Kory04 Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 (edited) I've had my truck with 7.3 for about 3 months now and I like most everything about it, except the transmission while plowing snow. I plow a large storage facility and it has some pretty long runs. The reverse gear is really low compared to my other trucks, and you have to run at least 3000 rpm to get a decently fast reverse speed. The bigger complaint is pushing snow forward. Many times when changing from reverse to forward, the truck will skip first gear completely and start out in 2nd gear and then very quickly jump to third (within a few seconds), even when I'm not trying to go very fast. I even have the 3.55 gearing. The truck seems to have adequate power but it seems like this would be hard on the transmission, it hardly gets past 1000 rpm before hitting 3rd gear. Due to the layout of our facility, we need to pile the snow at the ends of all the buildings, and then come from the side and carry the piled snow quite a distance. So that leaves me pushing snow piles the size of small cars for several hundred feet, in 3rd gear running no more than 1000 rpm. You can shut out the upper gears with the toggle switch on the shifter, but that gets reset every time you shift out of drive, and back into drive. This morning, I played with the drive modes, and only the deep snow/sand seemed to keep it out of 3rd gear, and it worked okay, but it will take a little getting used to.... it seems like it makes the throttle quite a bit more touchy, spinning the tires more easily, especially when the tires are on a slippery surface trying to push a load of snow. Just wanted to put this out there for anybody also looking to plow snow. One final thing I've noticed.....The truck will get decent (14mpg range) if you drive a whole tank out in one sitting, but running just a couple miles to town and back, or even idling for any length of time will quickly tank the mileage to dismal, and sometimes single digit numbers, its almost unbelievable. When doing only plowing, the average is around 5-6 mpg, also a bit worse than I expected. My 2006 5.4 would average in the 7's mpg plowing, and 8's mpg for everything else, so I thought it would at least match those numbers, considering the highway mpg is so much better in the new truck. Not that we buy these trucks for good mpg, but I wonder if the 6.2 would have been a better choice or more efficient for my work truck that does a lot of idling, plowing, and towing around town. Edited December 27, 2021 by Kory04 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 Can’t you shift it manually?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kory04 Posted December 27, 2021 Author Share Posted December 27, 2021 (edited) you can shift manually, but that's not realistic or feasible with so much forward and back, all while holding a plow controller in my right hand. I think the deep snow/sand is the best option. Better yet, Ford should make a snow plowing mode for trucks equipped with plow prep. One other irritating trait, the back defrost only stays on for about 5-10 minutes, and window is constantly fogging up. Would be easier if it would just stay on when I turn it on. Maybe this is adjustable in forscan, If I found someone with the right knowledge to do so? Edited December 27, 2021 by Kory04 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OREGUNFIRE Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 have you tried tow/haul mode?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kory04 Posted December 27, 2021 Author Share Posted December 27, 2021 Yes tow haul made no difference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
road turtle Posted December 28, 2021 Share Posted December 28, 2021 why did you go with 3.55? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kory04 Posted December 28, 2021 Author Share Posted December 28, 2021 3.55 because 430 seems really low and totally unnecessary with an engine of such size and power. I wanted the best mpg possible, because i also drive highway a fair amount of the time too. As I said, even in third at low rpm, I'm not lacking power at all, just seems like it is unnecessary strain on the transmission Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
road turtle Posted December 28, 2021 Share Posted December 28, 2021 14 hours ago, Kory04 said: 3.55 because 430 seems really low and totally unnecessary with an engine of such size and power. I wanted the best mpg possible, because i also drive highway a fair amount of the time too. As I said, even in third at low rpm, I'm not lacking power at all, just seems like it is unnecessary strain on the transmission Was 3.31 available on your build? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kory04 Posted December 28, 2021 Author Share Posted December 28, 2021 No, I believe 3.31 is only available with diesel engine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford truck guy Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 I have the 3.55 BUT 6.7 and thank does fine plowing... if heavy or deep, I use manual Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cknox78 Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 (edited) Have you tried sports mode? Press traction control off wait a second or two push again. Should see sports mode push "OK" on gauge display. Edited December 30, 2021 by Cknox78 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigUnixGeek Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 On 12/27/2021 at 7:30 PM, Kory04 said: 3.55 because 430 seems really low and totally unnecessary with an engine of such size and power. I wanted the best mpg possible, because i also drive highway a fair amount of the time too. As I said, even in third at low rpm, I'm not lacking power at all, just seems like it is unnecessary strain on the transmission So you spec'd it for mpg and you're complaining about how it doesn't push snow in first gear very well -- is that right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyoshea Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 Just got my diesel today and will be strapping a 9.2dxt on it this week. I’ll report in with some 6.7 3.31 numbers after I get some pushes in. Sounds like you are a great candidate for a computer tune once they crack the Ecu codes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kory04 Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 6 hours ago, BigUnixGeek said: So you spec'd it for mpg and you're complaining about how it doesn't push snow in first gear very well -- is that right? Not exactly, I'm complaining because the truck skips first gear completely and starts out in 2nd under a load. truck has plenty of power to do it even with higher gearing. It just seems like doing so would put unnecessary wear and tear on transmission. I'd prefer it to use gear 1 & 2 for plowing not 2 & 3. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 (edited) 3 hours ago, Kory04 said: Not exactly, I'm complaining because the truck skips first gear completely and starts out in 2nd under a load. truck has plenty of power to do it even with higher gearing. It just seems like doing so would put unnecessary wear and tear on transmission. I'd prefer it to use gear 1 & 2 for plowing not 2 & 3. Again - have you tried sport mode? Its not that hard to shift it manually. It will start in 1st gear and you control shifting to 2nd or 3rd. Edited December 31, 2021 by akirby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kory04 Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 Will give that a try next time I plow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d232799 Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 I've plowed for 20 yrs, my 2012 with the 6.2 and my 2015 6.2 both did great with a 8 1/2ft V plow. My new King with the 7.3 is somewhat jumpey with the 4.3 rear end and I hear you Kory4 with the reverse stuff and manual shifting is not really easy with the controller in your right hand. Up here in NY, we haven't had any snow so my new V with the new LED lights is still has stickers on her. I'm not happy to hear that the 10 speed shifts crazy while plowing. Maybe a tune with the Forscan will help. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kory04 Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 Rob, I've noticed that the truck starts out in 2nd from reverse mainly when I shift before the truck is at an absolute dead stop. If you let it come to a complete stop, then shift to drive, it will usually start in first gear, but only for an instant. In time, I'm sure we'll find a method that works for us, and for now, my method is the deep snow drive mode Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d232799 Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 Hoping for some deep white stuff to try out my new toys. I love the truck, engine tranny and etc but it does jump shifting into gear. Guess that's part of the reason its called Godzilla. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpartanFan23 Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 Just thinking here, but the 10 speed was designed to handle the torque of the 6.7, so I would assume that plowing in 3rd with the 7.3 is not putting any additional strain on it. I currently plow with a 2021 with the 6.2 and 6 speed, but I don't pay attention to what gear it's pushing in. I haven't noticed any issues with it either, always enough power to shove whatever pile is in front of the truck. Plus you have 60,000 miles to find out if there is an issue with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adirondex Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 Plow being installed end of next week on new F250 7.3 10 spd with 3.55's. Coming from a 6.2 6 speed with 3.73's & 8 1/2 V-plow. Anxious to find out for myself after a few weeks, I'll follow up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kory04 Posted January 16, 2022 Author Share Posted January 16, 2022 On 1/14/2022 at 11:27 PM, Adirondex said: Plow being installed end of next week on new F250 7.3 10 spd with 3.55's. Coming from a 6.2 6 speed with 3.73's & 8 1/2 V-plow. Anxious to find out for myself after a few weeks, I'll follow up. Please do, I'd like to hear the experiences of others on this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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