Pulling fith wheel

[snowfighter]

Have a 2002 Ford 250super duty 5.4 v8 auto ,pulling a 28ft Cardinal fith wheel dry weight 8300# pulls ok around northern Minnesota, wondering if I go to the mountain western states if it would be under powered . Maybe Diesel?

[Lund4ver]

I can say that my parents have a 2003 F350 with the 6.0L diesel, auto, and pull a 26 foot Cardinal and sometimes tow their Lund Pro-V behind that. They have had no problems pulling that combination at all. They have pulled their fifth wheel out to Connecticut without any problems with the diesel (Averaged 12 miles per gallon for the whole trip).

I personally have a F150 with the 5.4, and tow a Lund 1700 Fisherman, plus gear and the 5.4 is enough for that. I would think the 5.4 would pull your trailer in the mountains, but would be slower, and might have to keep your foot in the gas more going up grade, which in turn means more fuel consumption.....I would guess towing the fifth wheel on flat roads you get 6 to 10 miles per gallon, more on the low side of that?

[snowfighter]

Thanks for the info, I just came back with it from Mankato and was 8 to 11 mpg , could tell on some hills if you had to slow down before going up ,it would power down and run up to 3500 rpms, I'm sure a diesel would be alot better just seeing if anyone else has been out west with the samepickup/fith wheel ratio.

[cadaver]

Been out west with mine f250 gas 460,pulling 32 ft Kountry aire no problems 75 mph = 0 mpg ...LOL got like 11-13mpg

hardest part was chief joseph hwy going into cooke city montana ...pretty steep had to keep my foot in it but had no problems ...would suggest that you put tranny cooler on your truck before leaveing though...o yeah what out for the mule deer !!! their just stupid !! and plentiful..

hope this helps

[sparky88]

I pull a 28' travel trailer with my expedition with a 5.4L. It pulls it ok, but I don't think I would venture into the mountains with it. My expy doesn't like large hills or head winds when pulling the camper (its got the towing package too). I average 7-10 mpg when towing. One thing I have learned about the 5.4L is don't be afraid to let it rev up. It does not have the low end torque that my old 5.8L pickup had, but it seems happy when I drop it down a gear and let it wind up a little

[Powerstroke]

The auto tranny that is put behind the 5.4L is not a very good auto as far as heavy hauling is concerned. You probably already have a tranny cooler installed if its the tow package, but I would double check You probably could do the trip, but it would be underpowered. You would definately have to use the OD off and possibly downshift lower for some of the hills.

Towing that kind of weight in the mountains is definately better handled by the diesel. They are more powerfula nd have more torque. They are also affected less by the elevation since there is less input needed in the way of air densities since its a pressure combustion not ignition for developing power.

The 5.4L engine is a pretty decent engine, even behind a 3/4ton, but the auto tranny used with them is not that great. That is the part you need to worry about.