I just started a small construction buisness, i have a 82 ford f350 dump truck with a 400m and honestly doesnt have the cahoonas needed to have a full load of rock and pull my 7000 lbs bobcat. So i have my 69 ford f-100 with a beat old 360 fe, it has problems i cant figure out. Ive been dumping a few hundred in that old engine so its not worth it to me. So my question is should i replace it with another fe or put a 460 in it. I want my 69 to be my hauling truck that pulls my bobcat ez. Also how hard is the 460 swap and how hard will it be for me to stiffen it enough to pull it. Please guys list the pro`s and cons between me using 351w vs fe vs 460 im on a budget but i want a truck that can pull a tree out also what engine would be the best for re-sale. My truck has great interior with great rims and tires. I bought it for 3500 paint sucks but i want to be able to get my money out of it.

thanks guys.
Chad

 

Chad, Welcome to FTE and the 67-72 forum.

I hate to say it, but you are on the wrong track. To handle a load of gravel and the Bobcat and Bobcat trailer, you need a larger truck that a F350.

The engine can get it moving but you need to be able to stop it and stop it on a regular basis. The axles, bearings, springs etc. are not designed to handle that job daily. While a F100 can pull a Bobcat once, it will tear the old truck up pretty quickly.

I am encouraging you to look at a F600-F800 or newer F450-550 to do the job safely. There probably is someone at home that wants you to come home every night.

Hate to have to reply to you like this.

John

 

Chad, it is mostly gears that make these old trucks work so hard. On your 69 I suggest you rebuild your 360, but use the crank from a bigger engine. You can make it into a 390 or a 410 by going with a longer stroke crank. With a good hitch and trailer brakes is should pull you bobcat fine. If possible I would set it up for a goose neck trailer (better weight transfer).

A 460 is a cheap alternative, and popular, except now they are known as a gas hog. They deliver more power and will give you about the same fuel mileage when you are loaded as the FE, but you can expect around 8 MPG empty. It is hard to sell any pickup with a big motor now, and you almost have to pay someone to take one with a 460.

I would not consider a 351 - just not horse enough.

Let me know how things work out for you.
Good Luck, and welcome aboard.

 

if your 69 does not have front disc brakes, they will be needed. i doubt the f100 was designed to do what you would like it to do, without exceeding your budget.

put the 460 in the 82 and you will be closer to your goals for less money. the 460 will bolt to the tranny your 400 is connected to. leave your 69 in its original config and you may have a better chance to get your investment back. cheers, garsten

 

Thanks alot guys you seem like a great bunch of guys thanks for taking the time to help me. My last forum was hybridz.org because i was building ford small block kits for the 240z`s anyways i whomped on those lt-1`s with my 373w stroker pushing a true 462 hp in a 2600 lbs car and ford 9 inch. As for my truck situation you are right my 350 dump truck cant hold a load and my bobcat tghats why i wanted to upgrade my f100. Also guys im not worried about the f100 frame because i can fab pretty well i had to weld an entire tube style frame with crossmembers on my existing uni-body of my z because it had the dragon in it. It didnt even shake when launched but then i dont know as much about hauling as that. But i planned on welding up a cool frame. Thanks again guys it feels good not to be the only ford guy, im only 22 so fighting for fords all the time was exhausting. Also my f100 was the ranger xlt with front discs. Also can anybody tell me what brake swaps there are for my 100 and 350 also im leaning towards a 390 with nice port work [By me] and headers. But is the 460 swap really hard guys. Does anyone on here have a similiar truck as mine.

Chad

 

I like the 390 - or even a 410 - BUT the 460 is a bolt in. Search this forum for "460" and see how many members have installed one.

 

The 390 is more of a bolt in than a 460, it's the same bell, same perches, same accessories, etc. I wouldn't use an F-100 to haul the bobcat though, I wouldn't haul more then 3k behind an F-100 without major upgrades to the brakes, suspension, and frame if you're using a reciever hitch.
A dually F350 of this era would work fine, I regularly haul a John Deere 244 on a 20' tilt bed behind a 72 F350 with a utility body and a 390/c6 auto. It does it, and those monster Dayton disks up front slow it down pretty good, but the trailer has electric brakes as well. It actually does a better job hauling and stopping that combo than the other truck, an 89 Dodge 250 diesel 4x4. That thing is tired, though, major lack of low end power.

 

Try using a good hydraulic brake set up on the trailer - the master cylinder is part of the trailer side of the hitch, and each axle has drum brakes. When the trailer pushes against the hitch it applies the trailer brakes, which pulls the trailer away from the truck, releasing the brakes.

You will never feel the weight of the trailer pushing against the truck - it not only works when you are stopping, but also as you descend a hill or slow down in traffic.

I have never been a fan of electric brakes - the ones I have tried just did not do the job - they would not stop the load. I had a heavy flatbed trailer I switched over from electric to hydraulics - the difference was beyound belief.

They are a bear to back up when it is slick - you do have to disable the brakes or they will get you stuck.

 

Surge brakes pushed the Dodge out almost into traffic today, hauling a 5k mini excavator down a hill. I always hated the bang they made, made it feel like the ball or whole hitch was going to be ripped off.
The system I really like is the air over hydraulic on the heavy tilt bed we haul with a 5yd dump. I've been thinking of how to adapt that system to a normal surge brake trailer for hauling my 4x4.

 

I assume you have everything greased up and adjusted? How about the sweep area of the shoes, are the brakes big enough for the load you haul? I have never had this sort of problem with surge brakes.

I agree, air over hydraulic would be nice - I had a vacuum over hdraulic on a horse trailer once that worked well also. But these systems are a bit expensive for a start-up business.

 

Gentlemen, We all have our opinions and we express them freely here. I am no chicken little, but when a new user comes here for advice and you recommend that daily towing a Bobcat with a F100 is OK, it is WRONG and that is not what we are about.

Jared, If that overload had pushed you out in front of a semi running 70 mph you might not be able to use a keyboard any longer.

All greased up and adjusted can still make em say, Don't he look natural?

IMHO

John

 

7000 pounds of bobcat and a stout enough trailor would weigh atleast around another 2000. Add that together and your talking 9000 pounds maybe more in trailor weight. I would not try to pull half that consistently with a halfton pickup no matter how its set up. My 70 f100 only weighs around 3800pounds. I have been pushed with less than 5000. I think you would come out cheaper in the long run and safer by getting the proper truck for the job. I am sure you can find a government auction in your area and a 2.5 ton or bigger deisel dumptruck could be had reasonably. You should then be able to handle your bobcat and rock with one truck. As far as gassers go that 460 is gonna be your best bet for torque in stock form.

Another concern I have gotten a warning from the dot for hauling a delta88 behind a halfton. I think a bobcat would have gotten me a ticket.

 

Especially those that are to be used for towing. If you are in an accident and you are overloaded you can/will be prosecuted and or sued. This is different than the GVW. The GCW includes everthing that is attached to the tow vehicle.

 

"You need to find the Gross Combined Weight of any vehicle"

I have been biting my tongue and keeping quite all day, not wanting to start a flame war over something I really do not care about. However, to suggest that any manufacturer's recommendation has the force of law is ludicrous. It is even dumber when no provisions for after market accessories are made.

Why do you think class 5 hitches are sold for our trucks (loads that exceeds 5000 pounds gross, 500 pounds tongue weight?) Do the same limits apply to a bumper-hitch trailer as to a goose-neck one?

Manufacturer's recommendations are made to keep all drivers in all conditions safe - without regard to the skill of an experienced driver, or even the possibility that a professional driver is involved.

There is a huge difference between someone who is always pushing traffic, cornering fast and tail-gating and someone who eases back, leaving lots of room in front of his rig, who takes the corners slow and with care, and who coasts to a stop at a light, instead of racing to the end of the block and slamming his brakes on.

Driving habits have changed, and not for the better. A good, professional driver can safely tow twice the weight then the normal driver of today can!

I know of no state that uses the manufacturer's rating to limit what someone does with his truck, especially here in the west, including California. The DOT rules may have changed when they went to the different classes of driver's licenses - but no one has ever told me this, or questioned any of my rigs.

Tow a bobcat with one of our trucks? Sure, and twice on Sunday!