1500 mile tow on brand new truck?

M

MAFFS89

Tremor Fiend
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USN, ANG
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F-350
Hoping to pick up my new 6.7 tremor next month.

In the mean time I found the exact camper I want just up the road from Granger (where I ordered the truck from). 9k lb bumper pull. I can buy it now and they agreed to hold on to it for me.

Question for the crowd, it’s only a 200 mile drive from picking up the truck, to picking up the trailer, then a 1500 mile drive home. Not exactly a lot of break in before the haul, especially the rear end. Any hesitation or concerns to be had here?
 
I wanted to take my travel trailer to pickup the new truck but decided against it so I could hit the recommended 1,000 miles before the first tow.
 
+1 to what others have said. Here's the quote from the owner's manual:

1644728261164.webp


Page 373 in the 22MY manual.
 
I would try to get those break in miles completed before you hook it up like @BroncoHooves suggested.

How much of a risk is it to the truck? Probably not much at all.

How much of a risk is it that if you ever needed to make a warranty claim that they could somehow tie the problem back to not being broken in properly and deny the repair? I would think very high.

I’m speculating on this one… but here are my thoughts. The computers know and I would assume log the miles of when trailers are hooked up to these trucks. Just my .02, but I wouldn’t risk it towing too soon.
 
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If you didn’t hook up the trailer connector and didn’t use Tow Mode how would the puter know? If you drove 55 and rigged up some alternative lights you would be golden.
 
Loshad said:
If you didn’t hook up the trailer connector and didn’t use Tow Mode how would the puter know? If you drove 55 and rigged up some alternative lights you would be golden.
Click to expand...
I agree. But How realistic of an option is that? I guess the OP has some things to think about here.
 
I wouldn't risk the long tern reliability of my truck, or even more so the warranty coverage of the drivetrain for the sake of convenience. Clearly a failure following this choice this early on would put you at risk, a roll of the dice I guess.
 
I'll comment with a story that echoes others thoughts.....

The old man and I were on a hunting trip 18 hours from home when his truck blew a transmission, luckily only 50 miles from our spot. We dropped the truck at the nearest Ford dealership for repair and assumed we would be searching for a rental. Dealership tossed us the keys to his favorite truck on the lot (those were the days!) and sent us on our way up the mountain in a brand new (2017) 6.7L. Long story short, the transmission parts were delayed far longer than our trip was expected to last and he had planned on upgrading the truck in a year anyway. The power and engine braking experience of the 6.7L on the mountain had us driving home in a lot more style than we left. I'll never miss that V10 at elevation or its MPG anywhere.....

We then had the same dilemma, brand new truck with ~300 miles on it (must have been the nicest dealership around to let us use that truck as a loaner) and a full trailer of gear that needed to get home. We ended up taking a long loop up and through Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons to add some miles to the odometer and then drove home starting at mile 1020. I fully expect there would not have been any issue with the truck, but put on the miles simply for the warranty coverage. The dealership thought we were crazy for not just hooking up and leaving, but didn't want to run the risk of a less friendly dealership back home if an issue came up. The beautiful views on the drive were just a bonus.
 
You could power the setup off the ciggy lighter or a cheapo 6 or 12 volt batt. Buy two flasher modules or simply buy three toggle switches. Mount them on a board for left turn, brakes, right turn.
Run the wires out the rear slider window and just tape them to the side of the TT to the three LEDs taped to the rear. BOOM!
 
Loshad said:
If you didn’t hook up the trailer connector and didn’t use Tow Mode how would the puter know? If you drove 55 and rigged up some alternative lights you would be golden.
Click to expand...
So, you're saying the truck does not need to be broken in, and that it's OK to try to fool Ford into thinking no towing was done? Do you know more than Ford about breaking in their trucks? Wouldn't it be better to be nice to the truck, as recommended, in the first place? I broke mine in carefully and it seems to have paid off with good mileage and zero oil use. Once broken in, it can be pushed hard.
 
Are new tractor trailer trucks broken in before they tow with them? As long as you are not hammering it, you should be fine
 
Raspy, no, the truck doesn't need to be 'broken in'. If the rings aren't seated, etc., by the time you're handed the key they're not gonna be after a 1000 miles, either. Manufacturing tolerances are so close now that unless there was a real screw up I think any engine only needs a few hours just to be safe. Would I push it hard in the first 1000?
Of course not. The transmission and differential are probably the real culprits but an 8K TT is no biggie for these beasts if driven carefully.
I was careful to do my 1000 miles of due diligence but only because I know too many lawyers, not because I really thought the truck needed it.
 
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Loshad said:
Raspy, no, the truck doesn't need to be 'broken in'. If the rings aren't seated, etc., by the time you're handed the key they're not gonna be after a 1000 miles, either. Manufacturing tolerances are so close now that unless there was a real screw up I think any engine only needs a few hours just to be safe. Would I push it hard in the first 1000?
Of course not. The transmission and differential are probably the real culprits but an 8K TT is no biggie for these beasts if driven carefully.
I was careful to do my 1000 miles of due diligence but only because I know too many lawyers, not because I really thought the truck needed it.
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So, you will take it easy for 1000 miles, but you won't call it breaking it in. OK. And rings aren't the only moving parts. Nobody is going to sue you if you don't break it in. So knowing too many lawyers is not the issue. But going out of your way to hide it from Ford is ridiculous. They simply say not to tow for a thousand miles, and you say drive it easy and hide it from Ford if you do tow. If someone wants to take care of their truck, why not just follow Ford's recommendations? I'll freely admit they know more about it than I do. The only engine I know of that the manufacturer doesn't worry about break-in is Cummins, but Ram still wants the differentials broken in. I changed the diff oil in my Tremor at 1000 miles, just as I've done with my other new trucks, and it came out with lots of metal in it. That because it was "breaking in".
 
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