Greetings!

If any of you guys have been on edmunds.com lately looking for specs regarding late model (91-95) F-150's, then you know that they don't have the 5.0L 302 models posted. Why????

So this is where you come in....hopefully!!! :-)

I have a 1994 F-150 with a 302 and 3.55 gears (non-limited slip) in the rear end. I am considering purchasing a 37' fifth wheel !!!HEAVY!!! However, I will not tow it much when, and if I do purchase it......SO.....here are the questions post for you!?!

1) Would I be a fool to consider towing it with my F-150?
2) Would an investment in a different gear set up (4.10?) and springs be an acceptable solution for me?
3) Should I just sell the F-150 and buy a 1994 F-250 Dually with a 490 ?


Thanks!!!

 

1) Yes, max trailer weight rating is 6200lbs with an auto and only 4500lbs with a stick. But that's for a new truck and you don't have that.
2) No, that won't help it stop the load an better.
3) Yes.. but that dually will have a 460.

 

1. Maybe crazy.
2. No.
3. Yes.

 

First of all, WELCOME to FTE, source of most everything you need for Ford trucks and then some,
1) most definately, if not completely insanely IDIOTIC
2) NO
3) No, buy an F350 and be done,,, I tow a 29-30' Keystone Cougar,,, I GROSS @ 16500 loaded, so not only would you be illegal, you would be unsafe,, if you are going to tow, do it right and get a truck MADE for the weight.

 

How much does the 37' weigh? I know pulling about 7-8K isn't a problem with an F150 if you have the right hitch and trailer brakes.

 

if its empty it wont be a problem

and will you be trying to pull it on the highway?

 

1) Yes, as posted already you will be way over the weight ratings of the halfton truck you have now. 2) Not really - again as posted already 4.10 gears will get you moving easier, and bigger springs will carry the load, but your brakes are still weak and won't stop the camper good, also the axle won't handle pulling such heavy load for long. 3) Whether you wanna sell the F150 this is your decision, personally I would keep it as a daily driver as there is no such thing out there as a big block Ford that is good on fuel even when empty. On the purchasing of the F250 dually - there was no factory-made F250s in those years that had dual rear wheels, it's most likely a conversion using an F350 dually rear axle and either some dually fenders, or a complete dually bed. However, it could also be the factory F250 single-wheel axle with 2" or so thick spacers that allow the inboard rear wheels to clear the leaf packs - there is at least one company out there (actually they are here in MI) that make such adapters, and while they are very good and strong adapters, I'd still be pretty hesitant pulling that bit trailer with them - I don't really doubt the adapters, it's the SRW axle that I question, as running spacers and then on top of those dually wheels puts the loads at wrong places in the rear wheel hubs. So, really, you should look at the dually conversion very close, and I mean pulling the rear wheels close - if there are no spacers behind the wheels, and the main leaf packs have at least 6 leafs and there's also an overload leaf on top of it all, you should be okay. Many F350s came with 5-leaf main packs, just like the F250s - if you see only 5 leafs in the main packs then you really NEED the F350 overloads on top of them. And just for general information, an F350 with a 460 engine, E4OD trans, and 4.10 gears, is only rated at 17,000 lbs GCVW, truck alone is usually around 6000 lbs so with that camper you will be that much over the factory limit even if you go and buy an F350 - again, for your own private use of said 5th wheel camper the DOT boys will likely not bother you, and the truck can handle the extra weight no problem, just as long as it's got all the F350 goodies and preferably even more. Actually the only difference between the F250 and F350 in these years is the springs and (in case of 4x4) the axles. F250s obviously have the softer front springs, and less leafs in the main packs in the rear. F350s also have overload springs from the factory, which is again a bolt-on upgrade for an F250. F250 and F350 SRW rear axles are exactly the same. F250s have TTB front axle when they are 4x4, F350s have the D60. Converting an F250 to a dually seems to be a common practice for hauling a 5th wheel camper when extra stability and load capacity are desired, but the owner does not want to pay the higher registration and insurance rates associated with owning a 1-ton truck (which is automatically viewed as a heavy work truck by most DMVs and insurance cartels) - upgrading your suspension ain't illegal if you use it for your own private purposes (and stay within reasonable limits, for instance a loaded 40-ft gooseneck car hauler is way past reasonable), it's when you start hauling commercially without having the proper registrations and insurances when you get in trouble.

 

Ummm... not really.... the axles are different, and so are the lug nuts, my F250's have 1/2" lug nuts and studs, my F350's have 9/16" studs and nuts and that is just the start, so NO an F-250 IS NOT the same as an F-350.

If you are going to tow a heavy trailer, I will say it again, buy a truck MADE to tow a heavy trailer, if a 250 and 350 were the same,,,, why buy one over the other,,,, GCVWR, so legally you ARE NOT allowed to change the suspension of a 250 and make it a 350 and increase your GCVWR you are still driving a truck with a 250 VIN and ratings, I have my CA CDL and have had it for awhile (15+yrs) and yes the CHP or other states Hwy Patrol officers WILL stop you if you have a large 5th wheel on an under-rated truck, THAT IS THEIR job, to keep stupid people from hurting others by their idiotic actions.

 

You have a light-duty F250 then? We have a '97 F250 HD 4x4 here and it has the same 9/16" lugs/studs as my F350 dually. But really you are pretty much only proving my point - take an F250, swap in the F350 axles and springs, and you end up with an F350. Unless... can you go and measure the thickness of your frame rails whenever you got some time to kill? I'll measure mine and we can compare - I know Chevy trucks do use thicker frame rails in their 1-tons than they have in the 3/4-tons, but AFAIK Ford directly designed the 1-ton frame and then used the same thing with weaker axles and/or springs to make the 3/4-ton trucks.

Again, the F250 and the F350 from these years differ only in axles and springs, why buy over the other - cause one can carry more than the other, but the other one costs less to buy and operate. And yes you can legally install F350 suspension components in an F250, but you are still bound by the F250 GCVWR - the 1-ton parts will make it easier on your truck to carry the load, and make the truck a bit more stable on the road, but that's all - even tho truck's physical strength is now equal to that of a factory 1-ton, unless the truck is reinspected by the local DOT/DMV and new higher GCVWR is assigned to it, you cannot legally tow as much as a factory 1-ton can - so in that sense you are absolutely correct. Also I don't doubt the state patrol will pull over a severely overloaded truck, the "problem" however would be in recognizing a proper dually-conversion done on an F250 from a factory 1-ton dually - if the conversion is done right (with all the 1-ton springs and axles and wheels), the moment you pull the badges off the front fenders the truck becomes totally unrecognizable as a 3/4-ton. This of course is not to say that he should go ahead an pull a 20k trailer with a dually F250, I'm just stating that it's possible to pull a big 5th wheel with a dually F250 and not get canned for it. I do however agree with you that the factory dually F350 with a towing package would be way more appropriate for pulling his 5th wheel, but honestly even those do need some help in the rear springs department so they don't squat (thanks Ford for making these things sit level when empty).

 

The difference is in the GVWR so that registration and taxes will be less on a F250. People that just want a big truck or dont tow all the time get an F250, While some one who has a F350 will most likely have it loaded much more often.

Other then that there is little difference between the trucks.

 

Ohh, and as for the F150, its rated diffrently. Since it isnt a heavy duty truck there are no legal GCVWR published. Any ratings you see are recommended. My truck is a fairly heavy duty half ton and i cap it at 9K on the bumper and maybe 12K in the bed, half tons tow much better from in the bed, as with any truck. Of course that is a flat bed equipment trailers, An RV is a completely different animal.

 

This is what I use for my 5th wheel. Love them chevys!!

 

Gotta love the dog chain added to augment them tailgate cables!

 

I love the wood hitch/tailgate support the best...

For the original poster, I wouldn't try pulling more than 7k lbs with a f150. I pull my 28' 7k lb trailer with my f150 with a 351, c6 and 3.73 gears. It's still slow going up hills. Any larger and I would feel the truck is too light to steer and stop the load. I also wouldn't tow any 5th wheel with a 150 since the pin weight alone will overload our light duty trucks. A 37' fifth wheel is fully in dually territory.

 

I tow a small fifth wheel with my 150 and it does okay. However, my trailer is only a 19.5' and weighs less than 4000lbs. In the interests of full disclosure though, towing the trailer killed my old tranny on its first trip. When I had it rebuilt, they installed heavier duty components and replaced the rad. We have alot of mountains here in BC and I'm really cautious with how I drive with the trailer. I think towing a 37' is WAY beyond the capabilities of a 1/2 ton.