# Older F-250, 5.8L engine - enough to pull a two-horse trailer?



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

You have power for pulling with a 351 engine....
You actually have a nice gear for towing...you should have all the power you need for stops and starts...

I don't know though what kind of gas economy or mileage you will end up with.

I know some that had that engine & gear ratio but it was a stick shift....they had no problems...
Think they got around 12 mpg.... kept it under 60 towing too.

Better answers coming from those who know the "fine details" of gas and pulling power....

Good luck if you decide to make the purchase!!


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## SouthernTrails (Dec 19, 2008)

.

2 Horse Trailer, no problems at all

Even a 3 Horse as long as you are not going up Mount Everest :lol:

.


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## Mercat (Dec 5, 2013)

Thanks for the replies!


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## TessaMay (Jul 26, 2013)

My friend pulls a 4 horse with a '97 F250 - not sure of the engine size (are there different ones offered that year? probably). He also hauls 5 ton loads of hay over the mountains in in two or three times each summer.


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## Mercat (Dec 5, 2013)

TessaMay said:


> My friend pulls a 4 horse with a '97 F250 - not sure of the engine size (are there different ones offered that year? probably). He also hauls 5 ton loads of hay over the mountains in in two or three times each summer.


Yeah, there was a 7.3L diesel and a 7.5L (460) gas engine, I think.


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## PrivatePilot (Dec 7, 2009)

3.55 is a really tall gear for towing. 3.73 is usually recommended as the tallest option for moderate towing with 4.10's the go-to for heavy hauling. Anything below 3.73 is typically a MPG gear not really designed for hauling. 

That said for a 2 horse tag trailer you should be fine. Just understand you will probably slow down on grades. If it doesn't have a tranny cooler already installed it would be a very wise investment as the tranny is likely going to hunt gears a lot, and that makes heat, and heat is the #1 killer of transmissions.


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## STT GUY (Apr 23, 2014)

PrivatePilot said:


> 3.55 is a really tall gear for towing. 3.73 is usually recommended as the tallest option for moderate towing with 4.10's the go-to for heavy hauling. Anything below 3.73 is typically a MPG gear not really designed for hauling.
> 
> That said for a 2 horse tag trailer you should be fine. Just understand you will probably slow down on grades. If it doesn't have a tranny cooler already installed it would be a very wise investment as the tranny is likely going to hunt gears a lot, and that makes heat, and heat is the #1 killer of transmissions.


Trans cooler is a must as mentioned above. Manually hold your trans in a lower gear both up and down grades. Up it keeps your engine in the sweet spot of the powerband and keeps your tranny from 'hunting" which is constantly down shifting and the up shifting...downhill it saves your brakes by letting the compression of the engine dissipate some of the downhill speed which saves your brakes. 

The 351 is a hulluva good motor, just not the most efficient anymore.


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## PrivatePilot (Dec 7, 2009)

It's actually really surprising to see a 2500 series truck with 3.55 rears. It's kind of like having a diet coke with your triple cheeseburger. 

Someone had to special order that.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## STT GUY (Apr 23, 2014)

PrivatePilot said:


> It's actually really surprising to see a 2500 series truck with 3.55 rears. It's kind of like having a diet coke with your triple cheeseburger.
> 
> Someone had to special order that.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Or replaced it somewhere along the way.


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## PrivatePilot (Dec 7, 2009)

STT GUY said:


> Or replaced it somewhere along the way.


Sounds like the OP gathered that info from the RPO codes though (assuming, OP?) which would have made it a factory option. 

It's weird, although not the first time I've seen it - once talked to someone on another forum who had bought a 1 ton dually diesel that had 342's. It was clearly a case of the original owner wanting the dually "look", while trying to minimize the accompanying MPG penalty that usually comes with them. A cake and eat it too scenario. It probably couldn't have pulled a heavy trailer out of a wet paper bag.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BreezylBeezyl (Mar 25, 2014)

Oh my, yes. I pull my two horse trailer with a '96 Yukon, 5.7L.

As others have stated, you could even pull three to four horses with that thing.


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## PrivatePilot (Dec 7, 2009)

WillowNightwind said:


> As others have stated, you could even pull three to four horses with that thing.


Not with that gearing. A 4 horse with that final ratio in a gasser 250 series truck would likely have a hard time maintaining a safe speed on flat ground (much less getting there) with the pedal on the floor constantly.


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## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

3.55 isn't a horrible gearing really. But overdrive will probably be out of the question. Which it probably has a button to manually lock OD out. Most overdrive tranny have a lower 1st gear and sequentially get higher. Meaning that 3rd gear in this truck is likely lower than that of a 3 speed. Essentially giving an overall gear ratio that's better for pulling than a 3 speed with say 3.73. Or at least similar. 

But it's gonna hurt mileage.


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

Mercat said:


> Looking at a '97 F-250 with 5.8L (351) engine and 3.55 rear end. Doesn't sound like the best combo to me in terms of pulling ability, but wanted to hear other opinions. Thanks.


I pulled for awhile with an 84 F-250...same engine but with a 4.11 rear end, four speed...with a granny.

It did fine, but going up a really steep long hill took patience....as I usually had to down shift....and when I did the engine screamed from the RPM.

Stopping wasn't really an issue.

If you're pulling in the mountains then the higher 3.55 might not be enough gear...


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## danny67 (Nov 27, 2012)

2014 F-250 here with gas 6.2L V8. Pulling a 13' bumper 2 horse slant.

No trailer = 15.6mpg hwy
empty = 9.8 hwy
loaded = no data yet.


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