I got a few questions about my new to me 99 F350 dually v10 automatic.
1) should I turn OD off while towing? I can't find anything that says to turn it off in the owners manual.
2) my truck has 3.73 rear axle ratio. Anybody have any experience with this gear ratio in a v10 like mine?
I have not pulled with the truck yet, I am not really sure what to expect going from a half ton with limited payload to a Dually with about 2 tons of payload and te same trailer. I am hoping for a test run tomorrow.
Oh the old truck had 3.55 but the new truck is much heavier.
PS. The dually did something to my wife. She has been looking at fifth wheels on Craigslist since about 10 minutes after I brought the truck home. Lol
Thanks again everyone.
Jeremiah
TT: 1995 Layton 2910
Tow Vehicle: 1999 F-350, v10, 2wd, Crew Cab, Dually
Hitch: Draw-Tite Trunnion WD Hitch
Sway Control: Valley dual friction sway control
Brake Control: Tekonsha Voyager
"It's Kind of Fun To Do The Impossible"
~Walt Disney~
And then only turn it off if you transmission is constantly shifting, hunting for gears. If it rolls along fine in OD, and its not shifting all the time, leave it alone.
Your test run with the trailer in tow should give you the feed back you need.
The Mad Norsky, Doll, Logan, Korey & Rocky
2011 Ford F350 Power Stroke dually
RV'ing since 1991
We never know where we're going till we get there!
You will get a range of opinions, but most will revolve around turning it off if your tranny starts hunting for gears back and forth. I have the 7.3 diesel pulling a 9K fiver, and it pretty much stays on all the time as it climbs without many issues, even in OD. It will drop down into 3rd on its own and stay there, so I just leave OD as is. Having a tranny cooler, add on tranny temp gauge as well as turbo temp reader helps me with decision making.
You're not going to hurt anything by "testing the waters."
Make a run with OD on, and see how it goes. If you can cruise right along in OD without the truck lugging badly or shifting frequently, leave it on.
Same goes with the 3.73 axle ratio. You're not going to hurt anything by trying it out.
People like to make out that there is a fixed formula for ALL towing. Well, there isn't. A 4.10 will always feel "more powerful" than a 3.73, but what if you've got plenty of power with the 3.73 as it is? Would you even know what you were missing if you kept the 3.73? Trying it out isn't going to cost you a dime.
Spending no money is a lot better than spending money you didn't need to, IMHO.
2002 Chevy 3500 DRW 8.1L/Allison
2000 Palomino B1500
...and the reason why I need a DRW to haul a Palomino:
2004 United 7x14 tandem axle enclosed toy trailer
2011 PJ 8x20 7-ton deckover equipment trailer
chevman
2001 35 ft avalon alpenlite RK
2005 3500 2wd duramax CC dually
prodigy
easyrider/reese airhitch
trailair center point suspension
JT Strong Arm Stabilizers
KSH 55 inbed fuel tank
Garmin 2720
scanguage II
TD-EOC
Induction Overhaul Kit
TST tire monitors
If you find yourself less than thrilled with the power the 3.73 brings to the table, you can always re-gear to 4.10 or 4.30 but expect a slight loss of MPG.
My guess is you won't deem it necessary as of now, but once Wifey falls for a big 5er, 4.30 axle gears might be in order.
BManning baking in Phoenix
2008 Ford Super Duty F250 XLT, 4x4, crew cab, 6.75' bed
5.4L V8 300hp/365ft-lb, 5sp Torqshift, 4.30 AAM gears
9400lb GVW 11200lb tow
2007 Volvo XC90 AWD V8
4.4L 311hp/325ft-lb, 6sp Aisin, loaded
6100lb GVW 5000lb tow
a few years ago I had a 2000 F250 V10 with 3.73 gears. I pulled my dads 25 foot 5th wheel a couple of times with it. It cruised right along in overdrive without any problems.
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