Gentlemen,

I have a 93 F150 reg Cab 8ft bed 4.9 and the mazda 5spd with 3.55 gears. I plan on towing my 2 Belgians total weight is about the 500lb limit. My question is what would you do to get this baby ready to pull would. This is what I am planning:
1) Hellwig sway bars frt and rear
2) roadmaster active suspension
3) Catco freeflow converter with an open exhaust
4) Egr restrictor plate...already done
5) K&N filter and airbox modifications....already done

I wish I coul afford the ZF tranny but right now the mazda has to do...any input would be appreciated.

Thanks
MAC

 

If your actually talking 500 lbs. you must have Belgian dogs rather than horses...if your talking 5000 lbs. you need to step up to an F250. My 1989 owners manual lists your combination at a maximum of 4,000 lb tow weight, I doubt if the 1993's tow any more than that. Deen

 

I agree with Deen, I've seen draft horses tip the scales at 1800-2200 lbs. each, add in the weight of the trailer, misc cargo, fuel, folks, etc. and you could have yourself quite a load there.

 

>Gentlemen,
>
>I have a 93 F150 reg Cab 8ft bed 4.9 and the mazda 5spd with
>3.55 gears. I plan on towing my 2 Belgians total weight is
>about the 500lb limit. My question is what would you do to
>get this baby ready to pull would. This is what I am
>planning:
>1) Hellwig sway bars frt and rear
>2) roadmaster active suspension
>3) Catco freeflow converter with an open exhaust
>4) Egr restrictor plate...already done
>5) K&N filter and airbox modifications....already done
>
>I wish I coul afford the ZF tranny but right now the mazda
>has to do...any input would be appreciated.
>
>Thanks
>MAC

i agree with the others. i just got back from a horse show in the mountains and wish i had more truck. i have an 88 f250 HD with the 351w (5.8l), c-6, 3:55 gears. i was pulling an aluminum 2 horse trailer with two warmbloods in it. i need more power and/or lower gears. i would not do those upgrades cause they might add up to $2000 and you still do not have enough truck. put that money into a f250/f350 and get the most powerful motor you can. if i were you i would sell the 93 and get an older f250/f350 for the same money. if this is a one time thing for you, you may be o.k. if you are gonna be hauling horses do yourself and those ponies a favour. get a bigger truck. you will get to where you are going faster and safer.

happy hauling!

Rusty,

 

It is good to hear the consensus of the group on this issue over and over again. I applaud those who take the time to steer people new to towing in the correct direction. And at the same time, they are sprinkled with common sense. Rusty says: "if this is a one time thing for you, you may be o.k" For guys on towing a few times a year and not very far, this is warm, welcome (and accurate) advice, and yet I'd still suggest 4.10 gears for sporadic towing with his combination. I work around the Amish and mennonite communities and tow a harness and tack trailer to horse sales and consignment sales where amish/mennonite and draft horse people congregate. I agree that any pair of adult belgians with trailer will eventually add up to around if not well over 5000 lbs. It is also good advice that Rusty had to recommend that Mac consider trading in the '93 4.9 for an older "but better" F250 or F350 with a 7.5 or IMO a 5.8 with 4.10's would do the job. There are quite a few late '80's trucks in decent condition out there. I guess to Rusty, I'd say you might be surprised what a gear swap would do for your 5.8. I have the 460 with 3.55's and 5 speed and I sometimes am wanting for 3.73's or 4.10's myself.

My .02
Tow safe,
Tony

 

Gentleman,
Thank you for the advice I was hoping I might be able to avoid the sell and trade but it is the common sense thing to do. I was trying to see how much I could eek out of the combo that I have..to just see, but the more I thought and the more I read it only makes sense to go bigger and badder.

Thanks again
MAC

 

>It is good to hear the consensus of the group on this issue
>over and over again. I applaud those who take the time to
>steer people new to towing in the correct direction. And at
>the same time, they are sprinkled with common sense. Rusty
>says: "if this is a one time thing for you, you may be o.k"
>For guys on towing a few times a year and not very far, this
>is warm, welcome (and accurate) advice, and yet I'd still
>suggest 4.10 gears for sporadic towing with his combination.
> I work around the Amish and mennonite communities and tow
>a harness and tack trailer to horse sales and consignment
>sales where amish/mennonite and draft horse people
>congregate. I agree that any pair of adult belgians with
>trailer will eventually add up to around if not well over
>5000 lbs. It is also good advice that Rusty had to recommend
>that Mac consider trading in the '93 4.9 for an older "but
>better" F250 or F350 with a 7.5 or IMO a 5.8 with 4.10's
>would do the job. There are quite a few late '80's trucks
>in decent condition out there. I guess to Rusty, I'd say
>you might be surprised what a gear swap would do for your
>5.8. I have the 460 with 3.55's and 5 speed and I
>sometimes am wanting for 3.73's or 4.10's myself.
>
>My .02
>Tow safe,
>Tony


Tony, thanks for the kind comments. Just wanted to say that a gear change for me would be too expensive i think cause i have the 4x4. besides having to do both front and rear i also have the 3spd auto c-6 and am afraid lower gears would leave me reving to high on the highway. would be really nice on those hills though. i think instead i will rebuild the motor (260,000 Kilometers) cause it could use it and spiff it up a bit with like a stroker crank and mass-air conversion. what do you think of that idea and how much do you think it would cost to change gears in my HD 4x4?


Cheers,

 

To change gears, try drivetrain.com, drivetraincentral.com or nationaldrivetrain.com It can be a do it yourself project but an experienced shop should also be able to perform the swap without too much extra labor. I'm guessing 2 hours+ for each axle, but since I've never done a swap, I'm only guessing.

If your motor is due for a rebuild AND your thinking of new gears, then it might be to your best interest to upgrade the truck depending on your budget. But a stroker rebuild would give you the extra power your looking for even with the 3.55's. I'd suggest a HD shift kit too. But to upgrade, A f250 with 4.10 and 351 and either 4 speed auto or 5 speed manual would be plenty to haul 5000 lbs with. With the 4 speed, your rpms when not towing would probably be better than they are now. 3.73's would be a compromise too. The 460 with 3.73's or 4.10 would handle the 5000 lbs like it wasn't there and with 3.55's you can tow in overdrive, but have to kick it out or shift into 4th on any significant grade.

There is a good RPM and MPG calculators at http://www.race-cars.net/calculators/rpm_calculator.html

Tony