2024 FORD F650/750 Owners Manual

TOWING A TRAILER
WARNING: Do not exceedthe GVWR or the GAWRspecified on the certificationlabel.
WARNING: Towing trailersbeyond the maximumrecommended gross trailerweight exceeds the limit of thevehicle and could result in enginedamage, transmission damage,structural damage, loss ofvehicle control, vehicle rolloverand personal injury.
Your vehicle may have electricalitems, such as fuses or relays,related to towing. See Fuses(page 202).
Your vehicle's load capacitydesignation is by weight, not byvolume, so you cannot necessarilyuse all available space whenloading a vehicle.
Towing a trailer places an extraload on your vehicle's engine,transmission, axle, brakes, tiresand suspension. Inspect thesecomponents periodically during,and after, any towing operation.
Load Placement
To help minimize how trailermovement affects your vehiclewhen driving:
•Load the heaviest items closestto the trailer floor.
•Load the heaviest itemscentered between the left andright side trailer tires.
•Load the heaviest items abovethe trailer axles or just slightlyforward toward the trailertongue. Do not allow the finaltrailer tongue weight to goabove or below 10-15% of theloaded trailer weight.
When driving with a trailer orpayload, a slight takeoff vibrationor shudder may be present due tothe increased payload weight.Additional information regardingproper trailer loading and settingyour vehicle up for towing islocated in another chapter of thismanual. See Load Limit (page178).
You can also find information inthe RV & Trailer Towing Guideavailable at your authorizeddealer, or online.
RV & Trailer Towing Guide Online
http://www.fleet.ford.com/towing-guides/Website
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RECOMMENDED TOWING WEIGHTS
WebsiteMarket
https://www.fleet.ford.com/towing-guides/United States of America
https://www.fleet.ford.ca/towing-guides/Canada
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ESSENTIAL TOWING CHECKS
See Load limits in the Load Carryingchapter for load specification terms foundon the tire label and Safety Compliancelabel and instructions on calculating yourvehicle's load.
Remember to account for the trailertongue weight as part of your vehicle loadwhen calculating the total vehicle weight.
Hitches
Do not use a hitch that either clamps ontothe bumper or attaches to the axle. Youmust distribute the load in your trailer sothat 10-15% of the total weight of thetrailer is on the tongue.
Safety Chains
Note:Do not attach safety chains to thebumper.
Always connect the safety chains to theframe or hook retainers of your vehiclehitch.
To connect the safety chains, cross thechains under the trailer tongue and allowenough slack for turning tight corners. Donot allow the chains to drag on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
WARNING: Do not connect atrailer's hydraulic brake system directlyto your vehicle's brake system. Yourvehicle may not have enough brakingpower and your chances of having acollision greatly increase.
Electric brakes and manual, automatic orsurge-type trailer brakes are safe if youinstall them properly and adjust them tothe manufacturer's specifications. Thetrailer brakes must meet local and federalregulations.
The rating for the tow vehicle's brakingsystem operation is at the gross vehicleweight rating, not the gross combinedweight rating.
Trailer Lamps
WARNING: Never connect anytrailer lamp wiring to the vehicle's taillamp wiring; this may damage theelectrical system resulting in fire. Contactyour authorized dealer as soon aspossible for assistance in proper trailertow wiring installation. Additionalelectrical equipment may be required.
Trailer lamps are required on most towedvehicles. Make sure all running lights, brakelights, turn signals and hazard lights areworking.
Before Towing a Trailer
Practice turning, stopping and backing upto get the feel of your vehicle-trailercombination before starting on a trip.When turning, make wider turns so thetrailer wheels clear curbs and otherobstacles.
When Towing a Trailer
•Check your hitch, electrical connectionsand trailer wheel lug nuts thoroughlyafter you have traveled 50 mph(80 km/h).
•When stopped in congested or heavytraffic during hot weather, place thetransmission in park (P) or neutral (N)to aid engine and transmission coolingand to help air conditioningperformance.
•Turn off the speed control with heavyloads or in hilly terrain. The speedcontrol may turn off automaticallywhen you are towing on long, steepgrades.
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•Shift to a lower gear when driving downa long or steep hill. Do not apply thebrakes continuously, as they mayoverheat and become less effective.
•If your transmission is equipped withthe Tow/Haul feature, use this featurewhen towing. This provides enginebraking and helps eliminate excessivetransmission shifting for optimum fueleconomy and transmission cooling.
•Allow more distance for stopping witha trailer attached. Anticipate stops andbrake gradually.
FIFTH WHEEL OPERATION (IF
EQUIPPED)
WARNING: Failure to follow thefifth wheel manufacturer’s instructionsfor hooking and unhooking as well assliding the fifth wheel could result in anaccident, personal injury or death.
WARNING: When the tractor andtrailer are parked unattended, the trailerbrake hand control should never be usedto apply the brake, since air may leakfrom the system, allowing vehiclemovement, resulting in possible propertydamage, personal injury or death.
Before hook-up, make sure:
•The fifth wheel jaws are fully open.
•The fifth wheel is fully tilted back toprevent body damage when the tractoris backed under a trailer.
•You block the trailer wheels and adjustand apply the trailer spring brakes.Never chase a trailer.
•The brake hoses and light cords areclear of the fifth wheel.
Hook-up
1.Back the tractor squarely under thetrailer, engaging the fifth-wheel jawson the kingpin. Always back up slowly;make sure the trailer is neither too highnor too low. Avoid backing under thetrailer from an angle.
2.Connect the service and emergencybrake hoses and trailer light connector.
3.Inspect the jaws of the fifth wheel tobe sure they have fully closed on thetrailer kingpin and the trailer plate isresting securely on the fifth wheel.
4.Make sure the coupler release lever isin the locked position.
5.Charge the trailer brake system. Setthe trailer brakes, with either the handvalve or tractor protection valve. Pullagainst the trailer for an extra check ofproper hook-up. Do not pull hardenough to damage or strain theequipment.
6.Set the tractor parking brakes and fullyraise the trailer landing gear.
7.Check the operation of all trailer lightsand correct any lights that may befaulty.
Un-hook
1.Try to keep the tractor and trailer in astraight line.
2.Apply the parking brakes.
3.Lower the trailer landing gear, makingsure it is on solid, level ground. Theweight of the trailer is to be on thelanding gear.
4.Block the trailer wheels.
5.Disconnect the brake hoses and lightcords. Be sure hoses and cords areclear.
6.Pull coupler release lever to disengagethe fifth wheel jaws.
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7.Release the tractor parking brakes.
8.Pull out from the trailer slowly, allowingthe landing gear to take the loadgradually.
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GENERAL DRIVING POINTS
General Information
•Accelerate smoothly and evenly. Rapidacceleration increases fuelconsumption without increasing engineperformance.
•When approaching a hill, press theaccelerator smoothly to start theincline at full power, and then shiftdown as needed to maintain vehiclespeed.
•When going down a hill, or long steepgrades, prevent overspeeding of theengine. Normally, choose the samegear to descend the hill that you use toascend the hill. The engine governorhas no control over engine speed whenit is being pushed by a loaded vehicle.
•Do not operate in a gear that permitsan engine speed more than themaximum governed speed or high-idleRPM (no load).
•Always shift to a lower gear at highaltitudes to prevent engine smoking.
Backing Up
WARNING: All vehicles have blindspots. To reduce the risk of severe injuryor property damage, never move yourvehicle to the side or rear or change laneswithout being sure your way is clear onboth sides and to your rear.
WARNING: To reduce the risk ofthe possibility of personal injury whilebacking up the vehicle, always be sureyour vehicle’s path is clear.
Before backing up your vehicle, be sure youcan do so safely. If anything behind the cablimits your view, do not rely on mirrorsalone to make sure that your intended pathis clear. If other people are in the vicinity,have someone standing well behind yourvehicle and outside of your intended path(visible through an exterior mirror) guideyou as you back up.
Although OSHA or some governmentalregulations may require the use of anelectrical or mechanical back up alarm towarn bystanders, such an alarm does notguarantee that the intended path is clear.When in doubt, get out of your vehicle andvisually check the intended path is clear.Back up slowly as to allow others time tomove, if necessary.
If you install an electrical back up alarm,connect it to the backup lamp circuit.
Parking
WARNING: When parking yourvehicle, do not leave the transmission ingear; if the key is in the on position andthe vehicle rolls, the engine could start.Failure to follow these instructions couldresult in an unattended vehicle moving,possibly causing personal injury orproperty damage.
Always use the parking brake. Whenparking on a grade, block the wheels andturn the front wheels to one side so that ifyour vehicle rolls, the front tires act againstthe curb to stop your vehicle. The frontwheels are more effective at stopping arolling vehicle than the rear wheels.
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ECONOMICAL DRIVING
Your fuel economy is affected by severalthings, such as how you drive, theconditions you drive under, and how youmaintain your vehicle.
You may improve your fuel economy bykeeping these things in mind:
•Accelerate and slow down in a smooth,moderate fashion.
•Drive at steady speeds withoutstopping.
•Anticipate stops; slowing down mayeliminate the need to stop.
•Close the windows for high-speeddriving.
•Drive at reasonable speeds. Travelingat 55 mph (90 km/h) uses 15% lessfuel than traveling at 65 mph(105 km/h).
•Keep the tires properly inflated and useonly the recommended size.
•Use the recommended engine oil.
•Perform all regularly scheduledmaintenance.
Avoid these actions; they reduce your fueleconomy:
•Sudden accelerations or hardaccelerations.
•Warm up your vehicle on coldmornings.
•Use the air conditioner.
•Use the speed control in hilly terrain.
•Rest your foot on the brake pedal whiledriving.
•Carry unnecessary weight.Approximately 1 mpg [0.4 km/L] is lostfor every 400 lb (180 kg) of weightcarried.
•Driving with the wheels out ofalignment.
Conditions
•Adding certain accessories to yourvehicle may reduce fuel economy. Forexample bug deflectors, rollbars, lightbars, running boards, ski racks orluggage racks.
•Using fuel blended with alcohol maylower fuel economy.
•Fuel economy may decrease with lowertemperatures during the first 5–10 mi(12–16 km) of driving.
•Driving on flat terrain offers improvedfuel economy as compared to drivingon hilly terrain.
•Transmissions give their best fueleconomy when operated in the topcruise gear and with steady pressureon the gas pedal.
COLD WEATHER
PRECAUTIONS - 6.7L DIESEL
Winter Grille Cover (If Equipped)
The winter grille cover enhances heaterperformance and will reduce the amountof time it takes to warm the inside of yourvehicle in extremely cold conditions below-0.4°F (-18°C).
The winter grille cover installs over theoutside of the front grille and restricts theair flowing to the engine compartment bycovering the radiator grille openings.
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Note:The grille cover must be installed inextremely cold conditions below 10.4°F(-12°C) to prevent possible engine damage.
Usage Guidelines
The winter grille cover should only be usedwhile operating your vehicle in extremelycold temperatures or in heavy snow forextended periods of time. In thesetemperatures, the vehicle does not needa large amount of air to properly cool theengine. During periods of operation whenmore airflow is required to cool the vehicle,the winter grille cover should not be used.
The following usage guidelines will allowadequate airflow for proper radiator andair cooler performance:
•Do not use the cover whentemperatures are above 50.0°F (10°C).Use of the cover in these conditionscould cause your vehicle to overheat.Remove the cover if the vehicleoverheats.
•Do not use the cover above 32.0°F(0°C) if towing a trailer. Your vehiclemay overheat if the cover is used whiletowing a trailer.
•Do not modify the cover.
Installation Instructions
Installation and removal instructions areincluded in the winter grille cover package.Refer to the usage guidelines tounderstand when to use the cover.
The cover will seem undersized during thefirst installation, which is normal. The coverstretches during installation to ensure atight fit. The first installation is bestperformed when the grille cover is warm.
COLD WEATHER
PRECAUTIONS - 7.3L
The functional operation of somecomponents and systems can be affectedat temperatures below approximately-13°F (-25°C).
BREAKING-IN
You need to break in new tires forapproximately 300 mi (480 km). Duringthis time, your vehicle may exhibit someunusual driving characteristics.
Avoid driving too fast during the first1,000 mi (1,600 km). Vary your speedfrequently and change up through thegears early. Do not labor the engine.
Drive your new vehicle at least 1,000 mi(1,600 km) before towing a trailer. Makesure you use the specified engine oil. SeeEngine Oil Capacity and Specification(page 296).
Do not add friction modifier compoundsor special break-in oils during the first fewthousand miles (kilometers) of operation.These additives may prevent piston ringseating.
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