Hey all,

Vehicle in question is a 2003 F150 RC "Stepside" (I'm not sure if that's the styleside or flareside?) with the normal length bed, the same length as my Lightning. It's also a 5-speed.

My parents found a great deal on a 3500lb camper and they're concerned over whether or not they can use their truck to tow... We unfortunately don't know what rear end the truck came with (so if someone can tell us how to find out, that'd be great) but from what I've seen online the payload capacity is either 2000lbs or 3500lbs. Is this correct? We're HOPING it's the 3500lb capacity, but since it's the base model truck I'm not so sure.

Anyway, are those figures correct? Anyone know a way to check what axle ratio the vehicle has? Didn't come with a owner's manual or anything and very little paperwork. The two ratios I see as available are 3.08 and 3.55s... Not sure if I'm reading this website correctly, though, so please help. My Dad was a truck driver for years, so he does know how to handle a truck/trailer, as long as the vehicle can handle it as well...

Thanks so much for any advice! I am searching through old threads, but I'm on dial-up so it's very, very, very...very...very slow going.

Thanks again!


Thomas

EDIT: Also, the vehicle is just RWD FYI...which I assume is 4x2? Thanks.

 

Look on the inside of the door, you will find a decal with the drive train info with engine tranny, rear axle, front axle if 4WD, and tire info, usually leter codes. The dealer, any parts store, or salvage yard will be able to tell you what rear end you have, as well as the tranny type.

 

If you have the 3.55 rear end and a V8 you should be ok with that. If your dad drove big rigs then he's obviously experienced enough not to burn the clutch up. That's really the weak link in the manual tranny. There's at leaast one person here that pulls a 4500# trailer with a manual. Now if it's a v6 with a 3.08 that might be a little too much for it to pull, though i think you could do it. I'm not overly knowledgable about the current manual trannies in the f150. FYI

Keep poking around through the towing and powertrain forums here and look around over at www.rv.net. There's a TON of good info there too.

 

You can also download an owners manual for free from here.

http://www.motorcraftservice.com/vdi...&VEHICLE=F-150

 

Soome info regarding truck terms:

Stepside = flareside in Fordspeak.
2wd = 4x2
Payload = how much weight the truck can hold on it's own wheels, not the tow rating.

Stock gear ratio is listed on the driver's door sticker under axle code. I've listed the codes many times. I search for my own posts to copy & paste.

19 = 3.55 open
H9 = 3.55 LSD
26 = 3.73 open
B6 = 3.73 LSD
27 = 3.31 open
18 = 3.08 open
25 = 4.10 open
B5 = 4.10 LSD

Howstuffworks.com has a great intro to differentials explaining open vs. limited slip, if you care.

Ford's clutch is pretty weak in the F-150 which is why the tow rating is almost half the automatic rating.

What size trailer? Regular cab short bed has the smallest wheelbase for an F-150. There is a guidline for tow vehicle wheelbase vs. trailer length, but I don't know what that is.

 

Hey, guys. Thanks for the great responses, you answered our questions. I'm an idiot for not mentioning it was a 4.2L V6, I'm not sure how that slipped my mind when I was asking the original question.

Anyway, we got the responses we needed and I appreciate the help.