Sad Sad Day, Sold the Big Red Truck - Pictures and list of all the things I did to it.

[Hydro-idi]

Do you still have the truck???
If so, a new champion rad & maybe a re-gear will be cheaper than buying someone else's truck that might also turn into another project. Just my .02. Trying to look out for ya

 

[gearedandready]

once again, someone who got screwed by a RV dealer who sold them way too much trailer for the truck.
if you had talked about this in open forum before making the decision to sell, I would have recommended to do gearing before selling. these motors need to spin to make power and stay cool. 4.56 or 5.13 gears would have taken care of the problem. 4.10s are good to 10k/lbs trailer max or 26k/lbs gross combined.
I routinely towed with 17k-19k gross in my F450 and never had to watch the gauges. unless your new truck is spec'd for heavy towing, you're going to have trouble with the new iron too.
a trailer grossing at 20k/lbs is a heavy tow. F450/F550 territory.

You are assuming way to much and misread the post, I have owned many RV's and am well versed in towing. I tow for my business every weekend. I sized the RV and purchased it from an individual. I put GVWR and meant GCWR which is the weight of the vehicle and trailer with all contents, that is 20,000lbs. Subtract the weight of the truck which is 7000lbs you are at 13000lbs loaded 11035lbs empty for the trailer. I calculated the total GCWR, I sized my final drive ratio with Load Range H tires, along with 5000lb airbags to handle the pin weight. The Hitch was welded to the frame, the ball hitch was welled to my DP HD bumper which was welded to the frame to provide all the strength I needed. My bed could easily have withstood 2 tons direct load and barely touch the overload springs. Gears are great but final drive ratio is what makes the final decision and mine was perfect for keeping the engine in its power band at 67mph. I never dyno'd it but given my mods I was probably in the neighborhood of 200 + - 5 RWHP. The problem here was not weight, or power, the truck made enough RWHP to handle the load. It could handle up to a 5000lb pin weight with no issues. The problem is cooling, these engines are great but once you add boost, and turn up the pump you are creating more heat from the additional fuel. Sure I could back the pump off, gear it up, but then I am pulling at 55mph on flat roads and 25mph uphill at 7mpg's.

Our family outgrew our last RV, and the RV out grew the truck. So its time for something different and modern technology will overcome my idi limitations.

I know first hand of more cummins dually's pulling much more weight than I will getting 14mpg at 70 mph all day long and never getting hot.

 

[gearedandready]

Do you still have the truck???
If so, a new champion rad & maybe a re-gear will be cheaper than buying someone else's truck that might also turn into another project. Just my .02. Trying to look out for ya

Sold it the same day I listed it. Yesterday.

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

I'm confused.You say you sold your truck because it couldn't cool well enough,yet you posted 215* which is simply,just above fully open temp of the thermostat.Did you mean 250*? Which of course makes sense.Even then however,that's nothing adding a large aux cooler wouldn't of cured real quick.You understand these IDI's are designed to run at anything shy of 240F all day long?

Shoot,the original manuals showing how to the test the fan clutch,where you block the rad with cardboard stated the fan clutch was still "good" so long as it engaged at 237F.

I have electric cooling fans on my chip truck (w/large aux oil cooler) and I don't bother having them spin until at least 215-220F where you seemed nervous.That to me,is just up to temp.

 

[Hydro-idi]

Sold it the same day I listed it. Yesterday.

Oh gotcha. I can almost guarantee that a $230 champion rad would have cured your overheating issues with that truck :/.
Good luck with your next truck! I can tell you that a Cummins will tow much better than an idi any day of the week.

 

[gearedandready]

I'm confused.You say you sold your truck because it couldn't cool well enough,yet you posted 215* which is simply,just above fully open temp of the thermostat.Did you mean 250*? Which of course makes sense.Even then however,that's nothing adding a large aux cooler wouldn't of cured real quick.

Towing on flat ground at 60mph it was 215-220 I don't have a aux temp gauge so I would stop and check temp at the radiator housing (not the hose but the housing for the best radiant heat response) at the return line with an infrared thermometer. It was reading 215-220 when checked. So the block temp would have been higher than that. I checked temp at the valve covers 195-205, behind power steering pump bracket where temp sensor is located and got 225-230, oil filter temp was 190-195. I have a 6.0 additional tranny cooler, trans temp 125-130.

 

[Thewespaul]

That seems well withing normal operating temps

 

[gearedandready]

I appreciate the feedback on adding a larger radiator, it may have worked. I think though that I finally came to the realization that I had pushed my baby to her limits and if I wanted or needed to go bigger then I would have to bite the bullet and make a change. I really liked that truck though. Spent hours wrenching on it.

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

There's nothing wrong at all with buying a newer truck if that's what you prefer but it's important for other readers who are interested in these trucks to know,that you did not in fact push her to her limits.She was in no way shape or form near overheating.Any newer diesel engine will be running the same temp range hooked up to a large 5th wheel too.You probably didn't even reach fan clutch engagement temp yet.

 

[Trevtron]

Sounds like you're gonna miss that ol red beast, good luck on the new rig

 

[Thewespaul]

A big part of towing a camper for family vacations is feeling comfortable with your tow vehicle, you didnt feel comfortable pushing your truck to the point of pulling that camper, and that meant that you felt stressed while towing which no one wants while on vacation. I understand why you would want to change vehicles. Good luck with your cummins, go run the **** out of it and enjoy your new camper

 

[gearedandready]

That seems well withing normal operating temps

I think the correct operating temperature is 195* I could be wrong. Motorcraft thermostat opens at 190* I know this for sure as I put my new one in a pot of water turned on the heat and it began to open at 190* and was fully open at 195* checked with infrared thermometer. I think with a 13 PSI cap your boiling temp is 220*-225* So running flat road at sixty getting 215-220 means any long hill or grade and its overheat time. There are several posts I have read where people begin to have cooling problems towing loads above 8,000lbs. I think it is a sign of finally pushed her as far as she was willing to go.

 

[gearedandready]

A big part of towing a camper for family vacations is feeling comfortable with your tow vehicle, you didnt feel comfortable pushing your truck to the point of pulling that camper, and that meant that you felt stressed while towing which no one wants while on vacation. I understand why you would want to change vehicles. Good luck with your cummins, go run the **** out of it and enjoy your new camper

And you really said it there, I'll have my family with me and really want to not worry about the truck making it through, I appreciate what you said there.

 

[gearedandready]

Sounds like your gonna miss that ol red beast, good luck on the new rig

Yep thank you for the encouragement!

 

[shawn deere]

Yup a cummins dually is hard to beat for towing stuff. Its built heavier from the start.
My dads got a P pump dually 4.10 gears. I cant hang with him hauling cows... and hes got a bigger trailer to boot.
Of course i got 3.55's still.....