I'm gonna be pickin up a 77 or so F-250 supercab pick up. I'm lookin to use it to tow a 10 000 lb travel trailer. I plan on doin it up for a nice off-roading rig later on. But for now I'm lookin to make it as reliable as I can for a month long trip. I'm planning on throwing in a 460. What kind of things should I look for? I don't wanna spend too much on it just yet because of the cost of the trailer, but I'll spend what I have to. What do you guys think I'd be looking at pricewise?

 

Welcome to FTE Highboy! Depending on where you are located, having spent some time in Southern Cali, I would take a weeks vacation and go to Orange county and see what is there, or Arizona. When I decide what my next victim will be, I will make a trip down there myself, they make for great starter projects, 90% of the time, they have no rust unless they were by the coast. I would plan on about $3-5k DEPENDING on the condition. Welcome again and enjoy it when ya find it!

 

i paid $5,000 for mine, about 5 years ago, i let go a little bit

 

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/car/583986053.html
If you are looking for 2 wheel, and then make it 4wd.

 

How about this one!!!
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/car/580131972.html
I might have to make a trip south,,,,, the wife will kill me,,,but,,,, it doesn't hurt that much anymore!

 

wow wish i was in ca. 2000.00 looks like a deal

 

Sorry, should've mentioned I'm from BC, Canada. Those are two nice lookin rigs there though. I just finished with a 77 F250 I had. I bought it off a buddy for need of a truck, and for the love of these. But it had a pretty rusted out frame and a rusty cab, so when the motor quit I retired it. I guess I was mostly just wondering if it wouldn't be too hard on an older trucks drivetrain to be hitchin on a 10 000 lb trailer, or if I should freshen it up a bit. Maybe it's just a matter of the shape of the truck though eh? I wasn't too impressed with the power output for the mpg of my 351M, and wouldn't expect it to be too happy with a load like that. But would a modified 351/400 be capable of the task? Any of you guys use yours for towing?

Thanks a lot for your input

 

i think you will be ok if you have good truck/trailer brakes, and a manual trans. the only prob i see is the truck may over heat???
Mitch

 

The truck is not going to overheat if it is driven properly, and has the proper cooling system.

I agree with what mitch said about trailer brakes, those are a must. Brakes on both axles preferred for stopping power. An auto transmission will hold up OK if its maintained properly on a regular basis, has a mild shift kit put into it, and has the largest fluid cooler installed after the cooling circuit of the radiator and the fluid is not overheated. For rigs used for towing, I like to install after market gauges that show oil pressure, coolant temp, alternator output and trans temp.

Food for thought...
A F250 might not have been rated to tow a 10K trailer from the factory. (6K 74 F250) If you get pulled over by a JERK DOT cop, your goose will be cooked if you can't prove that you are not overweight. A 460, manual transmission, D70 or larger rear end, and 4.10 (with small tires)4.56 gears in the rear end with larger tires, I say do it. You do not mention how you plan on towing this (hitch type) I would definatley say gooseneck or 5th wheel is the way to tow 10K. You can get a bumper mount to do 10K with a weight distributing hitch, but turning, stopping, and backing are VERY fun. The trailer can push the **** end of your truck down, lifting the front off of the ground.

 

I tow about 7000lbs with my 78, no issues as of yet. A little less than your 10000, but it works well. Its a modded 400 with a 410s and a 4 speed. I've seen 1972 F250s pulling travel trailers too. The only problem I can see may be you exceeding the weight limits of the truck. BC can be kind of a stickler for that sort of thing.

 

Thanks a lot masterbeavis, exactly what I was looking for. Thanks all too. I'm going to be using a ball mount type hitch. I would like to go with a 5th wheel, but that would limit me as to my truck. I'm going to be putting a lot of lift on it, and I'm going to be keeping the trailer. And it will have brakes all around. But i never really gave consideration to the cops checkin it out and I am gonna be doin' a lot of driving over the course of a month. Well 10 000 lb is the GVWR and the gross dry weight is 8545. I was considering a newer F150 'cause I believe they are rated to tow 10 000 lb. In which case, I wouldn't be lifting it quite as much and might be able to swing a 5th wheel. I'm torn. What'd'ya guys think?

 

What you get here will be mostly opinion.. tow #'s on these trucks are a bit elusive.. I'm in a 79 4x4 460 C6 F250 Crew, and occasionally tow our 7K toybox.. My GVWR is #8100, and the axles are rated at #3500..

My buddy's got a 2005 F250 (Diesel), and I was blown away to learn that you can almost double all of the capacities, not just because of the engine, but right down to #6000 axles front and rear- helluva truck!..

I love my paid-for classic crew, and will continue to tow with it, but at #10,000, you're right at the top of what your truck can/should do- again, just opinion, so take it for what it is.. Oh, more opinion... spend the $120.00 and spring for the Prodigy brake controller, you'll be happy you did ;-)

 

You did not say anything about lifting the snot out of your truck, or a 4X4, or that you had an existing trailer. A 4x4 has less of a towing capacity, a lifted 4x4 is less stable with a trailer. I certainly would not trust drum front brakes for extended downhill trips on the earlier 4x4s. I am not saying a 73-79 from this era wont do what you need it to, but IMO, without the proper upgrades to the truck, you are hauling death. The front brakes on a F250 are the same as a F350. Rear brakes, go disc, or bigger axle. Stiffer springs, or airbags on the rear... Any gear you haul in the truck will also take away from what you can tow. Good, and properly inflated load range E tires are important. Heck, even the F350s from the 80s-90s were not rated to tow anything much bigger than a 10K trailer.

 

Yeah definately airbag it, good brake contol for decent money is the Tekonsha voyager, half the price of prodigy and easy to wire yourself. Get a weight distributing hitch with 2 sway contols not just one but two and by all means go discs on the front. you are already at capacity with this setup.

 

back from the dead.