Im gettin rid of my blazer and puttin the money into my mustang, and i plan on racing a lot this spring and summer. Id like to get something to tow the car(from cinci to columbus, just in case something breaks) and something to drive everynow and then when it rains. Im lookin at older f150's, broncos, whatever. Will a 150 with a 302 be enough to pull my stang and a trailer? Any other thoughts on a good tow rig? Oh yeah, im not lookin to spend to much.
What is a good tow rig?
- Thread starter nickm347
- Start date
bryce93lx
Member
Do not get a bronco, short wheel base + trailer = painful death, a f-150 with a 351 0ne would be better, i guy i know towed his sprint car and a four wheeler with f-150 with a 302, and all of that weighs less than a stang and he had troulbe with it, i.e it really really slow and it killed the truck in the end.
SeventyMach1
Keep it lubed .... keep it straight .... and keep
MysticKeith50
New Member
I agree....that was my first work truck 13 years ago, and it was by far the most reliable torqey f-150. I used to tow a dual axle 5 ton trailer with a 6000 lb machine on it. I just couldn't keep tires on the front of it.SeventyMach1 said:
Black Stampede
Founding Member
Zero Signal
Active Member
diablostang
New Member
I was gonna say Diesel Excursion... My Dad and I use that. It's great.
Sounds like you're looking for something older. In my personal experience, stay away from the 302 F-150. My bro has one (95) and it's PAINFULLY slow. It feels like you're pulling a 6K lb trailer under normal driving conditions
And definitely stay away from the short wheelbase of the bronc.
Sounds like you're looking for something older. In my personal experience, stay away from the 302 F-150. My bro has one (95) and it's PAINFULLY slow. It feels like you're pulling a 6K lb trailer under normal driving conditions
And definitely stay away from the short wheelbase of the bronc.I've been towing stuff with my 95 F150 with 300 I-6 since it was new. 300 will pull about as well as a 302, if not better. 302 is a fine Mustang motor, but outside it's design purpose in a 4800# truck pulling a trailer. You won't win any races with either motor in a towing situation 351W is a great towing motor IMO.
But brakes really not up to it, as I-6 trucks usually came with the smallest brakes. Long wheelbase definitely better than a shortbed for towing. If you've never had a trailer "wag" the tow vehicle, trust me it's not any fun. 3/4 ton is a better answer for a tow vehicle. I'll second the advice on Broncos. Sold mine last month. Not a good tow vehicle due to height and wheelbase. I've seen some nasty crash PICs from people trying to pull too much with a Bronco. With any short wheelbase, it'll do OK, and then when you aren't expecting it ............ death wobble, and you're pinching the steering wheel in half!
But brakes really not up to it, as I-6 trucks usually came with the smallest brakes. Long wheelbase definitely better than a shortbed for towing. If you've never had a trailer "wag" the tow vehicle, trust me it's not any fun. 3/4 ton is a better answer for a tow vehicle. I'll second the advice on Broncos. Sold mine last month. Not a good tow vehicle due to height and wheelbase. I've seen some nasty crash PICs from people trying to pull too much with a Bronco. With any short wheelbase, it'll do OK, and then when you aren't expecting it ............ death wobble, and you're pinching the steering wheel in half!
SeventyMach1
Keep it lubed .... keep it straight .... and keep
nickm347 said:
The 4.9 is way better for towing than a 5.0 in an F-150.
302 V8 = c. 205hp & 275 ft/lbs
300 I-6 = c. 150hp & 260 ft/lbs
Yeah, the numbers may be deceiving .... but you have to consider the torque curve of the 4.9 .... it has the curve of a diesel.
A 4.9 will lug down low like nothing else will though. It's a solid engine, that will sometimes last 300K.
We have a '99 F150 with the 4.6, extended cab, and trailer tow package from the factory (which for the most part was the 3:55 gears and trailer brake/light wiring) for our company. We have had our trailer loaded to around 7k before (with tool box and equipment in the bed adding to this) and this little thing just motored right along. It would not win any acceleration contests, but it still would roll at 65-70 mph pretty easily. We added the trailer brake control to help stop, so the braking is pretty well controlled as well. I think the 5.4 would be a better choice, but for the money the little 4.6is pretty impressive to me. This truck now has about 185k miles on it and it still runs pretty well, she smokes a little when cold (oil burn) but still runs and starts really well. The point is that you could probably get into one of these for less than 5 thousand (maybe quite a bit less) and have a pretty good truck for towing the stang to the track. Just my .02. Good Luck!
larrendeuce
Member
91LX_5L
Founding Member
diablostang
New Member
SeventyMach1
Keep it lubed .... keep it straight .... and keep
2K lb. trailer?! I didn't know car trailers weighed that much!
BTW, that's a sweet pic .... even if it's dirty.
BTW, that's a sweet pic .... even if it's dirty.
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