Hi.....I'm in need of some advice about towing a two horse trailer.
I am thinking of buying a 1985 F-150, 302, V8, automatic, overload springs, with 153,000 k's on it (that's about 95,000 miles). I will be hauling a two horse trailer....old Roadrunner (aluminum) with double axle, electric brakes and I have a brake box. The truck is in excellent shape and the guy used it to haul his fifth wheel trailer between BC and Alberta . Just wondering if anyone could tell me if this truck can do the towing job. I live in British Columbia so have some fairly steep grades to climb. I'm new to trucks and hauling so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Barb

 

I think you'd be much happier towing with a turbo diesel in the higher altitudes. While I think that trruck will handle it, the 302/auto is kind of weak. You'd be near the rated limits when loaded with two horses and gear in ideal ocnditions, let alone high altitudes which suck power. Forced induction engines do not suffer as much power losses in thinner air.

 

Thanks for your reply....I'm thinking the same thing now after doing a little research. I just finished reading an article about gas vs diesel engines and a bit of an explanation about turbo diesel (which I don't totally understand yet) I guess the determining factor will come down to dollars and cents. Any suggestions about late model diesel Fords? There is one advertsied in the paper....86 Ford 250 4x4 club cab which would be ideal for me. The reason I'm looking for a truck is because I blew the engine on my 82 F250 4x4 XLT Lariat (351 Windsor, automatic) while hauling the trailer. Actually...it wasn't me, it was my boyfriend who was doing all the maintenance and driving my truck.....the oil guage sensor wasn't working properly and he didn't check the oil level in the truck and it seized up!!!! Anyway......thanks very much for your reply and any other suggestions would be most appreciated.

 

It always comes down to the almighty $.

There is some kind of mathematical formula to determine it, but naturaly asiprated engiens loose a certain amount of power per fixed elevation increase which is not insignificant. Of course, if you have a lot of extra power availible, then losing some is acceptible.

Going from the 351 to 302 will feel pretty bad I think.

Do you know how much the trailer weighs and how much the horses you plan to carry weigh? That would go a long way to narrowing down what most people find acceptible.

 

Estimated weight would be 4,000 - 4500 lbs...that's trailer, two horses and gear. I'm thinking now I may just put a good used 351 back in my truck and sell it and upgrade from there. Well, at any rate, I've sure learned a lot in the last few days...a lot just from reading these posts on these truck sites!

 

That isn't as much weight as I thought. A 351 should do you well.

 

The last thing to consider in your engine and transmission combination is the rear-end ratio.
This ratio determines how many RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) your engine is turning at a given speed.
The higher the number on that ratio, the lower the gearing on the rear-end. For pulling a heavy load, the engine should be spinning faster to make more power. In other words, you want a higher number on the rear-end.
I recommend you find out that ratio and look at a towing chart or contact your dealer to find out if that will work for your needs.
Unfortunately, I personally do not know what rear-end gearing was available for those years.
Good luck.

 

The rear axle ratio in your F-250 is probably OK for towing. It may be 3.73 or 4.10. The F-150 has a 3.55 at best. If you decide to replace the 351 Windsor try to get an '85 or newer. (Not fuel injected) '85 and newer 351's make considerably more power than your '82. They have improved heads and a 4 barrel Holley carb. However, they were NOT noted for great gas mileage!

Model A