Can a 1996 Ford F150 5.0L V8 pull a 6,200lbs sailboat and trailer or would it damage the transmission?

 

It heavily depends upon the axle gearing, but I'm pretty sure that is within the tow rating for these trucks equipped with 3.55 gears or better. It would be a heavy haul for an F150 but no damage would result if speeds are kept reasonable and there aren't a lot of big hills to climb.

 

Be sure to add an auxiliary cooler to the automatic transmission. Pulling that much will make it work harder. A shift kit is a good addition when towing also.

 

Need to know the axle ratio,GVW of truck,4x4 or 4x2,what transmission,regular cab or Super Cab, factory trailer package??

Give this information and we can tell you what your truck is rated to pull by Ford.I have a Ford Factory Trailering brochure that list what these F series trucks are rated to pull in detail. My brochure is for the MY 1992--but it will be close for your 5.0 1996.

 

Like Conanski says, it should be ok if your truck is gearer appropriately. I would reccommend a tranny cooler and tranny temp guage so you will know if you are pushing it too hard. I have a F250 with a 351 and E4od and I wouldn't want to tow much more than that at highway speeds. Probably best to keep it under 55 mph until you get a tranny temp guage...especially on hilly terrain...your tranny will upshift and downshift too much, and the E4od won't like it.

Good luck,
Hunter

 

And, if I'm not mistaken, that sailboat will sit really high on the trailer because of the long keel (correct me if I'm wrong). This will make it much worse than pulling a regular boat aerodynamics wise. The higher the speed the more strain you will put on the truck due to the sailboat being VERY un-aerodynamic.

 

phoneman do u kno a 92 4x4 custom w the m5od,w 3.08s and the I6

 

TJ, that will be not much. By the book, it's going to be 2000 lbs, I think. That's because of several things: 1. Your light-duty manual tranny. 2. 3.08 gears. 3. The I6. It's a good engine for pulling, but not when hooked to the prior two items. 4. The extra weight of your 4x4 transfer case.

Jason

 

ya i kinda knew that i plan on swaping a zf in it also im debating whetther i should put in 3.55s or 3.73s,im going to have this truck for a long time any recomendations on which gears?

 

If you're only going to tow occasionally, I'd go with the 3.55s and tow in 4th with that ZF. If you tow a bunch or have larger than stock tires, consider the 3.73s or even 4.10s.

Jason

 

Thanks everyone for the fast responses.

Phoneman, I have no idea what the axle ratio is or what the other details are. It's an XL with extended cab, has 184,000km on it and a K&N air filter. A guy is selling it and he couldn't tell me the details. I haven't bought it yet, but I was planning to if it meets my needs. Anything else I should look out for when test driving it so I know I don't end up with a lemon?

 

u should get a book from the library,u should be able to identify the axle code on the door

 

How often do you plan to tow this load? Once or twice, fine. If it's more than that, you won't be happy. I have a travel trailer that weighs in around 5-6000 lbs. Pulling it with the truck in the my sig. is doable but not recommended. I usually pull it with my Suburban.
I would opt for at least a 5.8(351) or if you are set on this truck, put some 4.10 gears in it.

 

All the vital specs are on the drivers door pillar on a decal, you can decode it here.. Ford Axle Code Chart .: Articles

FWIW, many of the I6 trucks came with 3.08 or 2.73 gears.. even though they all had OD trannys... what were they thinking. I have heard of a few with 3.55 gears but they are rare, and you'll want at least this much gearing with stock size tires on an F150, though an F250 wouldn't be a bad idea for a dedicated tow vehicle because you also get better brakes with the bigger truck. The Ford I6 is literally a tractor motor so it's one of the best motors in the stable for pulling, if you found a truck with one but the rear end ratio is no good, swapping another rear end under it isn't much work, and these trucks are easy to find in scrap yards.

 

Ok, I'm new to this, what exactly is 3.08, 3.55 and 4.10 gears? And why does 4.10 gears make a difference in trailer pulling? And, if it had 3.08 gears, what would it cost (ballpark) to upgrade to 4.10 gears? I've spent an hour searching for a definition on here and I still don't know what 4.10 gears are.

Thanks,
David