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RE: Should I buy this F350 7.3L to replace my Suburban K2500?
It's obviously cheaper to buy a 7.3L and keep your Burb than to frankenstien your Burb with a DA powertrain hack, and that considers 10 years of insurance and registration on maintaining a second vehicle just for towing.
In CA, AZ, NV, NM, TX and other non-rust, non-salted road states, 10-15 year old vehicles can be just as good as a vehicle only 1 or 2 years old.
I have both a 2500 Suburban (4.10 ratio) and 7.3L truck. I wouldn't part with either of them, as they address different needs I have from one day to the next. I normally keep vehicles in service for 20 years, but I think I'll keep these a little longer, because the options to replace them are either too costly, or too finicky and unpredictable.
The 7.3L is as reliable as rain in Oregon. Amidst a fleet of trucks at work, the 7.3L trucks going all the way back to 1994 are still running, while all of the newer 6.0L's have been down for months at a time with various catastrophic engine failures. Been through a few tranny's on the 7.3Ls at work, but no motor issues.
My personal 7.3L tranny has never had an issue. I guaged it right away, and swapped radiators for an OTW tranny cooler, installed a V10 cooler (2 years before the 6.0L was introduced), and installed twin electric fans shrouded directly to the V10 cooler. I also have manual front hubs, so I use the 4x4 transfer case in 4-Lo while in 2WD to serve as a granny low gear.
If you can find a good 7.3L, take apart the aircleaner ducting all the way to the turbo compressor and check the turbo blades before writing that check. The problem with the 7.3L airbox is that it requires very attentive care in snapping it back together. Time rushed or careless technicians who don't seat the factory airbox lid correctly can cause an engine to get dusted as unfiltered air gets sucked into the intake compressor through the unsealed gaps. Nicks and chips on the compressor wheel are one clue that can reveal this.
Speaking of chips, if you can find a bone stock 7.3L that has not been "chipped" you might be better off in the long run. But that might not be practical. At least a 7.3L can tolerate "alternative" programming much better than the newer EGR etc laden 6.0, 6.4, 6.7, or DA 6.6 that followed.
As an older person, I'd have to say from experience that new and youth is exciting and fast, but not always as durable or suited for the long term. I wouldn't shy away from an older truck. We've got a few wrinkles on our skin now, but we were raised in a different era, and I'd say we are sturdier for it.
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BigToe
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05/19/12 10:35am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: For those that think you don't need WD with a dually.
What NO ONE has commented on so far is the guy who took the video (the first video in this thread).
Think about it for a minute.
He SPECIFICALLY turned on his video camera to film this crash, before the crash ever happened. His travel mate even asked him "aren't you worried you're going to run out of 'film'?", and the videographer said "Nawww, I've got pleeenty. I want to catch it when it flips over".
That prophetic prescience is the most fascinating, and by FAR the most instructive aspect of this video to me.
The driver of the truck with the video camera knew something that the driver of the truck with the trailer presumably didn't know, but should have. And that's the problem right now. What was so obvious to one person, obvious to the point of pulling out a video camera well in advance of the aptly predicted event, was entirely oblivious to the person who should have known better.
What was needed in this situation was not WDH, or a 5ver. What was needed was common sense. If the driver of the black GMC dually had the same sense in common with the videographer who so clearly and correctly saw this coming, that driver would have, could have, and for the safety of himself and others sharing the road, should have pulled over before approaching the crest of that hill.
What clues did the videographer have? Did he observe sway? Did he observe wind? Did he observe the sheer sail size of the trailer? Without a doubt he observed enough things to pull out his camera, and tell his travel buddy he's got plenty of film to capture what's coming, as it won't be long.
Those are the clues that the driver pulling the trailer might have paid attention to. Those are the clues that we ought to pay attention to. If one person can so accurately predict this kind of accident, then we all should if we are pulling RV's on the road.
I'm very thankful for the original poster putting up this video, and for the videographer who was observant enough to predict, prepare, and capture it. My take away from this is to be just as observant in my own towing.
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BigToe
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05/19/12 09:47am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Michelins.. ouch!
Yes, certain 19.5 and 22.5 can go for a long time, but not longer than 7 or 8 years before the sidewalls start deteriorating, especially if not covered. I've never replaced a 19.5 tire due to treadwear... only due to age and weatherchecked sidewalls.
Even the "regroovable" or "retreadable" tire casings seem to have a limited life in sunny climates, which in my case renders the recappable tires useless for tread renewal.
The original tread was so good on the tires I replaced, my neighbor offered to buy them. I refused to sell or even give them to him, as the casings were a decade old. I wish I had the discipline to cover the tires all the time, or the permission from the local fifedom to build a big warehouse to cover a 24' long truck.
But in the meantime, I can count on spending 4 figures for tires on 1 truck every 8 years, regardless of how long the tread lasts.
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BigToe
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05/19/12 08:18am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Class 5 Ball Mount for 2012 Ford F-350 Dually
If 2.5" is 2.5", I'm confused as to why the Reese 2.5" ball mounts wouldn't fit?
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BigToe
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05/02/12 04:40pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Michelins.. ouch!
2oldman,
I bought my Michelin XDS2 225/70/19.5 load range G tires at Costco. Paid $335.00 each. The XDS2 is one of Michelin's flagship traction tires, made in France.
The brand discussion is interesting, but probably not as relevant as specific tire models and specific applications. For example, a Michelin LTX is an entirely different tire than an XRV which is entirely different than an XDS2.
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BigToe
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05/02/12 04:03pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2008 F450 Powerstroke 4x4 dually w/ 4:88 gears
F-550 w/4.88s : 10 mpg EMPTY. Prior to the fuel reformulation seven years ago, I could see 12 empty. Wouldn't see it for too long, but at least I'd see it. Now, 10 is really just rounding up with optimism. It's really more like 9.8 mpg.
Incidently, this is a 7.3, so no REGEN, no DPF, no EGR, no CAT, no nuttin'.
Stock tires. I don't tow over 55 mph.
However, the 4.88 gears help the truck makes USE out of ALL forward gears, which helps in undulating hill country. I wouldn't change the gearing if I needed the weight capactiy. The ratings are tied to the gearing... that is part of the equation, not just for the axle, but for the transnission as well.
De-rate the gearing: De-rate the truck. Nowadays, reprogram the transmission too.
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BigToe
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04/06/12 05:26pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: What's high mileage for a 7.3 power stroke diesel?
$11,000 is a good price. People are paying that much just in fuel system repairs on the newer trucks, that by themselves cost $60,000.
There are some first hand reports of the 7.3 psd accummulating over a million miles, with quite a few more reporting in the 700K to 800K mileage range, as read on the numerous powerstroke diesel forums.
And those many forums are another advantage to having the "tried and true" 7.3L, as there is a HUGE amount of information available about every nuance of this engine, of which over 2 million were made in this country, and untold more manufactured in Brazil. It is an iconic engine, with spare parts and repair parts expected to be available for as long as diesel fuel is available to burn in it.
Reading the woes of 6.0, 6.4, and now 6.7 liter owners keeps me thankful to have the much simpler to own and maintain 7.3 liter. Rather than travel 5 hours away only 5 minutes faster with a newer engine, I'd rather be able to get there period, rather than waiting 5 weeks for a cab off engine repair, as so many owners of the later engines lament about.
Even if you spent another $3,000 in repairs the first year of owning your $11,000 truck, that is still only half of the tax and license fees alone on a new truck, never mind the interest should you chose to finance.
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BigToe
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03/13/12 01:30pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: My 08 F350 6.4 needs a new fuel system !
Me too. I both believe and appreciate me2's posts and continuous updates.
Subscribing!
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BigToe
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03/13/12 01:13pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 1999 Ford dually fender lights
Wow... this is rather harsh:
I don't like to be rude, but how about sticking you head in there and looking at the darn thing. Geez!
Human kindness must still exist somewhere in there, though, because at least you KNEW how rude it was before you said it. So why say it then?
I had the EXACT same question when my dually fender lights went out in my GMC. And I'm NOT handicapped (but I AM stupid... more on that later!). Furthermore, I have ten's of thousands of dollars in service tools, ALL of the OEM factory service discs, ALL of the OEM electrical wiring diagrams, and a back stock of inventory of most sizes and styles of automotive bulbs for vehicles dating all the way back to 1979. And I STILL had the same question when it came time to staring down those neatly fitting fender lites that no longer lit up.
I have a big head, also. Too big to fit between the outer tire and fender lip to "stick in there and look at the darn thing."
But not too big of a head to humble myself and ask on an internet forum such as this for the experience and advice of others who were similarly situated and may have been down that road already. Isn't that why we come here? To gather round the campfire, and share experiences? I doubt anyone wants to pull up their folding chair of curiosity and get ridiculed for asking something they could find out on their own.
Of course I could have found out about my GMC fender lites on my own. With all the tools I have, I could have raised the vehicle on jacks, pulled the wheel and tire and removed the inner fender liner (about a dozen fasteners that are plastic, and being a decade old, also brittle and likely to break) just so I could squeeze my big stupid head in and have a look. Or I could get out my glasses, spool up the factory service DVD's, print out a bunch of diagrams, lay them all out on the dining room table, and go at it that way.
Or, I could take a second and ask. I think that's what the OP did.
Here's my answer... turns out, on the GMC, the dually fender lights can be easily accessed directly from the outside the fender. They need only be shifted about 1/16th of an inch to the side, toward the fatter end of their sideways oriented teardrop shaped ellipse,and then viola, the fixture falls into your hand, and the bulb can be easily replaced.
That little tidbit advice was not immediately self evident upon first glance, nor is it worded as such in any of the factory service information, and the technique certainly would not have been discovered by sticking my head in the wheel well.
So to the original poster, I can totally relate to your question.
Now on to your problem: You have a Ford! Tsk. Tsk.
Just kidding! I have a Ford too. Several in fact, and a dually.
The Ford dually fenderwell lights sit tighter in their pockets. At least on mine they do. The Ford Owner's Manual says to "replace entire lamp assembly; bulb is not serviceable."
Here again, is a great justification for asking on the internet anyway. Because at least one person (me) around this campfire found differently.
I found that the best way to access the bulbs is to infact get a hand behind the inner fender well liner enough so as to grasp the cylindrical bulb housing and give it a 1/4 turn twist to remove the bulb receptical (that will come out with the wiring attached) leaving the external amber (or red) lens in place as mounted in the fender.
The removeable bulb that I very easily took out on my "non serviceable" dually fender light (that are OEM embossed with the Ford logo) are E1 W5W lamps, equivalent to trade numbers 2825, and/or 194. If mine actually had burnt out, I'd be inclined to replace them with 3 watt bulbs (W3W) because I noticed that the bulb receptical housings were a little burnt around the edges. The bulb girth itself comes in contact with the lip of the receptical housing, where the burn marks are evident. Perhaps this is why Ford recommends pitching the entire lamp assembly, I don't know. Seems environmentally wasteful to me. I'd rather put in a lower wattage bulb, watching the size specs very carefully to keep the bulb height, diameter, and wattage less than or equal to the W5W I removed.
I did this bulb removal just now on my Ford, just to write this post. It isn't lost on me that this is exactly what Bucky was suggesting to do, get out and look... but ya know, a little ice cream on top would have gone down a lot better I think. I remember how much I didn't look forward to tearing into my GMC when it's fender lamps went out, so I didn't mind tearing into the Ford to help out a little.
Cause I'm stupid when it comes to these things. And need a push now and then to find out. Helping someone else do it is just enough of a push, and the benefit is, when my bulbs on the dually Fords do go out, I will NOT be buying an entire lamp assemby. Win win!
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BigToe
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03/12/12 04:32pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Tioga Jamboree vacubonded filon wall steel tube rusted
snowdance....
Thank you for describing that procedure! (splinting steel tubes within preformed wall)
What about the filon? Unmolested, it is a single contiguous piece, routed out for window and door penetrations. During the process of removing the filon to exposed the rusted steel, it appears possible that the filon will crack and break at a place were there is no joint trim.
In fact, there is only one horizontal joint trim, at the floor level. What ways is filon siding repaired when not replaced in the entirety?
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BigToe
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01/19/12 10:50pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Tioga Jamboree vacubonded filon wall steel tube rusted
I'm curious how the steel is replaced with the wall still attached. Re welding is not possible, obviously, unless the home was completely dismantled.
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BigToe
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01/19/12 11:34am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Tioga Jamboree vacubonded filon wall steel tube rusted
Thanks for your interest thus far.
Please let me clarify and assure all with absolute certainty that the tubing in these walls is indeed made of steel, not aluminum. I've been to both plants (in 1998) and personally witneseed the manufacturing process of this model motorhome. Some vacu-bonded walls are made of aluminium, namely the longer larger units where weight savings became paramount due to the additional size. But on the smaller, less expensive units, the walls were made with less expensive uncoated steel. It is these units that I am asking about.
I am also aware that condensation will reveal the tube structure within a filon wall like an x-ray. However, this question is not about seeing the tube location due to condensation... this is about heavy corrosion, where the filon siding itself is bulged outward visibly... growing sub-surface mounds that bulge up to 3/8" beyond the normal vertical plane surface of the exterior filon wall. Have you seen this?
I'm sure that roof leaks cause most wall damage of all kinds, but this question is not about diagnosing the cause... it is a question concerning how have you dealt with the result.
The result in question is the steel tubing corroding to the point of growing scale buildup that bulges out and distends the filon siding. If you have ever encountered this, how have you dealt with it?
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BigToe
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01/18/12 11:38pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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Tioga Jamboree vacubonded filon wall steel tube rusted
I'm looking for experience and information related to smooth sided filon wall vacubonded construction by Fleetwood Motorhomes of Tioga and Jamboree Class C motorhomes manufactured in Chico California during the mid to late 1990's, and then in Riverside California (after the Chico plant closed) in the early 2000's.
Of particular interest is where the filon wall begins to bulge outward due to corrosion and scale build up of the steel tubing.
Have you experienced this? Have you seen it? How have you dealt with it?
Thanks!
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BigToe
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01/18/12 01:02pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: How many miles on your ford 7.3
I just bumped into a fella online in a superduty diesel forum who only has 25K on his 2000, and he's kept it garaged. He's gotta be setting a record for low usage. On the other end of the spectrum, I read an article about an RV hauler who has logged 1.2 million miles on his 2001 7.3L. 1,200,000 miles.
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BigToe
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01/18/12 10:28am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: How many miles on your ford 7.3
If we're playing High/Low I have the Low end covered. 2000 - 78k
HA! Try 2000 - 49K.
With over 15 oil changes already (at 3.5 gallons of oil each for those readers who don't have one), 6 air filter changes, 6 fuel filter changes, 10 bottles of Stanadyne fuel conditioner, and 12 years of fussing with it... upgrading transmission cooler, charge air intercooler, entire radiator, turbo housing, compressor wheel, downpipe, synthetic in entire driveline (including 3 gallons of Redline in the Dana S135 rear axle) and endless hours of maintenance... someone is going to get a good low mileage truck when I finally get tired of spending $5.00 a mile (insurance, registration, fuel, oil, parts, and time fussing with it).
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BigToe
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01/03/12 01:01am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Modifications/upgrades to a 02 Suburban 8.1
They also love oil. Be prepared to pour an additional make up quart every coupla thousand miles.
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BigToe
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12/17/11 12:30am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Gear Vendors Overdrive
The 450s have beefier U-Joints. The output yoke of the Gear Vendors unit will likely force a downgrade of your first driveline UJoint... from a 1480 down to a 1350.
Many 450 crew chassis cabs have two piece propshaft rear driveline, with both peices being close to the same length, that are balanced together as a system. The installation of the Gear Vendors unit will disrupt this matched and balanced driveline system, because the front drive shaft will have to be cut shorter to fit the GV adapter off the NV271/3 transfercase, as well as the GV unit itself, along with its tailhousing. And, of course, a smaller yoke ear pair will have to be welded onto the cut (or replacement) prop shaft to match the smaller yoke of the GV output shaft.
Just substituting a cut or replacement first stage propshaft is a short cut... because to really do it right the carrier bearing should be moved aft so that BOTH prop shafts can be sized similarly again and balanced together. But the problem with that is that there is no cross memeber ideally positioned to do that, so now add fabrication for another crossmember, but if there is a midship fuel tank that is a problem too.
Obviously, Gear Vendor units get installed without re-engineering the driveline to the standards that the factory did... but it is worth knowing what the compromises can be.
Finally, the Gear Vendors unit does not get lubricated when coasting down hill. It is very important to disengage the GV when coasing downhill under load. Many a GV unit has been burned up this way. I can't imagine myself remembering to turn the GV on and off when traveling up and down rolling hills.
I have an F-550 with 4.88s and stock 225 tires. I feel your pain. I'd never cruise at 70 mph. That's too fast for towing. That's 15 mph over the speed limit. I can see 60, 62, 63 mph just to keep up with traffic flow better. But 70? No need. I lower my RPMs by lifting my foot a little.
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BigToe
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12/16/11 09:42pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2012 Chevy 3500HD with Hauler Bed...
Congratulations Delaine and Lindy!
Like other posters have said, I too am still drooling over your new truck from over 6 years ago, and you've gone through 5 new trucks since then! I too, am already curious what your next truck will be.
My grandma always taught me to count my blessings. I'm glad I don't have YOUR blessings... I'd lose count! :)
On a tow vehicle note, however, your truck rotation has put you in the unique and enviable position to have actual and factual first hand experience with a number of different types of tow vehicles...
- Kodiak 4500/5500 (I thought you had two different versions, but forgot which)
- Freightliner FL70
- GM/Chev 3500 pickup bed
- GM/Chev 3500 hauler bed
So if you're going to continue to make us drool with pics of these dream rigs, where many here would be happy to have any one of your cast aways ... can you give us more of your comparison notes about what type of tow rig you like(ed) best, and why?
My assumption over the years of watching you play musical trucks is that each new truck you order is intended to be an improvement over what you replaced, never that your previous truck was like "oh so last year." Your post about the black interior made sense to me.
But regarding your post about the Freightliner being too much truck, I think it would be very useful to me and perhaps other members here deciding on their next truck... to understand the reasoning behind that better. From a weight and brake and ride and safety standpoints, it seems like an MDT is the way to go for fulltime 5ver. Apart from insurance and registration issues, and assuming that RV usage surmounts the trucker/DOT issues... it seemed like the FL was (as your blog stated) your "dream" tow rig.
I then remember being shocked that you "downgraded" back to a pickup. In fact, I still remember being shocked at how, only a couple years earlier than that, you quickly ditched the new 4500 and/or/both 5500 that you had in 2006. For anyone who was once aspiring to "upgrade" to any of these MDTS, your experience in moving away from them, after having owned and used them, would be very useful as well as uniquely qualified. So do tell!
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BigToe
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11/06/11 06:16am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 19.5 tire replacement
Steer tires will have a continuously solid "closed shoulder"... or no lug breaks on the outer tread bands.
Drive tires, or traction tires, will have a broken up "open shoulder" with just as many lug breaks on the outer tread bands as on the inner tread bands.
Steer tires often have ribboned tread bands, or are "ribbed" with continuously unbroken tread bands (save for sipes and edge patterns).
Drive tires often have blocky tread bands, with groves going across the tread that are just as deep and wide as the grooves going circumferentially around the tread.
Steer tires often maintain direction better, and may be made of harder compounds, and like the poster above mentioned, have less tread depth.
Drive tires often have superior traction, and may be made of softer compounds, with deeper tread depth.
The largest 19.5" tire appropriate for a 6" rim width is 225, NOT 245.
A wider wheel is strongly and consistently recommended by ALL tire and rim manufacturers to run a 245 to afford tire shoulder support at the maximum rated loads in dynamic conditions (like emergency handling). If you want to mount 245's as engineered, then a wider rim than stock is required, for reasons beyond just dually kissing.
While Michelin discontinued the XDE, they replaced it with the XDS2. This tire has very high customer satisfaction as far as traction in snow and rain. Over 700 sipes. Lot's of zig zaging blocks, each loaded with more sipes.
After some recent (this year) exhaustive research and inquiries about 19.5" tires for the F-450/550, it became evident to me that the XDS2 was the tire I should get. So I did.
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BigToe
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11/05/11 05:26am |
Truck Campers
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RE: 2001 Ford F350 SRW 4x4 wheel question
I've seen railroad service (Ford Superduties 99-03) trucks running only the inside rim of a dually pair, and the fronts running the same dually rim. With both front and rear dually rims dished inward, the contact patch/offset of the tire was further inboard, which made the truck's tire track width that much narrower.
Of the trucks I have seen configured thus, none were duallys, but all were running dually wheels, without the outside duals in the back. All the wheels were 19.5", and the tires were minimum load range F.
Since I only have seen these trucks in passing, I have not gone close enough to note what the bolt circle diameter of the 19.5" wheels used was, and whether it matched the 170mm common to the 16" 350 hub roter of the period, or the 225mm common to the 19.5" 450/550 hub rotor of the period.
Without seeing a picture of your truck, it is hard to know if any of this is even helpful. Your description was not specific enough to preclude or rule out this possibility, so it seemed worthwhile to mention, just in case.
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BigToe
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11/05/11 04:55am |
Truck Campers
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