Hey im about to buy a boat and am trying to figure out the towing capacity of my 4.2 auto f150 regular cab.

I think they made 2 different towing packages on these trucks. how can you tell the difference and how much is each one capable of towing. Im guessing its a rear gear diff so do you know what numbers mean what on the rear end tag or is there an easier way.

also how hard would it be to install a tranny cooler. i do it all the time on race cars but thoes all have lines for coolers already installed. do these trannys have coolers already or is it going to be a pain

thanks

 

Do you know the boats weight? I think anything less than 3500 lbs is good. I think there is already a built-in cooler for the tranny in the radiator. a place to check towing capacity will be your owners manual. From my knowledge the only thing to get confused on the table is if it is 4x2 or 4x4. If there is an gear ratio take the lesser of the two just to be safe if it is not close to it.

 

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=78435

I found this post to be very helpful. What is your axle code?

 

I pull a 2,800 lbs boat around with NO problem. Other then i DID get stuck 2 weekends ago putting it in... but that's my fault.

 

Maximum Loaded Trailer Weight (Lbs.) – Automatic Transmission
Regular Cab
4x2 4x4
Engine Axle Ratio GCWR (Lbs.) 126 - inch wheel base 144.5 - inch wheel base 126 - inch wheel base 144.5 - inch wheelbase
4.2L SEFI V6 3.55 10000----- 5200----------------- 5100 - -
4.2L SEFI V6 3.73 10500----- 5700 -----------------5600
Hope this is what your looking for JP

 

depends if you want to mod the truck or not...the 4.6L is exactly the same truck (minus engine) and has a higher towing capacity...so the weak point is the engine...with mods (and a healthy tranny cooler) i tow 5k all summer long

 

payableondeath6;
The post I made states 5k+ on tow with stock mods.,this is copied from ford.com

 

what size boat are you looking to pull? I tow my 18 1/2' Skeeter w/150 Yamaha V-Max with mine and have no problems at all. My 4.2/auto w/3.55 gears pulls it really good, just dont expect to win any races or get very good gas mileage. I get around 12-13mpg when towing it. Also, I try and pull with my o/d turned off, I think that might help save the tranny.

 

first off there is no such thing as "stock mods" as "mods" make it no longer "stock"...but anyways what i really wanted to say is there is a major difference between what the truck "can tow" and what it will "dependably tow"...i tow 5k+ all summer and don't have any problems with her (maybe a little underpowered...to say the least, but no problems)...sure the tow rating may say more but i'm sure if you tow that on a regular basis your tranny and engine aren't going to be very happy...and i'd say if you wanted to you could hook up more than the tow rating given by ford, just b/c when you engineer something you have to provide a safety factor...so the likely scenario is that the truck will actually tow (not very much) a load much heavier than the poundage they list

 

There are plenty things to help with towing, lower gear ratio(numerically higher), a tranny cooler, efans, UDP, intake, chip. And there are a few more but those are the ones I know of off hand that most people do.

 

I tow 5500lbs with my 4.2/auto scab all the time. I have 35in tires and 4.88 gears also, and its 2wd. I have the troyer tuner and a B&M tranny cooler with built in fan. The tranny was also rebuilt before I bought it and he(my dad) had one of the better servos? put in. It pulls the same trailer with two buggies that my dad's 01 5.4 pulls. I even get better mileage.

 

I am thinking about buying a 2008 f150 v6 4.2L engine manual. The vin number if you need it to help me is:

1FTRF12258KD62612

I am thinking about purchasing this truck to tow a car trailer. Ill be towing a 1966 cadillac sedan deville with a curb weight is 4700 lbs and a duel axle trailer that im assuming weighs at most 1500 lbs. Is this a good idea?

Now im only using the trailer for no more than 200 mile trips maybe 4 times a year. I appreciate the help.

 

Nope. Your towing limit with a manual trans is 2400#, 3700# if it has 3.55 gears. Even with an automatic, the 4.2's limit is 5200# with 3.55 gears, 5700# with 3.73's.

To tow that car and trailer, you need a V-8 and automatic trans.

 

Consider an F250 superduty....it's not just about the power to haul...they beef up the frame, brakes, cooling capacity, etc.

I wouldn't tow over 2000 Lbs. with my 4.2 manual because of how much stress it would put on the clutch/transmission(mine are OE with 162,000 miles) and brakes.

 

I did the same thing... So embarrassing hahaha oh well