Ok I'm looking at buying a 90 F250 XLT 4X4 5.8 auto reg cab 8' box. I had the guy give me some info off of the ID plate on the door jam. The truck has a GVWR of 8600 F GAWR 3850 and R GAWR 6084 not sure what the gear ratio is and he said that it said something like springs 7F. I need to pull a 5th wheel camper that weighs around 12500 loaded weight and 2300-2400 tongue weight. The loaded weight also includes the weight of 4 water tanks 1 fresh water 2 grey water a 1 black water I was told that the combined capacity of all four tanks was 190 gals so that would knock 1500 off the gross loaded weight if I pull it with the tanks empty. Do you guys that own or have owned a truck similar to this think it will pull the camper without any issues?

 

You will definitely need a brake controller. Have the owner give you the axle code off of the sticker on the door jamb and that will tell you what gears it has and try to find out if there is a GCVWR on the sticker as well.

I pulled this toyhauler for my buddy with his quad in the back. I had 60#'s of air in the air bags and my 5.8 did fine on flat land. Hill's and mountains would be a different story. Mine's a manual so you may want to beef up your trans cooler. I pulled this to his storage yard without a brake controller and I can tell you, it was not fun. Also, make sure it has E rated tires.

 

I think you would be happier with a bigger engine or lighter trailer. Definetely want to find out gear ratio, unless its 4:10 you'll be miserable towing that trailer. Had a 89 5.8 with 3:73 gears and it was lacking in towing power. Have to run in 3rd gear on local hills towing 2-3k pounds.

 

I have a brake controller ready to be in now. I just need this truck to hold up until I can buy a bigger one which will be another year or so. I was planning on adding some performance items to the truck to get some more power out of it and if in need to drop 4.30 gears in it I will cause the only thing it will be used for is pulling the camper. I will see is he can get me the GCVWR if it's listed. Thanks guys

 

The 5.8L is not rated for towing that much weight. 3.55 gears max is around 6,000 lbs and 4.10 gears will be around 7,500 lbs.

I know there will be those that say, "I've towed my neighbor's house with my F250" and I suppose you could tow that weight but you would struggle with that trailer, not to mention you would be illegal.

If you want to pull that kind of weight with a Gen 9 truck, look for a 7.5L Std cab with factory installed 4.10 gears.

Just my humble opinion. YMMV. Void where prohibited.

 

Let me ask you this ray ... what if the 351 had higher hp and tq ratings than the 460 and also I have a factory 350 sw rear end that has a 430 gear in it. I have at my disposal the parts to make that motor around 375 hp and 400-450 tq and I also have a c6 that has been built and ready to mount to a SB. Do you think then that the truck would better fit the application.

 

That's what you need but it won't change what the truck was originally rated to legally tow so you'll still get a ticket for being overweight if you get stopped.

 

That's all the 351 is rated for? Most toy haulers weigh more than that. That sucks. I'd rather have a big block or PSD if I were to be pulling that kind of weight anyways but still. How is the Big 3 getting away with saying their new 1/2 tons can pull 11,000 pounds?

 

That sounds like a lot of time and $ spent for a truck you only plan on keeping temporarily.
I only haul a slide in camper and pull a flatbed trailer with two quads with mine. The pic of the toyhauler was an emergency haul for my buddy after he fried the trans in his F150 trying to tow it. So like the others have said, it can be done but you will be illegal and I can assure you the first hill you hit you wont be happy.

 

That sounds like a lot of time and $ spent for a truck you only plan on keeping temporarily.
I only haul a slide in camper and pull a flatbed trailer with two quads with mine. The pic of the toyhauler was an emergency haul for my buddy after he fried the trans in his F150 trying to tow it. So like the others have said, it can be done but you will be illegal and I can assure you the first hill you hit you wont be happy.

 

If you read Conanski's post I will +1 that.

Yeah, you will be able to tow that fifth wheel after all of those mods but the towing information in the owners manual are the numbers that the Highway Patrol will most likely go by when he tickets you.

Here in Cali, if you can't produce a manual that says you can tow that much, you might be asked to submit to a weighing by the nice CHP officer and then a request to leave the trailer where it is and go get something that will tow it. I have family that are in law enforcement and a big fifth being towed by a SRW 250 is cause for suspicion.

As far as a built SB engine goes, that motor is SD fuel injected. Not much you can do without throwing a ton of money into the fuel delivery system to support a built motor. Remember, these trucks aren't Mustangs. You need the torque down low, not at 6,000 rpms. You might get by with a mild stroker, maybe some different heads and shorty headers, a mild ECU-compatible cam. Can't get too crazy because the ECU will not support it.

As far as 4.30 cogs and a C6 - Good for towing, cr@p for driving empty. Don't plan on going much over 55 when you're towing or empty unless you want to watch your gas gauge go down in a hurry. I towed a 10,000 lb travel trailer with The Buffalo and bagged a nice 6 mpg with the OD off. Had no troubles with the weight and my 7.5 is stock, fwiw. 245 hp & 395 tq.

I still stand by what I said before; you might be better off with a different truck, one that can legally haul your fifth wheel.

Just my humble opinion. YMMV. Void where prohibited.

Ray

 

I do appreciate the help guys. I have however found another truck I would like to ask about. I found a 95 F350 XLT 7.5L 4X4 srw reg cab 8' box it has a 9000# GVWR and a 6084# r GAWR and I believe the guy said 355 gears. Can you throw thoughts my way about this truck cause I can buy it for 2500. Again I just want to haul this camper safely. I did also double check the weight on the camper its GVWR is 11980 loaded with water tanks full and I had posted that it had a 2300-2400# tongue weight and it actually has a 2000# tongue weight. I contacted dutchman and they said with the tanks empty with only the furniture in it the trailer should be around 10k to 10500 but told me to take it to a local scale and double check.

 

Confirm what the axle ratio is! Also, auto or manual transmission?

With 3.55 gears - manual - 6,400 trailer weight/12,000 combined weight
With 4.10 gears - manual - 10,400 trailer weight/16,000 combined weight

With 3.55 gears - E4OD - 9,500 trailer weight/15,000 combined weight
With 4.10 gears - E4OD - 12,500 trailer weight/18,500 combined weight

This is out of my 1997 factory owners manual. As you can see, the gear ratio is all important! Maybe buy that truck and swap in 4.10 gears f/r? By the way, tongue weight on the bed will be okay. I think the truck's GVWR is 9,000 lbs.

You know, you're running up against the issues I have with camper manufacturers - their stuff is designed around the new trucks where a 2013 F150 ton can haul as much as the Gen 7-9 F350's!

My GVWR is 8,600 for a 1997 F250HD 4X4. Doesn't give much wiggle room when the 8' cabover campers weight 2,500 or more. I may have to resort to buying a Glen-L plan set for a camper and build it myself, just so I can get the weight down to a manageable number.

Good luck on that search for a truck.

Ray

 

Hey Ray,
Do you know why an auto tranny is able to outpull a manual? It doesn't make sense.

 

When you look at the numbers enough, it's clear the auto transmissions seem to have a higher rating.

My uneducated guess would be that Ford doesn't think we know how to use a clutch properly. Another thought is the fact that you get extra torque multiplication from the torque converter while the TC clutch is unlocked.

I've been in a few spots towing (camping) with The Buffalo that if it had a stick, I would have been stuck big time. It's also the easiest truck I've owned to tow with. Just lock out the OD and go.

Ray