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Mod ranger towing opinion


myers94

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Hey guys I have a 94 4x4 4.0 5 speed with the 3.73 gearing, I am planning on dropping a 302 in and getting 400hp or so out of it, do you think beefing up the back end, suspension, and drivetrain would make it better for towing or is the stance just to narrow and the frame would bind up to much, what are your thoughts thx
 


Captain Ledd

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Towing what?

If you're thinking that dropping a built fullsize truck drivetrain in it will make it have full size towing capacity, it won't work. You should already be able to lug around 4-5k on a trailer. More than that and you quite literally just need a bigger truck.

What do you mean by "frame bind"?
 

myers94

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I mean will the frame be able to handle the extra load and not to much stress be applied to it because it is not built to tow, and the reason I'm asking is that the manual for the truck is only gives like 3100 pounds because of the trans, the automatic can do what your saying 6k, maybe it is just a safety precaution...
 

RonD

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Trucks VIN number will be the legal towing limit, no Mods can change that.

You can increase the Ability to tow heavier loads but that won't change the legal aspect if you are ever weighed

Basically the weight limit for towing comes from Gross Combined Weight Rating(GCWR)
This has to do with brakes and power
And GVWR(gross vehicle weight rating) limit, this has to do with brakes and power as well as load IN/ON the truck.

If truck weights 3,200lbs and has a GVWR of 5,000lbs then you have 1,800lbs for cargo IN/ON the vehicle
Must include drivers weight in that, and passengers
Plus Cargo in the bed
And if pulling a trailer the TONGUE weight of the trailer, since that is weight IN/ON the truck.

Then there is the GCWR limit which would be the truck weight plus people and cargo and tongue weight and the difference would be the maximum trailer weight

So if GCWR is 6,500 and you have truck loaded weight of 4,500 then you could "legally" pull upto a 2,000lbs trailer.

So you need to get the GVWR(on drivers door sticker) and see if you can find the GCWR for the truck, Ford and some trailer places published that, by year and model.
Owners manual for that year will also have GCWR, by model, engine and trans

Automatics are better overall for towing, need a 2nd trans cooler but they are better, which is why they have a higher rating for weight.

I personally like manuals better but on paper(Science part) they fall short of automatics for towing weight.
People often blame this on "driver ability", that isn't even considered, the way automatics work is simply better for towing, science and physics, not a people problem, lol.

Yes frame can handle more than listed ratings but it will have a physical limit, but you have to reach that limit and then go passed it tell what that limit is, lol.
Ford only published legal weight limits not "breaking point" limits :)

V8 will certainly make towing easier but can't change the "legal" limits for the VIN
Even if you swap to automatic from manual, VIN is still manual so that's the limit

Depending on the state you might be able to get recertified as a custom vehicle and get a higher rating, but probably not cheap to do that

And just a heads up, insurance, if there is an accident, doesn't even have to involve weight or be your fault, if it is established your vehicle was over the limit, so legally should not have been on the road, your insurance company can deny claims, legally, leaving you on the hook
 
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myers94

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OK that accualy clears up a lot thx
 

cbr600rx7

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No matter what you do to any vehicle you can not increase the vehicles capacity legally.

Getting 400hp out of any 302 (besides a coyote) is not a easy task. It's also not going to tow very well with high compression and a large cam. Axles and transmission would also need to be upgraded to handle that power.

And at the end of the day if you upgraded the frame, brakes, axles, transmission, suspension, engine, and every thing else. It's still limited by the factory rating.
 

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