Why is it that Ford de-rates the towing capacity by a huge margin for F-150 trucks with a manual transmission vs. the same truck with an automatic? Especially confusing when alot of guys will tell you that in general a manual is better suited for towing. I recently upgraded from a 4.6L manual to a 5.4L automatic to be on the safe side. I tow a small 5th wheel weighing about 4000 lbs.loaded.

 

My understanding: Clutch Slippage with manual along with the benefit of torque multiplication you get w/ auto's torque converter. I think full blown towing trucks with a big heavy duty clutch would be "better" than an automatic. But only in REAL H/D applications.

Brian A

 

All automotive manufacturers have standards that say a fully loaded vehicle must be able to start and accelerate uphill on a certain per cent grade. Automatics are able to do this by torque multiplication while manual transmissions damage or destroy the clutch. Also automatics are smarter than some drivers. Some drivers shift the old 5 speed into 5th gear and lug a load down the road wondering why the engine has no power at low end RPM's