrected, brake lines lengthened, and such.

You may find, as I have, that a taller truck towing is a benefit. You are able to see not just the vehicle ahead of you but, the traffic lights as they change and the traffic conditions. This helps you keep your load moving by not having to stop at every red light. You can slowly make your way to the intersection as the lights change back to green. You keep your load rolling and it help with saving wear and tear on your rig.

Good luck.

LT.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Unless I get some cash offers for my tacoma in the next week or two, I think i'm going to trade for that f250. It looks like a great rig.

few more pics.

 

[Rot Box]

Truck looks good for the most part. ^ The "add a springs" (below the actual spring pack) would really worry me though and I would personally remove them asap. Looks like you could remove them altogether and lower the truck to a decent height for towing.

 

[sixstringsteve]

teach me more about the "add-a springs" and why you don't like them. LIke the thread says, I'm a total noob to these things.

 

[TJDukit]

Those "add-a springs" are only acting like block lift for the front. They provide no actual spring benefit to the front end. I wouldn't be surprised it it failed safety for those(not allowed to have a block lift on the front springs), the axle needs to be bolted directly to the bottom of the springs for safety reasons.

 

[Rot Box]

If you look at the spring pack directly above the axle there are 3 or 4 really short springs (cut off). These were put there to "lift" the front of the truck a few inches and in no way help the suspension. This is similar to a block lift other than the spring pack center bolt actually holds them on. Either way I don't feel that it is safe or the right way to go about lifting a truck. As you steer the truck it adds leverage to the springs in the wrong sort of way and the pins could shear off and really cause problems :-\

To fix this you would need to lift the front of the truck so the weight is off the axle and unbolt the U-bolts. Then unbolt the spring pack (one 3/8" or 1/2" bolt per pack) and remove the 3 or 4 short leafs. Then with a new center bolt and new U-bolts you can re-bolt the axle to the leaf springs. From the looks of it it will lower the truck quite a bit-maybe 2". Since the front will now sit lower than the rear you would have to also add a different block to the rear to lower it down the same distance. It would take a few hours to do and cost a little bit in parts to make it right, but it would be well worth it in my mind. Hope this helps.

Andrew

 

[sixstringsteve]

Thanks andrew. That makes sense, looking at it as a lift block. The only problem I see with lowering it is that it's got 4.56's, and to keep that ratio I'd have to stay with a big tire, which wouldn't fit with a small lift.

Has anyone seen 37s or 38s on a ford with minimal lift?

 

[sixstringsteve]

I'm surprised someone would go through the trouble and expense to put in better steering, hydro-assist, and re-gear only to go with a cheezy lift up front.