There is a tow section in the owners manual if you still have. It will vary depending on axle and trans and engine, manual being less than auto. From memory with that setup you should be fine with up to 7500 lb trailer. Your truck has decent gvwr, mine is only 5450.

 

 

Not without the truck's details. We assume it's an F150 because you're posting on this BBS. We need to see its YEAR, miles, maintenance history, options, damage, repairs, modifications... in your signature. Click this & read the caption:



The GVWR says nothing about the trailer weight; only the truck itself. Have you weighed the truck recently? Or the trailer you intend to tow? Some truck stops, highway weigh stations, and scrap yards will tell you the weight free if you wait until they're not busy with paying customers, and tell them you DON'T need a certified ticket. This is from a nearby scrap yard:


(phone app link)

The MAXIMUM legal trailer weight is determined by the GCWR, minus the truck's actual curb weight (from a scale), with a few other slight adjustments. The owner's manual is the best place to read about how to calculate yours. If you don't have one, download the '96 manual from Ford:
http://www.fleet.ford.com/partsandse...owner-manuals/

But the maximum legal is not the SAFE trailer weight for you, or the MAXIMUM that the truck can possibly pull. The truck could pull a battleship or freight train, if you go slow enough in good weather, and stay OFF public roads. If you've never towed anything WITH THIS TRUCK, then you should certainly NOT try to start off at or near the max. Start off with something tiny, and learn how the truck behaves in a variety of weather conditions on a variety of road surfaces. After you're comfortable with that, bump up and do a few thousand miles with maybe HALF the truck's rated capacity. Then do a year not going over 3/4. It should take you a few years to get up to its max, and even then, you should expect the unexpected... I've been towing since before I could drive on the road, and this is a small fraction of the weight I've towed successfully:


(phone app link)


(phone app link)

If you just absolutely MUST tow 8,000 lbs tomorrow, rent or borrow a truck rated for 10,000.

 

 

You're going to be pushing the limits on a truck from 1989 with the smaller V8. Doesn't sound like the trip is to many miles, just within your state. Try making a run before the actual camping trip and get a feel if the truck is up to the task, I'd say it's rated for the weight but actually towing it with an older truck might change your mind.

 

You're doing exactly what I suggested NOT to. 32' is a gigantic trailer, and 6200# is probably above the truck's rating, but you still didn't fill in your signature. A 10K hitch doesn't make it any safer, and an oil cooler won't keep the combination on the road.

 

 

Click the words "your signature" in my first reply.

 

When using a phone the signature doesn't show up, at least not for me. Just saves the time of entering what you put in the first post of the thread, basic truck info, for those using a pc to see. So hardly anyone really!