[updated:LAST EDITED ON 30-Sep-02 AT 03:45 PM (EST)]I've read almost the whole towing forum and from what I can tell I'll be doing "light duty"' towing. However, I'm still not sure of this... I've only owned this truck ('95, XL short wheel base, 3.9L w/ 5spd, stock bumper hitch ball) a few months and have very little recent experience towing anything (Army training, sir! 20 years ago). I'd appreciate any opinions or suggestions while I'm waiting for my owner's manual to arrive from Helm so I can "do the math" and make sure I should even be thinking about it.....

I'm going to buy a 90's model T'Bird which has a "curb weight" of about 3200 lbs (no motor in it). Assuming it's not too wide (still looking for that spec) for a UHaul 3900lb capacity tow dolly... could I tow it 500 miles of mostly flat Florida interstate or am I asking for trouble? Should I invest in a nice bolt on Class III hitch and make sure my brakes are in good shape? Would this be all I'd need? Maybe I should just fork over the $$$ to rent the UHaul truck?

One other question - a guy here at work has a 94 lwb, if I grab the specs from his manual am I ok? Is there a difference in lwb and short?

 

Hopefully you have the 4.9l engine. I don't remember Ford making a 3.9, and either way that would be smaller than the "large" engine available in a Ranger. The Manual will have specs for both LWB and SWB trucks. The SWB may have a higher tow rating because of the lighter box/frame, but the LWB will tow better because of stability issues. Make sure you're looking at all the combinations, Engine size, 4x4 vs 4x2, and auto vs manual transmission. If the trucks already got a hitch make sure you find it's capacity in addition. If you're adding a hitch just to tow this, you're probably better off just renting a truck for the one time tow. If you have other "things" to tow like a boat, travel trailer etc... make sure you're specs will handle all projected loads, not just this one time load.

Have Fun and remember to swing wide on your turns.

 

I am going to assume that you have a F-150, 4.9 I-6 cylinder, regular cab, standard axle for a standard transmission and standard payload package. The answer is no, your truck will be overloaded. Out of the Ford Towing guide, your truck is rated for a 2300 lbs max trailer weight. The weak link is the standard transmission. If you have the supercab, the max trailer weight is 1900 lbs.

 

Also note that the bumper hitch is not the strongest option in terms of towing. Most are rated at a max of 3,000lbs. Plus, because of their position your trailer will sit higher throwing off the center of gravity of your trailer causing sway problems while towing.

 

I would never recommend anyone towing with a bumper hitch. They're almost always the wrong height and if you don't have a solid 1 piece bumper you may be setting yourself up for disaster.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 01-Oct-02 AT 12:59 PM (EST)]Thanks for the responses. It is indeed a 4.9L (hey, I never said I was a perfect typist ;-)) and a standard cab. I've borrowed that manual for a '93 and will check all the numbers when I get home from work, I drove the car in this morning. There is one more thing though... It appears that the truck has a (one piece) step bumper with a ball hitch using a 1" shank. It appears to be the optional Step Bumper mentioned in the manual. How do I confirm that this is or isn't the one the manual says "This step bumper has a Class III capability (5000 lb/2 268kg trailer weight and 750 lb/340 kg tongue weight)." I can't find a stamping in it anywhere that would indicate it's ratings, my eyesight is kind of bad and it was getting dark last night when I was looking... and this truck was bought from a source that I wouldn't want to rely too heavily on to know what it was originally equipped with. If this does turn out to be the one indicated then it would seem to be reliable for this application if all the other factors are within safe limits??? I sure hope that's an axle code 19 and a 3.55 gear.... I do have another vehicle I'd like to be able to tow like this but I can't justify buying an F250 just for that... at least not yet. Also, I dont see anything in the manual about differences between the short and long wheel base, I guess the differences are compensated for in the weight specs....??

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 01-Oct-02 AT 06:32 PM (EST)]Never mind - the rear end is a 2.73 and with the manual trans there's no chance for towing anything much more substantial than my lawn mower. I'm renting a uhaul and starting the hunt for a 3.55 rear end. Only other option would be to call a couple friends who drive Chebys and that ain't good.... or maybe one of you guys with a real truck live near Tampa, FL and want to make a few $$$ and go to the NW FL beaches for a couple days?? :-)