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Hello. I have a 2002 F150 with 5.4L V8 and axle ratio of 3.73 I don't use this truck often but I need it to tow my 31' travel trailer. I saw on a forum that changing it from 3.73 to 4.10 ratio will help in it's towing capability. Any opinions? How much does this normally cost?
3.73 to 4.10 isn't much of a change, and in my opinion, may not be worth the cost if yours is a 4x4 You will have no fun pulling a 31' TT with a 150 no matter what gear ratio you have unless live in Kansas. :; You might get away with it, but having pulled just a 19' unit with my '99 4x4 with 3.73's, I'll be looking to upgrade to a diesel F250 if I decide to pull anything in the future, especially here in the mountains. That said, I would look at a 4.56 ratio if you're stuck on the idea.
Lutter is correct in his price estimate. I'll be having my 4x4 swapped from 3.55 to 4.10's soon. With a TracLok rebuild, I was quoted approximately $2,350. 4.56's would raise this a bit.
For reference, here is a table showing F150 towing capacities.
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Last edited by OhioLariat; 01-09-2018 at 03:57 PM.
Thanks guys, Lutter5-0 and Ohio Lariat. Great info. I was thinking of the same thing Ohio Lariat, swapping my truck for a F250 but that costs a lot of money. So, maybe like you suggested, a 4.56 ratio. I wonder if the gear change will increase it's towing capacity or will it just give it a little boost or acceleration? Your thoughts?
You are not going to add much weight towing capability changing the rear gears. The limits are set based on a number of factors including the rear gears. It will give you a little more get up and go and probably run a lower RPM but in the end that trailer may be too heavy for the truck.
How far you are you planning on pulling this trailer? If it's 10 miles or less you are ok, if it's across the country I'd really consider a larger truck. Particularly if you are not familiar with towing at all. You are going to need a WDH (Weight Distributing Hitch) at a minimum regardless of the truck you are using.
Best thing to do of course is get a loaded truck and trailer up to a set of scales and look at the numbers. I don't think re-gearing will help enough to pull that trailer but I could be wrong.
Thanks Aragorn for your insight. I do have a WDH but my trailer weight is the maximum towing capacity for my F150. I pull my trailer empty and I plan to pull it from Arizona to Washington state. That is why I am hoping that changing the gear ratio might help.
I don't see transmission type, auto or manual, although maybe that model only comes with auto.
Some extra thoughts - one time to Washington, or every year? Over the mountains or stay on the flat lands? You'll lose a lot of pull in the mountains. How fast? You can certainly get there just fine with what you have if you don't plan to go very fast.
The lower gear will just give you more pull to get started from a stop really. Where you are in the powerband, engine response, after that will depend on road speed. If you have an auto it will just shift down more often without the gear change.
I don't see transmission type, auto or manual, although maybe that model only comes with auto.
Some extra thoughts - one time to Washington, or every year? Over the mountains or stay on the flat lands? You'll lose a lot of pull in the mountains. How fast? You can certainly get there just fine with the truck that you have if you don't plan to go very fast.
The lower gear will just give you more pull to get started from a stop really. Where you are in the powerband, engine response, after that will depend on road speed. If you have an auto it will just shift down more often without the gear change.
Thanks Aragorn for your insight. I do have a WDH but my trailer weight is the maximum towing capacity for my F150. I pull my trailer empty and I plan to pull it from Arizona to Washington state. That is why I am hoping that changing the gear ratio might help.
If this is a one-and-done trip, you can take your time, and will avoid large elevation changes, you *might* get away with it. I pulled 5000# (car trailer and Mustang) 1400 miles from Ohio to Colorado. It was OK until I got to the Springs, and then had to climb out to 9000' where we live. If I pulled that regularly out here (or pretty much at all), I'd have a 250 in the driveway. No question.
As mentioned, the 4.56 gear will aid in pulling away and getting up to speed, and may help by holding a gear a bit longer, but will not increase the rated capacity or overall capability of the truck. Also, look at the trailer weight and your GCWR. I'd bet a glazed donut you exceed that with the truck/trailer combo.
Last edited by OhioLariat; 01-09-2018 at 09:04 PM.
Reason: Acronym fail.
01-09-2018, 12:10 PM
3.73 to 4.10 ratio
