what kind of weight are you guys pulling and how does your truck do in terms of get up and go... my trailers i haul vary between 9,000-13,000 lbs and my truck reeeeeeally knows its back there.... i drove a 6.0 with a superchips programmer in it and it didnt have any problem towing the same trailer with one extra horse in it... im just wondering how everyone elses SO truck is doing towing... i want to get a chip for it would that deffinatley make a huge difference in towing? i most deffinately think it would, i just have this stupid friggin 48re im afraid of blowing up!!
by the way my truck is the 250/460 motor not the california style....
thanks for the responces
Eric

 

our work truck is an 02 SO. sure its not an 03, but its pretty much the same motor. i think it runs pretty good. its a QC LWB 4x4 with 4.10's in it and an auto. Almost all the time its hooked up to a trailer. when you put a 40 foot gooseneck loaded with logs on it, you feel it. when you put a 10,000lbs trailer it still runs pretty good but you feel it.

Get an edge box. the 48RE is made to handle up to 800tq on the stock torque converter. an edge box would pretty much put your truck at HO status

 

Mine pulls great! I pulled the wifes car on my trailer (combined weight, truck, trailer w/car on it- 14400lbs) all the way up the Alcan, no problem. Naturally I had to downshift, but that was usually due to the road, not a lack of power. I know it pulls alot better than my buddies 7.3L PS. Thats the only other loaded diesel I've driven, so I don't know if my opinion is worth much. -Steve

 

I have close to the same truck except i'm stuck with the 47re! I had the same basic tranny in my "99". I haul some steep hills going over the pass (5000ft). I have a gooseneck and a 21' flatbed. I have pulled 10-12,000lbs and don't have a problem. Yea I have to lock out the OD and have had to drop a gear but only because the curves slow you down. I can still top the pass at 55 if I want to push it. Maybe 65 with the horse trailer (8,000lbs +/-). I'll take dependabilty over a chip anyday! It seems there is always a rig slower than mine and you would need double the power to pass safely on some of the grades.I have no complaints and besides I've had my share of problems with Ford in general. It seems to me after hainging out here most of the serious problems are caused by the boxes...same with Ford. The box will find the weak link and break it!In a Ford or a DC. Now if I had lots of money....... I would have some fun!!

 

I haul a 37' car trailer and with 2 4000# cars on it has no problem.Of course I have a few "add" on's to help out in the HP department! No down shifting on hills and plenty of power left to pass if need be.

 

I've towed about 12,000lb with mine but that was w/ the EZ on level 4. only problem was the converter was slipping on take off. On level 5 the truck just laughs at the trailer but I have beefed up the trans a little now. You can tow with a box, you just should keep it on the lower levels if you're concerned about the trans..
I never did tow with the truck stock...

 

We just towed 447 miles up Florida and out the panhandle with our '03 SO 47RE/4.10. Campground has wireless network internet access!!! Our 5th is high profile (biggest problem) and weighs 10400 lightly loaded. Wife loaded for two weeks and we're probably over 11,000 now. We do ok but some of the long rolling hills in the panhandle bog us down to 60mph where the wind is less and we can maintain that speed to the top. I don't have a problem with that as much as I do the driveshaft vibration... But to make it short. We definately know the load is back there but it holds O/D even when bogged down and lugging unless I hit the button. The 47RE like the one before it proves to be strong and reliable with stock power. I have 43k on it today. If you up the power a little the 48RE should be fine within it's design limits but watch your EGT on those long hills. The SO is not a HO with less fuel. Different pistons, cam etc...

 

I pull my 11k 5VR without any problems. I did add the Banks Six Gun w/Speed loader to get alittle more UMPH when towing.
The tranny holds without fail. I run most of the time with the cruz set at 65-68mph. This allows the computer to do it's thing and keep the torque comvertor locked up in OD.

 

I pulled the mountains through Jasper AB down to Penticton BC and back through Banff. I'm 15,150 pounds and I had no prob holding 60 mph. I wish I'd have had more juice to pass on the hills due to short passing lanes but other than that, no problems.

Blygy

 

This 30"er
-> http://www.giantrv.com/products/warr...rior_frame.htm
fully loaded including my Jeep and 4 dirtbikes. Full of water, food, everything from sea level up and over the Cajon Pass all the way up past Mammoth Mountain and back. 324 miles each way (not that I measured it or anything). Every week the first summer I had the truck and every other week or so this last summer (Did more Tuna fishing this year). The truck was stock until two weeks ago. No problems but with the Jeep inside, it would pull me down to 40 mph in two spots. Most of those trips, the air was in the 90+ range and some in the 100+ degrees. The back side of Big Bear was the only place I got hot. It is very slow, 10mph, steep twisty and long. We'll see how the Bully Dog handles the heat and towing this next summer.

 

My last truck was an 03' SO 2500 4x4 Quad Cab. I put a ramifier performance module on it and it made a tremendous difference in the power and torque on this truck. I just could not believe the night and day difference in this truck with the performance module on it. I never had any problems with the 48re towing, but I didn't hotrod the truck to often either. Its hard not to with the performance module on it though.

 

i run with only an edge ez and the difference is noticable. my heaviest is about 10k and the hill in northwest al no longer slow me down. without the ez towing is less than impressive. i do have gauges and temps are ok as long as i let truck do the work and not my foot.

tim

 

thanks everyone for the responces, keep em coming