Hey guys and girls, first post for me. The wife and I will be traveling more in the future with our 5000 lb. trailer so I was considering an upgrade from my 05 XLT 4x4. After much thought I decided why not update instead of upgrade (prices on even used trucks are crazy). The truck is in great shape and still runs well. 3.73 LS rear, 33" tires, 5.4 3v, 4r75e trans, Gryphon tuner, tow package, 197K on the clock. It struggles a little on the hills with the 33's so I'm considering 4.56 gears, I don't need to drive over 70 unladen or 60 towing and it's not a daily driver so 4.56 should be good. I know the tranny will eventually let go of course and the 5.4 will probably need to be replaced at some point, I can deal with those. If it were you, what other upgrades would you get along with the gears? Or am I just crazy for going this route? Thanks in advance, Mark in Orygon (soon to be the "State of Jefferson")

 

I would take off the 33's, put stock tires back on, put 4.10 gears in and be happy with that. OR put the stock tires on when towing. You'll be amazed.

Or buy a new truck.

FWIW, 5000# is pushing it in a half ton in my opinion.

 

Agreed on the tires. I'd just run the stock tire size to gain the acceleration/gearing back. Move to a 4.10 if need be, but I wouldn't go with 4.56's, that's going to be too tall a gear, even with 33's. I can't imagine why 5K lbs would be pushing it in a half ton, though. It's right in the sweet spot of a 1/2 tow rating, since the 4x4 Screws have a 9,300 max tow rating. Towing 5K isn't even 55% of that.

 

You basically went up 10% in tire height so to get back to stock you'd be looking at a 4.10 axle ratio with the taller tires. The 4.56 will be pretty deep and you might find it almost undrivable due to high engine speed. I'd consider either the 4.10 ratio or the 4.30 at most. Towing 5000lbs with a half ton truck is at the limit regardless of tow capacity. Yeah, it can pull it but it can't stop it is the biggest problem. The brake system is just not large enough for safe operation. I'd personally be looking for an F250 but that's me. Jeez, my brother has a Jeep station wagon that will pull anything and it doesn't have 80 HP coming out of the old flathead 6 banger. Stopping and handling is what most folks overlook. But if an F250 isn't an option, I'd be looking at ceramic brake pads and slotted rotors on all 4 corners. If money is not critical, I'd look at Wilwood to see if they have a larger brake system for the truck. It would probably require bigger wheels so new tires would be in order. If looking at a new brake system get it on the truck before anything else. New wheels and tires are going to change the dynamics of the engine to make power. I'd also consider air bags on the rear to put the truck level while towing and take advantage of the handling benefits it brings. I'm assuming you already have an equalizing hitch. If not, you need one. I'd check under the rear for a sway bar. The newer F150s do not come with a sway bar. Fords position is that the rear axle needs to be able to articulate so the sway bar is not used in any of the tow packages. Helwig makes a dandy and it is adjustable. You won't believe the difference the sway bar makes. I have one on my 2014 and it's already saved me once in an almost head on wreck. Makes a huge difference when all 4 tires stay on the ground and the truck pretty much level in an emergency maneuver. Like anything else, you can make the truck into whatever you like. The issue is when do you spend enough money on it that you'll never get back. Considering the mileage, I'd skip all of the above and buy a newer F250 or F350. If you don't need the 4x4, skip that and get a 2 wheel drive. Having a T-Lok axle makes for a real pulling machine when the driver has a clue how to use it.

 

Lol, good lord . . . recommending a newer F-250/350 to pull 5K lbs. You shouldn't be relying on the truck's brakes to stop 5K lbs anyway, 1/2 ton or otherwise. It's pretty much state law everywhere in the US that anything over 3K lbs has to have trailer brakes on at least one axle. Whether that's surge brakes or electric is up to personal preference, but surge brakes work just fine for 5K. Electric brakes are even better since you can adjust the gain to control braking force. The F-150 can tow 5K just fine, and I do it a dozen times or more per year between my boat and a car hauler/utility trailer. If the brakes are working properly, the increased load on the truck's brakes is minimal.

 

Bigger wheels/tires reduce the mechanical advantage of the brakes as well as reduce acceleration. The reduction of braking is not often consdered when installing larger diameter wheels/tires.

 

You know absolutely nothing about pulling a trailer. I have several millions miles under my belt pulling trailers of 5,000lbs to 18,000lbs with small trucks....like an F350. I own an F350 modified for just trailer towing and it's no match for a 2 ton truck pulling the same trailer. Difference is in stopping power. If you think a half ton truck is capable of stopping any trailer in the same distance as the truck alone, you're a wreck waiting to happen. And hopefully you don't kill somebody with your death rig. Yes, the comments above have the trailer brakes considered. They are helper brakes at best. Trailer brakes never have been much and are not capable of stopping the trailer in any kind of emergency. Most commonly on a 5000lb trailer you have only one axle with brakes. That's two tires stopping a load equal to the 4 tires and brakes on the truck. Simple physics should be more than enough proof to you that stopping distances will be long pulling any trailer. That's assuming you graduated from high school.

 

Easy there scooter. I've towed plenty of miles with bigger trucks and heavier loads, too. I was restricting my anecdotes to the 1/2 truck. Speaking of graduating high school, you need to work on your reading comprehension. I never said or even implied that a pulling a trailer with trailer brakes would allow you to stop in the same distance a truck without a trailer. That's just asinine. I said trailer brakes were required for trailers over 3Klbs and that they make a world of difference versus towing a trailer without them. I hate to tell you, but the brakes on an F-250 aren't much better than the F-150 (I believe the rotor size is about 1/2" larger in general, and the F-250 weighs considerably more (over 600lbs) and with higher rotating mass (heavier wheels/LT tires). So, the additional brake rotor size of an F-250 (the main thing that influences braking surface area) is largely offset by higher vehicle weight and increased rotational mass. The F-250 isn't going to stop a 5Klbs trailer much quicker than an F-150, if it's any better at all. An unloaded modern 2014 F-150 will brake from 60mph-0mph in 127ft (no trailer), a 2014 F-250 will do it in 148ft. The F-150 wins by 21ft, or a bit over a truck length. Now, that doesn't translate to what braking performance will be with a trailer in-tow, but it won't vary too much. I'm not going to argue it any further, since you seem to have some skewed data you are relying on (which you are usually good with data). Suffice it to say, that I disagree entirely that 5K is too much for an F-150 by any stretch of the imagination.

If we were talking about 8K+ lbs, I'd be more inclined to agree that pushing up against the upper towing limit is where a 3/4-1 ton comes in handy. The frame, wheelbase, and suspension of a Super Duty assist with keeping increased tongue weight and overall towing weight in check. However, if you're pretending that the F-350 you cited towing 18K lbs with was stopping most of the weight with the truck's braking system, you're woefully misinformed.

 

Back in 1968 Car & Driver magazine road tested some "super cars" as they were called then, a Plymouth GTX, a Chevelle SS, a 428 Torino … tested them for top speed and braking, and they added a Air Stream. Used the weight distributing bars with Class 3 hitches as I recall. Panic stops saw all stop shorter from speed with the Air Stream in tow. The Air Stream had brakes and load shift added to car's traction, or so the writer testers thought.

Was a great magazine.

What it has to do with F-150s today? I don't know, thought it was a fun article. The GTX had highest top end and fastest acceleration with or without the Air Stream.

 

Well, an Air Stream is a top of the line trailer. Perhaps they have great brakes. I pulled a 25' Layton TT way back when with a F150 and an E150. Stopping distance was pathetic.

 

True, but it is likely a difference in the type of brakes and how they were set up. Surge brakes are good, electric brakes are generally better, electric over hydraulic is the best of both worlds. Disc vs drum is also of some importance, as well as brakes on one or both axles. Surge brakes mean that the trailer is still pushing on the vehicle to provide braking action, electric or electric over hydraulic mean that braking begins when you step on the brake pedal and the braking force can be adjusted via the gain on the electronic brake controller to optimize the stopping distance.