Trailer weights, gear, and rpms.

[dan4x4]

Just curious.

What kind of rpms are the v10s running at highway speeds pulling trailers, campers, etc...?

What gear is most of this pulling done?

Dan

[crewzer]

The V10 turns about 1800 RPM at 65 MPH in OD (0.71:1) with a 3.73 rear and stock tires. It turns about 2100 RPM with the 4.30 rear.

Third gear is 1:1, so still at 65 MPH the RPMs would be ~2500 (3.73) and ~3,000 (4.30) with the torque converter clutch locked.

HTH,

[dan4x4]

While towing then, the truck will be running higher rpms due to the load. Will these higher rpms keep the engine in a more useful powerband thus keeping the transmission from downshifting on slight grades? Or will the tranny need to downshift to keep the rpms up on these grades?

What rpm range can one expect to see the 3.73 running at in OD towing a 5500 lb (or so) trailer?

Dan

[philsbs]

The tach on mine reads around 2700 at 65mph, towing, locked out of OD for the 3.73.
I usually tow around 60mph unless its nice flat roads. The milage drops considerably when I get into the 65-70 range. Phil

[philsbs]

I forgot to add that this was towing a 11000-12000 high profile fifth wheel. On my flatbed car trailer I usually run in OD unless its a heavy load and hills. If it wants to go in and out of OD I lock it out right away. Phil

[Harald]

Here's the figures you need:
V10
Horsepower 310 at 4250 rpm
Torque 425 at 3250 rpm

So for towing, you want to be at 3250 rpm for max torque.

[dan4x4]

Harald,

3250 rpm for max torque. OK, makes sense to me. Is there any problem running the V10 for extended periods of time at that rpm or close to it (while towing)? I know the OHC design is made to rev higher, but those numbers seem to me like that would be a strain on the engine??? Please correct me if I am wrong.

Thanks.

Dan

[fredvon4]

Admittedly don't have much experiance with this V10 design, but IMHO the concern on engine and trans longivity is heat based. I am not too concerned with pushing the rpm to 3500-4000 to get up tall mtn passes with my 6800LB TT. But I watch the engine and trans temp for any rise, and I back it down to cooler running zone. I have climbed 18-20 miles up, @3600RPM, under load and temps stayed ok. On the flats of west texas (in the heat) under load, I run 65/70 @3000 rpm and other than added noise I think this rig scoots right along as designed. So far my biggest concern is the auto trans and torque converter. As soon as it starts hunting or lock unlock, I back off and/or kill the Over drive.

[dan4x4]

Fredvon4,

Seems like you run your truck hard and it does well...maybe not hard at all, just what it was made to do. Thanks for the input.

Do you use aftermarket temp gauges or solely the stock gauges?

Dan

PS. Like your sig! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[fredvon4]

Dan4X4
Actually I think I baby it a little, mostly because I would rather not have FoMoCo fix the tranny...I still don't think it is broken in, mainly because I am still seeing an increase in MPG every other tankful [img]images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] We have 5600 miles on it and for the first 3k I kept it under 2500 rpm and deliberatly towed a load 500 miles two weekends in a row right at the 4K mile mark. I deliberatly choose routes that had long hills as I wanted to see if this motor had the grunt to live up to the Pacific North west trips I have in mind later this year. On one run up a fairly steep hill I used OD off and let trans shift down on it's own. When the down shift happened I watched the tach and temps... hill ran out before temp rise and tach was kept by me under 3500... [img]images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] my TT is more of an air dam that heavy...only 6800lbs this V10+trans w/3.73 LS has the GRUNT [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img] I don't have the permanent guages yet but for these trips I cobbled in a set of cheap auto zone one with real numbers so I could have a better referance that the cheesy FoMoCo stuff. I an doing the same mod that Stan Wright did to the A-piller... I plan to have a three way switch on one of the temp guages so I can have a sending unit on each diff and tranny to one guage.

At the 7K time I plan to exercise the motor to top end loaded and unloaded basically to see where or if she runs out of ass. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

There are a LOT of country boys here that have this truck in PSD and V10... they haul all kinds of crap...
I was going home unloaded @70 a GOB pulled beside at 70 with dual axel trailer and Case 570 front loader he was V10. Some butt head was behind us and acting like we were in his way so the Loaded truck put the pedal down and walked away from me fast enough that I was really happy for my choice of engine [img]images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

Good Old Boy [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[V10 man]

philsbs,

11,000-12,000 pounds? Yikes! According to my 1999 Ford booklet, a 4x4, SC, V10, AT, 3.73 is rated at 10,800 pound trailer and 17,000 pounds GCWR. You may be a tad over weight. I'm sure your pin weight is over loaded. Be carefull!

[John Z]

Dan, we have a 2000,2wd, V10 w 3.73. We have towed a 7x21 TT weighing about 4500lbs, plus 1000lbs or so passengers and cargo. I live in flat Florida. The V10 was able to pull in OD at speeds as slow as 40mph on FLAT roads with AC always on. Seemed to lug a bit, but trans didn't shift down except on overpasses. RPM was quite low. Ford brags about 90% torque at 2000 rpm, and at 65-70 it was like TT wasn't there, also seemed to get better mpg at 65/70mph and approx 2000 rpm. A first (for me) was passing a slow moving dump truck on a 2 lane road.>>>AWESOME POWER!!!<<<
The 40-70 passing power was just amazing.
Also worth noting is that mpg towing was similar to our V6 Astrovan towing results. Approx 9-10mpg. Astro typically returns 16mpg in suburbia, but mpg plummets with a heavy load. Astro also likes hitest when towing. SO: If a lot of your mileage total is towing, as ours is, the V10 works out great!

[outpost22]

Mine seems to really romp at the max torque point (3200 +/- rpm) but feels really steady at 2500 rpm (no o.d.) Unfortunately this is my "flutter zone" [img]images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

We live in hilly country, so o.d running with load is limited to short level stretches.