- Joined
- Oct 10, 2010
- Messages
- 781
- Reaction score
- 16
- Points
- 18
- Location
- Near St. Louis MO on the IL side
- Vehicle Year
- 1994
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Engine Size
- 4.0
- Transmission
- Manual
Cliffs: Considering using my wheeler to tow a ‘light’ (Sub 4k) Pop Up/Travel Trailer to local wheeling spots. My concern is whether or not the M50D will hold up to the weight I’m moving.
Build Thread Background (link)
Going by the factory specs on my truck, it was rated for 7,000 lbs combined vehicle weight. (’94 Super Cab, 4x4, 3.73’s, 4.0, M50D, 30” tires).
The truck has grown up a little bit from the factory specs, as it sits right now:
- 8 Lug Dana 44 (‘78 Twin Piston F-350 brakes)
- FF Dana 60 Rear from an E-350 (again Twin piston Disc setup)
- 4:10’s (going to be 4.88 in the near future)
- 37’ Nitto’s
- Wheel base set to 115” (about 10” shorter than factory).
As it sits in ‘street trim’ it weighs in at 5,400 lbs which means I’ve got 1,600 lbs capacity left over from the factory setup. However, I’m not really sitting at factory specs anymore.
With the upgraded brakes, I’m not worried about stopping any (reasonable) additional load that I’d put on this truck as they are true 1 ton brakes. I am worried about the rest of the drive line though, mainly the M50D. So my primary question is…
Do I need to be worried about loading the M50D this heavy? (about 1,400 – 2,400 over what the ‘factory’ rating is).
I’ve not played with these tranny’s too much, but as light as the thing feels, I’m a little concerned with melting it down trying to pull anything with this setup. Is my fear justified, or just rock on?
Build Thread Background (link)
Going by the factory specs on my truck, it was rated for 7,000 lbs combined vehicle weight. (’94 Super Cab, 4x4, 3.73’s, 4.0, M50D, 30” tires).
The truck has grown up a little bit from the factory specs, as it sits right now:
- 8 Lug Dana 44 (‘78 Twin Piston F-350 brakes)
- FF Dana 60 Rear from an E-350 (again Twin piston Disc setup)
- 4:10’s (going to be 4.88 in the near future)
- 37’ Nitto’s
- Wheel base set to 115” (about 10” shorter than factory).
As it sits in ‘street trim’ it weighs in at 5,400 lbs which means I’ve got 1,600 lbs capacity left over from the factory setup. However, I’m not really sitting at factory specs anymore.
With the upgraded brakes, I’m not worried about stopping any (reasonable) additional load that I’d put on this truck as they are true 1 ton brakes. I am worried about the rest of the drive line though, mainly the M50D. So my primary question is…
Do I need to be worried about loading the M50D this heavy? (about 1,400 – 2,400 over what the ‘factory’ rating is).
I’ve not played with these tranny’s too much, but as light as the thing feels, I’m a little concerned with melting it down trying to pull anything with this setup. Is my fear justified, or just rock on?