I'm thinking about getting an 89 or so F250 with the 5spd manny and an I6. How much could one of these tow if it is 2wd and how much if 4wd? Thanks a bunch.

 

I have a 1995 brochure with towing capacities.
Power and transmission are the same as 87-91.

Ford recommends 5200 lbs on 4x2 with 4.1 axle.
All other 4x4 listings are 300 lbs less than same 4x2 models.

GCWR is listed at 10000.

When towing, I have to run higher octane fuel since combustion
temps rocket. It just runs smoother.

I've already towed with a Gross Weight of 10400 with no problems.
She could hold 55-70 on most highways.
The truck has 3.55 axles.
I had no cats on my truck at the time.

 

The question is not what can you pull but how fast can you pull it. A low first gear, along with a high rear axle ratio will help things along.
I've pulled a 6000# trailer with my setup ( 3.08 gears ).

The F250 is a workhorse towing platform.

 

I have weighed in at 33,000 before with my 1\2ton 3.55s and 4-speed, no granny gear. That was pulling the gooseneck trailer with two muddin trucks on it. When I pulled the gooseneck with the backhoe on it, well it was way to much, which was way more than two trucks, about 35mph was all it wanted, although I finaly hit 55mph once I really got it going. The brakes are so good on the gooseneck that it still stops great, just getting it going is tough, fuel milage is a joke, I wouldn't recomend doing this every day, but this is a farm truck and I only plan to wipe myself out if it goes. Just pull what feels right, that's my $0.02

 

I hauled a large farm tractor, on a good sized 2 axle trailer that weighed a massive amount. The old 300 moved along prety slow, but would not die, even on the uphill grades. This is one of the only engines that you can call a work horse and not be telling a lie!

 

My truck(F100), that's geared for wussies, pulled 6 tons of shell corn in a gravity wagon. Never got over 35, but with only front brakes who would want to.

 

I pull 3+ tons of horse trailer, horses and other stuff on trail rides. The truck does fine with a 300 and 3.54's in a 1982 F250 4x4!

When my friend is pulling with us his cheby 454 and 4:10, he has to shift more often than I.

 

I thought my story was impressive but forgot to tell the one about my friend who has a "78? 1ton 4x4 300 w\granny and some really low gears like 4.88s or close to, he pulls 2 grain wagons on 40+ mile trips to the elevator and back one wagon is a 350 bussel and the other is a 400 bussel wagon add the weight up when loaded with corn and tell me what you get, almost 80,000 roling down the road, all the wagons have brakes, he has to start off in 4-low 1st gear, once he goes through all the gears in low range, he smoothly puts it in 2-high and keeps right on going, there is always a tractor pulling the same load infront or behind him, so it never see's 25mph, looks good going down the road, almost forgot, when I was pulling the backhoe, I had stoped at the job site and put the truck in 4-low, thinking I was going to back in real slow, well the truck was on the road and there was a car coming, so I hoped in it real quick and gave it some gas while letting off the clutch forgeting it was in 4-low, broke the left engine mount in half, the gear shifter almost touched the passenger seat and it almost pulled the front left wheel off the ground, I pulled the goose-neck home with the broken engine mount, just went easy taking off, easy 15min. fix and it was good as new!!!

 

I't's not impressive as yalls but on dads 53'GN I had 3 3010 Kobota's w/buckets 1 1947 farmall H I grossed about 40,000LBS
300 did great and I LOVED the 6.69 Granny
Dustin

 

Unless your truck weighs 40,000 pounds, 800 bushel is about 44000 lbs, not 80000. Semi's pull 80,000, a heavy semi. Or is your corn really that wet.

 

That's still over 4 times what it's rated to tow and real impressive IMO.

 

I pull gravity wagons too. The problem is that going down the road you never want to do over 35mph b/c the dang thing starts swirving back and forth, espeacially down hills. On gravel roads my main prob. is traction. I can't get up a hill in 2 wheel drive when just starting at the bottom with a loaded 250bushel gravity wagon. I have to lock in the hubs or else I'll dig a hole in the road. When my uncle had it, he use to put the gooseneck on it with 14 700lb. steers, which is roughly a 12,000 lb. load and it did about 55mph, but it always liked to get hot b/c of it's paper thin radiator.

 

I men't 40,000lbs not 80,000lbs I don't even think that's possible, don't I feel dumb now!

 

The question is not how much weight the 300 six can move, its how much of a hurry you're in. I pulled an 18 foot trailer with a 3/4 ton 4X4 diesel Suburban (blown auto trans)on it with my '83 F250 with 4spd and 3.55 gears. It was slow going and stopping was scarry (no trailer brakes).

 

Guess who pulled out a house and semi the other day? Semi got stuck on the ice on the railroad tracks with half a house on the trailer. Back tires of the semi were on ice and the trialer tires were in a foot of snow cause he took the corner a little short. Anyway I heard them over the CB and I asked if they needed some help cuase I had a tractor at my house, but they thought it would only take a 4x4, so I hooked up and dropped it in 4 low and started pulling on dry gravel. Well I was really burning the tires but after 1 jerk and about a half a minute of spinning I got er moving. All I got was a hand shake in return, plus the glory of pulling a semi and a house. I shoulda waited till the train started coming, then they'ed a dished out the cash.