I`m planning on purchasing a 92-96 f150 with the 300 within a month or two. I will be using it to tow a 3000lb boat aproximately 600 miles a month.My question is which trans/gear ratio is better suited for this(durability,mpg)the 5sp or the 4od?I have noticed a lot of these trucks with the automatic in trans shops around town.

 

I have the mazda tranny which is not a great idea for towing...with 3000lbs you should be ok, but the tranny is a weak link. The engine is strong and pulls hard w/o a problem. Does this vehicle have 4 wheel drive? because pulling a boat out of the water with a 2wd is hard on a clutch. Good luck!

 

No the the trucks I`m looking at are 2wds.I should be alright because my present tow vehicle is a stock 1990 Nissan Pathfinder with a 150hp 3.0V6,I would think the F150s stock clutch would be as strong or stronger than a Pathfinder.

 

I don't see any problem towing a 3000 lb trailer with the 300 I6. I would get the manual tranny, and you probably want it with the 3.55 rear end ratio. Avoid layin on the torque in OD when hauling a load. OD is the weak link. OK to tow in OD on level but downshift for hills and acceleration.


INLINE SIX POWER!
300 Cubic Inches of Low RPM Truck Torque! And twin-I-beams too!

 

Make sure and get the ZF 5 speed manual there is know way the 300 six can make enough torque to tear it up. The Mazda 5 speed is nothing but a three speed with over drive and is very weak and touble prone. The Zf has compound low which makes for taking of with a load a lot easier IE. pulling boat out of lake. I agree 3:55 gears 4:11 would be great for towing but probably hurt mileage a little, although I pull everything on the place with 3:08 gears and get 18 highway 14 city and this is with a Np435 4 speed.

 

I think these guys are neglecting to inform ya that they're talking about ideal trucks that aren't easily found... ZF 5-speeds are rare in trucks, so wtroger is essentially suggesting changing out the tranny in the 5-speed when you get it, and (in my experience) most of the F-150's out there aren't 3.55 gear ratios, they're more like 3.08's (or even 2.73?).

Out of the probable transmissions that are in the trucks you're looking at, the automatic is the stronger tranny. The manual is most likely a Mazda M5OD (as it's called around here) or otherwise known as the the M5R2. This 5-speed is a weak transmission (i have one) that probably won't like steeper boat ramps very well (and we're not talking about the clutch here).

If the M5OD was mated to a low rear-end it might hold up better, but you didn't give any indication you were looking to both buy a F-150 and change out a tranny or a rear-end.

The very strong ZF 5-speed transmission is largely found in F-250's. It has a lower first gear ratio, too.

My father has a Extended cab, long bed 1992 F-150 with the automatic and a I-6 in which we tow a 17.5 foot bass boat and severely overloaded beds of firewood in without problem. The tranny is an un-noticeable part of the smooth-working truck (and that's a good thing).

Do a search in the 1988-1996 trucks forum for "M5OD" (Mazda 5-speed OverDrive) and look at the number of people changing them out before 100k miles. Ugh. My own tranny had tons of magnetic particles on the magnet, and very dirty fluid on my last fluid change.

While I prefer manual trannies, the automatics in these Fords makes them dreams to drive (to me) compared to the non-smooth Mazda tranny.

But that's just my opinion.

 

I do not know where you are at but the statement that finding a 6cyl with a zf is going to be tough is interesting. Iam from a very rural area with large cattle and grain operations. And I work on these things a part of my business and around here the zf is the rule in the 1/2 ton 2wd/4wd six clyinder trucks. I will agree that if you don't know or don't handle manual transmissions well the the auto is a very good route.

 

If your expecting that the F-150's mazda tranny and clutch can beat the pathfinder..you might be mistaken. It's not as much being the clutch as it is being how low first gear is. I have a mazda tranny with 3.55 gears on stock tires and i can idle at speeds around 5-6 mph at 700 rpm, it is alil tough pulling a boat out of the water on a steep ramp. I tow a 2500 lbs snowmobile trailer and its difficult, reverse is even higher then 1st so backing up can get difficult, sometimes i can smell my clutch burning. but it is dueable. Good luck.

 

Find a small bell C6 and you can tow anything the 300 has the power to do so - no overdrive, definetly go with 3.5's or smaller (larger #). No to say that 3.0? won't work for a a few trip - just hard on the tranny and engine....

 

I went with the F250 in '91. I would recommend the F250 over an F150. Better mileage, better braking, tougher all around and more common with 355 gears and a ZF for the manual tranny. You might find a ZF in a F150, but it is rare and may possibly have been a special order that some dealers may have done in some areas, which would account for some people thinking they are common. 355's in an F150 would also have been a special order. Newer versions of the F150, at least the 4x4's now have dual piston front brake calipers and 16" tires which are better suited to towing. You didn't say what boat you were towing, but in some states you would be close to being required to have trailer brakes. I can tell you that on my Ranger boat I have surge brakes. I will never own another boat and trailer without them.

Carlos

 

Hey I own an 84 ford 4x4 witha a 300 6, it has a four speed manual trnny and is equipted with 3.55 gears. Here on almost all ford pickups the 3.55's are used, so it isnt too uncommon to find a rig that has then, and i have never had any trouble pulling my buddies out of the mud with them. plus it is usually in four wheel drive and i have some 31 inch mud tires on it. if you have a very big load with an automatic i think that you would probably burn the tranny up before you start moving so i would find a four speed manual.

 

I'm with Tetraruby; the C6 is the way to go. I wouldn't buy a truck and then put one in though. I would find a late 80's F-150 with one already under the hump. I had an 88 F-150 with a C6, 302, and 3:55 gears; can you believe I sold the truck? Anyway, it would pull anything I needed it to and it was a 2WD long bed with stock size tires. Just my .02.

 

Iwas going to ask a similar question because these guys are really experts on these trucks, actually its about getting a better transmission, like one of the really special HD 6 speeds (aftermarket)or the F 250 trans with granny gears. I have 88 F150 with the Ford 5 speed and its a really strong transmission. I've been towing a 20 ft proline to the gulf (150 mile trip). I've been thinking about getting a bigger boat (weight would go from 3000 to 4500 lbs)and feel that something extra would help this truck do it better. I now run at 2000 rpm = 55 mph, 12 mpg and the worn clutch and heavily used motor does feel the strain on the ramps. With 189,000 miles, my clutch is showing serious signs of wear and my gear shifter is sloppy loose (its in the top, never jumps out of gear), so I'll be dropping the trans soon anyways to fix that. I'd love a new big diesel, but with gas prices soon to rise, I'd just as soon keep this truck and use it for the boat hauler.

I'm an American car supporter, so I don't favor jap stuff (buy Amercan--Americans work, I don't count 800 employee assembly plants as being made in America) but my last truck was a 82 Mazda (I've reformed since then) made in Japan truck, and it wore out 2 transmissions towing a 16 ft flats boat (maybe 1200 lbs) before it had 90,000 miles. That left me with the impression that the Jap trans aren't as strong for heavier than normal work. My truck has the Ford 5 speed (I think the newer Fords use the Mazda, 1993- ).

P.S. My biggest load -- a huge 20 ft steel, 6 wheeled trailer loaded with 7500 lbs of sod. It bottomed out the rear springs but we pulled it over 200 miles (anything to save a buck).

P.S. Again -- Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, for having such a great WEB site.

 

if it is an automatic transmission it will probably be the aod or e40d with the e40d being the biggest you can get in the f 150 also the most expensive to fix

 

I have a 1989 F-150 with a 300 six and manual transmission,its also a4x4,I use this truck for a farm truck,hauling feed 5-6 ton,pulling tandom hay wagons,and also pull a 4-horse stock trailer with tack and feed compartment,I have never had any problems,this truck has 172,000 miles on it at present, I just replaced the original plugs,wires,distribtor,and the motor craft battery that came with the truck when I bought it,it had 27,000 on it back in 1991, I am the second owner, I think I'd go with the mannual and also get a 4x4 you won't be sorry.
Good luck....