More towing questions
More Turbo
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 571
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More towing questions
what kind of boat is it? the motor has plenty of grunt to pull it out of the water. the weight of the boat would be the determining factor on wether to hook to the bumper or get a hitch.
p.s. if the truck is only 2wd be sure to have good to decent tires. especially if you will be using the boat in the winter.(icy ramps are slick)
p.s. if the truck is only 2wd be sure to have good to decent tires. especially if you will be using the boat in the winter.(icy ramps are slick)
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2001
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More towing questions
Like already posted, the 300 will pull just fine. My concern, if I were you, would be how good your drivetrain is. Meaning, what rear end ratio are you running? Do you have a tranny cooler installed? Is your truck half ton, 3/4 ton? The lighter truck may not be the best for braking. You need to find out how much the boat and trailer weigh.
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2001
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More towing questions
Oh yes, class III hitch for sure. I pull a 20 ft fiberglass center console boat without any problems, except my throw out bearing gets to chattering. My boat hits the scales at 2600lbs. A fiberglass 25 ft would be over 4000 lbs and alot more if its an inboard. That's heavy enough to require brakes on the trailer.
Note: if you don't have electric brakes, be extra careful. That load will more than double the distance you need to stop.
Note: if you don't have electric brakes, be extra careful. That load will more than double the distance you need to stop.
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Joined: May 2002
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From: Indianapolis USA
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2001
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More towing questions
For ball park purposes, as I recall, the bumper is rated for 300lb tongue weight and 2000 lb towing weight. If you really want to use the bumper, you can reinforce it. Weld in some plate steel around the ball and then weld some stiffners (angle iron) from the frame to the bumper. I did that on a Chevy 3/4 ton and pulled a 3 weheel trailer with bush hog.
I see alot bumpers all bent out of position from guys towing too heavy a load on the stock bumper.
I see alot bumpers all bent out of position from guys towing too heavy a load on the stock bumper.
New User
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14
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From: Dalevill USA
More towing questions
I have a 94 F-150 XL and the bumper is rated at 5000 lbs. It is a class III. I've pulled 3500 lbs. with it without any problems, but would like to have a hitch to bring the front of the trailer down and level. Other than that, I really don't see any real need to buy a hitch yet. They also make box type receivers that bolt onto the bumper for this purpose.
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Topsfield, MA
More towing questions
Previous poster is correct, the ford bumpers are rated to be a class III, which is 5,000lbs right? Good enough for what that truck can tow. The rear end ratio is what will be a big factor, and the overall weight of the trailer. You can get away with 3.55s on 235/75/15 tires. I have 3.55s and 32" tires, which brings the ratio down to about 3.15, and I towed a heavy boat, around 3500-4000lbs and it struggled, I wouldn't do it often (it was only about 75 miles) because it's a lot of extra strain. If you have 3.08s, and plan on towing this often, than change gears.
Primary rig is Green Thunder:
95' F-150 XLT 4x4, 302, 5 spd, MSD 6A, Flowmaster American Thunder Exhaust, Sunroof, Clear corners w/ Diamond headlights, CD player with 2 10" subs and some 32" BFG Muds
.
Check out my Gallery for a look-see.
Then theres:
99' Mustang GT 4.6L
88' F-250 Heavyduty 4x4 351/c6
95' Mercury Cougar 4.6L V-8
80' E-350 300/6 with a
3 spd column shifter. Weighs around 7,000lbs w. 65mph top speed, who wants to race me!
Primary rig is Green Thunder:
95' F-150 XLT 4x4, 302, 5 spd, MSD 6A, Flowmaster American Thunder Exhaust, Sunroof, Clear corners w/ Diamond headlights, CD player with 2 10" subs and some 32" BFG Muds
.Check out my Gallery for a look-see.
Then theres:
99' Mustang GT 4.6L
88' F-250 Heavyduty 4x4 351/c6
95' Mercury Cougar 4.6L V-8
80' E-350 300/6 with a
3 spd column shifter. Weighs around 7,000lbs w. 65mph top speed, who wants to race me!
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 340
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More towing questions
I try to not refute anyone's post on the site and for sure not in a way that might offend anyone. But today I saw a 93ish F150 with the bumper all turned down and it made me think again about the towing rating on the older FOrd 150 bumpers. So, I consulted my owners manual for bumper rating. According to MY FORD 1988 manual, they rate the bumper to 2000 lbs and recommend a "frame mounted hitch" for any weights above 2000lbs. I tow a 20 ft Proline and installed a class III hitch. I'd love to hear back how its working out for you with towing your 24ft'er. Maybe someone rated the bumper a class III, but Ford didn't rate mine that way.
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dferrell5
1948 - 1956 F1, F100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
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