which tow rig a) free or b) cheap?

[hiluxman]

my truck is slowly transforming into a mostly trail only rig as time goes on and the 4 hour drives to/from the trails really suck. im not that knowledgeable about towing or fords so please feel free to flame away or better yet guide my to an informed choice. here are my options:

a) my dad had offered me his 1985 Ford F-250 2wd 6.9L extra cab(International) desiel for FREE! i just need to go get it in WA. not a big deal. it has 200K on it and runs well with new bat, starter, 6 new tires (2 new spares). the cosmesis is what you would expect from a 20 y/o work truck, no headliner, raggedy seats, etc.





b) my brother in law has an 1997 F-150 4wd 4.6L triton Extra cab pretty much loaded with tow and off road package. I think i can get it for like $4-4.5K

in either case i will be towing a toyota truggy and from what ive read, stick to a trailor vs flat tow. my question concern is, would the f150 even be upto the task of towing a trailor, rig and family from the bay area (sea level) to the con, moab, hammers, etc. since this would be my daily, and the family hauler, i would prefer the newer vehicle but if its not capable then its a was of money.

your advise would be greatly appreciated.

ron

[RE:Todd]

Go with the free one. You can easily upgrade that with a Banks kit for the difference in price. I think that 4.6 Triton would be stretched to the limit pulling the hill above Folsom with a trailer, rig, and gear.

[SanDiegoCJ]

Originally posted by RE:Todd
Go with the free one. You can easily upgrade that with a Banks kit for the difference in price. I think that 4.6 Triton would be stretched to the limit pulling the hill above Folsom with a trailer, rig, and gear.

I agree 100% with Todd. Get the diesel. I guy in my 4X4 club has
a Ford 1/2ton with the 4.6L and flat tows his YJ behind it. He is
constantly complaining about how slow it is and the lack of power
to climb hills.

[mr4x42u]

Fo sho the FREEBIE!!why pay for a rig when you can get that one free and spend the down payment money to fix it up..I am going to cali the 1st of the month to drop a rig off and pick one up..Go in on a little fuel money and I can give ya a ride and you can drive it back..pm me if you want to..we can caravan back just in case....Let me know..

[Jrod-13]

4.6's and towing do not belong in the same sentence.

take the diesel.

[jaluhn]

Take the diesel. Not only is a much better engine, but the truck overall is much better for towing than an f-150. Also, for it's age, the diesel looks pretty dang good. Much better than my rig, that's for sure.
-John

[hiluxman]

thanks for the input and insight

ron

[TNScrambler]

I'll also agree with the rest to go with the free Diesel. I did tow my jeep with a '96 1500 chevrolet....the 350 vortec had more than enough power, but the 10-bolt, 4l60e just arn't quite up to the task, so I'm selling it now while I still can and just purchased a '84 Diesel to drive and tow with.....and free is better than debt any day!


Justin

[BarrelRoll]

Go with the diesel. I tow with a '90 f150 with a 300 6 and wish i had a diesel all the time along with a 3/4 ton truck. The 1/2 ton is enough to tow my jeep pretty safely in the midwest though if i was out west with lots of big hills i'd definetally want a diesel even if it's a dog. The only reason i'd go with the 1/2 ton is because it's a 4x4 and having a 4x4 tow rig is really nice. When i was looking for a tow rig a lot of people were saying just get a 2wd it will be fine and less of a hassle but i am happy i have the 4x4. I've only used the 4x4 once with a trailer behind my truck but it was a life saver. My jeep needed to be towed out of a camp, a guy with a buggy pulled me to the "access road" to the camp but i had to get my tow rig and trailer to the acess road, where my jeep was it was pretty much a parking lot of slop that i had to get my trailer turned around in which would have sucked if i didn't have low range to creep around in and i might have gotten stuck and then the "access road" was really harry with a trailer in the pooring rain. Moral of the story 4x4 tow rigs can save you ass, towing the jeep with a strap to the real road where a 2wd could get to would have been a death with without power steering and brakes. I'm not sure if your access roads out west are this bad but it can be a life saver in the muddy, hilly, snowy, mid west.

BarrelRoll