I have a 1995 ford f-150 302, can anyone tell me if it would be capable of pulling a 28' 5500 pound camper?

 

its capable as far as the weight, but capable doesnt mean it will do it willingly. the 302 will strain pulling that,'specially up hills

 

I have pretty much the same set up except a couple years older and just with a quad in the bed and some other stuff in the cab the 302 bogged down on hills. Mind you i had 33's on at the time but its not much different over stock, i would imagine it would pull it like cuztom79 said, but dont expect to go very fast.

 

itll do it but strugle pretty bad in the hills,ive pulled alot heavyr with my 92 with a 302 and it dont like it at all but it got the job done

 

the 302 will be your hold back-she will pull her with a lot of grunting and groaning-would not do it on a daily basis-if your going to do it regular-re gear it-larger ring and pinion-it will help

 

No, A. The 302 isn't a good pulling motor, maybe with lower rear end gears.
Most 302 equiped trucks were in the 3.08 range, bad for pulling. So you would need to at least upgrade that. About $500 - $1000 at a shop depending if you have both done, if you don't have front and rear done you can't use 4x4 until you do. 3.55 or 3.73 will help you tow while giving you at least some fuel economy. (Although that may be an oxy-moron with the 302 Make sure you get a good tranny cooler on the tranny, maybe a deeper pan, it likes to get hot, especially with a 302 where it has to down shift everytime throttle input is increased. Rebuilding a e40d isn't fun (expensive).


B. I am guessing the trailer is in the 6500-7000lb range after gear, or water, or fuel or all three are loaded. You could pull it, but even with the newer ones (f150s) that have a really high payload rating its probably better to tow with the f250. But, I do come from AZ where the mtns play hell on trailering, and so do the backwoods/deserts. So, if its flat land for you, you would be alright, just make sure the trailer brakes are good and you have a controler, an f150 isn't that heavy. If you do tow it regularily it will wear an f150 out.
Later,
Paul

 

I tow a similar trailer, with my truck, a 94 Supercab, 351 4x4 and it tows good on flat ground and goes really slow up Stevens Pass. I would say as long as your not doing a lot of towing up a steep grade you could do it. My grandpa tows the same trailer with his 88 F-150 5.0L 4x2, but only on flat ground. It also depends on how good of shape yours trucks in.

 

I had a '95 F250 with the 5.8 in it, 3.54 gears, and 265 85 16 tires. I hauled a trailer similar in size and weight to yours from South Florida to West Texas, and it was a pain in the a$$. The weight of the trailer wasn't as bad as the large flat front surface, I would have to floor the pedal to get the truck up to 60, where it would shift into overdrive. But not long after shifting, wind resistance would slow the truck down to 50 or so, and the transmission would kick back down into 3rd.

Gas mileage went from about 15 miles per gallon down to about 7. Changing to a 4.10 gear would have done wonders for the truck's pulling ability, and a manual tranmission would have been a good help too.

If you are going to be pulling this trailer alot, I would recommend changing your gears to a 3.73 or 4.10 ratio. You might think the swap is expensive, but you'll save at least that much in gas on a single cross-country trip.

Your 5.0 will run at higher rpms, but the 5.0 is a good revving motor, and with good oil and maintenance it should have no problems at all.

 

I tow my sailboat around (~ 4800 lbs) with a 302 4x4...my e4od was not happy about it. It doesnt help that you can't lock the torque converter in 3rd gear, and that's really what you need for towing. I really think if you put in a manual override for the TCC, and make sure to only use it when on the highway (or trans reprogramming) it will be a much more enjoyable ride..but the 302 isnt going to feel like a 7.3 TDI
<img src="http://www.rit.edu/~btm4554/mytruck_small.jpg">

 

Pullin is one thing trying to stop that thing will be another yeah i think thats a bit to heavy for a 302 if you do taht often your tranny engine wont last very long

 

if it has trailer brakes and he hooks them up it should stop fine!!

 

I have a 95 F250HD supercab, 4x4, 460 and E4OD and I jerked our 28' bumper pull camp trailer over Stevens in August (we have family in the Methow Valley). Even with the 460 it was a job. Let me guess, you were pegged at about 20-25 with the 351? That's what my old truck had, not much of a motor for towing over passes.
To answer the original poster's question- unless you are on perfectly flat ground or going down hill all the way, I would not want to be towing a 28' camp trailer with the 302. It will do it, but it won't be very happy about it.

 

Not much experience with this but I have a 302 as well but my gears are 3.55

 

do you guys think that it would be fine? I am going to be pulling a trailer with a grand prix on the back

 

heck I've pulled lots of stuff with my 90 F150-302-she bitches and moans-but she does it-the thing I hate is stopping!!!if trailer brakes are an option-use them you will be a lot happier!!