hi

I have a 99 f-150 extended cab short bed with the 4.6L. Next weekend i will be towing my friends car (92 acura legend approx 3500lbs) from san francisco to los angeles.
i was wondering, is there anything i should look out for or be especially cautious about. my truck has 75,000 miles and i have never towed anything before. oh, yeah, and my truck has the factory tow package.

i appreciate all your help, thanks

edit: it is the automatic transmission and i have factory 275/60R17 tires Eagle GT II. total trip: about 400 miles

 

What type of brakes does the trailer have, and when was the last time you had the transmission fluid changed?

 

well, i am not sure what kind of brakes that the trailer will have. We will be rening it from u-haul, so i guess the standard U-haul brakes that come on the car carrier/trailer

and i will be getting a trans fluid change this weekend. last time i got it done at about 40k miles

any input appreciated, thanks

 

You shouldnt have a problem with towing it but beware of the Uhaul brakes. They are not always the greatest and maintained that well. I`m not saying they wont work but give yourself more stopping distance than normal. I`ve used them before with no problems to tow a Mustang around. Keep your OD off so the tranny isnt searching for a gear all the time especially if its a little hilly and it should be OK.

I currently tow a 19' car hauler and have towed a 1937 Ford to Ny and back logging over 1500 miles with no problem at the same weight and maybe more. Plan to do it again this summer. This trailer has electric brakes although and I have a 5.4l with auto trans.

Others may have a better idea with the 4.6l and towing but I think it should work all right for you.

 

Should tow it ok. If going on Int.5, should be able to use OD alot. As mentioned, when coming to those hills, just lock out OD. It'll shift to 3rd.

You could wait, as that a/t is pretty smart, but getting out of OD before you hit that grade gives you a better run at it. JMO!

You'll figure out rather fast what's best gear to stay in. You dont want that a/t shifting/hunting alot.

Good luck...OT

 

watch out for cops.

the CHiPs are sometimes VERY strict with the 55 mph speed limit for vehicles with trailers. kinda sucks, because it feels that my truck pulls better at 65 than it does at 55...

good luck !

 

I don't know what your gear ratio is , but there is no way that my pick-up would pull that much weight in OD at 55 mph. My 5.4 would only be turning about 1400 rpm at that speed.

The U-Haul trailer will probably have surge brakes, so you don't need to worry about a brake controller.

 

thanks for all the input. i was unaware that the speed limit for trucks towing down the I-5 was 55mph. again i am unsure of the gear ratio for my truck, but i have a 4.6L XLT sport flareside automatic with 2wd and the factory tow package w/ 275/60R17

now, is it better to get the trailer with 2 tires from the car being towed on the ground, or with the trailer with all four tires up on the trailer itself? any ideas?

thanks again

 

U-Haul trailers = surge brakes. Nothing extra required.

May I suggest using a tow dolly instead of a trailer? I towed my 85 RX-7 with my Screw and a dolly (just gets one axle off the road) and didn't have any problems pulling well above legal towing speeds, 75-80mph on open roads. You save yourself the weight of a realy trailer, but lose the benefit of the surge brakes.

 

factory tow package includes a limited slip rear end with atleast 3.55 gears there are a few other gear options but most use the 3.55 which will have no problem pulling.

if the trailer running lights dont work when you try them the fuse is under the hood its a 20 amp super mini fuse mine was blown when i picked up my boat but i did tow with it once before that so trailer might have had a short circuit

 

Actually, there is no "Package" that includes Limited Slip..... Not even the FX4 "offroad" package includes LS. It's always an additional option. You can get the towing package with a V6, 5 speed with a 3.08 open rear end.

All the tow package is is the frame mounted hitch, 7 pin electric connector, various relays and fuses, brake controller wiring harness, HD shocks, trans cooler on 4.2 and 4.6 engines and a "larger" cooler with the 5.4...... This might be a bit different for the 2004, as that's a whole new deal, but I think it's still an option even on it.

 

I second what Mitch said - but I believe it's a tranny cooler and larger radiator on the 5.4L

 

hmm isnt there something like higher amp altanator and bigger radiator with the tow package?

and i might be wrong about the limited slip but the early models 97s built in 96 i think had l/s as part of tow package or its just what salesman told me to get me to buy it.

 

Tow package and heavy duty together would get you the heavy duty alternator and a dual core radiator.

 

Mr_Bentwrench


I guess it's possible for the early ones to have had the LS with one of those packages...... I forgot about the alt and rad upgrades too...... Mine does have LS and the Tow Package. I also have the "offroad" stickers, but no skid plates, so I don't think I actually have the true offroad package, but the stickers look nice!! ha, ha.......

I got mine used, so not sure what the option list included. I do know that I would pay the extra cost for LS if I were to buy new or buy another truck. It would be deal buster if it did not have it!