Towing 3 Horse Slant Bumper Pull with Ford 7.3 Question

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Hi,

We are looking for the elusive Ford 7.3 diesel truck.

We want the shorter super cab (not the large 4 door crew cab) as we have that now in our older truck and it is all we need.

If we pair the shorter cab with the short bed will we have any trouble towing our 3 horse Logan bumper pull slant load? Our trailer is 17’9" long and 4400 lbs.

Or would the long bed work better with the shorter cab and our trailer?

Thanks!
Joyce

[Foxtrot_s]

At this stage for a 7.3 you will be lucky to find one, let alone asking for specific features. Low mileage would be my priority and good maintenance.

Our 7.3 was 23 years old (1989) and never gave us a minutes’ trouble. Best truck ever… hauled it all over BC fully loaded with camper and two horses, through mountains etc.

[oldbutnotdead]

What would you consider low mileage?

[cutter99]

The longer the wheelbase is the more stable the rig will be when towing. But, the size of your trailer should not be taxing to a 7.3 so you should be fine with either a long bed or short bed. You are looking for the elusive Holy Grail of trucks, do if you find a long bed, you may want to snatch it up even though it is not your ideal truck.

[Foxtrot_s]

Ours was a stick shift, and I have had to gear down to second gear a couple of times, but although we were just chugging along, the engine did not mind.
Just kept on walking up those hills - once it was with full trailer and truck loaded with hay up a very steep incline from a valley up to the main road, a dusty road with a precipice on one side. They just cheerily waved me off on this white knuckle ride and told me to go up in 4x4.

We now have a 2010 Dodge Ram diesel and that thing is involved in this big recall - we have not heard in Canada where we stand on that.

[Macimage]

Thank you for all your comments. We missed out on the first one (with a long bed and 91K miles) that we wanted. I should have called last night and given them a deposit but I didn’t think of it until today. By the time I called this morning, it was sold.

The supercab with the short bed that is our second choice is 2 wheel drive if that makes any difference.

Thanks for all the comments. It sounds as though any of the 7.3 trucks will work for us.

Joyce

[Hermein]

I have one of the 7.3s–1997 with only 80K miles. For sale for around $4mil.

I have a long bed, which is best for my purposes of hauling hay, pulling trailers, general truck stuff. I think that long beds are supposed to be more stable for heavy trailers because they have more stopping power than the short beds. (Some truck person told me this.) It is a two-wheel drive, which has been sufficient for my terrain.

I also have a 3-horse slant load bp (Charmac, all steel) that follows obediently behind and stops where and when it’s supposed to, so you shouldn’t have any problems with your load, either.

[Hermein]

I have one of the 7.3s–1997 with only 80K miles. For sale for around $4mil.

I have a long bed, which is best for my purposes of hauling hay, pulling trailers, general truck stuff. I think that long beds are supposed to be more stable for heavy trailers because they have more stopping power than the short beds. (Some truck person told me this.) It is a two-wheel drive, which has been sufficient for my terrain.

I also have a 3-horse slant load bp (Charmac, all steel) that follows obediently behind and stops where and when it’s supposed to, so you shouldn’t have any problems with your load, either.

[King_s_Ransom]

I have a 2001 with the 4-door supercab, SuperDuty, 8-ft. bed. It’s a beast, and we love love love it. Bought it with 171,000 miles on it and it runs like a top. Diesel guy did some initial work on it for us and said it will probably go another 170,000.

I feel very spoiled in it, too. It has a/c, leather seats, heated seats, the works. And it’s all still very nice.

[Macimage]

Thanks for all your comments. We are continuing our search!

Joyce

[mvp]

[QUOTE=cutter99;8251135]
The longer the wheelbase is the more stable the rig will be when towing. But, the size of your trailer should not be taxing to a 7.3 so you should be fine with either a long bed or short bed. You are looking for the elusive Holy Grail of trucks, do if you find a long bed, you may want to snatch it up even though it is not your ideal truck.[/QUOTE]

I have the truck you describe, OP, and its wheel base is standard length-- that is to say, the same length as a regular cab and regular long bed.

The turning radius on Fords, particularly 4WD is abominable, so unless it will be a dedicated towing vehicle and you need a full Crewcab (4 doors) plus a long bed, don’t buy it. That truck will be monstrously long.

Remember that they stopped making the 7.3 in 2003-and-a-half, so you might want to open your mind to other diesels, 2015 being 12 years A. (7.3) D.

If I could choose one, I’d probably look for the equivalent in a Chevy/GMC.

[Pocket_Pony]

Wow, I had no idea my truck was the bomb diggity! :lol:

Agree with mvp on the turning radius. It sucks, sucks, sucks in a 4WD. For a short while years ago it was my only vehicle and I had to plan my trips around town very carefully. Since then, though it has been used primarily for hauling or farm-type work.

[Watermark_Farm]

I have a 96 F250 2-wheel drive longbed with the 2 door cab and the small bench seat in back. I tow a 3 horse gooseneck that weighs around 3400 lbs, fully loaded, no problem. As with any truck, the 7.3 can pull like crazy but you always have to make sure you can STOP the load too – which means good brakes on both truck and trailer. My 96 has 140k miles on it now and I’ve done nothing but basic maintenance. I’d think nothing of driving it across the US, tomorrow. Great truck. Will never sell it. My horsey daughters fight over who will eventually get “Big Red.”

I also drive a 99 F350 dually with the 7.3. That thing is a such a workhorse.

I’m looking for a F350 4x4 with the 7.3 in the newer body style with mileage under 100k. If you can take your time and search Craigslist, also talk with dealers who do a lot of diesel trucks (Sacramento area), and be ready to pounce when you see the right truck, you can find what you want. The key is to take your time and look every single day.

[mvp]

Also, I use my 7.3 1 ton with the “regular” wheel base (Supercab but not Crewcab and a short bed) to haul a heavy 2H BP with a dressing room. It weighs 3,500 empty.

The truck has plenty of going and stopping power for this trailer.

But a long BP trailer and a Ford 4WD issue with turning radius makes me happy that I don’t have the Supercab and long bed.

I’m someone who wouldn’t haul horses with any wheel base shorter than the standard length (and I have personally been in some gnarly situations where doofus friends of mine did do that). But I wouldn’t get a wheel base longer than I needed for my trailer, either. It just make the whole land yacht that less maneuverable.

Make of that what you will.

[Lucassb]

I have one of the Magic Trucks - a '99 7.3 PSD, long bed and super cab. It would pull the trailer you describe without even noticing it was hooked up But I think you’d be fine with a short bed, too. They are great trucks, and worth hunting for.

[mvp]

PS, OP, I can measure my trailer if you like. It might be the same length as what you have going on.

[suz]

I have that holy grail as my daily driver.
2001 4x4 full crew long bed dually–and it hauls a 13000 lb fifth wheel easily.
It doesn’t even notice the Hawk 2+1 goose back there.
Just turned 80,000 miles last week.

[Macimage]

Thank you for all the replies. Also, thanks MVP for the offer.

We are going to look for a supercab short bed. We do not go on extensive trips where we would need the larger truck. We have a 1992 supercab longbed F250 with the gas engine and would really prefer the shorter bed.

I’ll post when we find one:)!

Thanks!
Joyce

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Update: Found a 7.3 F250 Now I have an Insurance Question

Update!

We ended up getting our second choice.

We found exactly the truck we wanted at a dealership and called them to offer a deposit on Friday (this was all last week). We were paying their full list price. The salesperson said that there was no need that they would ‘take it off the board’ until we called on the following Monday with the shipping company name and phone number. We called at 9 am the next Monday morning to arrange the bank wire transfer and the shipping and he told us that they sold it Sunday night. Do not ever to business with Fugate Ford in Enumclaw WA!

We ended up purchasing a different truck yesterday with more miles and not as great condition as the first truck. My husband is driving it home. He flew out of state to pick it up. The plane on one of his stopovers had mechanical difficulties so they rerouted him with an extra stop over. The five hour transit time ended up taking 12 hours with layovers and exrra take offs and landings!

I can’t wait to see it. He should be here late tomorrow night or Thurs. morning.

My next question is what to do about insurance? The 7.3’s are selling for 50-100% over Kelley Blue Book and our insurance coverage with The Hartford is 50% below what we paid for it. ie around here they are selling for $15,000-$20,000 and insurance will pay $10,000 if it is totalled.

How do you change the title of the thread?

Thanks!
Joyce

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Found a 7.3 F250 Now I have an Insurance Question

Trying to change the title.