Will the 4.6 tow my 29' ft Airstream??

[Guest]

I just picked up a 2001 XLT with the 4.6 V8. I know it will Tow it but will it struggle uphills and such. It has or will have all the necessary towing equipment. BTW the trailer weighs about 7k-8k punds.

Thanks, Evan

 

[Guest]

all these looks and no responses?? help me

 

[Shaggy]

Thats a hard one. What is the vehicle rated for towing? It should be listed in your door jamb.

 

[Guest]

for 2wd i beleive it says 5,000 lb. Does that sound right?

 

[abbyzdad]

NCXLT
an important factor in towing is gear ratio. mine, for example, a 2000 with 3.55's and 1500 lbs behind it will roll fine on level terrain but wants to shift down if you even see a hill in the distance. a head wind will keep it out of O/D entirely. ( i know the book says to tow with O/D off, but i can' afford the fuel to do that) it is rated at "6001 to 7000 GVW". in contrast, my (old) 97 light duty f250 with the same engine/trans. but 3.73 gears had only problems with the steeper hills.
also, tire size will have an effect on final gear ratio.

hope this helps, brian

 

[Guest]

It does help, i dont have the car in my possesion until the next couple of days so i cant be fore sure of what all it has. So i basically think it is gonna work just not swiftly.

 

[Wapiti]

Hate to rain on your parade but IMHO the 4.6 and a tow rating of 5000 will not tow a 7 to 8k trailer. You may be able to do it, but your over the limit for what the vehicle is designed for to tow safely and efficiently.

For starters, there are two rear diffs/axles available on the Expys. You probably have the smaller of the two. Its weight rating will be on the sticker on your door jamb. My guess is you'll be over that rating with a trailer that heavy. Your transmission is probably the smaller of the two also. You'll need the E4OD trans.

Since one wants 12% to 15% of the trailer weight to be on the tongue, your looking at at least 840lbs on the hitch. Most Class III hitches are good to 300lbs without a weight distributing hitch and 500lbs with one. You'd need to go to a Class IV or V hitch. But then again your rear axle and tire ratings aren't up to the task.

Tow ratings are based on an empty vehicle with one passenger of 150lbs. Anything else you put in the truck you need to subtract from the tow rating. And that's just the simple way of looking at it. You need to know the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating, the Gross Axle Weight Ratings, Hitch Rating, among others and take the time to work out the math.

IMHO you are WAY over what you can safely tow.

 

[Wapiti]

Check this website out.

http://www.trailerlife.com/output.cfm?id=42175

Belive it says a 4.6, 2x2, with auto trans with OD, has a tow rating of 5900 lbs.

 

[Guest]

ok, i looked at the trailer weight and i was wayyy off. It weighs at most 6500 pounds. But that number is actually deceiving because that that means you have every water tank full. One is almost always empty so that means there isnt 350 lbs. in there. So i think i will be ok, but none the less i think we may be downgrading to a smaller trailer since the need for a bigger one no longer exist.

Thanks for all the help guys, i appreciate it. anmore info you wanna add fell free to leave it.

 

[monsta]

Originally posted by NCXLT
Anymore info you wanna add feel free to leave it.

Please listen to wapiti!!!!

You are over even with your new "weight".

I would also strongly recommend that you actually weigh the trailer and truck and do not assume anything written on the label.

Keep in mind, as he stated, that your tow ratings are just ONE part of hte equation.

I made a towing FAQ at another site I moderate. It has some good info on determining towing ability.

Towing info

 

[Guest]

Like i said, I am going to be getting a smaller Airstream as i no longer need a 29'. I will most likely be getting a new 25'ftlightweight model that the 4.6 will definitely be able to handle. Once again thanks for ALL the advice