Towing a 43' Fifth Wheel With a GAS Truck? Ford 7.3L Gas Engine 

I’m enjoying these new gas engines in the heavy duty trucks I just got a 2020 Silverado 3500 dually with the 6.6 gasser currently have 42k miles regularly pulling a 18k pound gooseneck truck handles it well I wish it had the 4:10 gears like my old 2500 but besides that it’s a nice truck and maintenance free compared to a diesel.

The 7.3 is designed to be boosted. You can gain efficiency and torque. A turbo is perfect for towing and turbos love displacement. The 7.3 will be even better boosted with 1 or 2 turbos. Savings in fuel alone will pay for the cost. I would guess a clean install professionally done to be under 10k, depending on one or twin turbo. 7k with just one.

@Jesus has given you all. Repent or die. does Jesus want a boosted 7.3 as well. I know a good builder for him. It would be awesome racing Jesus, long as he did not cheat and bless the engine, we all would have good time. Dude Jesus changed the water to wine! It would be awesome if Jesus turned the water to E85. Alcohol for all. AMEN.

Great review. I have a 1999 7.3 diesel. Thinking, once fuel prices drop maybe upgrading to the new tremor with the 7.3. Spot on with the torque #'s my 1999 is rated at 500lbft.

@@Back_door_bandit_98 Appreciate your comment. I love my 6.6L gas engine as well in my 2500HD LT Chevy.

Appreciate the feedback, Rick!

Yes sir! If you got bored listening then you need to get your head examined.

I need to get my head examined most likely anyways. I think most people need to carry around an impact and consistently keep up on torquing loose screws on everyone’s head that they come in contact with as well as their own. Proverbs 27:17 brethren sharpen brethren

Yes you should keep doing this you are good at it!

I agree great delivery. Wish I could do the same lol.

Curious, at what highway speed did you get that mpg? My 6.2L gasser with 3.73 gears can only get 9.2 mpg pulling 9k bumper pull camper at 60mph Drops to 7mpg at 70mph. Wind drag kills mileage.

@@Rick_With_No_Filter 65 mph unless posted for less.

I was thinking about the same truck you have. I'm glad I stumbled onto your review of your truck because that's the same configuration I was going to order. Its a 23 but that doesn't matter I would appreciate any additional information you may have on the truck. Ty

@@robertsabella7298 sure! I’ve now put over 9,000 towing miles in the first year. I’ve driven it from Georgia to the Grand Canyon and back and multiple trips through the Appalachian mountains as well as to Myrtle Beach and Florida multiple times. Gas mileage isn’t amazing… I’m getting on average 6-7mpg depending on headwinds and speed traveled. I try to stay between 65-70mph. A few trips I did 70-75 and I was definitely in the lower 6’s for gas mileage. It’s obviously challenging pulling a 41’ into a regular gas station, but with a 48 gallon tank we find we can drive up to 4 hours between stops, which is about all the kids and myself can take before needing a break. My wife always uses aerial view on google maps to find a big enough gas station to pull into and it’s usually not a problem unless they are very busy, then you have to be extremely patient. As for power, there’s only been one time that I pushed the pedal all the way down and realized, oops, that’s all she’s got, but it wasn’t really bad thing and she was able to keep accelerating. I was just trying to keep up with a friend towing a 18’ travel trailer with a bigger truck, that just wasn’t happening! I’ve towed up and down 6-8% mountain grades and it does fine. Again, those RPM’s get pretty high, but that’s where this engine performs, so you just get used to it. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Would you tow a19,000lb camper with your dually and the 7.3?

⁠@@donclark5677 it depends on where and how often you are towing. 19K lbs is getting close to the max towing capacity of the truck and really limiting payload overall. If it’s mostly flat towing and not often I’m sure it would be ok, but if you are towing through mountains and often you might want to upgrade.

So, I guess diesel is my only option.

I hear you loud & clear. I bought a 1972 f250 new. Had a 360” which was a boat anchor. Not sure it had even 200hp and under not much more torque. Pulled boat and a full slide in camper. Numerous rigs between but My new f350, 7.3 l is a gigantic improvement.

Exactly. Nowadays its just a pissing contest, has nothing to do with the trucks themselves...

We towed this weights with the old 400 and 460 no problem. But we did with the 4 and 5 speed Manuals . 410 and 455 axles matched much shorter tires than put on trucks today. The gutless days started when mfg put tall tires and cut out the higher ratio axles on the gas engines. Why do this SALEs of diesel engines. From the get go they were still putting 235_85_16 on the duelly diesel with 410 or 455 axles for years after the gas truck had taller 17 and 18 inch wheels with 355 and 375 axles with maybe a 410 if you ordered.

My dad delivered mobile homes from the factories to lots for years using an International tote truck with a gas engine, 5 speed trans and 2 speed rear. It'd pull 14x70 homes without issue. I've still got parts and pieces of trucks scattered around the farm.

Diesel is 50% more expensive per gallon than gas so your not saving shit on fuel.

Thanks for sharing

No rocket arm delaminating issue at 40k?

@@sabertoothduck Not a one. Tell me about this issue if you don't mind? I want to do some research in anticipation of problems. We have 36 trucks with six F-350's more on order.

There are videos of the Cam shaft and hydraulic lifters delaminating and pitted on the 7.3 gas, not 7.3 diesel.....

@@MikeS77577 Appreciate the warning and I have sense seen a few videos on it. Gratefully, we have not had one issue with our 7.3's so far. I have put out a bulletin though on it and we are going to be watching for it. Thanks. By the way, we have nine 7.3's now with over 200,000 miles and no issues. We have 17 of them with over 150,000 miles with no issues, and the rest are under that mileage. We will be keeping each truck until 300,000 miles and then selling it. We will see what happens.

great additional info!

@@BlackLung87 yes that is the rewards of working for it.

How much you pay for that?

@@trumptookthevaccine1679 if you are asking about the transfer tank, about $880 for the whole setup including the pump, filter and nozzle.

@@terrysoule8441 more like the truck

I would love a head to head MPG comparison in towing between 7.3 vs 6.7 diesel. I know not towing, there is a 3-4 MPG difference.

I agree. I owned a 2002 F-350 with the 7.3 powerstroke, and it was a wonderful tow vehicle, but it never got better than 11.5 mpg unladen. With a trailer weighing 1k lbs or 15k lbs, it got 9 mpg... it's like it knew I was towing and got thirsty regardless of weight. These days, aside from the $10k premium you pay for a diesel, the maintenance costs are significantly higher than a gasser. Oil changes are twice as much, multiple fuel filters that MUST be changed regularly, DEF cost, and god help you if you get some contaminated diesel that hurts your fuel rails... that will cost you about $10 to fix (ask the Ram owners about it). I have been teetering back and forth for a few years, but I think a gas truck is in my future. The savings buys a hell of a lot of gas over the life of the truck.

One question are you retail or do commercial use? Here is another way of thinking 10mpg Diesel@$5 , Gas 8mpg @$4 50,000 miles a year. Both are the same cost $25,000 a year in fuel. If you don't NEED the power and retail it's looking like gas. After writing this gas is looking better

We don't know if that's on the flats or in hills/mountains.

@@danielsnook5029 His numbers are optimistic, the only scenario I see actually getting those numbers is downhill 😆

Awesome. I hope they do. I've never understood why they have one for the f150 and Tundra but not the gas super duty. Hopefully the 7.3 popularity will encourage them to do so.

Carb approval?

@@johncuervo3019 California approval for emissions and stupidity

Kmh is way different from mph just to let you know

Thats like the perfect truck to trailer weight sweet spot!👍

Titan makes a SuperDuty tank for gasoline?

@@rh-et2vv I think they're working on a replacement tank.

I heard that they are working on one. I will look for the info.

@@rh-et2vv yes they do

Did you calculate the loss of pay load with your bigger tank? Doesn’t that bigger tank defeat the purpose of the gas payload?

I really, truly appreciate that! Thank you!

You bet!

Yeah, there's apparently an aftermarket 55 gallon replacement tank coming out this summer that I've got my eye on.

@@RVMiles Any releases on what kind of pricepoint though?

Gotta love a Bucees

Agreed--especially with a toad! When on the road, I always hope for Flying J or Maverick RV lanes. I have dropped the toad for Costco prices then reattached after a fill up.

We just purchased our first pusher and I never really gave much thought to the class A gas fuel issue until this Christmas when camping in Ft. Pierce. Had a new Newmar class A parked beside us. Was talking to the owner and told him what a nice unit he had. He told me filing up can be a pain in the rear. Never thought of that. We have to plan our fuel purchases also. Guess it's part of the deal.

don't forget about the bucees nuggets...

@@billdarrah5030 some of the newer Valero/Toot'n Totum stations in Texas have separate RV lanes with gasoline.

Welcome aboard!

With all the smog requirements for a diesel and the high maintenance cost it’s not worth it. With the new transmissions a gas truck with all the gearing can put down lots of torque.

One note that I found out the hard way, once you find the RV friendly locations, look at the details and make sure they have the specific things you need.

Much appreciated!

Much appreciated!

How did u do that?

@@dr.blast__2713 it fits in front of my 5th wheel hitch. Pump is on the same side as my gas tank cap.

Make sure you try turning around in a cul-de-sac with the long bed or a parking lot before you commit.

Put a 30- 50 gal. auxilary tank in the bed. That will fix the fuel issue

I ordered my truck with 4.30s and a 48 gallon tank but its a 4door long bed

Why this guy wanted single rear wheels with a 43 foot trailer LOL and a short wheelbase... like... a fool for every seat.

Your comment made me legitimately laugh out loud. My wife and I have a dodge diesels as our daily’s and usually hook one up to a 42’ toy hauler when we head out for the weekend or for a week with the kids. I wouldn’t even consider trading one in on a gas truck. I don’t have anything against gassers, but I’m not going to find a gasser with over 1,075 lb/ft torque.

I have a 11 f250 with the 6.2. My truck has 3.73 gears and the 6 speed auto. I have to say I couldn’t be happier with the capabilities of this engine. Even with the gearing I can pull 12k with ease. Mileage is not quite as good as the newer trucks. But not too much of a difference. I’d be happy with a newer 6.2 myself

Totally agree, towed ~20,000 in a triple axle toy hauler from Minnesota to Billings, Montana with a 350 long bed. Got on I-90 in SD and set the cruise at 80 and let her go. Had a head wind for probably 130 miles and the MPG dropped to about 6.7 and our RPM averaged 4500 😂 My co-worker thought i was going to blow it up but as long as the temperatures were fine I'm sure the engine will be fine

From what I've read and seen, this 7.3 gasser is built pretty stout, I have a feeling that it'll be a good engine for Ford. I too am contemplating one myself.

@@jaydancraven1117 Yes technically it should be fine but headwind is no joke up here I’ve lived in Idaho and Montana my whole life but when wind picks up you see everyone towing something reducing speed not just because wear and tear and gas mileage but because a lot of people get tipped over passing other big rigs.

That why you buy a diesel

@@higherlifts420 but,but, he just blew his Wad on a $85k supertent, so now can't afford a truck...what a douche!

They’re expensive as fuck tho lol

@@03tarserov64 can never win with today's prices

Right on!

IF .... If you properly Care for a dsl... They’ll generally last decades !!! I’ve got a ’93 Mack Bulldog semi with 985K miles and the engine/trans are still strong without a major rebuild....

@@StarPartners your 93 mack is not a light duty diesel and it also isn't full of sensors and exhaust filters and does not require DEF.

Did you get the 250 or 350?

I don't understand your "but the numbers don't work well for Diesel anymore compared to the performance and gas mileage of these modern gas engines." statement?? At 470lb tq compared to lowest diesel at 850lb tq, for pulling power I see NO comparison, I'd say the numbers don't work well for the gas!

Nice to hear you're happy with the new Chevy/GM engine. Perhaps you meant to write 6.6, not 6.4.

@randy phillips 4gallons of oil for a change high price of fuel and oil filters,the def fluid plus the extra engine ware due to emissions and bad fuel mileage compared to the older diesels. 6 injectors for a 12valve Cummins $600 6 injectors for the 6.7 Cummins over $3000. My friends ford got bad fuel coming back from Colorado had some def fluid in it he could have done said he didnt I tend to believe him he has equipment but any way it was $12,000 dollars to fix fuel system

Because of trailer clearance, style of hitch or something else? Just curious.

I've been looking at this motor since wanted to give them a couple of years I think a 350 single wheel with a 3.73 or a lower gear would work best for me. I'd love to know what gears some people are running. And yes 8ft bed crew cab would be a must however saw a 8ft bed extended cab the other day that looked sharp

@@davidcaskey4669 I can't yet give you the towing mpg, but here's the unloaded info. I have the 2022 7.3L F350 Lariat extended cab, 6.75 bed, 3.73 axle, 18c whels. Not Tremor, but I optioned nearly all of the Lariat Ultimate items and HD suspension items (minus the snowplow front springs). No winch or moonroof. The payload rating is 4035Lbs. With 2 of us in it and a full gas tank, it scaled 7800 LB. Empty, in town, with short trips mileage can go below 10 mpg. On I-17 up the hills from Phoenix to Flagstaff at 75+MPH, I get around 14 mpg and over 15 on the round trip total. Only 2500 miles on it yet so far. In 2 weeks I'll be picking up a new 32' 5th wheel DS toy hauler with probably 14K+ GVWR. A week or so later we plan to take it up to Flagstaff, which should be a good comparison to our unloaded runs. I'll keep my speed under 65mph for the towing.

@@davidcaskey4669 3.73 or 4.30 are your only options as far as I know

@@garyschulte859 thanks for the info let me know towing mileage maybe someone will post with the 4.30 gear

Ya, towing a 5th wheel and not being able to go through the truck side would/will be a problem at A LOT of places including large truck-stop supercenter-type stations. Not only do you have to worry about overhead clearance (which is more a problem at smaller stations) you have to worry about there being enough space for your total turning radius getting into the station, to a pump, and getting out of the station without blocking traffic. That's to say nothing of having to potentially wait for multiple cars to finish filling before you can squeeze in to a line of pumps 2-3 deep. You're also trying to avoid causing damage to the facility's stuff or your trailer. I would think that with the gas engine, investing in the largest possible factory fuel tank or adding an aftermarket one in the bed will help immensely in reducing pump anxiety. This is what has to be done if you don't drop the trailer somewhere first, which is a HUGE pain in the ass to have to do.

Yeah, the cost is such a huge factor. Good to hear from you Dean!

you're very welcome!

Thanks for watching!

I've towed with both (travel for my job) and the ability to maneuver in the small parking lot areas where you get gas was the biggest issue for me.

@@normalguy556 I find it interesting that this complaint about gas powered trucks seems to be the most prevalent. I guess I don’t tow a big tall rv but I’ve never had too much trouble with gas pumps (I usually pull a flat bed trailer)

@@the_truck_farmer I have a 38ft bumper pull. 90% of gas stations not on major freeways were not feasible. Especially if it was during the day with cars parked in spot. I carried 2, 5 gallon gas cans for that reason and it was always stressful having to look on Google maps satellite to plan out gas stations that I could make it into. Going from that to being able to pull into a diesel pump thats designed for semis is effortless and a huge load off of my mind.

@@normalguy556 I thought it was weird that a new constructed gas station in my town put gas pumps next to their diesel pumps on the truck islands and now I’m understanding why. But yeah, that’s a rare exception…

Diesel just have to much emissions to make them a good long lasting motor now

Thanks!

Yeah, I liked that it was built for longevity, even though that's yet to be seen. I might not have taken a chance on it without that being such a focus in everything from Ford's mouths.

Are you aware that the Ford 7.3L gas engine is a pushrod engine?

Yes, that's what we're talking about.

@@RVMiles D'OH! My brain read Overhead Cams... Too tired.

What is old is new again. Ford’s 7.3 doesn’t fall too far from the old 460ci (7.5L) V8. This is a clean sheet design, but being a pushrod engine, shares genetics with all the great large blocks of the past. The old V10 proved itself to be quite tough and is all over the place and will remain in service for years to come; that UPS truck that visited your house today is probably not new and is probably on the Ford F-59 chassis which means the V10, but Ford couldn’t squeeze any more performance or efficiency out of that design. Going back to a pushrod V8 shortens the total engine height and makes it possible for it to be put into many more applications than the much taller V10. The V10 was an overhead cam engine which made the heads very tall. Ford also looked at what GM was doing with the much vaunted LS engines and was looking for something that was more competitive with the LS engines. You can purchase the new Ford 7.3 from their performance division as a crate engine that makes 600HP naturally aspirated, right out of the box. It is going to be interesting to see where this engine ends up; not just in pickups and motorhomes, but probably in a lot of hot rods, customs and street racers. Supposedly it can be shoehorned into Fox body Mustangs!

48 gallon + long box was the deciding factor for me. I can bolt on everything that came with the Tremor package, but I'm not bolting on a longer bed.

Long box is where its at🤟🇺🇸

Ya i think if im towing 10k a year that justifies the diesel but hey again its all personal preference in the long run. Ive only had 1 of my 3 diesels over the years have an injector failure no turbos no pumps thats 03 5.9 cummins and a 12 6.7 Ford and a 13 6.7 Cummins. Definitely not very many in comparison to some other people but combined i was around 300k miles driven between all of those trucks. The two Cummins were also sadly bought used nvr know how they treated them. But i dont tune and race around just hay and horse trailers occasional atv and brother inlaws toy hauler. Again to each their own but ABSOLUTELY NO GASSER will ever feel as secure and strong as any of the big three Diesels when you hook up to 15k plus lbs been there done that. Just cause something CAN doesnt mean its the best choice. But all that said i love the 7.3 seems like its going to be a very strong choice for low tow mileage peeps weekend warriors and such.

I switched back to gas as well,, after a $9,000 bill on my 2008 6.0 .. Been happy with the 6.2, pulling 12k .

@@michaelcrimi99 there was no 6.0 diesel in 2008

Eric tell the rest of the issues on the powerstroke.

How many miles on the truck?

The payload on my 7.3L long bed F350 XLT with the offroad 4x4 package is 3,749lbs. I ordered it and therefore could only guess what it would be before I got it, but I definitely wouldn't want it any lower, especially since the plan was for an eventual 5th wheel. I should also note that I opted for the 11,400lb GVWR package to avoid extra registration fees and hassles in California, which may have trimmed 100 pounds from my theoretical payload, at least on paper.

Some diesels like my Chevy 2500 have a have a higher gvwr than their gas counterparts. Mine is #500 more than my buddies gas. Both are 2500hd

@@dank8017 Yep any of the 2020+ 3/4 ton duramax trucks can be upgraded to a 11500 GVWR package which give them over 3000lb payload

@@brendanhonea1432 these are 1 ton trucks with 2500 emblems. The DOT and enforcement agencies can stop and inspect them so you may as well get the 3500 srw which rides better anyway abs gets you over 12000 gvwr

@@JohnDiMartino No they can’t ! DOT only stops commercial vehicles. This is not a commercial vehicle.

People focus way to much on payload rating. Get some air bags and be done. Your truck will pull just fine. In the semi truck world there is no such thing as payload rating. You could take a short single frame freightliner with little 36k axles and hook it to my super loads of 245,000lbs. It’s legal, but it’s stupid. Will the truck pull it, yes. Will the truck wear out fast? Absolutely. This is why there are no gas powered semi trucks. It’s dumb. Same should be said about pickups that haul 15k travel trailers.