Towing capacity for F100?

[DirtyJim]

I understand that my truck is a half ton pick-up, but how can I determine how big of a boat is just too much? I'd like to get a boat for the family but I'm not sure how big is too big? My truck is a 1972 F100 with the 360 engine and FMX auto trans. Most of the boat classifieds I see only list the length of the boat and dont say much about the weight. Even if I knew the weight of the boat and trailer, how can I tell if my truck is adequate? Forgive me, Im new to boats and towing.

[rjewkes]

I was towing a 1300 lb trailer behind my 72 with a 360 C-6 Auto trans and hardly felt it. i'd say anything smaller than a small yacht.


My 1 7/8" ball says it can handle 3000 lbs. and my 2" and 2 1/2" balls both say 5000-5500 lbs max towing with them. and i still have about 900 lbs back there with my tools and the bondo on my bedsides.

[FORDification]

Take a look at the following graphic:

http://www.fordification.com/lit/images ... ro_p22.jpg

This is a page from the 1970 Ford for Recreation - 1970 Cars & Trucks brochure. Essentially, it seems that for a 2WD F100 the factory doesn't recommend going over 3500 lbs. total weight for a trailer and contents.

The marking on the ball are just for that....the ball. It has nothing to do with the total towing capacity of a vehicle. You could easily mount that ball on a VW's bumper, but obviously the VW bumper could probably barely handle the weight of the ball itself, let along a trailer with cargo.

[rjewkes]

oops Forgot about the ball having its own weight limits sorry guys. But still Anything that weighs trailer and load included no heavier than 3500 lbs. a '63 Chriscraft Corsair wich weighed with load and trailer about
2500lbs. and it was a 16 footer so i'd say as long as it is below the suggested weight maybe the biggest bayliner speed/ski boat.

[greenbank]

Hm. If that's the case, I'm not sure I could safely tow a horse trailer with a couple of steeds in it.

[redneckF100]

My dad had a 69 F100 years back and pulled a 16 ft. ball stock trailer with 7 full size cows in the trailer which was around about 8,000 to 9,000 pounds and pulled it real well with a 360 with a 4 speed manual transmission.

I have a 73 F100 4x4 that has a 390 with a 4 speed manual and pulled the same sit up as mention above and had more than enough power as long as you got good trailer brakes. I've had my 73 for about 19 years and had to only replace one right side bearing, which ain't that bad. I hauled derby cars for 15 years also with my same 73 Ford. Back in North Dakota were I'm originally from, alot of rancher and farmer have F100's and treat them like F250's. Just remember it is a FORD which is a real truck and can handle it not like those bowties.

[DirtyJim]

Thanks guys!

I guess that 8500 pound, 27 foot bayliner is out of the question then.

[FORDification]

Hm. If that's the case, I'm not sure I could safely tow a horse trailer with a couple of steeds in it.

You've got a Camper Special F250....the factory recommendations are a bit higher with that, due to the heavier frame, stiffer springs, etc. The factory brochure has this statement in it, regarding the total weight of a trailer with it's cargo:

"Be sure the weight of the trailer doesn't exceed 75% of the truck GVW rating. GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) equals total weight of the truck including the vehicle and its load."

Also keep in mind that most factory-recommended ratings like this this tend to be a bit on the conservative side, for various insurance and liability reasons. And if you were to add an extra leaf or two, or coil-over shocks (NOT air shocks) you could boost your capacity a bit as well.

[Luckyman]

That 75% number seems to be about right. The GVWR on my truck is about 6050 to 6600 lbs. So 75% of the higher number is 4950 or lets say 5000. I have towed 5000 lbs a number of times with 2000-3000 lbs in the bed and I can tell you that 5000 is all I ever want to tow. The truck has done it on occasion with no known ill effects, (other than some deformed and leaking rear axle seals - 9" 3.00 open) but if that were a day in day out situation I'm sure the truck would have ended up in the bone yard a long time ago. IMHO I would think that 3500 lbs would be the max for a long term constant load and 5000 would be the max for an occasional use.

[greenbank]

Good points.

LOL, I wonder if I over-loaded my old F150 by towing cars on ocassion. The trailer itself weighed close to 2000 lbs and the car was another 3000 lbs. Seemed OK at the time, but it had the towing package.

Anyway, I now know why when you go to horse shows there are a lot of F350 dualies there...

[rjewkes]

Hey if all those rodeo cowboys like JR. Boner could haul a horse trailer with one horse in it on the back of a cadialac sedan. Then i believe that a 67-72 f100 and maybe a few earlier ones can handle a two horse trailer. And i agree 5000 occasionally and 3500-4000 Permanently.

[hardtailjohn]

We've pulled a 2 horse trailer with 2 good sized horses (not our Clydes) thousands of miles with absolutely NO problems.
John H.

[willowbilly3]

Most of the ratings for trailers and towing can be grossly violated. We tow 12,000 pounds regularly for years with those 8500 pound reciever hitches behind 3/4 ton pickups. I wouldn't pull much without trailer brakes though lots of people do.

[CACWBY]

I understand that my truck is a half ton pick-up, but how can I determine how big of a boat is just too much? I'd like to get a boat for the family but I'm not sure how big is too big? My truck is a 1972 F100 with the 360 engine and FMX auto trans. Most of the boat classifieds I see only list the length of the boat and dont say much about the weight. Even if I knew the weight of the boat and trailer, how can I tell if my truck is adequate? Forgive me, Im new to boats and towing.

My Dad who towed our 28' Liberty Trailer (not a vacation trailer-it was our home) from Colorado to Florida to California with a 1949 Studebaker Pick Up, always had a steadfast rule, if the front wheels come off the ground you are probably pulling too much weight!

[DirtyJim]

I understand that my truck is a half ton pick-up, but how can I determine how big of a boat is just too much? I'd like to get a boat for the family but I'm not sure how big is too big? My truck is a 1972 F100 with the 360 engine and FMX auto trans. Most of the boat classifieds I see only list the length of the boat and dont say much about the weight. Even if I knew the weight of the boat and trailer, how can I tell if my truck is adequate? Forgive me, Im new to boats and towing.

My Dad who towed our 28' Liberty Trailer (not a vacation trailer-it was our home) from Colorado to Florida to California with a 1949 Studebaker Pick Up, always had a steadfast rule, if the front wheels come off the ground you are probably pulling too much weight!

LOL. Thats the kind of thinking that will get me into trouble!