94 F150 with I-6 as tow vehicle?

[Canine]

I had a 76 GMC 3/4T with a 292 and 4 speed, ex power company truck, the 292 is a truck engine just like the 300 was. That truck had 4 something rear gears, wrapped up too high at 60 and got 13 mpg but it could pull a house off its foundation.

I'd say your better off with a 351 or a TBI 350 from the early-mid 90's, in a 3/4 T longbed. Never hurts to have more truck (brakes, frame, power) than you need...

 

[MazdaGuy15]

A good friend of mine had a 94 regular cab long bed 2wheel drive with the I-6 auto tranny The motor was solid but it got horrible gas millage not towing anything 11 on a good day if you tow with that you would be lucky to get 8mpg no way would I buy one of those to be my daily driver or tow truck. It would be a good second vehicle if you only needed a truck very rarely but not for every day.

 

[KMAG YOYO]

I've never understood how they come up with tow ratings, I'd rather go with a gut feeling. My 2009 Honda Ridgeline had a tow rating of 5,000 lb, but even with a 2,500 lb trailer it wasn't very much fun, not to mention overheating the transmission. Towing at the limit would have been terrifying.

My Transit 250 has essentially the same rating, but with more torque, a much longer wheelbase, better brakes, heavy duty rear leafs, and an extra ton of weight it towed the same 2,500 lb trailer with ease and felt much safer. I wouldn't hesitate to pull the full 5,300 lbs.

 

[ArtW]

KMAG it confuses all billy hell out f me too, My Ranger is rated at 4K, so I'd be topped out pulling my TT, which weighs 3163 dry
I know towing my old TT, at 3150, the truck was under powered pulling up even mild grades, so I want, I think, a full size 1/2 or 3/4 ton with a V8 at this point

 

[jimindenver]

tow ratings are more than a number. A example is my Expedition is rated to tow 9000 lbs but it will not pull a 9000 lb travel trailer. There is a difference between pulling a flat bed or boat and pulling a giant wall down the highway. Another thing that can be a limitation is tongue weight and rear axle rating. In my case the Expedition has a tongue weight limit that restricts me to a 7000 lb total in a travel trailer since I need a certain amount on the tongue to keep it from swaying.

 

[ArtW]

TBH I've about given up on the idea of pulling this thing, it's a fucking white elephant as far as I'm concerned and I'm sorry I ever fucking bought it

 

[Gunny]

Art, have you looked for a used Chevy or GMC with the 4.8 V/8? I got 20MPG on the way to Ca. and 13 towing the trailer home. Mine's an automatic, I just ran about 65 (when I wasn't doing doughnuts on I-10). Mine's a 2001 and I paid 2900 for it.

Rob

 

[bullfrog]

I was really glad to get rid of my older 18' camper trailer as even my full size truck was slow on hills, but now I have built a light weight 11' trailer I pull with my 4 x 4 Toyota I really like it. I think a van is ideal for one person but since my wife likes her own space we would need two.

 

[ArtW]

Gunny I'm looking at anything I can reasonably purchase, latest is a 93 1500 with 5.7
Tow cap on that, with 3.42 ring gears, would be 7500, but it's got 3.08 gears, so I'm guessing more like 6500-6800
KBB says it's worth 1200 or so, seller is asking 1800, I haven't driven it or anything yet, as my finance guy has been busy all day

I'm just sick of the whole mess, wish I'd got a Runaway or a cargo to convert instead
I don't know why I'm worried about it, I'm not going anywhere for another 10 years at least, by that time the trailer will likely be junk

 

[Gunny]

Art my friend, you need a break. Come on up to Ft Worth, have a steak and a brew and relax. Tonight at midnight the Eagle flies so I can buy the steak.

Rob

 

[ArtW]

Hahaha Thanks Rob, this is actually an old thread that was revived
If I'm honest, I'd need a truck and a genny to make this setup work for off grid, sleeping in a regular bed in Texas with no AC in the summer would never work as it would be too hot
I did have a line on a 1 ton 2000 GMC, but it had the 5.7 and I was afraid it'd get 10 mpg, loaded or not, plus the thing was 'kicking' in high gear at 50 - 55 mph, probably the TCC solenoid was bad, plus it was leaking at the oil pan, so I backed out

Bullfrog, I really do wish I'd just got a cargo with some windows, etc, and built it myself, I'd have a much more durable trailer, and a floor plan i picked, instead of 'what I found i could get'
And a lot lighter trailer

 

[Grizzly708]

I am by no means a Ford fan. I can say however that the 300 I6 is one hell of a engine. Unless you are looking to tow something a 3/4 ton should pull I would not hesitate buying it. My father in law had a 2wd 1985 f150 with a 300 and a 4 speed (granny gear 1st). Him and his 2 sons drove it from michigan to wyoming with a medium truck camper and towing a 6x12 cargo trailer. The only problem they had was burning up the outer axel bearings from vastly overloading the truck.

 

[user 37446]

My 2 cents.  Had a 1994 Ranger V6 5 speed that was pretty gutless. The hp and torque numbers from page 1 of this thread tell the tale.

Also had a 1992 GMC 292 V6 straight with a 4 speed and 4.56 gears.  Ex railroad service truck. Heaviest 3/4 T made (8800 gvw or so). Rode like a wood wagon, guzzled fuel, about blowing up sounding at 60 mph. Don’t recommend that to highway tow with.

I’d look for a vortec or TBI era 350/5.7 with 3.73 or a 4.11 rear gears in a straight cab longbed. Even auto is ok. None of those got very good gas mileage, 10-12 city, maybe 14 highway, less when towing.

 

[ben2go]

Do research. There is a lot that can be done the 300/4.9 I6 that doesn't require much money or work. A good header with exhaust system along with a good intake and air filter will wake it up. The FI doesn't need a retune to utilize these upgrades. Even when these trucks were brand new the I6 would kill automatics. Lots of low-end torque. If I'm not mistaken AODs and A4LDs came behind them in the 90's. Many good shops can build solid tow transmission for them. A good aftermarket cooler with a fan will keep them running cool and happy. The best trans would be the manual that came with it. I think it was an M5OD-R1 Mazda transmission. They are good transmissions and would be easier on fuel than an auto shift.

I have had many Rangers in various forms of hop up. It's an apartment dweller's truck that needs something to run a couple bags of trash to the dumpster. I own one now. I have towed with it and it was damn scary coming through the high mountains of KY. I was pulling a '95 Mercury Tracer Trio wagon (2800lbs) on a dolly. I was flat footed on the go pedal and I had to pull over every few miles to let the transmission cool down. Up most hills, I couldn't get to 15mph and I had to hold low gear to do that. It has a 2.5L four cylinder backed with a 4R44E automatic transmission. All original with no hop ups or add-ons. I can't believe that the hitch is rated for 500lbs/5000lbs and 750lbs/7500lbs (tongue weight/trailer weight) with a weight distribution hitch.

 

[tripper]

Holey crap! ranger 3.0 147hp @ 5000 RPM (1996 - 1997)  162 @ 3250 RPM (1996 - 1997)

F150 4.9 150ho @3400 / 260 lb/ ft @ 2000 94-96  

5.8l V8 210hp @3600 330 ft /lb @ 3300

Almost 100 ft lb more than the 3.0, less than 100 ft lb less than the 5.8

Its the rpm that it makes the torque at that matters.  I drove an I6 F100, the engine is very easy to work on and pulls very well, just not fast. The 2000 rpm torque max for the I6 will take off from a stop very well while towing. Seriously the engine is almost impossible to blow up.

BTW the truck was used to tow a car trailer and car. The engine had no problem towing, the rear suspension was too mushy however.

 

[JD GUMBEE]

The hp and torque numbers from page 1 of this thread tell the tale.

Actually, not so much.
The funny thing about that particular engine mated to a C6 auto or better...the granny gear NP 4 speed...owners tend to recall them with love and fondness.
Towing 5000-ish pounds, they were extremely well balanced machines that had very adequate power and returned excellent MPG's. (even the old 120HP carb engines.)
As others have mentioned, the peak TQ was instantaneous. To get better TQ from the V8, you had to have a heavier foot in real-life driving conditions.
Not to mention, very few of them imploded throughout their 30 year plus run. (They were made from the early 60's up to 1996-ish in the vans.)
The 4.2 that "replaced it" was an abortion.
Sent all those customers over to the 4.3 V6 GM unit. Many have never returned to Ford. Poor Ford. Sad Ford.
F150 best selling truck...yeah...and Harley is the best bike too (tpppppfphtpht!!) You can never account for the herd mentality.