P40Nut
Harleysville, PA
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Joined: 10/16/2004
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I'm trying to finalize the towing, (Ease Of),capabilities of my 5.4L V8 F150. I have read some comments on this forum about rear ratios effecting the pulling of a TT or 5er on long grades. Is there a website I can go to that I can find what the rear code on the door sticker means? Or, do I have to contact a Ford dealer's service department to find out? I have the factory tow package but I don't know if that includes a 3:55 OR 3:73 Rear.
1999 Ford F150SCAB HD 4X4 5.4L
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BenK
SF BayArea
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Joined: 04/18/2002
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If used, the previous owner could have changed the gear set, so whatever the VIN/Codes/etc say could be wrong.
Easiest is to tape a length of string to the drive shaft. Mark a datum point, best pointing straight down.
Roll the vehicle one tire rev using the valve stem as the datum.
Then count the number of full turns of string, which will be the first number of the diff ratio.
Any fraction of a whole turn is the second half of the ratio.
-Ben Picture of my rig
1996 GMC SLT Suburban 3/4 ton K3500/7.4L/4:1/+150Kmiles orig owner...
1980 Chevy Silverado C10/long bed/"BUILT" 5.7L/3:73/1 ton helper springs/+329Kmiles, bought it from dad...
1998 Mazda B2500 (1/2 ton) pickup, 2nd owner...
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Previous trucks/offroaders: 40's Jeep restored in mid 60's / 69 DuneBuggy (approx +1K lb: VW pan/200hpCorvair: eng, cam, dual carb'w velocity stacks'n 18" runners, 4spd transaxle) made myself from ground up / 1970 Toyota FJ40 / 1973 K5 Blazer (2dr Tahoe, 1 ton axles front/rear, +255K miles when sold it)...
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skipnchar
Topeka or somewhere else
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Joined: 12/17/2003
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Fords tow package does not include any special gearing. It can be ordered with any available ratio. I doubt that you have the 3.73 unless your F-150 is a HD model 7700 GVWR. It could be 3.55 or 3.31 with 3.55 being most likely. A call to your dealer with the VIN would tell you what the truck was delivered with but like Ben says, is someone changed it you may need to figure it out. Sometimes they stamp the ratio on the bell housing also. Good luck / Skip
2004 F-250 SCREW Long Bed 20,000 towing miles (MANY REPAIRS)
OR 2004 F-150 HD 85,000 towing miles (No repairs)
2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
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Iwannacamp
near Ft. Wayne, IN
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Try looking for a metal tab affixed to the rear end housing. It should be on the passenger side of the housing, attached with one of the bolts. That tab will have the ratio on it. If BenK is correct in your situation, then the string method he suggests will be your next step.
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2001 F-150 4X4 5.4L 3.73 Lariat SuperCab 7700
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P40Nut
Harleysville, PA
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Joined: 10/16/2004
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Seems one of my sons has done the research of rear ratio's for me. He has a F150 SuperCrew 4X4 and his rear axle code on the door is "H9". This happens to be the same code on my door label. It's a 3:55 Limited Slip. Which means my max towing is 7700 lbs. However I think staying below 7000 lbs will be better on the truck.
I've found many new/used 5er's with a dry weight in the high 5K's to low 6K's but the hitch weights seem to be over the max weight I can load onto the bed. Need to solve this problem yet.
By the way ... Rear ratios for Ford trucks can be found at ... F150online.com. Go to search and type Axle Ratio's.
Thanks ... BenK ... SkipNChar ... And Iwannacamp for your valuable advice. I was under the truck looking at the label when my son pulled up the drive in his truck.
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MitchF150
NW
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Joined: 07/13/2002
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Look at the AXLE code on the door jamb sticker.
H9 — 3.55 limited slip
B6 — 3.73 limited slip
If there is a number for the first character, then it's the same ratio, just does NOT have LS.
If a 5'er is in your future, it'll have to be kinda light.... You've only got about a #1000 payload before you exceed your trucks GVWR....
Good luck!
Mitch
1997 F150 XLT, 4x4, SuperCab, ShortBox, 5.4, 3.55 gears, Prodigy, EAZ-Lift WD hitch, Autometer Water/Trans temp gauges, 200,000 miles (GVWR #6250 GCWR #12500)
2003 Prowler Lynx 722F (GVWR #5000)
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P40Nut
Harleysville, PA
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There's the RUB! Most 5er's in the 25 to 26' range have hitch weights about 1000 to 1200 lbs. Got to find a way to increase load carrying capability without endangering towing safety.
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