Anyone tow with a lifted truck?

[cadunkle]

Just wondering if anyone has towed with a lifted truck with oversize tires. I've towed max of 5500 lbs before, but always with a short truck (Bronco, shortbed Ford). Now I have an '86 F-250 Supercab with 4" suspension lift and 38.5"x15" tires and I'm worried things may get interesting. Truck should be fine for pulling and stopping. Brakes are new premium stuff all around and engine is a bit underpowered for my 3.50:1 gear (351W) but should be alright with the 5 speed and granny gear (never towed or wheeled with an automatic, don't care for them).

I think turning and backing the trailer will be a pain though, especially tight 90* into my driveway and down ramps. Also with the 15" wide tires I can't turn the wheel all the way as the tires rub my leaf springs. I've used to tow reasonable often but never a boat. Haven't launched a boat in years and when I did it was with a shortbed truck.

Any tips for backing in tight quarters or using ramps with a long/lifted truck? I was thinking about picking up a set of 33x12.5 or 23x12.5 tires to tow with for greater maneuverability and better MPG for going to the shore. For what it's worth my boat is a 21' on a dual axle trailer weighing a bit under 3000 lbs. Just looking for some tips before I head out.

 

[lime4x4]

Re: Anyone tow with a lifted truck?

I can tell u from personal expereince it's going to SUCK!!!!! I have a 1980 full size chevy 1 ton 4 whl drive truck that has a 8 inch supension lift,4 inch body lift and running 38 inch mud swampers. I used it to pull a 9000 lb boat 3 miles to the local lake.The truck was powered with a built 350 engine and 4 spd trans with granny gear. I never went over 25 miles an hour. And it wasn't cause the truck couldn't pull it just anything over 30 mph it was way unstable.

 

[cadunkle]

Re: Anyone tow with a lifted truck?

Gee, this already sounds like it'll be fun. My truck is fine on the highway, I can do 65-75 MPH and the truck isn't real squirrely or anything. Though I have learned that there is about a 5 MPG difference between 65 and 75 MPH. It's the difference between under and over 10 MPG, so I'm content to take my time. It's only a few miles to the river, maybe 4-5 miles so hopefully it won't be that bad?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Anyone tow with a lifted truck?

Of the two factors you are worried about only one is an issue. A lifted truck is not a problem as long as you use a dropped hitch that allows the boat to be towed level. The real issue is the tires. Although you have a 3.50:1 rear gears, the fact that you have 38 inch tires has reduced the overall effective gear ratio significantly making it a real dog in that regard. Few people consider that when making this change. And if you haven't noticed, it also affects the speedometer. Large tires cover more ground with each revolution than smaller diameter tires so your speedometer is way slow - which also accounts for reduced fuel economy. The economy is certainly suffering because of the tires, but it is made worse (in numbers only) simply because of the speedometer error. With tires like that you should have 4.10 or possibly even 4.56 gears for all around use.

 

[fishmen111]

Re: Anyone tow with a lifted truck?

4.56 minumum just to return that truck close to stock. You really need 4.88s. I towed just fine with 36s but was running 4.56s. You are currently running around a 2.38 gear, not 3.50 due to tire size.

 

[cadunkle]

Re: Anyone tow with a lifted truck?

Good point about the gears. I had a feeling that was gonna be a problem, because since I swapped the automatic (3 speed C6) with a 5 speed with overdrive, 5th is useless and just lugs the engine.

I pulled the boat for the first time with the truck yesterday and it wasn't too bad. I didn't really use 4th much though. It's only a 15 minute drive to the ramp. Brakes were alright and steering the trailer wasn't as bad as I thought it would be with the big tires. On the ramp I used low range on the t-case and didn't really have to drag my clutch. I definitely want to do lower gears though because this truck begs for mercy on hills and even in granny gear I gotta drag it a bit to get rolling.

I can pick up a front/rear axle from a factory 4.10 truck for reasonably cheap, but as you guys said even that may not be ideal. My last F250 had 4.10:1 gears but only 33" tires so had plenty of power with the same engine and transmission that's in this truck. I believe you guys are right about going with 4.56 or lower gears to be ideal.

Only other concern I hadn't thought about was my power steering. Apparently my pump isn't happy with me. I have a new pump I'm gonna put on and I'm gonna use a small transmission cooler I have for the power steering fluid, as it gets really hot when maneuvering in tight quarters at low speed.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Anyone tow with a lifted truck?

You really proved to yourself that you are geared way wrong. If you weren't able to use 4th gear, which is really direct or 1:1 you are essentially running a three speed tranny in second gear. You really want gearing that at least lets you run in high gear (direct or 1:1) effortlessly. Yes, if you plan to keep this rig and run it regularly I would certainly consider 4.10 or even 4.56 gears. On your truck, the third members are easily swapped so a trip to the local bone yard should have you in business for reasonable fees.

 

[fishingman220]

Re: Anyone tow with a lifted truck?

i tow with a 98 suburban 1/2 ton with 6in susp. and 3in body. i run 36in DC-II and 4.88 gears. my boat is a 23 foot proline and it pulls it fine. i bought the programmer and that helped out alot just with the gear selection. works kind of like the tow/haul mode on the newer chevys. i too have the rubbing problems and its not too bad just have to swing wide. gas station is the worst place.