I have finally become comfortable enough with the running temp on my F-150 that I plan on doing some towing next weekend. I've got an old junker 1977 F-150 that I'm going to take out to my buddy's farm and let her sit. She's in my yard right now and I'm wanting to get it out of the way. Since she has that Traction-Lok 3.55 9" Rear End from the factory still intact, I will swap that for the 8.8" on my F-150 now, if it ever goes out or whatever. There's also a few other parts that I would like to have available when I need them.

My temp has been running at the "O" when cruising down the road at 55mph. Running the A/C, she runs more around the "R", but I can live without it for this little tow. It'll be some old country roads and maybe a short run on the main highway. I figure about 10-12 miles total. Not much at all. I've got dibs on using his 16ft. utility trailer and ramps. No brakes on it, but I think that I can manage. I'll also have to do this tow on the bumper. I can't afford a hitch right now and I have the opinion from a 35 year retired and respected welder that my stock bumper will take the damage. He showed me a bumper similar to mine on one of his farm trucks that he towed an 8-roll hay trailer with each summer and it was in perfect condition. I would say that there would be 8,000+ pounds on that trailer will he's loaded, which was hooked to his stock bumper. I don't think that this 3,000lb. load would hurt anything if his bumper takes that kind of punishment.

Any good tips or advice are welcome. Most of all, just wish me luck . This is the first tow with my F-150 and I hope that it's a good experience.

Nightrain

 

it should go ok for you with your distance, and it sounds like your temps are good now, i run around the O all the time (i don't have a/c). just make sure all of your fluids are good (brake, clutch, oil, water) also you may want to check your differential gear oil level and transmission gear oil level before doing this tow. I know alot of people neglect to check those and they come under quite a bit of stress during towing.

 

I checked my auto trans fluid today and I have a question about it. It checks right about the "Add" mark and fills the first dot at idle. Is this enough fluid or do I need to add some? If so, how much?

Thanks brother .

Nightrain

 

You're probably fine, but just keep in mind that that junker probably weighs closer to 4000#, and you'll have the weight of that trailer to consider as well.... That being said, I'd go for it. Take it easy, check things as said above, and you should have no problems. AND you'll have a good idea of what your truck can and can't handle in the future.

Good luck!

 

Well, the old junker has no engine, so I'd knock off 500lbs. for that. She had a 351 in her. I'm saving that for my F-150 . With no trailer brakes, I'm going to take it easy and slow and hope for the best.

Nightrain

 

That kinda load with no trailer brakes could get a little scary so take it nice and easy. With a borrowed trailer take a few minutes to walk around it, check the tire pressures, wheel bearings, lighting, and saftey chains. A failure with a trailer tire or wheel bearing and no trailer brakes could be downright dangerous. When you load the truck on the trailer try to center the load over the trailer axles and left to right. With you using the bumper to pull the trailer you don't want to much tongue weight, so keep the load on the trailer as centered as possible. On the other hand you don't want the load to far back as this would create an excessive trailer sway, also a big problem with no trailer brakes. Bottom line with the short distance your traveling you should be fine just take it nice and slow and don't hesitate to stop if something doesn't feel right.

 

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep my eyes on everything. The truck is a LWB, but I will do my best to center it. Since there's no engine, I guess the rear of the truck would weigh more than the front now, right? Or what do you guys think? The way that the truck is sitting, the rear is pointing towards where I'm going to have the trailer positioned. Would it be better to load it with the front end first?

The trailer that I'm borrowing is a heavy duty job. He pulls it with his F-450 all of the time and he goes everywhere at that. I know that it's very well taken care of, but I'll check it out to the best of my ability once I pick it up. It has those Dexter 3,500lb. axles, so I know that it's not going to be overloaded. Plus, I know that the tongue weight isn't too much because I can pick up the tounge with one hand. I'd say that it weighs 50lbs. If I keep the junker positioned correctly, I shouldn't have any problems.

I don't plan on traveling over 40mph. That's on the highway. I'll do much less than that on those 'ol country roads that I have to drive on .

Thanks again.

Nightrain