Embarrassing question...

Shop deals on ebay
shop deals on amazon
Advertise with us
Ford SportTrac Forum

Help Support Ford SportTrac Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
J

Jenn D

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2003
Messages
1,002
Reaction score
0
Location
,
Ok, first of all, I apologize if this topic has been beaten to death, but...



I have a 2003 4x2 ST with a 4.10 axle and limited slip. With this set-up is it reasonable to think that I can tow the max 5,300lb capacity easily? Has anyone towed this much for extended amounts of time safely?



The reason I ask is that we are looking at getting a 21' center console offshore fishing boat. The boat weighs about 3,200lbs (w/engine), include the dual axle trailer (~1,200lbs), gas (70 gallons @ ~6lb/gal = 420lbs), ice (~40lbs) and all gear/equipment - this would be getting awfully close to the max.



Being that this is a major purchase, I really want to make sure I won't be "killing" my ST's engine by expecting more of it than it can do.



If this expectation is too much and it's not advised, please be honest and tell me.
 
Has anyone towed this much for extended amounts of time safely?
Click to expand...



What do you consider "extended", an hour to the gulf or the ocean, or several consecutive days, several hours a day?
 
I do not ee why not. However I would advice that you get a better swaybar and shocks (if you have not already done so). A distributed hitch will make towing that much easier as well as a trailer brake system. The biggest concern would be the tranny heat. A good synthetic and proper maintenance should keep that in check. I have , in addition to the EE swaybar, an Roadmaster Active Suspension system which does help with trailering. Just a few suggestions.





MikeC
 
EE swaybar upgrade - Check

Upgraded shocks - Check (though I'm willing to consider even better, possibly air-ride or gas shocks)



Synthetic oil - no (but I assume at 88K miles, it's too late to switch over?)



As for extended time, well it will vary. The boat will be stored in Cape Canaveral, and we'd like to consider trips to Tampa (~3-4 hours) and the keys (~5 hours).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Mike - did you install the RAS system yourself? If so, how tough was it and how much did it cost?

 
As for extended time, well it will vary. The boat will be stored in Cape Canaveral, and we'd like to consider trips to Tampa (~3-4 hours) and the keys (~5 hours).
Click to expand...



Shouldn't be an issue...enjoy.
 
How far do you plan to tow? What type of terrain? How steep is the ramp to launch the boat? How often would you plan to tow it?



The reason I ask is these questions is becaause many people complain about the lack of power when pulling a small trailer. I can honestly say I am the heavy weight towing king here. 8,000+ pounds have been behind my Trac and it did fine. I own a flatbed trailer that I haul all sorts of things on it. Cars, scrap metal, etc. I never had an issue.



Gas mileage does down to almost 10 MPG on any vehicle that tows. This includes F-150's, F-250's, F-350's, ST's, etc. That is just the way it is.



I have towed a car to Kentucky on my trailer and had no trouble yanking it at 70+ MPH. Of course, a car on a trailer is not as large as a boat, so you are fighting wind too. That was something I did not have to deal with. I have towed a pop-up to Florida and had a great time doing it. I was still getting 16-17 MPG with the trailer on, so I could not complain, but again, little wind resistance.



If you plan to hit the fishing circuit with that boat, then it is too much for a Trac. If you go a dozen times a year and the ramp is not steep and it is not a long distance and it is not through the mountains and you are not expecting towing power of a semi truck in the size of a Sport Trac, you will be fine.



Some of my loads...



[Broken External Image]:

Car going to Kentucky.



[Broken External Image]:

Another car getting towed.



[Broken External Image]:

A load of junk to the scrap yard.



Some other members with a Trailer can give you their thoughts since they tow something larger, though not heavier, that I have. Their input would be appreciated.



Hopefully Gary S will chime in. I am sure his advise would be to buy a Toyota. They are such well built vehicles, you can use them as fishing boats. His table is never empty. Only mine is.





Tom
 
Tom - I knew you'd chime in, and I mean that in a good way. You always push the limits of your ST and do just fine. :D What type of shocks do you have btw? I recall hearing about your upgrading to a better shock for towing. I may be wrong, if so my bad.



That being said, we do fish A LOT. I would not be exaggerating that this boat would go out every weekend in the summer (which is 9 months out of the year down here), and periodically (when weather permits) in the fall/winter/spring. However, 99% of the trips would be short distances (3-5 miles) from storage to the ramp with no hills or rough terrain. The ramp at the port is not a steep one and is actually upkept quite well. There are actually several ramps that are upkept well to choose from as well.
 
88K is not too late for synthetics. You might also consider putting a temp sender and drain plug in the tranny pan. This way you can dump the tranny fluid, say every 6-12 K miles. Although it is not a complete fluid change out , but will definitely replace the same as a pan drop. If you change out say 25 % drain every 6K miles the average age of you tranny oil will be about 15K mile over 100K miles of use and about 30K miles if drained every 9K MILES.



A temp gauge is always good with an automatic.

 
As a boater myself I would say get a bigger truck if you plan on towing this rig often, because sooner or later your going to need one, wheather it is before or after your damage the sport trac. When it comes to towing you should always have enough play, I would say that if you tow often you should only be pulling a load 3/4 of the MAX. If it was a one time thing I'd say go for it but I think towing a rig that far, that long, so often would be a pain in the but. I think you need a tow vehicle with a little more balls. Just my opinion.

CHRIS
 
I believe that Cayman is using Monroe Reflex all around with Firestone AirRide assist in the rear.



I am using the Roadmaster Active Suspension with 1-1/4" spacers in the rear. In the next couple of months I am going the upgrade the shocks to Rancho RSX. And, upgrade the front rotors to slotted rotors for better braking.



If it were I towing a boat as stated above, I would do the suggestions above as well as upgrading the rotors to slotted ones. Do what you feel is best for your situation.

 
Jenn,



I used to tow a 23' hybrid travel trailer with my '04 STA 4X2 4:10LS. With this trailer loaded, I was probably pushing the 5300lb limit, and my Trac handled it just fine.



I have the RAS kit, EE swaybar, and Rancho RSX shocks installed. I also strongly recommend the RAS kit. It's fairly easy to install. I did it by myself on a Saturday afternoon in my driveway. Just take your time and follow the instructions carefully. I think when I bought it five years ago from a former site sponsor I paid about $200. I just checked that same vendor, and the ST RAS kit now runs $315.



It's never too late to change to synthetic engine oil. I've always run Mobil 1 in my 87,000 mile '04 STA. However, I recently switched to Penzoil synthetic simply because it's a few $$$ cheaper for the five-quart jug.



Definitely upgrade your brakes, especially the front ones. They're going to see a lot more wear and tear from towing.



If you haven't already ever done so, have the transmission fluid flushed and the filter changed. You might want to even consider buying a 4X4 pan from Torrie and put that on when changing the fluid. The 4X4 pan is a little deeper than the 4X2 pan, giving you a few extra quarts of fluid, and when towing, every bit of fluid helps to keep the tranny temp down. This is a fairly inexpensive way to increase your fluid capacity. If you do get the 4X4 pan, you'll need the 4X4 filter.



The only other concern I would have in your case is this: With a 4X2, you may have traction issues when attempting to pull the boat/trailer out of the water on a wet/slippery ramp. I've heard stories of folks who couldn't get good traction w/ 4X2 and their tow vehicle was pulled down in the H20.



Well, that's about my entire two cents worth of advice. Hope it's helpful. Let us know how it goes.
 
Jenn,

The engine and suspension should be able to handle the 5300 lbs tow. And since you live in Florida, I assume you will not be towing the boat up and mountains...LOL You should do fine, just remember that your braking distances will be much longer even with trailer brakes.



If you tow the boat often, be sure to do more frequent maintenace like tranny flushes, oil changes, and collant checks. Also, be sure to check you trailer's wheel bearings. They are notorious for eating up bearings especially when you put your boat in salt water.



...Richard
 
CHRIS - you hit the nail on the head....we do need a truck with more balls for what we're planning. And if we had a truck with more balls right now, we wouldn't be looking at 21' boats....we'd definitely be going bigger. That being said, we're okay settling with a 21' if we can make it work.



The only other concern I would have in your case is this: With a 4X2, you may have traction issues when attempting to pull the boat/trailer out of the water on a wet/slippery ramp. I've heard stories of folks who couldn't get good traction w/ 4X2 and their tow vehicle was pulled down in the H20.
Click to expand...



This is a big concern of ours too... though I'm not inclined to make it the biggest concern mainly because the ramps we'd primarily use are very well maintained and I do have excellent tires for wet traction. I mean, I should say that we did previously own a 20'6" Wellcraft cuddy cabin that was around this same weight, a little less, and we didn't have any troubles except for the obvious feeling that the ST was pulling something big. We were able to get in and out of the water just fine.



Still though, we have not made a decision yet. We really don't want to downsize boat because when I do get a newer, bigger truck in a few years, we'll want a bigger boat then. That being said, I also don't want to fork out $70K+ for a new boat and a new truck. It's a tough situation between was we want and what we should do.



Thanks for everyone's input on this topic though. If we decide to go for it, I definitely think the RAS will be in my ST's future as well as some tranny upgrades. Overall, the ST is in well maintained condition for this - upgraded shocks, upgraded sway bar, upgraded tires. I just feel horrible expecting so much out of it when it may not be able to perform fully.
 
I've never towed a boat with my STA but I did have a 482vs Ranger that I pulled with a 2wd F150 for years and I never had a problem with traction on any of the ramps that I fished from and trust me there were quite a few all over Florida and parts of GA and more than a couple were pretty steep. That being said I don't think traction with an LS diff will be a problem for you guys.



On a side note what boat combo are you gertting and where do you usually fish? I haven't been alot since we built our house and I sold the Ranger but I think I have the wife convinced to let me get another boat, esecially since I started talking about getting a pilots license. Psycology 101 usually works like a charm.
 
All good advice.... Boats are easier to tow because they are streamlined in the front.... weight is weight, tho.... Tranny flush and an aux cooler a must...
 
AdrnlnRush - We live in East Orlando (I grew up practically in Ocoee and graduated from , as well as taught at West Orange High School). We fish anywhere and everywhere there's water. Usually we fish the flats at Sebastian, and fish with buddies out of the Cape. Sometimes we head over to Tampa for grouper, and next week we'll be in the keys for my husband's birthday.



The boat we're looking at is a 21' Tidewater. It's a sweet set-up, though we're not completely sold just yet. There's also a nice 21' Sea Chaser we've been looking at too. We're looking to buy in June/July.



If you're into fishing and want to go, let us know. We love taking people fishing who enjoy it as much as we do.
 

Latest posts

Top