Can someone help me out , I was told to look on my door Jamb for the axle ratio.....the only thing i can see relating to the axle is the number 18........can anyone decipher this or tell me exactly where i should be looking....1997 short box regcab stepside....... thank you very much ....

 

3.08 open

 

Im wrong.. not the first time.

 

Thought 19 was 3.55 and 18 was 3.08

 

my bad it is..

 

Don't worry I've been wrong plenty of times on here

 

hmmmm ok so it is a 3.08 then ...... thanks very much guys willhelp alot i have been trying to figure out my towing capacity on this truck , have a boat that i figure is somewhere between 3500 and 3700 on the trailer , tandem axle with surge brakes ....... again very much appreciated all the help i have got on this site

 

Which engine and transmission?

 

the truck has a 4.2 with a four speed auto tranny i looked in my book at the truck they say is good for 9000 lbs. with the class three hitch i have on there now ..... so i am okay for sure .... i appreciate all the response on here , this is a great site .

 

No, that's the max tow for a 97 with all the right equipment (5.4 with 3.73's). A 4.2 auto with 3.08's is limited to 2000#. You have a very bad combination. With 3.31's it was 4800# and with 3.55's it was 5800#.

 

2000# in a 1/2 ton! holy jesus... I think a camry can pull that!

 

That's the official limit - mine is only around 3000# in spite of the 3.55's - because I have a M5OD.

The 3.08's are very weak. If you want to pull that boat I'd go to the boneyard and get a complete rear axle assembly that has 3.55's.

 

Yes, 9000Lbs is severly off. Heed the advise of the other posters.

I pull my offshore boat from MN to TX to MS for poker runs each season, and I can tell you if an accident happens and you are towing above your tow vehicle's weight limit, you are in serious trouble.

1. Your insurance company has no legal obligation to cover nor indemnify you.
2. You are sued by the other party and bankrupt... if someone is seriously injured you are bankrupt... and in jail.

This stuff has gotten more serious in the last several years. Know your tow vehicle's tow-weight rating.

 

ok i went out and checked my owner's manual . GCVW IS 9000 lbs. the tow capacity is 4800 lbs. 4.2 with 3.08 rear end ratio and a four speed auto is good for 4800 lbs tow cap. ..... thanks for all your input everybody ...... truck only has to pull the boat one way ini the spring and one way in the fall 120 miles each direction I think I am fine ...... again thank you all for your information ....

 

I was looking on fordf150.net specs and they dont even list a 4.2L auto with 3.08's? It starts at 3.31's. It was for a 2002 truck, cause they dont have numbers for 1997. so did they stop putting 3.08's in auto trucks? or do you have 3.31's?

With 3.31's it rates the towing cap at 4800#