ford 6.2l towing

[tracyb]

well, i gots a new to me truck.

2013 ccsb 2wd 4.30/elec locker w/202k and 5200hrs on it, 700 idle hrs. bought it off the original owner for $12k earlier this week (the guy listed it at 12.5 and i normally haggle, but flat out told him i thought his price was more than fair, he knocked off 500 anyway, i thought it was a smoking deal, i dropped everything when i saw the add to go get it). i wish it was a long bed, but i'll deal with the short bed. i'm pumped on it, finally a decent truck that i dont think i'll have to treat the peddle as an on/ off switch.

edit* previous owner is a 70yo guy. was his daily driver and tow rig, it does have lots of towing miles on it. i dont htink he was hard on it, and took really good care of it, he had the oil changed, new tps sensors put in, (i told him i didn't care aboutthe stupid tire light on the dash).. and said he did his best to detail it at the car-wash in the 6hrs between when i talked to him on the phone and i was able to meet at his house. he went all over the country with a 22' or so travel trailer. went from place to place as a camp host. cool dude, he bought a bigger travel trailer 6mo ago and just took delivery of his new truck basically the same one as this but with the 7.3 gasser. i made it very clear to him in ten years, or whenever, when he's looking to sell again, i want to buy it. he said he'd rather loose money on the over trade in than let the dealer make more money off him, haha. i had wifey bring him some of the garden art plasma crap she sells on etsy to him with my name/ number on the back when she picked up the extra key i forgot to grab... to be sure he has my info to call me if i can by his next used truck.

i'll be towing heavyish allot 18-22k is what i've been scaling at with the last truck. 15k or so miles a year doing that, as long as i can afford gas.( i'm used to mid 6mpg in the last truck, 3k a trip fuel bill for truck and toys not uncommon) reading another thread on the 6.2 and keeping the tranny alive towing got me thing i should post up and see if anyone has any advise or suggestions to keep this truck alive as long as possible. previous owner took amazing care of it, i've got a small stack of reciepts from all the services and the few problems its had so far... rear axle pinion seal leaking was fixed, an exhaust manifold cracked and was replaced/ fixed, and other than that all maintenance. last time the plugs were changed was 109k, last tranny flush and service was at 185k. got fresh brakes at 190k. right now the only thing i'm thinking i may want to do is maybe put a bigger tranny cooler on it. also probably going to put a 1" spacer in the front and put the wheels from the last family tow rig on it.

i plan to keep track of the towing adventures i have time to in this thread and being i really like this truck and want to keep it alive hope for some advice keep it alive. i read in another thread the tranny may not lock up is second gear, thats good to know i do a number of brutal mountain passes loaded every year.

the new to me hot shit, i 'm fuckin spoiled power door locks and windows! that gonna be nice, and no more garbage xl bench seats... haha shes an xlt, almost seems too fancy
i wish it was white.., like the rest of my junk, i'm probably too cheap to do anything about it.

grandpa canopy has got to go. i really want to flat bed it, but short bed and wifey keeps trying to tell me not every truck has to have a flatbed. at minimum i'll build a sxs rack for it. the camp trailer is a toy hualer but not for enough toys, so i like to put the go cart on the truck.


and here is what i'm upgrading from. i've posted it in a couple of other threads.. '10 cclb 4wd 270kish on a 5.4l xl package hand crank windows and manual locks. its got the job done for the last 65k of its life. i paid $6k for this truck 4yrs ago, it has served me very well, i might just park it is the woods as a back up, i'm not sure. i like having a spare rig but now i have 3 spares, one inherited i will not get rid of, a '98 e350 and this truck.

a typical towing load pic, often enough its not just the go cart in the bed but also another in the trailer. plus mini bikes and trike for the 3 and 4yo kiddos, and all the other camping crap gets heavy. (eff the rzr that shit is gone now)

first trip for the new truck will be in april, i;m supposed to take 2 go carts with me, but dont know if i'll have enough time to make a sxs rack for the bed in time, lots to do. i'll be sure to post work updates


also, i wont ever be buying a diesel for the 'light duty' towing and camp trips. the van is a 7.3 diesel and i do have dreams to make it the tow rig someday, but i doubt it will ever happen. i run numbers every time i second guess my self on diesel power, diesel never pencils out for me.

 

[tracyb]

dont konw whats going on with the pics i'll work on it tomorrow

 

[Stix]

We have two on the ranch. Both are between 240k and 260k miles. They will not die. They live off-road and are treated like garbage. Lots of brakes. One just got a door switch ( battery would drain overnight because the radio wouldn’t go off when the door was opened) and lots of gas. They are not an exciting motor. I fully expect they will do 300k no problem.

 

[tracyb]

We have two on the ranch. Both are between 240k and 260k miles. They will not die. They live off-road and are treated like garbage. Lots of brakes. One just got a door switch ( battery would drain overnight because the radio wouldn’t go off when the door was opened) and lots of gas. They are not an exciting motor. I fully expect they will do 300k no problem.

i like that. i dont drive much maybe 2-3k miles a year for work. (mostly work from the home shop, not uncommon to not leave other than on a bike for weeks at a time, all material and consumables are delivered here, wife does the errands) the rest is for fun, i travel with a few other groups of people, thay all run duramax, cummins and ford 6.7.... we run fast and gasser or diesel are within 1mpg for tow duty. allot of fuel is for the toys.


original owner... and it seems weird how small the stack of receipts is for literally everything, tires, oil changes, apears thet just eat fuel and i like that.

if i were to order this truck from factory only thing i'd change is to be a long bed. short bed is a tease, temped to push the axle back, and run the flat bed from the last tow machine. i love having 36" up front a 24" in back boxes 18" deep below deck height. (did have to do 1" cut outs for spring hangers on the front boxes)

 

[mbryson]

I grew up on a farm and totally understand your need of a long bed. I only bitch about a short bed 2-3 times per year. YMMV obviously.

I am curious to see how you like the 6.2L/6 speed vs the 5.4L/5 speed. (I have the V10/5 speed so I'm curious what you think of the extra gear. I'm not in love with the V10 but still surprised how much I like it. ) From what I can tell from my friend group, you'll be pretty happy with the 6.2L/6 speed. They feel very similarly about their trucks that I do. Definitely more capable than you want to give them credit for from what I can tell.

 

[Clastic]

I think you’ll enjoy the durability of that combo. We have a CCLB 6.2 F250 at work and the boys are NOT kind to it. It spends its life on the airport so it never has time to warm up properly, goes from off to the limiter in 3 seconds. It’s been jumped multiple times, it’s had its rear doors blasted open by jet blast, it’s hauled a 30’ trailer with engine and tools for miles on end with no regard to trans temp etc…

I’m not a Ford guy, especially after dealing with 2v 4.6’s and 5.4’s. But dammit this 6.2 has made a believer out of me.

 

[Kunker]

How have you liked the 6.2 after a year now? Any update?

 

[What?]

I agree that 6.2 makes a believer out of you. Brother has a 2011 6.2 and impressed with it.

Not much work done to it at all except for plugs, wires, basic wear and tear part. Coolant still looks good as day he got it and replaced entire a/c system. About over 160k but no concerns for reliability

6 speed is nice as it helps with mpg on freeway

 

[Mattafact]

2 buddies both have 30ft toy hauler of similar weight. 1 has a 6.2 and the other a 7.3 powerstroke. The 6.2 smokes the 7.3 up the grades but has to stop for fuel every 150 miles.

 

[pennsylvaniaboy]

2 buddies both have 30ft toy hauler of similar weight. 1 has a 6.2 and the other a 7.3 powerstroke. The 6.2 smokes the 7.3 up the grades but has to stop for fuel every 150 miles.

anymore the 7.3 powerstroke is pretty anemic...I know it's "legendary" but.....

 

[Steve300xcw]

anymore the 7.3 powerstroke is pretty anemic...I know it's "legendary" but.....

They run forever........................................just make sure you park em somewhere that you can plug them in during the winter

 

[Bebop]

I have been towing with gas trucks forever.
Only used diesels very seldom. I'm glad it is that way, because I know I'd want one if I got more seat time.

anymore the 7.3 powerstroke is pretty anemic...I know it's "legendary" but.....

Even towing with a stock 7.3 was a great experience to me.

 

[Gbkeith]

Even towing with a stock 7.3 was a great experience to me.

Perspective. They were hot shit in 1997.

 

[TRINDU]

They run forever........................................just make sure you park em somewhere that you can plug them in during the winter

Fact.

I've parked mine for the 'winter'

 

[Snowy]

Perspective. They were hot shit in 1997.

Exactly, they are all about perspective in the time and place compared to a 12v or a 6.5TD.

I liked my 7.3 enough but I’d own a modern gasser before I’d own another one. When I was buying in 2014 in the sub $20k tow rig market the options were definitely less clear than now when good gassers are all over the place.

 

[Levigarrett76]

Bump for updates

 

[tracyb]

Bump for updates

well shit, i see this thread come up every so often and just think, 'whats there to know, i love mine'....


(and funny side note, a asked the neighbor kid to sell the white truck from above. first test drive it blew up, he said a hole in the block. man i was hard on the truck and got every last bit out of it. he still sold it to the guy for $2k)

this truck sits for 3wks to a month, then i hook up and we head out. cant really talk much about unloaded, cause thats very rare. just went out and looked at the odo, it has 217k miles on it now. recently it was dripping bout a cup of antifreeze after a long pull and not wanting to deal with that on the road i took it to a mechanic buddy (its been probably 15yrs since i've brought any rig to a mechanic, but my time was better spent doing the work i do best) he couldn't get it to repeat the leaked fluid (cuz he's gotta test it and not just replace?) i sent him picks that i had and said try harder. then he found where the plastic sides weren't crimped in the body... probably could have just knocked the crimp tabs in tighter and kept an eye on it, but had him replace it. the plugs also had ~100k mi on them, according to the records i got with it, so had them replaced, same with tranny fluid. and he did a coil pack too, cant remember why. so she should be good for another 100k with a few oil changes finger crossed.

the only work i've done to it, other than that, is putting in a 5th wheel hitch. we had an early trip to St Anthony, and we all got sick... it was real cold out too, so we were all stuck in the little camper puking and whining. i was not happy with it. i had some money in the bank... so went looking for a bigger camper. found a brand new 5th wheel with nothing fancy, not even a genny (i hate the built in onans so this was a plus) one slide. my own room, and plenty of open space. so 25k cash and the old camper as a trade, and things are mo better. i think i'm about 3-4k lbs heavier now, but seat of the pants it feels the same, or maybe better. not having the sxs in the bed makes a big difference.

the patio/ ramp is kinda a gimmick but is cool to have at times. i almost took the railing out before this trip, mostly just get int he way loading. with the kids beds/ dining seats up, its completely open in the back for 16-17ft.

back to the truck, i really haven't put the miles on it i expected, two big 3-4kmi trips the fam counldn't go so me and a buddy took his truck, an f450 platinum. and that truck supper nice and all, but fuck that miserable brick.

i swear that f450 has 1/2" of suspension and rides on steel tires. got a ton of power, but oil temps get too hot to really use it in the mountains, and then the exhaust brake doesn't work coming down the other side, cuz it was pushed to hard going up. it really drove home how much i like this truck. for what i do with it, its perfect. rides great, handles great, ust let it eat and dont worry. the stiff ride and watching gauges in the f450 really ruined it for me. we do a decent amount of trips that are 16-28hr drives and those little things really bring driver fatigue. and the kicker, i've done this trip in the 450 and my truck now. go from home to gordon wells, to north glamis, hang in havasu a bit then up to boise id area and back... iirc its ~4k mi... same trailer, 2 sxs, same route etc. we got the exact same MPG! iirc it was 6.4mpg. we always go on the fast side and dont care about mpg much... fuck that diesel, with diesel fuel being more $ 6.2 is a huge winner for me. that being said when f450 guy is with his family he has a much bigger trailer, so he has reason. also to note his mpg on the same trip with his trailer, more weight and pushing more air, his mpg makes no change. the f450 is geared so its screaming no matter the load. (also to note, the 450 is a 6speed, not a newer 10sp)

last thought is on the gearing, i think the 430's are perfect. at times i do lock out 6th gear/ at time i think maybe 456 would be better. but no, the 6.2 i had before this one, i put 456's in it, the 430/456 gear difference isn't hardly noticible to be. but unloaded from a stop with 456's it was annoying the way it ran thru gears.



right now, i've got some money to burn again, and i started looking at truck thinking maybe i should buy a better truck. i've been looking at everything. the only thing i can imagine replacing it would be a godzilla w/10sp. fuck new truck pricing, so i'm sticking with this truck, and looking and some equipment, and i need to add a bed/ bath to my place. so thats where the money will burn.


i dont think i've ever been as content with the vehicles we have now.

i'm not great with the words, so theres my wall of text

 

[TRINDU]

recently it was dripping bout a cup of antifreeze after a long pull and not wanting to deal with that on the road i took it to a mechanic buddy (its been probably 15yrs since i've brought any rig to a mechanic, but my time was better spent doing the work i do best) he couldn't get it to repeat the leaked fluid (cuz he's gotta test it and not just replace?) i sent him picks that i had and said try harder. then he found where the plastic sides weren't crimped in the body... probably could have just knocked the crimp tabs in tighter and kept an eye on it, but had him replace it.

Common on Ford (and other brands). Stupid plastic ends on rubber hoses held together by little clips and sealed with orings. Its just a failure point you cant avoid. Take a good look at all the hose ends and wiggle them around for leaks.

the plugs also had ~100k mi on them, according to the records i got with it, so had them replaced, same with tranny fluid. and he did a coil pack too, cant remember why. so she should be good for another 100k with a few oil changes finger crossed.

Coil packs like to split. You probably didn't hear the arcing at idle if all you do is let it sing under full load.

 

[arse_sidewards]

Common on Ford (and other brands). Stupid plastic ends on rubber hoses held together by little clips and sealed with orings. Its just a failure point you cant avoid. Take a good look at all the hose ends and wiggle them around for leaks.

I hate those things with a passion. They're a great embodiment of what's wrong with engineering and manufacturing in the western world.

 

[Levigarrett76]

Thanks for the update
Glad its proving to be a loyal machine
Those 2wd ccsb 6.7 dont pop up much . Much less with a 6.2.

 

[tracyb]

Thanks for the update
Glad its proving to be a loyal machine
Those 2wd ccsb 6.7 dont pop up much . Much less with a 6.2.

honestly, the only thing i dont like about the truck is that its a short bed. my only requirement when looking for this truck was crew cab and 6.2 highest on the list but not required due to being rare-ish 430gears. if i used the truck for anything more than as an RV i'd be stretching it... and i've had the thought if i'm going to, i'm going for at least a 10ft bed.

idgaf about 4wd in anything that isn't a toy. especially these newer sd's all have the electronic rear locker. with tire pressure and a locker i can get anywhere an open diff 4x4 can. obvi some exception, but i've never thought 'man if only i had 4wd' and at least 50% of my camping is finding sand dunes and desert, driving out in the shit, boondocking. literally everyone i camp with has torn leveling jacks or some other camper pieces getting to 'the spot'. (f450 just presses a button on his phone to level his trailer... he tore 2 of them fancy hyd jacks off at little sahara last year)






dont think i've brought it up yet. but this blue truck, its also only an f250!! when buying i didn't like that, but it checked the boxes i needed. i'm sure someone knows better than me the f250/350 differences, but from what i can see its only the rear leaf pack, it rides better empty. and every truck i run gets air bags, so got me thinking why ever go won ton? and i dont know?

the only thing i see is a the f350 optioned right could have an 11000gvwr, but all i've owned are 10k. blue f250 is 10k gvwr, the other metric is tow rating... blue 250 iirc is 16k for 5th/ 12.5k bumper pull.... the same f350 with stiffer springs has the same rating. capacity doesn't go up unless drw.... and who cares, your in cdl territory there anyway.

i didn't look anything up when buying the truck, this only hit me when the RV dealer i bought the 5th from said i wasn't allowed to tow it away with my truck, 'its not rated for enough' me- 'bullshit, you effed with me enough, put it on the street i'll drag it home from there' then the guy ran the vin and shockingly said nvr mind your good to 16k really pulling an rv i dgaf so long as im not in cdl territory even though that probably doesn't matter...... anyway it dont get why they make a 250/350 in srw. ratings are the same. one rides better.

 

[Levigarrett76]

Weve got a 6.2 cclb 2014 250 2wd at work, kind of a shop truck
I enjoy driving it the fee times ive used it.
Its only got 34k on it i told owner ill buy it if he sells

 

[Gbkeith]

honestly, the only thing i dont like about the truck is that its a short bed. my only requirement when looking for this truck was crew cab and 6.2 highest on the list but not required due to being rare-ish 430gears. if i used the truck for anything more than as an RV i'd be stretching it... and i've had the thought if i'm going to, i'm going for at least a 10ft bed.

idgaf about 4wd in anything that isn't a toy. especially these newer sd's all have the electronic rear locker. with tire pressure and a locker i can get anywhere an open diff 4x4 can. obvi some exception, but i've never thought 'man if only i had 4wd' and at least 50% of my camping is finding sand dunes and desert, driving out in the shit, boondocking. literally everyone i camp with has torn leveling jacks or some other camper pieces getting to 'the spot'. (f450 just presses a button on his phone to level his trailer... he tore 2 of them fancy hyd jacks off at little sahara last year)






dont think i've brought it up yet. but this blue truck, its also only an f250!! when buying i didn't like that, but it checked the boxes i needed. i'm sure someone knows better than me the f250/350 differences, but from what i can see its only the rear leaf pack, it rides better empty. and every truck i run gets air bags, so got me thinking why ever go won ton? and i dont know?

the only thing i see is a the f350 optioned right could have an 11000gvwr, but all i've owned are 10k. blue f250 is 10k gvwr, the other metric is tow rating... blue 250 iirc is 16k for 5th/ 12.5k bumper pull.... the same f350 with stiffer springs has the same rating. capacity doesn't go up unless drw.... and who cares, your in cdl territory there anyway.

i didn't look anything up when buying the truck, this only hit me when the RV dealer i bought the 5th from said i wasn't allowed to tow it away with my truck, 'its not rated for enough' me- 'bullshit, you effed with me enough, put it on the street i'll drag it home from there' then the guy ran the vin and shockingly said nvr mind your good to 16k really pulling an rv i dgaf so long as im not in cdl territory even though that probably doesn't matter...... anyway it dont get why they make a 250/350 in srw. ratings are the same. one rides better.

The srw 250/350 thing is dumb. They could just make srw’s 250’s and drw’s 350’s and not really change anything. In a diesel or some 7.3’s it gets you a Dana 275 instead of a 10.5 sterling. And some get hydroboost instead of vacuum boost brakes. You can also get up to either 12,400 or 12,500 gvwr in a 350. So there’s potentially situations where that matters. But they’re mostly the same truck.

 

[MuntCuffin]

I've got an 11 cclb service body 6.2. Bought it with 173k on it. I've been driving the piss out of it and just checking oil. Seems like a solid engine. I know the chassis and axles are solid.

I am probably just gonna do a thermal bypass delete on the 6r140 and go to 5 star tuning to firm up the shifts u til it needs a rebuild. Seems good so far. The 6.2 isn't a power house and needs to rev on climbs, but even the xl work trucks have great cab insulation, so fuggit.

 

[tracyb]

I've got an 11 cclb service body 6.2. Bought it with 173k on it. I've been driving the piss out of it and just checking oil. Seems like a solid engine. I know the chassis and axles are solid.

I am probably just gonna do a thermal bypass delete on the 6r140 and go to 5 star tuning to firm up the shifts u til it needs a rebuild. Seems good so far. The 6.2 isn't a power house and needs to rev on climbs, but even the xl work trucks have great cab insulation, so fuggit.

i'd be interested to know how you like a 5 star tune. and the bypass?


my last truck had a 5r trans, i believe they are very similar, the motor quit at 280k trans still felt great. i kinda want to do a 5 star tune, but a little scared to eff with it. no power house, but damn respectable. and nobody can deny the value.

 

[MuntCuffin]

i'd be interested to know how you like a 5 star tune. and the bypass?

Keeps trans fluid from going to the cooler until the trans hits 200 degrees. I know the 6r80 has them, 95% sure the 140 does as well, just not same design.

Sonnax zip kit would be worthwhile doing too.

 

[clodhopper]

Run a couple of 2015's for work. Used to haul heavy goosenecks long distances. Mostly did good, not gonna win any races doing that, but gets the job done. We did blow up the cooling system on both trucks, ballooned the radiator and popped off other parts. Now this was on long grades at elevation (Colorado mountain passes), so you guys at sea level may not see the problem. The factory temp gauge is nearly useless as in both cases as it went from moderately warm to OMG Danger Will Robinson Boom in a matter of a few seconds. We mounted aftermarket gauges in both trucks (temps for coolant and trans) and didnt have any issues after that. Trucks are still in service and still run good, but nowdays the long/heavy towing is now covered with newer diesels that are much better for that task.

 

[WoodburyZuk]

I towed with one from Colorado to Indiana to Connecticut. It was a 2010 king ranch CCLB. Probably 6k total. It loved to rev and never gave up. I felt bad for it sustaining high RPM on long mountain passes, but it loved it. That’s all I’ve got. I had a lot of windshield time in that truck and I was always impressed with its towing prowess.

 

[MuntCuffin]

I towed with one from Colorado to Indiana to Connecticut. It was a 2010 king ranch CCLB. Probably 6k total. It loved to rev and never gave up. I felt bad for it sustaining high RPM on long mountain passes, but it loved it. That’s all I’ve got. I had a lot of windshield time in that truck and I was always impressed with its towing prowess.

Its an oversquare, overhead cam engine. It was made to rev.

 

[Pocahontas]

I towed with one from Colorado to Indiana to Connecticut. It was a 2010 king ranch CCLB. Probably 6k total. It loved to rev and never gave up. I felt bad for it sustaining high RPM on long mountain passes, but it loved it. That’s all I’ve got. I had a lot of windshield time in that truck and I was always impressed with its towing prowess.

Thought the 6.2 didn’t come out till 2011 model year. 2010 was 5.4 v10 or 6.4 powerstroke.