Hello,
I'm curious as to what most of you do when towing and your truck has a manual transmission. I've only towed my travel trailer 2 time since I had it and I've notice different pulling characteristics and was curious to what others are doing. It seems that my truck really pulls well at low speed and lower gears which is usually the obvious. When I'm cruising along at 55-65 I usually put it in 5th gear on a decent road or highway. When I hit the hills I loose momentum and by the time I down shift I've lost even more. Is it advisable to keep it in 4th around 55-65 mph for extended periods if time? I'd prefer to keep it in the torque range that 55-65 mph and 4th gear produce but is this harmful to the engine? I think it should not be, heck years ago everything was 1:1 ratio 4th gear and even lower rear gears and managed well. I have a huge 3 row radiator for cooling. I'm not too worried about gas mileage, just getting to where I'm going. I hate being a trailer puller who kolds up traffic.

Thanks,
Doug

1966 Fairlane 500 428 2-4v MR 4/spd
1995 F-150 4x4 5.0 5/spd 3.55:1 gear
Ford Mercury MuscleCar Era Cars & Parts Board
http://members4.boardhost.com/fairlaniac

 

I have an 4 speed automatic F250 4x4 460 with 4.10 gears so can't answer your specific question but I do tow regularly and my experience is that if I expect to be in hilly territory I will drop it down a gear and keep it there before things start to bog.

On my truck 3rd is usually good for "rolling" hill type terrain. I occasionally have to drop to 2nd for steep long hills. As long as you are not constantly reving high say 1,000 RPM or nearer to red line you will probably be OK. On the 460 anything within say 500RPM of redline is pretty much just noise and thrashing, not much benefit, I would expect the same in your case. Usually you can tell when you are just thrashing so it is time to shift up.

My truck tach doesn't show redline so assuming yours doesn't either I would guess your redline is somewhere between 4,500 and maybe 5,500RPM.

Some other members comment that the 302 engine is a bit light for medium to serious hauling so your experience may be very different from mine. Most small block fans like the 351 for towing, and of course big block fans love 460s, then there is the smoker crowd who require you to grease their cold dead hands off the wheel to get them out of their trucks, to each his own...

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

JIM, WHAT ABOUT US 300-SIX GUYS!?!?!?!

Seriously, towing exactly as your doing (O.D.) on some flat sections, dropping down into Direct at other times is just fine.

Not lugging the engine is the thing, and you'll be way outta the torque peak before you overrev.

That Mazda five-speed is not the sturdiest transmission ever built; it's lightweight, and while not a close ratio trans by any means, features reasonably small steps between gears, both CAFE-enhancing features, but not outstanding for heavy duty use. To put that Mazda trans into perspective, Ford also uses it in the Ranger.

Next, think about the power flow through the tranny:

In Fourth (Direct), the input shaft is coupled by splined sleeves solidly and directly to the output shaft; no monkey-motion, and the countershaft is only freewheeling.

In Fifth (Overdrive), the input shaft is uncoupled from the output shaft, and driving the countershaft, which is then geared to to the output shaft for overdrive. Overdrive, then, is indirectly driven--there is a lot going on.

I use synthetic gear oil (Redline MT-90) in mine, and even so, at only 200,000 it is ready for an overhaul.

Eddie

 

As Eddie said, 4th gear is direct drive. I was told not to put a lot of load on 5th (that is not to accelerate with trailer) as it is the weakest link in the tranny (apparently the smallest actual gear inside the tranny). When I took my '95 F150 300 I6 5 speed Mazda, with 2000 lb trailer and 3.08 rear end, from Michigan to Yellowstone and Rocky Mntn Natnl Pk, a total 6,000 mile trip, I tried OD a couple times but only for a mile or so. Basically I was running in 4th gear the whole trip (save for mountains and in town) at around 70 mph and the engine was turning about 2500 RPM. The truck loved it! And so did I! In OD I would have been turning around 2100.

 

I have a short run (@90 miles) pulling the trailer to the Dover NASCAR race at the end of May. I'll do the trip not using 5th gear. In the past I've used 5th and cruise and it really bogged down the truck. I guess I fell into the lazy but alert drive category.

Doug

1966 Fairlane 500 428 2-4v MR 4/spd
1995 F-150 4x4 5.0 5/spd
Ford Mercury MuscleCar Era Cars & Parts Board
http://members4.boardhost.com/fairlaniac

 

Oh, and those guys with the 300 six banger are usually pretty happy guys. I have read in this digest that if you had a choice between the 302 V8 and a 300 6, you would probably be happier towing with a 6. I am no expert here and have no experience with the 6 but I have read that since a 6 of equal size to an 8 has more torque and thus is a better tow vehicle if you want that displacement.

My only problem with that is that in my experience when a truck company puts a 6 in a truck and a V8, they usually don't put in as many creature comforts in the truck with a 6 since it is viewed as the "economy" model.

But like I said most 300 6 owners appear to be a pretty happy if Fanatical bunch.

So there.

Jim Henderson

 

I have a 92 F150 with the 300 six and a 4 spd. It does a good job towing. It has a granny gear 1st which helps pulling the boat up the ramps.

My Dad has an 88 F150 with the 302 and 5 spd Mazda. His manual says not to use 5th gear when towing or hauling a heavy load. As someone else mentioned, it is the weekest part of that transmission.

As far as comparing the two, they seem about the same once your up to speed. But the 300 six does BETTER when your starting out and accelerating with a load, I think two things contribute to that. One is the low end torque of the six and the other is the difference in transmissions. (Both trucks have the same rear end gears, I think they're 3.08)

And as far as creature comforts, mine (with the six) is an XLT and his is an XL so mine actually has a few more comforts. I think Ford thought highly of the 300 six and I don't think it was seen as a lesser model. But I have to agree that in general I think that's the case.

Chris
92 F150 Flareside 300 six and 4 spd

 

Us 300 I-6 folks get pretty close to fanatical. V8s are great too (I once owned a wonderful 302 V8 and just bought an E350 motorhome with a 460 V8!!!!), but there is something about that six that I just don't want to live without it. Anyway, my '95 is a XL and I am glad! I must be old fashioned because I prefer crank windows of my XL, though power locks are handy.

 

I'm demoting my XLT; the power door lock motors are shot (again) and one electric window link bar fractured at its pivot pin, and I AIN'T A-GONNA fix 'em. $96.00 apiece for lock motors...

I traded a guy for two complete used regulator/crank/window assemblies and the proper door panels to go with them.

Put the trim off my XLT panels on these new panels so it looks factory, and lie my butt off..."Oh yeah, Ford had a v-e-r-y limited run of manual door XLTs."

The sixteen speed tranny(s) are stock, too.

Eddie