I was reading this forum and I have a few questions about the older versus new trucks when it comes to towing:

Why are the new F150s rated so much higher for towing than the 80-96 trucks. Yes, the new engines put out more hp and torque but the trucks have gained a lot of weight as well. And, the inline 6, 302, and 351 were powerful motors too. Are the frames and brakes of the new trucks that much better and stronger?

I just can't understand how the new trucks can be rated so much higher than the older ones. Any thoughts guys?

 

It comes down to frames and brakes. Lots of advances (or complications ) have been made in the field of metallurgy and braking. The older trucks just weren't as advanced.

I think the gas motors in the old trucks are better in general for towing, as they put out more low end torque than the rev-happy 4.6 and 5.4 motors. They are also much, much more simple to work on and diagnose. Most repairs can be done in your driveway, and pulling EEC trouble codes can be done with a paperclip. It doesn't get much simpler than that in you still want the convenience of fuel injection.

If I had to pick one for a tow rig, I'd go with an older one for sure. Not much fun when you're 1000 miles from home and your $800 engine widget goes and the only place you can get one is a Ford dealer - which is always closed, because those things are designed to only break on Sundays and bank holidays.

Also, tow ratings can be (sometimes heavily) influenced by marketing. For example, in my 89 owner's manual the 302 has a higher tow rating than a 300. We all know the six pulls much better than the 300, so why's that? Oh, the 300 was the base model engine and the 302 was an upgrade option? Well, that makes sense then.

 

The new trucks are truly heavier but that is because they are built much heavier. My 04 F150 is built heavier and stronger than a F250 was a few years ago. My 18' travel trailer I used to have dropped the rear of my 78 Ford F150 considerably when I hooked it up and my current 25' trailer drips my F150 less than 2" before I use my WD hitch. The statement that the old engine has better low end torque is very inaccurate. The 5.4 in my truck has variable valve timing and 3 valves per cylinder that increases low end torque a great deal. My old trucks (whether Ford, Dodge or Chrvrolet) never broke 10 MPG towing my 16 or 18' trailer (8-9 usually). My 04 with 5.4 gets around 12 MPH towing and has much more power as well as a heavier transmission and rear end. I've been towing 40+ years and the new trucks are far far superior to the old ones. It's true that the old ones are easier and cheaper to fix but you have to fix them much more often.

 

The new trucks have fully boxed frames with better cross members now and not just channel. They also have 4 wheel disc brakes with pretty big calipers compared to the old drum/disc set ups. Transmissions are improved, engines have 3 valves per cylinder and variable timing and on and on. I noticed a huge difference from my 98 to my new 06 and thats only one body style different. I can also say the same thing about when I went from the 82 to the 98, and from the 71 to the 82.