My 94 F150 4x4 is capable of towing up to 7000 lbs. At least according to the owners manual. My combined GVWR minus what my truck weighs gives me about 7000 lbs to tow. Once one adds in the fuel and other liquids plus passengers and other miscellaneous weight then a realistic towing weight of 6000 lbs is more likely. Your truck should tow the weight you're talking about without too much trouble. However, make sure the towed vehicle, (dolly, trailer etc.) has it's own brakes. That way stopping is much less of an issue.

 

I could be wrong but I think you're 1,000lbs too high on the weight of you're car. A late Lincoln Town Car weighs ~4,200lbs. I think your car is closer to 3,200lbs...

 

As suggested above, holding back some info will be a good thing when renting a trailer. Don't tell them it's a 5 speed, tell them it's an automatic. Depending on gearing, Ford rated the 5-speed F150s ridiculously low for towing purposes, mainly because the Mazda 5-speed really isn't a strong enough trans to be towing significant weight often.

That said, for a 1400 mile trip, if your trans is in good shape, you should have nothing to worry about.

As far towing with the bumper, as others have said, NO. Get a heavy duty hitch that's rated for more than your truck will ever tow. The peace of mind you'll get from that hitch is worth the extra cost over a lighter duty hitch.

Trailer Hitch for 1995 Ford F-150 - Curt C15300

 

This is my concern... We bent a bumper up on a '96 Powerstroke in an emergency stop towing a 3,300 lb dual axle trailer with small trailer brakes. I wouldn't trust the bumper over about 1,500 lbs personally.

 

BTW, your towing capacity also depends on 3 things we don't know about your truck: the cab, the rear axle gear ratio and whether or not your truck is 4x4. Per the owners manual:
1996, F150, 4.9L, manual 5-speed trans, regular cab, 4X2:
2.73 gears: GCWR=6250 lbs, Trailer Wt Range= 0-2100 lbs
3.08 gears: GCWR=6450 lbs, Trailer Wt Range= 0-2300 lbs
3.31 gears: GCWR=7125 lbs, Trailer Wt Range= 0-2900 lbs
3.55 gears: GCWR=7800 lbs, Trailer Wt Range= 0-3600 lbs
(The GCWR is the Gross Combined Weight Rating and equals the weight of the truck, the trailer, and ALL loads - including passengers, stuff in trailer, etc.). All of these numbers change based on size of cab and 4x4 or not. Download this and go to page 215. Refer to the label on the pillar of your drivers side door jam (this sticker will give you the rear axle gear ratio and all other pertinent info):
http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Fo.../96f12og1e.pdf

 

anyone else think these numbers are a bit high?

 

For the 300, it is high. There were several different generations of the I6:
1965-72 produced 283 ft-lbs max torque @ 1600 rpm
73-86 produced 223 ft-lbs max torque at 1600 rpm
87-93 produced 265 ft-lbs max torque @ 2000 rpm
94-96 produced 260 ft-lbs max torque @ 2000 rpm
(FYI: from 65-86, the engines were carbed. From 87-96, they were fuel injected)

Per Ford 300 Inline Straight 6 : Engine Facts.com

 

They are but I didn't feel like searching for proper torque readings. Lol

 

giving u-haul false info won't actually increase the capabilities of your vehicle, and exceeding it's rated GVWR can be a life-changer in the event of a collision.

many of us have towed/carried more than we should, but i don't recommend it.

 

Congrats on the purchase! Care to share any details of where you found it, how, and any photos?

 

Thanks for all the insight it is well appreciated. The only thing I found wrong with the truck besides the clutch so far is the front tank. Diagnosed the bad pump, no problem. After pulling the tank realized who ever had the truck before me liked to ride with low levels of fuel. The tank outside was like new, the inside was rotted with a pound of rust in there. Plus 19 gallons of pure varnish. Ordered tank will be here tues. Got the whole thing, tank, hanger and pump.

As far as the advise on the frame hitch I will be taking it. Definitely do not want a life changing event. As worst to me would be damaging my car.

I aquired the truck after this young guy had it for a little over a month and he destructoed the clutch. He believed the tranny was bad because it never shifted good. But as I suspected the slave was not disengaging the clutch completely. At the price of his estimate of 485 to change just the clutch not knowing if the flywheel was needed, he did not have the money to fix it. I got the clutch, slave, flywheel, gear to change the oil in my car (50 bucks) for 300. Easiest clutch job I ever done on a pickup. I was used to having the torch ready working on trucks in the northeast and did not have any trouble on this one from the south,