Ideas to make truck tow better

   / Ideas to make truck tow better #21  
Plugged cat. Use a temp gun before and after the cat, if temps are equal the cat is bad.
 
   / Ideas to make truck tow better #22  
Yes, been there done that. Was a 351 in a Ford pickup. Changed the Cat; was like an all new motor... Well, that and a full tuneup, filters etc.

Plugged cat. Use a temp gun before and after the cat, if temps are equal the cat is bad.
 
   / Ideas to make truck tow better
  • Thread Starter
#25  
Truck has 4.56 rear. The clutch will feather, so I think the clutch is good. It does use some oil, about 1 quart per thousand miles. Has oil seep on front of engine, nothing I would consider major. I don't know about the valves or compression, but truck will do fine once moving. It will climb steep hills as good as I would expect a 23 year old truck to. Wouldn't valves or poor compression cause poor performance on the move too?

I will ask and try to find out about a plugged cat convter. Still seems like this would cause it to struggle while moving as well as starting out.

I am now starting to recalculate what weight I am actually towing. I towed a farmall c tractor with loader to a mechanics house for repairs yesterday. Other then needing to use low gear and slightly slip clutch to get rolling even on flat, the truck did ok. Farmall c weight is around 3000 lbs. Trailer is 2850 lbs. Add the loader and other add ons, I figure I was towing roughly 7000 lbs.

I might take my tractor to weight scales and see how much it really does weigh. Maybe I am hauling way over 10,000 lbs. If any one like to take a guess at weight, I am hauling a kubota mx5200 tractor loaded tires with washer fluid 75%, loader with bucket, fransgard v3507 3ph winch with chains and binders.

Here is my weights,
mx5200. 3716lbs as stated by kubota.
tires. 935lbs at 55gal per tire at 8.5 lbs per gallon
loader. 1400lbs?
bucket. 250lbs?
winch. 408lbs as stated by fransgard
Trailer 2850 as stated by man.
chains and binders. 100lbs?

total weight 9659lbs

then add my weight and misc items in cab, couple chainsaws and I am right about the 10,000lbs area. Truck is rated at 9500lbs bumper pull, but 13000lbs for gooseneck as stated by trailers.com.

One more question. I know over weight is over weight, but if truck is rated for 13,000lbs towing a gooseneck, and handles the tounge weight of what I am towing as I guesstimated at 10,000lbs bumper pull, shouldn't it be able to start out as if it were towing 13,000lbs. Towing weight all the same as far is the engine, transmission, and gear ratios concerned isn't it.
 
   / Ideas to make truck tow better #26  
Your truck is 24 years old. That 1992 350 with 5 spd and 4.56 gears should have no problem towing 10K. Apparently its tired. I tow that much with a 5.3L (smaller than your 5.7L), 6 spd auto, and 3.42 gears. I also towed a camper that weighed that much years ago with a 79 Chevy 4x4, 350, 4 spd. manual and 3.73 gears.

If your truck body is in good shape I'd suggest buying a rebuilt truck 350 engine at your local auto parts store and drop it in with a new dual exhaust system. A lot cheaper than buying another truck.
 
   / Ideas to make truck tow better #28  
As for your leaking exhaust manifolds.... pick your part junk yard! Should be under $100
 
   / Ideas to make truck tow better #30  
I have a beater F350 with dump bed and 4' side boards and well used 360 4 sp and with green oak up to the top it will pull away in the woods with no problems in granny low. It surprises me. Only actual load weighed was almost 4 tons of gravel. I think it has 4:11 rearend. Don't know ratio of 1st gear on np435 tranny.

ps It has exhaust leaks at manifold.

just looked up 1st ratio and it's 6.69
 

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