New ford 7.3 ford trucks
 

Anyone have any feedback on these towing and general report ? I
Sold my Diesel and
Am considering going gas this
Time
I only tow roughly 5000 miles a year non Covid lol. Having a hard time justifying the extra 15k for a diesel

I had a 7.3 diesel. Switched to a 6.2 gas. Fuel economy is less but pulls the hills just fine towing. I'm sure the new 7.3 gas will be a bit better towing and worse on gas. I would be more concerned about the tailgate if you are loading anything in the back. Those aluminum gates are one of the reasons why I'm going to stick with a steel body as long as I can.

A buddy is a sales manager at a Ford dealership. Asked him about the advantages of trading my 2017 F-250 with the 6.2 for a new 7.3. His response was the 7.3 has a little more power, less mpg and the 10 speed tranny is constantly shifting up and down. He advised me to keep what I have.
However he has a new F-250 on order with the 7.3 for his personal tow rig.

That's because he gets a hell of a deal on new and probably makes money on his old one.

so I did drive a nice 7.3 with 355 gears this week.. It is impressive empty. the truck will give you whiplash accelerating. at 70 or so it was riding 1200 rpm in 9th gear. if you jumped on it, it kind of reminded me of an old worn out first gen 700r4 looking to get out of overdrive, it just hung there for a few seconds. I think I would have to have at least 373 gears to haul well. I have read they really are great with 430 gears, however that is a huge jump in ratio. I am still not sure if I can go to a gas truck though.
as far as dealing best I could do is about 3200 off sticker. which was basically invoice. He says they cant keep a truck in stock this year.

Jeff,what dealer is this?

There is a Ford dealer in town,and their trucks just seem to sit.

As for the new trannys,the local diesel shop says the new 10 speed takes alot of getting used to.

this was local to me in RI Flood Ford. What dealer has them sitting, because that's the one I want lol. I went to Hamden for the last one. 2 hour drive to save 4k. Yes please.

Hopefully this new 7.3 gas is better engine than the 6.2 gas. Our company bought a fleet of them and most have all blown up around 80,000 miles. Seems breaking valve springs is a common problem.
Our old 460s by comparison all surpassed 250,000 miles without ever opening the engine.

Is the 7.3 a 10 cylinder or 8 cylinder engine?


:confused:

V8, pushrod design.

New Ford engine
 

Yes have heard it is a Pushrod, OHV type of engine. Going back to basics.

Just curious what kind of "blow ups" your company experienced? A guy I race with is a dealership tech, according to him the only 6.2 problems he has seen have been cracked exhaust manifolds.

Turbo Diesel all the way, ESPECIALLY as a tow vehicle! Regardless of brand, the "natural" torque inherent in a turbo diesel makes it a better engine for towing, hands down. I used the H2 Hummer with its LS V8 engine to tow and while it did the job, especially given a displacement of appx 350 odd cubic inches, it had to run 4,000 RPMs or more on any incline, and gas mileage dropped from an unladen 13 mpg to around 7.5 mpg. OTOH, my friend had a Dodge turbo diesel Cummins 2500 truck, and it got about 20 mpg unladen, and 17 mpg pulling a car on a trailer, almost like it wasn't there.
My next tow vehicle is absolutely going to have a turbo diesel, regardless of brand.
Since I have 3 dogs ranging 50-90 pounds and a 40 pound mini pig that have to go wherever my wife and I go on a trip, my ideal trip and tow vehicle would be a 4WD Excursion w/a turbo diesel, but unfortunately they stopped making them in 2006, and the nice ones left are pretty pricey.

Most of ours have spun rod bearings. And high oil consumption had been a issue as well, although the dealer tells us that’s normal. We’ve had to fight them on broken valve springs and rocker arms as well but they claim our drivers are hot rodding them.

Gengras in Plainville.

Nobody seems to like them according to their reviews;maybe that is why I see the same vehicles there,and not moving.

I just turned 176,000 miles yesterday on my 6.2L. Never an issue, uses no oil and still has all of its original parts including the plugs.

Company vehicles = Employees pound the "F" out of them.

I borrowed my brothers 2012 f250 lariat with a 6.2 this weekend. Biggest dog I have ever driven. 5.3 ls would run circles around it. I guess they are durable though with the exceptions listed above. I won't be buying one of those.
I talked to gengras, as I figured that's where you were looking. they have lots of inventory, they like everyone else will only sell to the invoice minus any rebates. there is not even room to throw in a bed liner if they are to be believed. Another few weeks I think they will have to start to increase the incentives. There are a lot more trucks available the more I look.

LOL! ^

Our companies experience is based on a fleet of 12.

Our trucks are used primarily on the highway and are GPS tracked. 70 mph interstate cruising should not cause the issues we’ve experienced. But for arguments sake let’s say they were pounding on them; all the 460s held together the 6.2s are not holding up.

Read on a Ford Super Duty site where a another Company bought two 6.2s. They both broke rockers, then read the same from you.

Thanks for the response.

The shop truck is a Chevy 5.3. From a stop light it feels snappier than my 6.2, hook up a trailer its a different story.

besides my pontiac i am a ford guy and my opinion is that your net gonna get a better deal than at tasca ford. flood lost a sale on a set of floor mats on a 38.000 escape.

Flood Ford
This is the dealer to call for an extended warranty on a new ford. My dealer couldn't even come close to what Flood offers. I called Flood to inquire why so cheap and if its the same Ford plan my dealer offered. It was the same Ford plan, and the dealer explained to me that they do 100 bucks over their cost. If you just bought a Ford in the last year and want to save, I saved $1800, go to their website and check it out. Warranties can be canceled, their prorated.

I test drove a 3/4 Chevy with a 6.6, now that had balls. Too bad the styling is so hideous but the GM LS based engines don’t have all the issues that the Ford and Hemi Chrysler engines do.
If I was going to use a gas engine for pulling I’d look at a GMC (better looking) with that engine.

I agree the new gmcs look awesome. the new chevy looks like crap. I loved my 6.7 ford, it was just time to send it before the rust got so bad it needed repair.
How about the ford aluminum bodies. I hear body shops hate them, but it has to be a plus for the truck owner right?

Another dealer to look at is Colombia Ford.

The diesel shop I deal with talks very highly of them.

Between the guys at the diesel shop,and their customers,10 trucks were bought from Colombia Ford last year.

I've towed thousands of miles, 24' Enclosed trailer, loaded and unloaded with my 2015 GMC 1/2 ton Sierra with NO problems. Runs like the trailer isn't back there and brakes just fine. North Georgia to Norwalk, South Florida, etc.

If I was only towing 5k miles per year, no way would I pay for a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup. I get 10-12 miles per gallon towing and 20 or better without a trailer.

6.6 gas engine? Is that something recent?

im guessing he means 6.2 I have heard that is a beast.

Originally Posted by mysticmissle View Post
I borrowed my brothers 2012 f250 lariat with a 6.2 this weekend. Biggest dog I have ever driven. 5.3 ls would run circles around it. I guess they are durable though with the exceptions listed above. I won't be buying one of those.
I talked to gengras, as I figured that's where you were looking. they have lots of inventory, they like everyone else will only sell to the invoice minus any rebates. there is not even room to throw in a bed liner if they are to be believed. Another few weeks I think they will have to start to increase the incentives. There are a lot more trucks available the more I look.

I've towed thousands of miles, 24' Enclosed trailer, loaded and unloaded with my 2015 GMC 1/2 ton Sierra with NO problems. Runs like the trailer isn't back there and brakes just fine. North Georgia to Norwalk, South Florida, etc.

If I was only towing 5k miles per year, no way would I pay for a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup. I get 10-12 miles per gallon towing and 20 or better without a trailer.

I tow a 28 footer with a golf cart. it has to be in the 11k range. I used to do it with a 5.7 tundra. IT had plenty of motor but not enough brakes. I didn't think it was safe enough, so I got a 3/4 ton diesel. We have a lot of hills here in New England and New York. Just because you can tow with a 1/2 ton truck doesn't mean you should. I have a 2.5 to 3 hour tow minimum to get to any track, if it was down the street , I would be towing with an 82 350 square body and loving it! lol

Yea, 401 horses and 464 ft pds of torque. I always preferred Fords when it came to trucks but it’s hard to deny these LS engines are a great design. Plus if it has a Allison behind it, that’s a tough drivetrain.

https://media.chevrolet.com/media/us...o-hd-2020.html

that media release is from march and does not include the ford 10 spd trans and the 7.3 gas motor. I did not realize they upped the 6.2 to a 6.6. is it not even the same block? Those LS are definitely an amazing design.

From what the sales guy told me it’s of the same architecture. He mentioned the 6.6 uses a special kind of oil pump but I cant I find info on it.

I have towed approx 40k miles in the last few years with a 24ft alum enclosed trailer and my tow vehicle is a 5.7 Tundra 4WD with 430 gears. More than enough, but you mentioned a 28' trailer. I think I would switch to a 3/4 ton diesel for that. While I have no trouble with what I tow, a steel trailers added weight plus 4 additional feet, it's not worth the risk. Your pushing the limit if not exceeding of any 1/2 ton truck.

I fellow racer tows a 28 footer loaded with a Ford Maverick, 2 Jr. Dragsters, 2 Pit Bikes, Golf Cart, Air Compressor, large tool box, winch and all of the other typical things a racer needs at the track.

He tows it all with an F150 with an Ecoboost. :cool:

I'm not saying you can't do it, I'm saying you're pushing the limits of a 1/2 ton truck. I tend to push things and sometimes tow what I shouldn't, but if that's someone's plan to do on a regular basis, IMO, foolish.

I love my Tundra's and dread the thought of needing something heavier but it was also the reason I sprung for an all aluminum trailer to lighten the load. It saves me about 1000lbs of weight. JMO

You're fine if you have the right tires. Load Range "E" are a must. All 1/2 ton trucks come with "P" (passenger) rated tires (aka. car tires).

There's a guy (vendor) that shows up every year at Norwalk with a Tundra pulling about a 32 footer that is waaaay overloaded. The receiver hitch is literally inches from the ground. First thing I checked was the tires on that Tundra, they were "P" rated. I can't believe the guy makes it out of his driveway without those tires popping like balloons.

B.T.W.: If you tow more than a few times a year or tow heavy loads with your Tundra, check the rear axle bearings. Toyota has an issue with those. Seems as though they built the hell out of the truck but used too small of an axle bearing.

This is how men towed prior to everyone buying a diesel to haul their golf cart around...…………

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2c/57...3cdac3f80b.jpg

that is an awesome picture. Those are the good old days. I had more fun per dollar, with my rat 10 second firebird than i do now with my gto or 8 sec firebird tube car. And its true my old golf cart weighed almost 800 pounds. I sold it over the summer, i will either bring my four wheeled or a battery golf cart that may weigh the same or a bit more i'm thinking.

I'll be ordering a 7.3 truck in January. 16-18 weeks out to get an ordered one right now. Watch the reviews on TFL Truck on youtube, they're pretty objective with their reviews. My feeling is, if your're going to get one, do it right and order the 4:30 gears. It's only about .8 mpg difference in their tests, and i'm sure pulls much better than the 3:55. The low end torque and max torque is close to the last 7.3 diesels they built, without the 9k premium over the 7.3 gas. I can buy alot of extra gas with that 9k, cheaper maintence and much cheaper to repair. That 10 speed has to "learn", so funky shifting for the first couple hundred miles should be expected. Full disclosure, I work in the plant where these trucks are built.

nice thanks for the info. It makes sense that the trans would have some learning to do. Any idea when th e 2021s will actually be out? I think the incentives have to improve once they finally start calling the trucks they are shipping now the right year.

We're behind because of covid. We will still be building out the 2020's until about the end of November - first week of December. The plant is running full out, with all of the extra shifts than can be scheduled, including election day and veterans day which were supposed to be holiday days off. The biggest problem right now is when we do that, we always run out of something later that week because the parts vendors can't keep up. 2021 will be the identical truck except we have 3 exterior colors going away and 3 replacing them. Don't be looking for any kind of incentives... with the current order bank and barely keeping up the company has no reason to give them.... and won't.