My new tow rig...

hlb3 · Apr 26, 2014

Well it isn't officially mine for a few more days, but here she is...

2000 4wd Ford F550 Lariet 7.3 w/79,000 miles. It has air suspension in the rear, you can flip a switch and it will self level itself, pretty awesome. It has a Pacbrake Exhaust brake on it. It has a Transfer Flow dual tank setup on it, it holds about 80 gallons of fuel, can't wait to see how much the the first full fill up is going to cost me.

It was converted by Fontaine, it has their Classic Traveler bed, it has a 5th wheel hitch and Gooseneck hitch. In the future I'll probably convert it to an F350 bed or build a flatbed for more functionality, but I can get away with the current bed for a while, I'm just going to build some removable bedsides/tailgate to go in the bed stakes if I need to haul anything big.

I'm buying it from my grandpa, he had it to tow his 5th wheel around. It's been sitting for a few years and he finally decided to sell. It needs a little TLC, got to change all the fluids, fix all the power locks, and try to buff out some scratches. It needs a few new tires, which is going to set me back quite a bit. If anybody has a hook up on commercial tires let me know. :redneck:

Fordzuki · Apr 26, 2014

Nice rig, Les. Congrats. :awesomework:

hlb3 · Apr 26, 2014

Thanks! I'm really looking forward to having a crew cab, getting Leia in and out of the extended cab is a huge hassle. Having a 4wd tow rig is going to be nice too, might do a little snow wheelin next winter.

She is going to get some poopy mileage, its has 4.88's in the axles, she is really screaming when you run her down the freeway.

Lucky Jeff · Apr 26, 2014

Going to be needing tires soon? Could always step up a couple sizes to help with the rpm's

hlb3 · Apr 27, 2014

I'd thought about going to a little taller tire, there just isn't a whole lot of choices for a 19.5" wheel. All the taller tires are wider, so I'd have to buy new wheels also.

If I was daily driving it, it would probably be worth it in the long run, but since the truck will only be drove a few times a month, I think the extra cost of the larger tires and new wheels would probably far outweigh any fuel savings I'd get from the reduced RPMs.

zukkev · Apr 27, 2014

Nice Truck Les! :awesomework:
I bet the gearing isn't all that bad...What are your RPM's at 60mph? :corn:

hlb3 · Apr 27, 2014

About 2400 or so at 60, got up to about 2800 at 70.

zukkev · Apr 27, 2014

Was the truck regeared?

Lucky Jeff · Apr 27, 2014

Pretty sure the 450's and 550's were 4.56 or 4.88's from the factory. 4.10's may have been an option, but can't remember. The engine can easily handle the rpm, mileage just suffers. But like you said, if it's just a tow rig, who cares.

hlb3 · Apr 27, 2014

zukkev said:
Was the truck regeared?

Nope, the 4.88's were stock.

zukkev · Apr 27, 2014

Lucky Jeff said:
Pretty sure the 450's and 550's were 4.56 or 4.88's from the factory. 4.10's may have been an option, but can't remember. The engine can easily handle the rpm, mileage just suffers. But like you said, if it's just a tow rig, who cares.

Yup, I recall now doing a couple C&C 4x4 f450-550 flatbed rear diffs now a few yrs back, and both were 4:88 stock...

hlb3 · Apr 28, 2014

I was attempting to do a little work on her today in between hail storms and monsoon like rain, but didn't get a whole lot accomplished.

The box in the bed has some leaks. There were some things of desiccant in there, but those had spilled some time ago and made a huge mess, lots of corrosion and lots of rust from the various tools that were left in there. I emptied the box out and scrubbed it out and cleaned it up the best I could. The rubber seals and gaskets on both latches are shot and letting water in, it also looks like water is seeping in through the bolt holes where it is bolted down to the bed. The bolts are super corroded so I'm going to swap them out and throw some silicone on the new ones to seal those leaks. I ordered some replacement latches, so I'll swap those out and hopefully take care of those leaks as well.

stealthrunner1 · Apr 28, 2014

Wished it Was A OBS cause i would trade ya a flat bed for the pickup bed...Very nice truck BTW!!!! If your looking for a good board for the Powerstrokes....Hit Up powerstroke.org/forum.......Lots of Info!!!!!:awesomework::beer:

rkburg · Apr 28, 2014

2800 RPM damn that's super high. for a motor that falls on its face after 3k. Its likely gonna drive you nuts.but then again I'm typically running 80mph for most of my towing.Nice rig wish I had 80 gallons of fuel onboard.

Maverick26 · Apr 28, 2014

Maybe I missed it, is this thing an auto or a 6 speed? My buddy has a 550 with the 6.0/6 speed with 4.88s. It will pull a house but not fast. He is on his 3rd motor now I think, lucky you have a 7.3L.

hlb3 · Apr 28, 2014

stealthrunner said:
Wished it Was A OBS cause i would trade ya a flat bed for the pickup bed...Very nice truck BTW!!!! If your looking for a good board for the Powerstrokes....Hit Up powerstroke.org/forum.......Lots of Info!!!!!:awesomework::beer:

Thanks. I've spent a lot of time lurking on that board (my old rig was a 2wd '95 7.3 F250). I've been doing a lot of reading and research on the Super Duty's over the last week.

rkburg said:
2800 RPM damn that's super high. for a motor that falls on its face after 3k. Its likely gonna drive you nuts.but then again I'm typically running 80mph for most of my towing.Nice rig wish I had 80 gallons of fuel onboard.

I typically never get much over 65mph towing anyways, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

It's actually 72gallons (32 main/40 auxiliary), saw that capacities on the tanks when I was under the truck yesterday, still a crap load of fuel, about twice what my OBS held. It's going to suck to fill up, but each fill up should last me a LONG time.

zukkev · Apr 28, 2014

2400-2600 is the sweet spot for the 2nd gen 7.3PSD's, I bet you'll be just fine with your towing style...
:awesomework:

hlb3 · Apr 28, 2014

Yeah, aside from the hefty fuel bills, it shouldn't be a problem. My grandpa towed his big ass 5th wheel back and forth to Cali with it a number of times and its 3 to 4 times the weight of the Cruiser.

CarnationSensation · Apr 28, 2014

Nice rig! I had no idea it was a 550 till I started reading. Looks really clean.

I have a 2000 F-250 7.3 4x4 6 speed and love it. Stock they are slow but have plenty of power to haul anything. I put a Power Hungry Performance 6 Position chip on mine and it really woke it up. Then a 38R, then the Hutch/Harpoon mod, FRX. And the want list just keeps growing!!! These are addicting if your not careful!

Mine has 3.73's and at 70 MPH im at 2000 RPM getting an even 18 MPG all day long on the freeway. City i get about 15 and towing the yota I get 13.
Most will say 2000 RPM is the sweet spot for best MPG's.

Good looking truck, hope you enjoy it!

hlb3 · Apr 29, 2014

I've been making a shopping list of various parts to buy and looked at PHP chips. Apparently they aren't selling the 6-position chip anymore, which sucks because the $295 price looked good. I'll probably end up going with their Hydra chip when its time for a chip, seems like a pretty good deal for the money. Most of the mods will probably wait for a while so I can pay off some stuff. I figure to start with I will just throw a Walker muffler on it to open up the exhaust on the cheap and do an intake.