2005 F150 tow rig????????

[Nix71Bronco]

Ok, I got a 2005 F150 w/ a 4.6 2wd. I know some people point away from 1/2 tons, but i couldnt afford a new F250. What are things i NEED to do to be able to tow an early bronco on a flat bed trailer. Class 2-3 hitch, brakes on the trailer of course. Ive heard someone mention airbags in the rear...how does this help out? TIA

[wheelerfreak]

Since it sounds like you didn't get the tow package, you'll need a class 3 minimum hitch, trailer brake controller and wire it up, the biggest auto tranny cooler you can mount, the lowest gears you can get, and lots of patience. You have the 4.6 which may be a little lacking in torque, so do what you can to make up for it. You'll also benefit from a WD hitch and sway control. With the 4.6 I believe you have the 8.8 rear, so run synthetic and be careful not to overwork it.

[Nix71Bronco]

Should I also get a tranny temp gauge? Anything else asin gauges, to help me watch that my truck isnt gettin overworked? Whats a good way to keep an eye on the rear end to make sure she is doin ok??? Also, is this gonna kill my truck for using it to tow? Ive seen people w/ chevy1500's anf F150's towing trail rigs before and they said its a lil slower goin up hill, but thats all.

[Nix71Bronco]

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10002&storeId=10001&categoryId=18275&parentCategoryId=10631&langId=-1

What about that, it says I can cool 2 things through the same cooler. I could run tranny oil and diff. oil couldnt I?

Or is that overkill and should I just run a heavy duty tranny cooler for only like $40-50....

[demonranger]

tranny temp guage and get a real engine temp guage b/c the factory one is a joke if you're compulsive an engine oil temp guage would be nice. but you don't NEED one.

the air bag option you don't need with a good WD setup, buy a WD setup with sway control integrated such as the "equalizer" hitch.

[wheelerfreak]

Like he said a tranny temp gauge is IMHO mandatory. For the rear just run good synthetic and check it when you stop to gas up or piss etc. You should be able to touch it but not keep your hand on it for more than a couple of seconds. I believe they make finned covers that allow you to run more fluid also. You can knock yourself out buying gauges to monitor everything, but the only one I feel is a must is the tranny temp gauge. A large stacked plate cooler mounted in front of the rad or seperate from it should work fine. The factory tow package has the tranny cooler mounted below the rad in the open area in the front bumper. For occasional towing of 5-6k you shouldn't kill your truck, but if you plan to tow more often or heavier weights you may need to step up to a 3/4 ton truck. I have an 05 F150 with the 5.4 and tow package that is factory rated to tow 9200#!:eek: I don't think I'd ever try to tow that weight with that truck. 7k max in my opinion, and then only with WD hitch, sway control, and trailer brakes.