Tow vehicle for 21 foot Pilothouse

[Tawn]

Looking for input on a tow vehicle for a 23' pilothouse / 225Hp Parker - I am trying to decide between a 6.4 L diesel and a 5.4L gas F-250 4X4. Any owners of either vehicles that that can provide first-hand input : I am all ears.

Thanks in adveance, Tawn
STSCM(SS)
U.S. Navy

 

[Porkchunker]

Hard to beat a diesel when towing long distances or up a long mountain pass. I had a gas version of my current F-250, and it couldn't hold 45 mph up a shallow hill with the 8,200 lb boat and trailer combo in tow. The 6.0 PSD F-250 fixed that.

Dave

aka

 

[ppem45]

Is your boat a 21' or a 23' the title says 21' and the body says 23'. Well anyway, I have a 2120 PH and I only put it in and take it out but I live on an old dirt road that is up a very steep grade and I pull my boat with a Toyota 4Runner. I have never had a problem with it overheating or have not experienced any occasion that it did not perform well. I think if I were to replace it with a truck I would buy a big Toyota Tundra. I like the vehicle but I don't have any use at this age for a pickup. I was a truck driver all of my life so I think for me I would stay away from diesels (I hear the noise in my sleep sometimes still). Good luck!

 

[Tawn]

I don't have a Parker 2320 ...........yet. The War Department (wife) says I have to buy and payoff a new truck before I can trade boats. So the sooner I trade trucks, the sooner I'm in a Parker. I am currently pulling a 21' CC with a 98 K2500 7.4L Chevrolet I bought new in 97. It gets about 10 mpg day in and day out - about 6mpg towing the boat so I have decided if a 5.4L V-8 is too small for a 2320 Pilothouse, I'm going with a diesel - there is no way I'm gonna feed that V-10 gas everyday.

 

[wflgator]

I tow my 21Se with a Nissan Titan. The motor and the transmission in the Titan are awesome. When we moved back to FL from WA, I had no problems towring through the mountains at all. Rated tow capacity is 10K.

Downside - about 16 MPG normal driving, 8 MPG towing.

 

[wildman]

I tow my 2320 with a 2006 Chevy 2500HD durmax gets 12-13 towing boat and trailer weigh in at 7500 lbs [ I carry alot of stuff on my boat] pulls great. Did pull with Surburban 2500 6L that did not do the job.

 

[sparky]

We tow a 6K# aluminum boat on a 2500# trailer (total weight right around 8.5K) and our 2520XL on a 2500# trailer with an '01 Ford F-350 7.3L PSD. The truck is a turd, its had the engine replaced, the oil pump done twice, real main seal blew at 5K miles, etc, but it handles it pretty well. Going up the Berkshires in Western Mass, we can keep 60mph. I could probably get it to 65, but I tend to take it easy.

The biggest thing is to NEVER tow a heavy trailer in Overdrive uphill. Trucks have an OD switch or 3rd gear setting in the automatic tranny for a reason. If the load is light enough, or the road is flat enough, the tranny won't have to hunt around for gears. Otherwise, it'll jump from OD to 3rd, reengage lockup when it gets back up to speed, then shift up. Repeat 20 times/hill, and you're wearing the living daylights out of the OD and lockup packs. When you get to a hill, just take it out of OD, and let the engine do what its designed to do: Work.

 

[2320 pilothouse]

i have a nissan armada

 

[MaxOut]

Get the diesel....................................If you are asking this question you all ready know the answer. My advice would be to get the 4:11 rear not the "tow boss" that is a 4:88 and too low for your needs.


I have the 6.4 in a 2008 F450 and it is a tank. Fuel economy is not the best but does not change much with a load. Get the 4:11 rear and get the best of both worlds. My F-450 has the 4:88 and I pull 20K pounds no problem but fuel economy is similar with or without a load.

My F-350 with the 6.0 and 4:11 is my boat puller and is more than enough power and good fuel economy for non towing applications 12-16 mpg. I would also recommend the dually if you are considering a dually for the extra stability. Not needed but makes a big difference. Any Ford diesel truck F-250 of bigger will pull a 23’ Parker to the moon and back without even knowing it’s there. I have an E-350 and recently had an Expedition with the 5.4 and Do Not recommends either of these for towing. You fuel economy will suffer and no were near the comfort of the diesel. Don’t get me wrong you can get it done with the 5.4 but no comparison to the diesel.

 

[jeffnick]

Lotta Macho going on here. :?

Mercury Mountaineer 4.6 AWD...no problems in thousands of miles.

What's so bad about not going 70 uphill? :roll:

 

[MaxOut]

We tow a 6K# aluminum boat on a 2500# trailer (total weight right around 8.5K) and our 2520XL on a 2500# trailer with an '01 Ford F-350 7.3L PSD. The truck is a turd, its had the engine replaced, the oil pump done twice, real main seal blew at 5K miles, etc, but it handles it pretty well. Going up the Berkshires in Western Mass, we can keep 60mph. I could probably get it to 65, but I tend to take it easy.

The biggest thing is to NEVER tow a heavy trailer in Overdrive uphill. Trucks have an OD switch or 3rd gear setting in the automatic tranny for a reason. If the load is light enough, or the road is flat enough, the tranny won't have to hunt around for gears. Otherwise, it'll jump from OD to 3rd, reengage lockup when it gets back up to speed, then shift up. Repeat 20 times/hill, and you're wearing the living daylights out of the OD and lockup packs. When you get to a hill, just take it out of OD, and let the engine do what its designed to do: Work.

The new Fords with the 6.4 have a tow/haul switch instead of an overdrive switch and will automatically shift through all 5/6 gears. Make sure you are in tow mode when towing and the tranny will downshift beautifully. Ford's trannies, brakes and suspension have gone through major changes since 2001 all for the good and most of the changes taking place in 2005 and 2008. Sounds to me like you have a turbo problem and may want to consider a Banks intercooler system with the EconoMind tuner for towing. Many of my friends tow with the 7.3 and have had major problems with the early 2001 turbo's spooling up. These turbo's are popular because they make a nice whistle and perform well when programmed with a performance tune and larger intercooler system. They were replaced with a smaller turbo in late 2001 and early 2002 and this helped with the lag. Do Not get the tuner without upgrading the exhaust and intercooler or you chance extreme EGT's. Get it as a package and you will think you bought a new truck not to mention the increase in fuel economy may pay it off some day.

 

[MaxOut]

Lotta Macho going on here. :?

Mercury Mountaineer 4.6 AWD...no problems in thousands of miles.

What's so bad about not going 70 uphill? :roll:

Looks pretty flat out there?? :lol: You need an air bag in the back.

 

[Totally Hooked]

I tow my 2320 with my f-250 with the v-10 gas monster. Not that bad i get around 17mpg on the highway and around 10-12 in town I have 4.56 gears in the rears. It pulls the boat great. My friend has the 5.4 in his 250 and it has to work to get going.

 

[MaxOut]

I tow my 2320 with my f-250 with the v-10 gas monster. Not that bad i get around 17mpg on the highway and around 10-12 in town I have 4.56 gears in the rears. It pulls the boat great. My friend has the 5.4 in his 250 and it has to work to get going.

That V-10 is a tourqe monster :twisted: . Same engine used in the class A motorhome chassis. Impressive fuel #'s.

 

[mulliganb]

I have a 2008 F-350 SRW crew cab, 6.4 diesel, 3.73 rear end. I pull a 2820, fully load with the trailer it is about 12,000 Lbs. The truck has no problem pulling the boat and gets about 9.3mpg in FL. With out the trailer it gets 16-17 on the highway and 14-15 in the city. I personally think it is an exceptional tow vehical.

 

[Brian S]

I tow a 2520sl with a 5.3L Tahoe...It gets the job done, but hills are not that fun. I added airbags to the rear, it's a world of difference. I get about 10mpg towing on the freeway. If I was getting a new vehicle, diesel would be great, but the Tahoe is almost paid off and I like the idea of no car payments!

 

[sparky]

We tow a 6K# aluminum boat on a 2500# trailer (total weight right around 8.5K) and our 2520XL on a 2500# trailer with an '01 Ford F-350 7.3L PSD. The truck is a turd, its had the engine replaced, the oil pump done twice, real main seal blew at 5K miles, etc, but it handles it pretty well. Going up the Berkshires in Western Mass, we can keep 60mph. I could probably get it to 65, but I tend to take it easy.

The biggest thing is to NEVER tow a heavy trailer in Overdrive uphill. Trucks have an OD switch or 3rd gear setting in the automatic tranny for a reason. If the load is light enough, or the road is flat enough, the tranny won't have to hunt around for gears. Otherwise, it'll jump from OD to 3rd, reengage lockup when it gets back up to speed, then shift up. Repeat 20 times/hill, and you're wearing the living daylights out of the OD and lockup packs. When you get to a hill, just take it out of OD, and let the engine do what its designed to do: Work.

The new Fords with the 6.4 have a tow/haul switch instead of an overdrive switch and will automatically shift through all 5/6 gears. Make sure you are in tow mode when towing and the tranny will downshift beautifully. Ford's trannies, brakes and suspension have gone through major changes since 2001 all for the good and most of the changes taking place in 2005 and 2008. Sounds to me like you have a turbo problem and may want to consider a Banks intercooler system with the EconoMind tuner for towing. Many of my friends tow with the 7.3 and have had major problems with the early 2001 turbo's spooling up. These turbo's are popular because they make a nice whistle and perform well when programmed with a performance tune and larger intercooler system. They were replaced with a smaller turbo in late 2001 and early 2002 and this helped with the lag. Do Not get the tuner without upgrading the exhaust and intercooler or you chance extreme EGT's. Get it as a package and you will think you bought a new truck not to mention the increase in fuel economy may pay it off some day.

I'll never buy another Ford again. The turbo is fine, its putting out full boost, and makes plenty of power. The transmission problem is a common one, pretty much everyone with that tranny has it. Its documented on a number of sites. A lot of people just leave it in OD, and think they can do anything.

Anyhow, this truck has been so incredibly bad, the service has sucked at 4 dealers, and we've had to pull teeth with Ford Corporate to get the thing fixed. Thanks for the info, I'm sure someone here has a newer PSD and is willing to upgrade it.

As for our next truck, we're waiting to see who is still around. Either a GMC or a Dodge.

 

[jeffnick]

Lotta Macho going on here. :?

Mercury Mountaineer 4.6 AWD...no problems in thousands of miles.

What's so bad about not going 70 uphill? :roll:

Looks pretty flat out there?? :lol: You need an air bag in the back.

Some of it was pretty flat, but a lot of it wasn't.

Here's the route we took.

And the rig is totally level towing 'cause we used an equalizer hitch. The picture makes for an 'obstacle conclusion'. :wink:

 

[B-Faithful]

i put air bags in my 1/2 ton for towing my boat. They work great. They arent expensive either.

Check them out here: http://www.autoanything.com/suspension- ... m_search=1

 

[B-Faithful]

see here:

http://www.classicparker.com/phpBB2/vie ... php?t=4595

BTW, I have a coupon that was just emailed to me from buying there before. Let me know if you want me to email it to you. The coupon is for 10% off + Free Shipping at AutoAnything.