Slow F-650

[Jarlaxle]

It's an '04, with a Cat ACERT C7 & a 5-speed slushpump (column shift, which is a little strange), rear air-ride, 25,900GVWR, Tommy Gate, & 12'6" high 26' box. No idea of axle ratio, but 2000RPM is ~62MPH, rear tires are 275/80R22.5's. My question is: how far back does Ford dial the power on these Cats?! This truck is totally, hopelessly, almost DANGEROUSLY underpowered. Highway driving means running flat-out almost all the time (the cruise control is useless over 60MPH), and ANY hill more than a very short, shallow grade will drop the truck to 55 or less. While I've driven worse (a 170HP 6.6 New Holland/AT545 in an F-700 recycler, an F-800 recycler with a 175HP 6BT/AT545, & a 361FT gasser in an F-800 come to mind), this thing is a real chore to drive.

 

[tommyp]

They are dogs, we have 2 at work(2004's) 6 spd's, scarey to drive at max gvw. Had them flashed, no codes it's just how they are

 

[Jarlaxle]

Odd...I drove an FL70 with the same ACERT engine (and only 235HP) a while ago, and it had way more power than the 650. It was governed to 65, but had no trouble running on the governor, even loaded to 30K.