manual vs. automatic

Hi folks I am new to the boards. I drive an '08 supercab 4x4 4.0 5speed with 3.73 limited slip. I would like to pull a 18 ft bass boat (~2500 w/trailer). I tried pulling my dad's 26 ft sailboat before and it cooked the clutch. I needed 4L just to get up the ramp with a full ballast.

Why is the automatic rated for almost double the towing capacity? I'm guessing the torque converter? Could I just install an aftermarket clutch?

Thanks for the tips. As much as I like F-150's I'd prefer to keep my Ranger!

This has been speculated about for a long time. The consensus seems to be that it has to do with the clutch (and people's lack of ability to use it properly).
IMO, the M5OD manual is a more robust transmission than any of the automatics ever put into a Ranger.


However, you should always put it in 4L if you're bringing any boat up out of the water. This takes virtually all the load off both the engine & transmission (especially if there's any water down in the bilge or elsewhere) and provides more traction if the ramp is slippery

i towed my '85 bmw on an 18' trailer about 100+ miles with my 3.0 manual, clutch wasnt quite happy but took it just fine. the shift knob started to get warm after a while though.

i pulled a 1800+# load of cement bumpers (like in parking lots) up an7% grade with my little 2.8 and 5 speed manual. i kept it in 4th at about 3000 rpm which is where that engine develops most of it's torque. did fine. no hesitation, slipping, etc. what made the difference i believe is my 4.56 gears. no way would i have done it with the stock 3.45's or even the optional 3.73's that were available for that year. some think i'm over geared, but when you need them, nothing else will do. protected my engine, tranny, and clutch... imho.

oh yea, stock 3.73 ratio in my 7.5 axle with 33X12.5 tires.

You cannot burn your clutch up, no matter what it is, unless it's A) already really whipped and just can't hold any torque or B) you do it on purpose.

Here's the proper way to drive, especially loaded down: Get into the clutch enough to get the load moving. Stay out of the throttle as much as you can. The goal is to get the clutch up with as little throttle as possible. Once the clutch is up, ROLL into the gas. That means increase throttle at a rate that the engine can pursue the clutch hold without stressing it. It's not very hard on a Ranger where the maximum engine torgue on any engine is only 240#.

Shift at redline. You don't need the clutch anymore, but you need the clutch pedal. SHift at redline, let the clutch up with no throttle, then ROLL the throttle back on.

Your clutch will outlive you if you do this. I HATE riding with people that don't know how to drive. 90% of the people don't know how to drive a stick that want one. They get no benefit from the stick because they slip the shit out of every gear. The clutch and throttle are not simultaneously applied. Clutch, then throttle. When you downshift, give the gas a good kick before you let the clutch out. When you upshift, you can do that too, though it's not that important on a light vehicle like a Ranger.

People hate autos because autos don't shift at the right time, supposedly, and they are weak or whatever. Many of those people don't know how to drive and an auto would suit them much better.

The physical bits of all Ranger autos are strong enough, but some poor designing made the early A4LDs suck. These problems have been sorted out as of the late 90s and I think you'll find the autos to be just fine.

As to towing, autos are better for the masses--which the truck is designed for. I was riding with a friend in a Scion TC. There is a T in the road which both lead to highway 46. He took the longer section of the T and I asked why, "Does it scrape on going the other way?" The other way is steep going up to the highway. No, he didn't like starting off on that steep section.

He isn't a good clutch guy, I noticed. You spend a little time in a pile of big rocks and you'll be a good clutch guy pretty soon. Towing, it's the same thing. You can't jam the radio and just let the damn clutch out and wham the gas in and go. You need to feel it, baby. Towing, more than anything. You can burn that clutch in a minute if you don't have a clue. It's not digital. I could start my schoolbus in third gear up that slope he was afraid to take his TC up. He's my best friend with huge skills and knowledge in impressive areas, but he's not taking my schoolbus for a drive--no way. Very few people bother to do it right. That's why Ford rate the manual low. The auto does it right, by computer command. The auto is awesome, it really is.

Who do you love? Drive a manual correctly--not Fast and Furious style--and you'll do great. An auto makes those immediate shifts for you, plus had a torque converter which helps hugely on the hills.

^^^ I've been driving for 33 years and I thought I knew how to use a clutch. I've just in the last year finally learned I was doing it wrong. Let the torque do the work.

Richard

x2 what Will said. i learned to drive exactly that way when i owned an old 1962 vw beetle. not going to say how many decades ago that was. but, i still drive my ranger like that.

+1 to will. I learned the wrong way and broke shit. Then i eventually figured out the right way and haven't broken shit since.