New Tow Rig 2016 F-350 PowerStroke

[BlueThunder34]

Probably didn't really need it but finally bought my dream truck, a new F-350 powerstroke! Our trailer is only about 7,700lbs but I figure the bigger the better especially since we plan to tow some long distances and eventually upgrade to a 5th wheel someday. Sure did hurt trading in my F-150 I've only had for a year but live and learn I guess.

[slow]

Very nice truck.

I am curious, what does the yellow sticker state as payload capacity?

[nellie1289]

nice looking ride. Better to buy too much than too little. you will be ready when your needs change.

[CWSWine]

Very nice truck.

I am curious, what does the yellow sticker state as payload capacity?

I'm not the OP but I have a 2015 F350 PSD and the yellow sticker is 3744.

[larry337]

Congrats and nice choice! You'll be glad you skipped the 250 and went straight to the 1 ton.

[BlueThunder34]

Thanks all, we absolutely love it! My yellow sticker is 3498

[slow]

Difference in payload between the 2015 and 2016 must be 4x4?

Thanks for both numbers.

[Zappa]

I did the same thing last year. I sold my 2000 Dodge CTD and bought a F350 PSD SRW. Ive only had the opportunity to pull my trailer with it once on a short run but from what I can tell it was a good choice.

[CWSWine]

Difference in payload between the 2015 and 2016 must be 4x4?

Thanks for both numbers.

Nope mine is a 4X4 also...

[BlueThunder34]

Nope mine is a 4X4 also...

That is a pretty big difference, I wonder why. Mine is a pretty standard long bed crew cab XLT, not a lot of extras.

[slow]

Long vs short bed and maybe tires/wheels, skid kit, etc.

When I purchased my SB gasser sight unseen (was at Ford's regional compound), I was surprised that as a XLT with 18" wheel/tires, heavy duty alternator, tail gate step, running boards, power mirrors, rear camera, skid plates, upfitter switches and remote start, the payload was 482 lbs lower than published. Little things add up.

[BlueThunder34]

Long vs short bed and maybe tires/wheels, skid kit, etc.

When I purchased my SB gasser sight unseen (was at Ford's regional compound), I was surprised that as a XLT with 18" wheel/tires, heavy duty alternator, tail gate step, running boards, power mirrors, rear camera, skid plates, upfitter switches and remote start, the payload was 482 lbs lower than published. Little things add up.

Good point

[JRTJH]

There is almost 300 pounds of payload difference between the XLT CCLB 4x4 and the Lariat CCLB 4x4. The leather heated seats vs cloth standard seats, dual electric seats vs driver electric/passenger manual, touch screen radio system vs conventional radio, 6" chrome running boards vs 5" black boards and that darn "dash compartment" over the radio add quite a bit of weight to the lariat package that's not included in the XLT. Additionally, the spray in bed liner weighs almost 75 pounds. I've seen it as "dealer ordered option" on most lariat's around here but not included on most XLT's......

Not only do you "pay for those options" on the window sticker, you also "pay" for them on the yellow door sticker......

[GaryWT]

Very nice truck, enjoy. I have the gas version, crew cab, red bed and my payload is over 4,000. The engine makes a difference for sure.

[CWSWine]

That is a pretty big difference, I wonder why. Mine is a pretty standard long bed crew cab XLT, not a lot of extras.

Mine is a Lariat with just couple extra options and Super Cab with 6.5 bed so that probably most of the difference.

[Harleyhop]

Awesome truck! Enjoy"bouncey:

[TomHaycraft]

Probably didn't really need it but finally bought my dream truck, a new F-350 powerstroke! Our trailer is only about 7,700lbs but I figure the bigger the better especially since we plan to tow some long distances and eventually upgrade to a 5th wheel someday. Sure did hurt trading in my F-150 I've only had for a year but live and learn I guess.

Saw the weight, I thought ... same weight as my trailer! Had a laugh when I saw the make of your trailer. When I had the chance to buy my trailer, I got what my truck at the time could tow. When I had the chance to upgrade the truck, I didn't think twice about going bigger "than I needed!"

I thought I'd be in a hurry to get a bigger trailer, kinda' happy with the ease of towing of what I have. When closer to retirement, we'll get something better suited for 2 and 3 months on the road.

Enjoy the new truck, safe travels.

[BlueThunder34]

Saw the weight, I thought ... same weight as my trailer! Had a laugh when I saw the make of your trailer. When I had the chance to buy my trailer, I got what my truck at the time could tow. When I had the chance to upgrade the truck, I didn't think twice about going bigger "than I needed!"

I thought I'd be in a hurry to get a bigger trailer, kinda' happy with the ease of towing of what I have. When closer to retirement, we'll get something better suited for 2 and 3 months on the road.

Enjoy the new truck, safe travels.


That's funny, sounds like we both followed a similar path. My 1/2 ton did great with this trailer I was just always paranoid thinking about the what ifs going through the big mountain passes and heavy cross winds, etc. with my family all on board. I don't doubt the abilities of the new 1/2 tons, I guess I'm just over cautious and wanted a tv I know is not the least bit stressed with the trailer :-D

[cw3jason]

careful. 5 months after buying my f350, I traded in the trailer for a 5th wheel."bouncey:

[JRTJH]

careful. 5 months after buying my f350, I traded in the trailer for a 5th wheel."bouncey:

For many of us, the "OK, if I have to, now I can" turns into a "OK, since I have it, I will".....

[BlueThunder34]

careful. 5 months after buying my f350, I traded in the trailer for a 5th wheel."bouncey:

"bouncey::D

[CWSWine]

careful. 5 months after buying my f350, I traded in the trailer for a 5th wheel."bouncey:

Not using all your capacity of your truck is like only drinking half the bottle of beer and pouring the rest out - it is just a waste.:thumbsup:

[dcg9381]

Some of think that it's best to stay under those max ratings... But a 1/2 empty beer is wasteful.

[CWSWine]

Some of think that it's best to stay under those max ratings... But a 1/2 empty beer is wasteful.

I do agree - my current is heaviest 5er I have owned and the closes on specs but I still under my GVWR (that is CAT scale not stubby pencil weights). Will be looking at the payload numbers for the 2017 F350s and see how much they increase over mine.

[old timer]

I have a 250 and was impressed at how well this truck tows. I went over the grapevine at 60 and still had more peddle left. The wind was blowing and the truck just kept going. I wouldn't even know the trailer was there except for the bad roads. You are going to love how the 6.7 works. You will want to add air bags to help with the ride and if you get a 5er than it will help to level the truck out. You need to put the bags on first if you dont have the hitch already installed. One of the bolts go under the side plates.

[BlueThunder34]

It seems like an eternity waiting until I get 1,000 miles on it before I can tow my trailer! I drive 62 miles a day so it won't take that long I know, but it's hard to wait "bouncey: You thing they could make these things come ready to work from the plant.

[old timer]

The reason is because of the rear end. It needs to be broken in first. I got my truck in June and have 9,000 miles now and about 2,000 miles towing.

[BlueThunder34]

The reason is because of the rear end. It needs to be broken in first. I got my truck in June and have 9,000 miles now and about 2,000 miles towing.

That makes sense, just hard to wait! Better to wait then to damage something in the long run.

[old timer]

I don't like to put useless miles on my stuff ether but I drove mine everywhere till i had the miles. I didn't cheat though. I also loaded the trailer into the information center so I could keep track of the miles. i called him Keith Stone. LOL

[Barbell]

Speaking of break-in period, we recently had a failure of our tow vehicle and had to purchase a replacement when about 2000 miles from home. The new vehicle had less than 50 miles on it when we hooked our Montana to it and came home. Chrysler dealer said it's fine to tow with it right off the lot and since it is standing behind the warranty, we did so. We also had no other choice. The vehicle is a '16 Ram 3500 CTD w/ Aisan. If any problems come up because of that, Chrysler will hear about it as well as this forum.

[BlueThunder34]

Speaking of break-in period, we recently had a failure of our tow vehicle and had to purchase a replacement when about 2000 miles from home. The new vehicle had less than 50 miles on it when we hooked our Montana to it and came home. Chrysler dealer said it's fine to tow with it right off the lot and since it is standing behind the warranty, we did so. We also had no other choice. The vehicle is a '16 Ram 3500 CTD w/ Aisan. If any problems come up because of that, Chrysler will hear about it as well as this forum.

That would be disappointing, hopefully it is just an isolated incident and you will not have any further issues with your new truck. Do you know yet which part failed?

[old timer]

Sometimes you have no choice and have to do it anyway. If you dont have to pull to hard on the 5er to climb hills you should be ok. This just goes for Ford owners because it states this in the owners manual. Good luck with your new truck.

[BlueThunder34]

One more week driving to work and I'll finally be there"bouncey:

[nellie1289]

Ram says wait 500 miles before towing but do you really think all these construction companies and businesses wait? I agree it is better to wait than not but sometimes you have no choice. the engine is definitely ready its the rear end is why the wait.

[JRTJH]

Here's the quote from the Ford Owner's Manual. I followed it "to the letter" like BlueThunder34 is doing. Whether or not it "makes a difference" is anybody's guess, but I've got too much money invested in the truck to just ignore what the factory says to do....

BREAKING-IN
You need to break in new tires for approximately 300 miles (480 kilometers). During this time, your vehicle may exhibit some unusual driving characteristics.

Avoid driving too fast during the first 1000 miles (1600 kilometers). Vary your speed frequently and change up through the gears early. Do not labor the engine.

Do not tow during the first 1000 miles (1600 kilometers).

[Ken / Claudia]

As mentioned fleet vehicles cannot or will not get proper break in. Police vehicles including the last 2008 f250 was traveling at high speed with less than 100 miles and towing right away. I remember the 1st charger we got at the office. I drove it from install to patrol and was over 100 mph that shift, As I recall it had less than 50 on the odometer when I jumped into it. Unknown if vehicles any ever had problems from not breaking in properly. Many have problems later. But, I would never drive my own boat, truck or car like I needed to at work.

[BlueThunder34]

I know there is probably some give in that 1,000 miles but for me this was a substantial investment so I will be doing everything I can to keep this thing running like it should.

[andyrad]

Great choice on your tow vehicle. We have the 2011 power stroke and it has been almost trouble free aside from a couple leaks covered under warranty. The turbo is still strong and I have since installed a Mini Maxx tuner and deleted the DPF. This has taken my fuel economy up to 12.2l/100km on the highway from about 17 before the delete. It also has as much power as I could ever hope for. Totally different truck and it can handle the tune. Towing the 5th wheel it cruises up hills without downshifting and can hold the speed limit. Steep hills I will take it down to 50mph, 80kph, just to go easier on the drivetrain. Two giant pieces of advice, install airbags just to help with a heavier load if you and also rotate your tires religiously. These trucks eat tires and they are NOT CHEAP. The truck can handle the payload but the ride is so much more enjoyable with airbags when you hit heavy bumps in the road and you're loaded up.

[Hansel]

Congrat's on the new truck, and it would be nice too break it in the right way. As for some that can't break them in the right way, I'm guilty of that:eek: when I was in the EMS field we'd get a new rescue, with hardly any mileage on them, and start running the pee out of them, no break in period on a rescue truck.

[flybynight]

Hello all,

I upgraded last fall from a 2011 F350 XLT SRW to a 2016 F350 XL DRW. This is my first DRW vehicle. I just noticed that while the outer wheels are the nice aluminum rims, the inner wheels in the rear are steel rims. Last Fall I noticed that the spare was also steel, but I didn't give it much thought. Now I am giving it thought.

The questions are:

1) If I do get a flat tire is there any special consideration that I have to worry about with using the steel rim spare?

2) Do people generally rotate tires on DRW vehicles, and if so how do I accomodate the steel rims on the inner wheels?

3) I already upgraded my compressor and air-chuck for the DRW, anything else I'm missting?

4) I'm going to be taking it in for its first oil change soon and not sure if I should ask for tire rotation - thoughts?

I finally got enough miles on it to take the Toyhauler out for a first test drive last week and again to get it inspected yesterday. Very nice so far. Eventually the plan is to go to a 5-wheel when this vehicle is paid off (2 years). For now, it's slightly over-kill for a 28ft toyhauler, but no sway!

[denverpilot]

For 2) Yes. Lest you void your warranty on the tires. They wear differently and full rotation is a must for longest wear.

As far as steel vs aluminum, the guys at my local tire shop hate my chrome covers. Most people out here in rural areas yank all the shiny stuff and paint the steel rims and call it good. Obviously with a newer or nicer rig, you probably won't do that, but notice the next time you're rural how many folks do it... Heh. Practical vs pretty. That said, I like my chrome covers so they'll just have to keep whining at the tire store.

The biggest PITA with a flat is going to be jacking on a safe level surface and getting the trailer off. Wheels and tires are just grunt work. But that said, this is one area where I'm more than happy to pay for roadside assistance and let someone bring the right gear to do the job. At least you can usually keep rolling if it isn't a steer tire to a flat spot to drop the trailer and get to work.

For 3) Many people really like having a TPMS on DRW trucks. Your mileage may vary.

4) See 2). Yes. Follow the tire manufacturer's rotation schedule. Heavy towing on a one ton will unfortunately wear tires quickly. Prep the wallet for the next set now... It's gets spendy, but the towing peace of mind and rock solid behavior (in the dry road season anyway) make it all worth it. Duals tow like they're on rails. I won't buy another SRW truck for towing heavy, ever again. Especially with the fiver, which I see you have plans for in the near future.