Hi Gang,

I have a '95 F150 XLT Reg Cab Shortie, with a 5L engine, 4R70W tranny, and 3.08 rear end. I want to buy a camper, which weighs 3500 dry, probably 4300 GVWR. I have added an external tranny cooler rated for 21,000 GVWR, and a trans temp guage. The frontal area of the camper is around 56 Sq Ft. My tires are about 10% larger than stock, lowering my effective gear ratio even worse. A couple of questions:

1. Am I within the 75% of towing capacity? My manual is unclear, as it gives no weight for the truck. From what I can tell, it appears I can tow about 6000#.
2. Does tire size have a large effect on gear ratio? I am running 265 75 R15, vs the stock size 235 65 R15. And, does getting a tire size smaller than stock improve gear ratio?

The thing that concerns me the most is the 3.08 rear end, obviously

Thanks,
NCC

 

I had a 1986 5.0 GT Mustang before I had the truck. When I got my first house, I found I needed at least a 4x8 'bed' to help maintain the new house.

I bought a little 4x8 utility trailer for the Mustang to tow... The GT had 3.08 gears, 5 speed, 26" tall tires (235/60/15) and of course, the 5.0 HO engine...

Well, I put a class 1 hitch on it (it mounted on the inside of the bumper) and it was one of those 1 1/2" square mounts, so I could at least take the ball off.

Anyway, it did ok with a #2000 loaded up utility trailer. I could tell it was back there and it took a little bit of clutch work to get it moving from a stop.

You are talking about a trailer that's twice that weight and will have a lot more frontal wind resistence. The truck itself is heavy enough on it's own. I'm surprised that you can get out of your own way with 30" tall tires and those 3.08's.... With the taller tires, it's like you have a 2.77 rear end compared to the stock setup...

Can you tow it? Sure. The trailer sounds like a good match for your truck. It's those rear end gears that'll 'kill' you...

I've got 3.55 gears, 31" tall tires and a 5.4 engine with 263,000 miles on it and tow a #5000 travel trailer. It does very well, but I know it's back there!

Get at least 3.73 gears and you will have a 'stump puller' compared to what you have now....

I'll bet that your city mpg will actually increase a little and your hwy mpg will basically remain the same when running empty. I'll also bet that your towing mpg will increase while towing as well....

Mitch

 

Ok. I just talked to my mechanic. He said that to put 3.73's in, change the bearings, and finally the speedo gear (assuming my '95 has the speedo gear) will set me back about $650 or so. Does this sound reasonable? I haven't bought the trailer yet, and we are coming out of camping season. WIll the 3.08 be OK short-term, and then look at the rear-end swap next year?

Thanks,
NCC

 

I'd think that is an average price for the most part.

I think you could get away with running your current gear set for a couple of pulls....

That way, it'll really give you something to compare to when it's all said and done.

I'd stick with a trailer that has a GVWR of no more then #5000 for the most part however...

Good luck!

Mitch

 

Yes...the trailer I am looking at is a Jayco Kiwi 23B hybrid, dry weight of about 3500#, and we take much less than 1000# of gear. I should be ok for the first few runs, as long as it isn't in the NC mountains.

Thanks,
NCC