Awesome information Shaun!!! It's impossible to figure all that out by cross-referencing the parts catalog for hours on hours.

I had to learn part of that the hard way when I orded new rims for mine....they were the 5.5 pattern...of course mine are the 4.5" pattern.

 

This is what threw me for a loop out of the Parts Catalog.

In the rotor application chart, it shows an instance of the f100 and 150 listed on the same line and therefore the same parts list.

I assumed from this, that there were some instances where they were the same.

 

Rep's to you, Shaun! Good job. Even I understood it.

 

Awesome info fellas. Alright, got a photo from the door jamb. It's on my phone and I don't have my laptop with me to upload it. But I can see gvwr:4700 and rim:15x5.5. Can't make out too much of anything else. Open to replacing it all. Guessing just find an f150 with a higher gvwr and start stripping? And buy new springs?

 

Depends on what you want to do. You started the thread by wanting to know how much you can tow.

To increase that GBWR will take a lot of work. As Shaun stated, you are going to be left with under 1000 pounds of margin to play with.

I don't think that upgrading the brakes will gain any weight capability. The springs, axles, bearings, etc...would all have to be changed. Seems like a lot of work and expense to go through to gain a little.

 

Myself, I would trade it in for a F250.

 

Well I was already planning on replacing the suspension and brakes with stock stuff, so I might as well try and get the most out of it I can. The truck was my grandpas so it'll be staying in the family until there isn't anymore oil in the ground haha. Guess I'll have to buy an f250 here in the next couple of years, unless I screw up and get married or become a dad!

 

Again, when you can PM me. But, for teasers, I have an F150 that I'm going to use the cab and bed from. It is a standard cab long bed. Has brakes. Has a 9" rear axle housing, but the axles aren't the best, as said. Full suspension under it. Should be bolt-in.

 

Looking over my old info on the subject, the 5,000 lb F100 Flareside and 6-3/4 Stylesides with Power Brakes may also be included with the larger brake system as well. My info isn't quite clear, but Kevin's post shows that Ford pairs the 5K and 5150 F100's together with the large brakes, which probably verifies it. This means that the 4700 Power Brake F100's would be the only ones with the smaller lug pattern.

Judging by your description of the rim section of your Door Jamb ID Sticker, I'm guessing you have the manual brakes since according to what you put, you have the 5x5-1/2" lug pattern. This means you have the large 11" brakes, but the one thing you lack is power brakes. Power brakes are a big plus when towing and hauling. If you do the suspension swap, I would swap to power brakes as well. Shouldn't be more than a bolt-in affair as well.

 

With this load capacity, the F100's must be comfortable to ride in.

That's the only complaint I have with my F250.......empty & on a rough road, it beats you to death

 

They probably were, from 1980-1995. Now, they're probably just as bad as an F600.

 

Ken,

I owned a 1978 F100 long wheelbase and it DID ride extremely well. I used to say it rode like a Galaxie sedan, but it would really squat down with just a moderate load in the bed.

 

I think I can come close to confirming this Shaun. On my 82 F100 it has the power brakes and what looks to be the smaller rotors. I eye-balled it and it looked to be on the short side of 10.5 (didn't take the wheel off) so it's probably 10". I cannot confirm my GVWR as the certification label was painted over. But from the VIN I can get a GVWR class C which is listed as 4001-5000 pounds. All seems to match what you stated. It's probably under what you state is the 5000 pound class...probably the 4700 GVWR

 

Mine rides pretty smooth with that 460 up front weighing the springs down. Needs new shocks so it jars a bit on the bumps but on an average stretch of road, it rides nice.

 

Wait a minute. GVWR is related but is not the towing ability of a vehicle. If he were putting a slide in camper on this truck i would agree. But if he is towing a small camper trailer, it should be able to handle a small one that has it's own brake system on the trailer. That is, if he has a decent gear in the rearend.

Remember in the old days they towed campers with station wagons and large sedans. All you need is a load distribution hitch and the power to pull it. I would think he could tow a 16 or 18ft small camper with the right equipment.