Happy Thanksgiving all! Quick question. In the near feature I will be moving from Texas to the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina pulling an enclosed 6x12 trailer as well as having the bed of the truck packed. The truck is a 1996 4.9l auto w/OD 4x4, transmission cooler, standard cab, 6ft bed and stock tire size. I've been to a few websites and have added the info off the data plate and have come up with 5 different tow capacities and driving into the mountains has me nervous about doing some damage to the drivetrain. I attached a pic of the data plate and any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Axle code 18= 3.08. That truck will be a dog pulling much of anything. I think 4700 lbs is all that truck is rated to pull. 4600 lbs with 4wd. Could you pull it? Yes but it will be a slow go. Especially in the mountains. About 2 months ago I moved a 32' enclosed trailer with fire equipment in it with my 2005 f150 with the 5.4 and 3.73s. Probably about 17,000 lbs. I wouldnt have dared to to pull that down the highway. It was only for about a quarter of a mile on a 35 mph road. No issue. You can make an f150 do about anything you want but think smart while doing it

 

i wouldn't even think about pulling that. rent a U-Haul

 

The only damage you're going to do to the drivetrain is when you flip the truck or slide it off the road over a cliff.

The TRUCK's towing capacity is already much higher than the OWNER's because YOU aren't experienced at towing. So YOU shouldn't be pushing a truck/trailer combo to its limits because YOUR limits are too low. Either use a bigger truck whose capacity will not be approached by your load; or make several trips; or pay someone to haul your stuff while you drive your (nearly-empty) truck.

 

Steve made a good point. Your truck is capable of a LOT more than what its rated for. But if you don't know what your doing, in a blink of an eye that load can be in control of you

 

Thanks for all the replies and insight. I have quite a bit of experience towing. I use too hot shot oilfield equipment all over the U.S. and I get that there is a massive difference between using a light 1/2 ton bumper pulling compared to a 1 ton dually pulling a gooseneck. I was wondering if my 23 year old truck would be able to get the trip done and it sounds like it will but it will be slow and painful so plan B it is! Uhaul with a carhauler. Again thank you all for the info.

 

If you rent a uhaul, be sure to buy the insurance. It will save your *** if it gets scratched or dented

 

I moved recently and pulled the same 6x12s twice, both times with the bed full, over steep, twisting roads. My '87 has 3.55 gearing, auto trans and the 302, it did well enough, but I took it easy.
Your rear axle ratio is your biggest challenge, prepare for slow going and give yourself plenty of time for stopping or slowing down.
The tongue height on those trailers is pretty low, make sure you don't drag the rear of the trailer.