I want to start towing my boat (4,000lbs) with my 4.2L, 4x2, ext. cab., 5spd., class III hitch. What should I do to prepare? Add an oil cooler, etc? I'm nervous about getting it out of the water with the 4x2 (wheel spin)...any words of wisdom are welcomed.

 

Ford does not recommend towing that much with the setup you have (5 speed tranny) however if you do decide to tow with it anyhow. You should not have any problems on the boat ramp as long as you have the 3.55 limited slip axle.

The info I have on max trailer weights is;
supercab 4.2, 5 speed, 3.08 = 2000
supercab 4.2, 5 speed, 3.55 = 3300

Hpoe that this info helps you.

 

There have been tons of posts to the "under rated" towing capacity of the manual tranny in these trucks with the V6. I can tell you from personal experience that if you know how to drive the manual very well, it will pull the weight just fine. I have towed 4500 lbs with mine, no problem. I've got 83,000 miles on my truck and no problems with the tranny or engine what-so- ever. However I have no experience getting a load out of the water, but as long as you have the traction, the truck should handle it just fine. The only other thing I can suggest is making sure your truck has at least a 3.55 LS axle. It will defenitly be very helpful in the towing. If you don't have that and have a 3.08, you might want to test your driving skills before attempting it.