3.73 or 4.3 ?

[farmer steve]

Looking at getting a f 350 crew cab with v10.Just wondering what rear end to get going to be pulling 16000 pound 5 th wheel about 10,000 of the 30,000 per year. Thanks for the help.

[Red and Tough]

Pulling that heavy of a trailer you should not consider anything but 4.30's. I pull a 13,000 lb. 5th wheel and a 2500 lb. boat behind that with my 99 v-10 and am very happy with the 4.30's. If I don't have too much wind I can average the high 7's pulling the trailer and usually average between 13 and 14 empty running around 70 mph.


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99 F-350 Crewcab V-10 4.30 4X4 Off Road Automatic Bright Red
Rhino Liner K&N Filter Hooker Muffler

[dan4x4]

Welcome, Farmer Steve to the site. As you peruse all the forums here, you will undoubtedly learn everything you always wanted to know about Ford SD trucks. It is a great site with a ton of very knowledgable members.
To answer your question:

16,000 pounds is a lot of trailer weight for even the 350. It could do it, but not very safely (in my opinion). According to the 2000 model sales manual, max loaded trailer wieght is
13,000 for a 350 cc dually 4x4
13,400 for a 350 cc srw 4x4
13,500 for a 350 cc 4x2 dually
13,800 for a 350 cc srw 4x2
These numbers are all for an automatic tranny. The manual tranny numbers are very similar. You may want to consider going to an F450 as the trailer weight numbers are much more in your favor. With a V10 the gear choices then become 4.88 and 5.38. The diesel engine in the 450 cc model will give you a 4.88 gear and a minimum of 17,200 (dually) max trailer weight rating. If you are sold on buying a gas engine (and you will be encouraged to look at the PSD-it is a great engine) than the ratings depending upon the truck configuration you choose. In the 450 cc you will get a minimum of 15,700 (dually w/4.88 gear) and 17,700 (dually w/5.38) pounds max trailer weight. These numbers are again with an automatic tranny.
I am sure you will receive a lot of info on your topic from people who have a huge amount of experience. The folks here know their trucks! Good luck in your search for a new truck and enjoy the site!
Dan