struggling while pulling boat
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 361
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From: Las vegas, Nevada.
struggling while pulling boat
It's a 2003 f 150 4.6 It really stuggles while pulling my 21 foot boat. rpm's are around 3,500 while pulling up slight/medium hills at 60 mph floored.. The truck only has 35,000 miles on it. Is this normal for the 4.6? My previous truck a 98 chevy 5.7 pulled it with no issues.
Would a SCT micro max tuner help with the towing? If so how much? Anyone have any experience with the SCT tuners?
Thanks a bunch!
Would a SCT micro max tuner help with the towing? If so how much? Anyone have any experience with the SCT tuners?
Thanks a bunch!
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 397
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From: nova scotia, canada
i have no experience with the sct tuner. but you gave up ove 1L to the chev. there is susbtitute for cubic inches (displacement). whats the weight of the boat and trailer. how does your 77 ranger pull it?
she may have a cat problem. but it is a smaller v8. i know my 01 super crew tows our 6000lb travel trailer at 100kph, just over 60mph, with no trouble but on hills she stays in the higher rpms alot.
she may have a cat problem. but it is a smaller v8. i know my 01 super crew tows our 6000lb travel trailer at 100kph, just over 60mph, with no trouble but on hills she stays in the higher rpms alot.
Elder User
Joined: Nov 2005
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From: Cottage Grove, Minnesota
I agree with beer boy something doesn't seem right with your truck.
Last week I pulled a 5500# trailer for a high school band for graduation with my 97 F150 4.6 and had no problems. I even had to pull the trailer to Hastings, MN and coming back I knew it was going to suck becasue there was a decent size hill to climb. I was turning about 3500 RPMs when climbing the hill. I did lose a lot of speed though, I went from about 60 down to 45 by the time I crested the hill.
Last week I pulled a 5500# trailer for a high school band for graduation with my 97 F150 4.6 and had no problems. I even had to pull the trailer to Hastings, MN and coming back I knew it was going to suck becasue there was a decent size hill to climb. I was turning about 3500 RPMs when climbing the hill. I did lose a lot of speed though, I went from about 60 down to 45 by the time I crested the hill.
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Joined: Jan 2004
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From: allen park
What gears do you have in the rear end of that truck? If it's anything lower than a 3.55, that could be your issue. Check the gears via the sticker on your door panel and the decoder located here on the site under Articles.
Originally Posted by turborich
It's a 2003 f 150 4.6 It really stuggles while pulling my 21 foot boat. rpm's are around 3,500 while pulling up slight/medium hills at 60 mph floored.. The truck only has 35,000 miles on it. Is this normal for the 4.6? My previous truck a 98 chevy 5.7 pulled it with no issues.
Would a SCT micro max tuner help with the towing? If so how much? Anyone have any experience with the SCT tuners?
Thanks a bunch!
Would a SCT micro max tuner help with the towing? If so how much? Anyone have any experience with the SCT tuners?
Thanks a bunch!
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 361
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From: Las vegas, Nevada.
Thanks guys! I will check to see what the gear ratio is. I am not really sure how much the boat weighs? It's just your standard 21 foot fiberglass boat with a 350 engine. I guess that it's just a matter of the rpm's turning kinda high that worries me. It sounds like this might be normal for the 4.6 while climbing a hill. I just don't want to hurt it at all! I plan on putting a good sized plate style trans cooler on her this weekend to help keep the trans cool as well. Anything else I can do to keep her running longer?
Once again, Thanks!!!
Once again, Thanks!!!
