2002 Ford 350 5.4L dually dump towing

[aerodan1]

Well, I may be off on my numbers. Things have sure changed a LOT since 2002. Here are a couple docs for you:

Payload/Weight Ratings
Tow Ratings

It looks like GVWR is 11,200 and it does look like GCWR is 13.5k. I find that hard to believe with a GVWR of 11,200.

Still, it's a Super Duty dually. I wouldn't hesitate to put 10k behind it as long as the dump box was empty and as long as you aren't going on long freeway drives.

Yep, you're right the GVWR is 11,200. With a truck that weighs upwards of 8,000 pounds, leaving 3,000 pounds of payload capacity and 5,500 towing technically. But again, like you said it's a super duty dually. I won't be swapping out motor or rear end, just wouldn't make sense, so if anything maybe look into a transmission cooler. As another poster pointed out, it does indeed have a trans. temp gauge, which I'm happy to have. I still have a year to save up and buy a tractor and trailer, so I'll try to make a few bucks with the truck in the meantime.

 

[aerodan1]

the 450s came with lower gears from Ford i'm thinking 4.88s were standard



it might be easier to swap in lower gears than selling and buying a new one.

my father just sold (yesterday) the dump i pictured for $12K. very clean, completely stock, 111K miles, sat for months with no one looking.

Yea, I could swap in lower gears but I'd like to keep it stock if I can. Guys up here in MA are crazy about the 7.3 motors, I'm sure there would have been a lot of interest in your truck, looks like it hasn't plowed before too.

 

[aerodan1]

And remember, there are many things going on here.
Pulling is one thing, stopping is another.
Manufacturer ratings mean diddly in the real world if you need to get something done you can always overload. If you have an accident and are sued then they can always bring up you were overloaded.

My stock 2002 7.3 dually pulls a loaded 12K trailer with ease and that's it's max rating.

I need to drop 1.5 tons in the bed for the truck to be level.

I think Ford rated it's trucks very conservatively, possibly so they didn't cut into 450/550 sales.

My VW Jetta TDI is only rated to tow 1,000 lbs in the US, in Germany the same build is rated for 2,000 lbs.

All good points. The truck does come with a draw tite electric brake controller, should help. I am very familiar with driving overloaded, hauled many 3 - 5 yard loads of loam, sand, crushed stone, dense grade, etc. with my dad's F450 w/7.3 over the years, always took it very slow, but many times I was just relieved to get to the customer's house and dump without a problem.

What I'm not familiar with is towing heavy loads though, especially with a lighter set up like this. There are plenty of heavier duty trucks in my market up for sale all the time, so I'm always keeping my eyes open.

 

[aerodan1]

I talked to someone this weekend who runs a similar set up - his is a 250 pick up, not a dually dump, but same 5.4 motor with 3.73 gears. His mods are helper springs (which I wouldn't need) and a trans cooler (which I would add). He tows an 18 ft. trailer with LS 37 hp tractor, sometimes with backhoe. The combined weight of tractor w/backhoe and trailer is close to 10k. I realize that I have a little extra weight with the 9 foot dump body vs. pickup bed, and dual rear wheels vs single, so that cuts down somewhat on towing capacity. I don't have a tractor yet so don't want to put the cart ahead of the horse, and plus I'm not sure how often I'd even have the extra weight from backhoe, I'm guessing I would mostly have a box blade or other implement, either of which should be lighter than a backhoe.

 

[Sprinklerman]

You should be fine , I have a e 350 van the extended one , 5.4 triton , its a 1999 .I pull a 10K trailer with a 35 hp New holland and implement , I have no idea what gears it has , It pulls ok , no speed records . Now my v10 excursion pulls the same load much nicer .

 

[aerodan1]

You should be fine , I have a e 350 van the extended one , 5.4 triton , its a 1999 .I pull a 10K trailer with a 35 hp New holland and implement , I have no idea what gears it has , It pulls ok , no speed records . Now my v10 excursion pulls the same load much nicer .

Thanks for the follow up, it's great to hear from others with a similar set up that I hope to have some day.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

That's just crazy. I have a 97 Jeep Cherokee that is rated to tow 5,000 pounds!

My 84 one ton will tow more than your dually dump? Nuts!

 

[Farmer495]

I looked at a 5.4 5-speed manual F250 with 3.73s 5 years ago. It was rated to tow 7000lbs or so. 4.10s upped that to 9600lb I think. I am guessing the same GCWR rating was given to all 5.4 3.73 trucks, F250 or F350.

Ford assigned a 20,000 GCWR to pretty well all 6.8 and 7.3 trucks meaning my 7.3 6-speed 3.73 F250 was rated the same or more as a 4.10 F350 since the 250 SRW was lighter truck.

 

[postalnut25]

I think you'll be happy with it. A dump truck is an incredibly useful tool. I'll take my old low tow rating F-350 for towing over any modern 1/2 ton with a higher tow rating. I'll also take a 6.8 over a similarly rated turbocharged V-6. The gas motors are a lot cheaper than the diesel 7.3s. I wouldn't be surprised if a 6.8 would out run a 7.3 especially the early ones. Once the V10 stops for gas the 7.3 will pass it for sure.

I agree with the point that the dump truck will be an incredibly useful tool, even if it is a little underpowered.

However, I'd be quite surprised if the 6.8 could ever outrun any of the turbo 7.3 motors. Old, non-turbos yes, but not any of the newer ones.

I am a Dodge guy, not a ford guy, but I can speak on that topic a little. Owning a 2500 V10 regular cab 4x4 with a 5 speed at the same time that I owned a 2500 5.9 Cummins quad cab 4x4 with a 6 speed. The V10 was an incredibly powerful motor, and the truck would flat move when it was unloaded. It hauled the fifth wheel pretty well, too. But it was a slug compared to the diesel. The Cummins would break the rear end loose even shifting between 3rd and 4th, got several miles to the gallon better mileage, and towed the same trailer much better.

 

[aerodan1]

I looked at a 5.4 5-speed manual F250 with 3.73s 5 years ago. It was rated to tow 7000lbs or so. 4.10s upped that to 9600lb I think. I am guessing the same GCWR rating was given to all 5.4 3.73 trucks, F250 or F350.

Ford assigned a 20,000 GCWR to pretty well all 6.8 and 7.3 trucks meaning my 7.3 6-speed 3.73 F250 was rated the same or more as a 4.10 F350 since the 250 SRW was lighter truck.

Yep, I could see that being the case, especially if the 350 was a dually with dump body, adds some extra weight.