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I'm dreaming of buying an RV but the weight rating on my F150 is only 3400lbs. If I go to an automatic it jumps by 2000lbs!?! What's up with that? Does anyone know how to bump up the trailer weight? If the transmission is the weak link is there any way to upgrade it or is it better to replace the truck?<o></o>

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Thanks for your insight!<o></o>

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Mike and family<o></o>

 

Most people don't know how to tow with a stick, so the manufacturers have been giving low ratings to stick vehicles. Too many drivers fry the clutch when towing. Also could be weak trannies, lots of the 150's had really weak 5 speeds that had a poor 5th gear power train.

You would need to look up all the differences between your truck and a heavy hauler and then add all the uprated components. This may include tranny, differential, gears, axles, tires, rims, brakes, cooling, springs shocks, sometimes frame etc. Even if you changed everything, you probably would need to re register with DMV to get a legal rating. Probably cheaper or at least easier to just get a new truck.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

Thanks Jim,


After reading your comments and some of the others on this site I decided something wasn't right and did some calling. What I found is these are Ford's recommended weights. I'm guessing you void the warranty if you exceed them since my truck is past that point its not a concern. After being passed between government agencies I found that they will enforce the axel weight, gross vehicle weight and hitch weight. He also said there is a hp requirement of 150kg/hp. So it sounds like I am ok to use the automatic weight rating for the truck.

***Note these rules apply to Canada not sure what they are like in the US.

 

What year is your truck and what engine? I have had much more luck with my manual tranny's than I have with the auto's when towing... I only have one vehicle right now with an auto trans and it's in the shop getting the trans re-built at 100K miles... As long as you use your head and not try to drag your 5th wheel up a steep grade in OD with it the clutch should last you well past 100K... I got 179K out of the one in my explorer and 150K in my F250 (both 5 speeds), if you do slip it and grenade the clutch just be sure to go back in with a good quality unit, not just the cheapest thing you can find at the parts store. I have a Borg/Warner clutch and pressure plate on the explorer and my F250 now... and the Bronco I run a CenterForce setup... both setups are much better than a cheap re-man from a parts store, I bought one of those setups for the Bronco once and it was gone in a year with only about 12000 miles on it.

 

Thanks for the comments Johnboy

Its a 97 F150 X-cab, V6 4.2L, rear axle (H9) 3.55 with limited slip

Any tips for towing with a 5 speed would be appreciated.

 

I don't have any experience with the 4.2L, but I have a 95 model F250 with the 4.9L inline six and I found some comparable specs on it.

1995 F-150
Engine: 4.9-liter I-6
Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 145 @ 3400
Torque (lb.-ft. @ rpm): 265 @ 2000
Transmission: 5-speed manual
EPA fuel economy, city/hwy: 15 / 20 mpg
Wheelbase: 116.8 (Optional: 133/138.8/155/168.4) in.
Towing capacity: 4750 (Optional: 5100 / 5700) Lbs.
Ground clearance: 7.0 in.
Curb weight: 3896 lbs.


1997 F-150
Engine: 4.2-liter ohv V6
Horsepower: 205 @ 4400
Torque: 255 @ 3000
Transmission: 5-speed manual
EPA fuel economy, city/hwy: 16/20
Wheelbase: 119.9
Length/Width/Height: 202.2/78.4/72.4
Track, f/r: 65.4/65.4
Turn Circle: 40.5
Payload: 1700 lbs
Towing Capacity: 2300
Ground Clearance: 7.3
Curb Weight: 3850

Looks like there really dropped the towing capacity rating on the V-6 5 speed models... it jumps to over 7000 lbs towing if you got a V-8 auto (which is all ford makes now...) Not sure why this is really, the 4.2 has a little less torque than the older 4.9L but it makes up some ground in HP. I tow with my truck all the time, and though it is an F-250, it is still a 6 cyl 5 speed truck. I have a bass boat, a camper, and a 16' tandom axle trailer and my truck has never had any trouble with any of them. I would recomend a good reciever or 5th wheel hitch, and trailer brakes if your camper is equipped. I have a brake axle on our 16' trailer and it makes a big difference if I have a tractor or a car loaded on it... really helps a lot.

 

They are different 5 speeds. The F250 has (at least it should have) the ZF 5 speed w/the granny first. The F150 has the mazda tranny w/no granny. The auto has a higher tow rating because the torque converter can make 1st gear act as a granny. I dont know why they make trucks w/no granny gear.

 

I wish I had the granny gear, mine has the mazda 5 speed manual with O.D. same as the F150's. Just heavier springs, frame, and brakes. But the specs I posted were for the F150's, just the 95 models... when they changed the body style and went to the 4.2L they dropped it's tow capacity, but I'm not sure why really.

 

Look at the torque figures again. The peak torque on the 4.9 is at 2000 and on the 4.2 it is at 3000. How much more do you think you would have to slip the clutch to get the same load rolling, assuming the same 3.55 final drive and same 1st gear ratio in the Mazda.

Jim

 

Sorry about that. I didn't realize they put that in the big dogs. I have the mazda in my truck and hate it. With 2.73 gears its difficult to pull a load from a dead stop.

 

How much weight do you pull with your truck? I'm trying to decide on the size/weight range to look at for an RV.

Thanks

Mike

 

Well, the bass boat is a 17' Monarch (fiberglass) bass boat, not sure of the weight really.... 2500-3000 lbs maybe. The camper is a cab-over, it's about 8" wider than the truck, and is 18" past the tailgate when it's down. It's a 67 model, so it's not real light, probably weighs in the 1000-1200 lb. range, and with it on and the boat behind it your loaded pretty good, OD is useless at this point, stick with your lower 4 gears. The 16' trailer I have is an old county heavy equipment hauler... 6X2X1/4" C channel frame, with a wood bed... I've hauled cars on it, even the big Bronco, and a couple of tractors. I guess with the Bronco on there and the trailer I was probably towing 8000 lbs or so, I've also had to tow my folks 3/4 ton Dodge Conversion van from the Alabama state line into Atlanta when it broke down. I used one of those rental dolley's and it did fine dragging it like that, that's probably the biggest load I've had to pull with it. The brake axle on the trailer is the key, especially in the mountains.

 

I just wanted to say thanks for everyone's help. Based on your comments I have purchased a 2000 Wanderer 23' Glide Lite with a dry weight of 3,500lbs and electric brakes.

Mike

 

Best of luck with such a big load behind the 6 cyl and 5 speed manual. I hope all your driving is downhill. My f150 has the crummy mazda 5 speed hooked to a 4.6L V-8 . It struggles hard to pull a 2000 lb trailer, actually 2500 lbs loaded, and this is with a FIPK air intake and Gibson exhaust, both of which actually improved the pulling power of this miserable motor/transmission combo. I do believe Ford really messed up by dropping the in-line 4.9L six - it was a decent engine for light loads, easy to rebuild, and durable. It had more USEABLE power than the 4.6L.

 

Yeah, good luck man, and happy camping! If the truck doesn't struggle to get rolling then you'll probably be fine. With the manual trans atleast you can select what gear gives you the best pull for your situation, and not have to worry about it constantly hunting for the right gear every time you mash the gas a bit like an auto will. Heck if worse comes to worse and your not happy with the way it performs you can always trade up, but it should do fine. Enjoy the new camper and let us know how the truck does.