What is a good tow rig?

nickm347 · Mar 25, 2006

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.

urban96 · Mar 25, 2006

i really have no clue, i guess it would depend on the trans

bryce93lx · Mar 25, 2006

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.

Guero · Mar 25, 2006

i seen that truck around here

SeventyMach1 · Mar 26, 2006

F-150 with 300 I-6 (4.9L) FTW.

MysticKeith50 · Mar 26, 2006

SeventyMach1 said:
F-150 with 300 I-6 (4.9L) FTW.

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.

Black Stampede · Mar 26, 2006

Powerstroke.

nickm347 · Mar 26, 2006

ill prob end up gettin a 351 150.... you say the 6cyl 150 is good? i figured it wouldnt be as good as the 302

Zero Signal · Mar 26, 2006

You a turbocharged 1984 Suburban

Joes95GT · Mar 26, 2006

nickm347 said:
ill prob end up gettin a 351 150.... you say the 6cyl 150 is good? i figured it wouldnt be as good as the 302

My Dad's got a '95 F150 with a 351. He pulled a heavy ass '62 409 Belair with it with absolutely no problems from Northern New York to our house (in Delaware).

The worst part of the 351 is the gas mileage.....

Joe

diablostang · Mar 26, 2006

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.

nickm347 · Mar 26, 2006

id love to get a newer deisel....just cant afford it. thanks for the info on the 302 f150 and the bronco....very useful info

Stang D · Mar 26, 2006

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!

SeventyMach1 · Mar 26, 2006

nickm347 said:
ill prob end up gettin a 351 150.... you say the 6cyl 150 is good? i figured it wouldnt be as good as the 302

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.

Stang D · Mar 26, 2006

but you have to consider the torque curve of the 4.9 .... it has the curve of a diesel.

Unfortunately, my 4.9 has a holeshot like an Olds 350 diesel too. Acceleration is pathetic. A 4.9 will lug down low like nothing else will though. It's a solid engine, that will sometimes last 300K.

v6v8swap · Mar 27, 2006

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 · Mar 28, 2006

I thought Lightnings were made for towing mustangs to the track.

91LX_5L · Mar 28, 2006

Superduty, they kick ass!

diablostang · Mar 28, 2006

larrendeuce said:
I thought Lightnings were made for towing mustangs to the track.

True dat!

We did that for a bit too... But a 2,000 lb trailer + a 3300 lb car = over the L's limit It did very nicely though!

Begging forgiveness for the dirtyness

SeventyMach1 · Mar 28, 2006

2K lb. trailer?! I didn't know car trailers weighed that much!

BTW, that's a sweet pic .... even if it's dirty.

What is a good tow rig?

Member

bubb rubb says:"woo woooooo"

Member

Active Member

Keep it lubed .... keep it straight .... and keep

New Member

Member

Active Member

New Member

New Member

Member

Member

Keep it lubed .... keep it straight .... and keep

Member

Member

Member

New Member

Attachments

Keep it lubed .... keep it straight .... and keep

Similar threads

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency