TOWING CAR ON CAR TRAILER

I currently own a 1995 f 150 302 auto. i believe 3:08 gears
i must modify the truck for towing my bracket car and trailer. car and trailer will weigh aprrox. 4200 lbs these are the mods i need opinions on.

1. 3.90 gears
2. rebuilt e/4od tranny or replace with a good old c-6 if possible

3. engine and trans oil coolers

4. large cap. radiator


any ideas?
thanks

I have a 1994 F-150. 5.0 V-8 4R70W trans & the optional towing package. I have towed all over the country & get 14-16 MPG & have 160K miles on it. All I did was a new exhaust, TPS, & O2 sensor.
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You should be fine, I've used 302s to tow with forever, not to mention 300 inlines with no real issues (other then they could use a little more power on a hill...).

I'd try to keep the overdrive if possible though, and it should work fine with somewhere between a 3.55-4.10 gear.

Hell, I tow with 4.88 gears myself, but I've also got 35" tires...
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I'd go 3.50-3.89 gear, you really dont need more, but more gear makes it more friendly, and the 3.08 may do it as is with a good tranny cooler. A good tranny cooler and always keep to 20-30K mile tranny fluid changes. The big point with more gear is "Will I be driving it more with or without the trailer?" If the answer is with, go 4.11's or 4.56's even, if not, dont go crazy on gear

Probably the most important is to have working trailer brakes. The truck will pull without issue, but its really easy to smoke a set of rotors and pads without trailer brakes

I have towed with my '96 F150. It is a 302/auto and 3.55's with nothing more than aftermarket muffler and dual tailpipes. Did pretty good around here in the flat lands, but I would not want to tackle too many hills with it though.

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Probably the most important is to have working trailer brakes. The truck will pull without issue, but its really easy to smoke a set of rotors and pads without trailer brakes

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Tell me about it. Last time I did we had some "issues" with the trailer brakes on the way back. I was doing a brake job shortly there after........[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_frown.gif[/img]

I have 3.23's &amp; no brakes... [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img]
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On 2005-01-13 02:11, qtrmiler wrote:
I have 3.23's &amp; no brakes... [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img]

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I hauled stuff all over the place in my 85 Fifth Ave (pulling a 16' utility trailer/car hauler) with NO issues. It's just got a factory 318 with a 3 speed auto with the lockup converter. It's also got 2.47 gears if I remember right.

It pulls VERY well. I added some air shocks on the back and a brake controller, but that's it.

That got me to thinking my Crown Vic MIGHT pull as well, or even better. I'm getting old and remember when people used to pull bracket cars with family sedans and wagons all the time, lol.

My F100 with the 302 SROD don't do that hot. The Fifth Ave pulls better. With the 3.00 gears, and HIGH first gear, you have to slip the clutch more then I like doing to get it rolling. My cam don't help it either.

Once you get it rolling, the little 302 does great, but nothing like the 400 in my 4x4 (although it's geared WAY lower). Even though the 4x4 is heavier, it's also way higher, so I've got trade offs everywhere...

One of the better tow rigs I've had I ended up parting out. That's my old 79 F250 Ranger Lariat 2x4 with factory 460 and 4.10 gears. Longbed standard cab. I pulled stuff everywhere with that rig until I had a braincramp and started parting it out. Maybe should have restored it...

Anyway, get trailer brakes. I can't imagine pulling ANYTHING without them. They make it nice to pull with. Really nice.
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I towed my 69 Merc Comet from Muskogee to Dallas with an 87 Ford Ranger x-cab 4x4,, V-6 5speed.. The hills pulled it down but it made it with no trouble and got excellent mileage doing so... I filled one tank to the other BBC and BBF filling both tanks..... My 74 F-250 with a 390 and auto was easily the best puller I've used... It'd pass most anything but a gas station.... Gotta get off my lazy but and get the 460 an C6 into my 66 f-100 for this season....

Past truck was a 94 F150, 4.9, E40d trans. Only reason I got rid of it was it was looking REALLY rusty around the rear wheel wells, (as they all do eventually in Wisconsin), and it had 200,000 miles on it, and I just didn't trust it anymore on long ass hauls.

My 97 F150 has a 5.4 with an E40d trans.

Both trucks pulled my setup, (car/open trailer), very well.
I never run trans in anything but o/d except in town, stop/go traffic. Granted, we're not in HILL country around here......much, but still. If the trans is not downshifting all the time, no problem leaving it in o/d. Make sure you have a good transmission cooler on it, and change fluid regularly/religiously.

As far as handling of the car/trailer?. I lowered both trucks, and put lightning sway bars front and rear, and wider rims/tires. I'm sure THAT alone had alot to do with the ease of pulling/handling.

For sure have brakes at least on ONE axle of your trailer. I"ve pulled many trailers without any brakes, and you constantly gotta be AWARE of what might jump out in front of you, etc, etc. (more so than usual).....Wears the trucks brakes out FAST.

In either case, that's my story, and I"m sticking to it......[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]
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