What is maximum towing capacity
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What is maximum towing capacity
Ok, I'm new to this site and never used one of these. 1, I had to choose between 2 vehicles my F250 Custom 4X4 4.9 straight 6 or a 97 Chevy Suburban 1500. I choose my Ford. Now the question is, how much can she pull? I have done extensive research on my truck. She has Dana 44 and 60 rearends, T BorgWarner t cases with the factory adapter plate, so I know she is truly tuff, also she has 1st gear which is only allowed to go as fast as 6mph to start out (you can't start out in 2nd, you'll burn the clutch up) so that being said she is geared low until 5th gear or 4th overdrive. I've also put 1 ton leaf springs in the rear for added weight difference to keep her leveled out. But, how much can she truly pull? Would she be able to pull a 24' enclosed trailer with sleeping quarters, a Harley, a trike, mobile coffee shop, and camping gear? Or did I choose the wrong vehicle to keep?
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2015
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From: very South Texas
a lot more information is needed
year of Ford and final gearing, type of transmission??? Hitch rating?
and the Chevy Nothing ?
have you seen the Toyota truck pulling the space shuttle?????
and there are several post here for Older Fords towing/load carrying with real numbers.
year of Ford and final gearing, type of transmission??? Hitch rating?
and the Chevy Nothing ?
have you seen the Toyota truck pulling the space shuttle?????
and there are several post here for Older Fords towing/load carrying with real numbers.
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I apologize for not having the year. It's a 1988 and the rear bumper is not stock. It has a farm bumper. I don't know what it's called but it has a tongue with 2 adjustable heavy duty springs with a lever to release to make it swivel from side to side and another lever to shorten or make it longer. The tranny, can't tell ya but I had it looked at and the guy told me what it was and it was a heavy duty tranny. I've been told I can haul up to max 14,000lbs but not to exceed it as I will do damage to engine, tranny, rearends, cooling system which I knew that, but I just wanted to make sure if I could pull up to it. It was a previous Farm truck that pulled heavy equipment
FTE Legend
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
Ha.. no, the official tow rating of that truck is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay below that, and the main reason is the manual trans. We still need to know your axle gearing, that along with the trans type and engine determine towing capacity. If your truck has 4.10 gears it has a maximum GCWR of 10k lbs, that is the weight of the truck, trailer, all passengers and cargo. And note aftermarket additions such as spring, bumpers, airbags, swaybars and such have no impact on your legal tow rating.
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Ha.. no, the official tow rating of that truck is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay below that, and the main reason is the manual trans. We still need to know your axle gearing, that along with the trans type and engine determine towing capacity. If your truck has 4.10 gears it has a maximum GCWR of 10k lbs, that is the weight of the truck, trailer, all passengers and cargo. And note aftermarket additions such as spring, bumpers, airbags, swaybars and such have no impact on your legal tow rating.
OK so everything is explained in the top of this post of what I have to the best of my knowledge even from the factory book it came with it. I ran the numbers a couple years back to figure out the tranny and transfered case and it came back as a t borg warner and the rearends came back as Dana 44 and 60. I've added 1 ton leaf springs with 1500lb add-a-leaf on both sides. The whole question of this thread is, can I haul a 24' enclosed trailer with sleeping quarters, mobile coffee shop, bike, trike, and camping gear? The knowing of how much I can pull is a plus!
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2015
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From: very South Texas
I guess you do NOT understand..
final gearing has great importance on towing. is it s 3:73, 4:10, 4:56?
you are limited by a manual transmission.
stronger springs has nothing to do with towing.
axle type is only good for what is carried in the bed of the truck, not towing.
Horsepower, torque, brakes, are key to towing
for gearing.. jack up rear of truck... mark driveshaft and 1 wheel/tire. rotate wheel and count the number of times the driveshaft rotates...
1 wheel turn and 3 driveshaft turns is 3:1... 1 and 4 is 4:1 etc.
fyi my 2004 Dodge Ram 1500, V6 and 5 speed manual could only Tow 3,300 pound total and nothing in the bed of the truck.
final gearing has great importance on towing. is it s 3:73, 4:10, 4:56?
you are limited by a manual transmission.
stronger springs has nothing to do with towing.
axle type is only good for what is carried in the bed of the truck, not towing.
Horsepower, torque, brakes, are key to towing
for gearing.. jack up rear of truck... mark driveshaft and 1 wheel/tire. rotate wheel and count the number of times the driveshaft rotates...
1 wheel turn and 3 driveshaft turns is 3:1... 1 and 4 is 4:1 etc.
fyi my 2004 Dodge Ram 1500, V6 and 5 speed manual could only Tow 3,300 pound total and nothing in the bed of the truck.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jan 2016
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Yeah, you do need to know the axle ratio to lookup tow ratings. I did a quick look for 1988 trucks and couldn't find actual ratings.
So for the sake of argument, let's assume for a moment that you have a 4.10 or 4.56 rear. I'd be surprised if your 1988 F250 with the 4.9 is rated for much over 6,000 lbs towing. Those I-6's are a work horses within their limitations. They've been used to move more weight than you have ...just don't expect interstate speeds. I'll wild guess your trailer, bike, etc at around 5,000 lbs. Your I-6 will sweat to maintain 60 on flat ground and you'll spend a lot of time around 40mph on any kind of hill even with a high axle ratio.
So for the sake of argument, let's assume for a moment that you have a 4.10 or 4.56 rear. I'd be surprised if your 1988 F250 with the 4.9 is rated for much over 6,000 lbs towing. Those I-6's are a work horses within their limitations. They've been used to move more weight than you have ...just don't expect interstate speeds. I'll wild guess your trailer, bike, etc at around 5,000 lbs. Your I-6 will sweat to maintain 60 on flat ground and you'll spend a lot of time around 40mph on any kind of hill even with a high axle ratio.
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Lead Driver
Joined: Jul 2011
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From: On the Edge of the Desert
With a 300, a manual trans, I'd say no you can't pull that trailer. It's too heavy. Around the block or across town maybe, but it's not gonna be comfortable trying to go long distance or through hills. The power and gearing simply isn't there.
With 4.10 axle gears, (if you have 4.10s) I'd put your limit at around 8,000lbs MAX on FLAT ground. Half that dealing with mountains.
With 4.10 axle gears, (if you have 4.10s) I'd put your limit at around 8,000lbs MAX on FLAT ground. Half that dealing with mountains.
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