Towing Capacity Question

[Rob93]

My friend and I were wondering whose truck had a better towing capacity... Looking up his truck, (1992 Bronco with 302 v8 3.55 gears) I could not find an exact number but seems to be rated somewhere between 6-7000 pounds with the towing package. I don't understand, the bronco is worse in every category, shorter wheelbase, 185 hp, 270 ft lb torque.. Only thing it has is a bit more weight and maybe better brakes
Are towing capacities just that much stricter now? Even so I couldn't imagine towing 7k with the tb, (4.2 SWB 3.42 gears) which is rated at I believe 5500

[NC_IslandRunner]

Stiffer suspension too.

[The Roadie]

More lawyers nowadays, too.

[navigator]

outside of possibly stricter standards. I think most would agree a heavier vehicle with better brakes is a good thing when towing a load. There is more to towing a load than pulling. Handling and stopping equally if not more important than torque.

[Rob93]

outside of possibly stricter standards. I think most would agree a heavier vehicle with better brakes is a good thing when towing a load. There is more to towing a load than pulling. Handling and stopping equally if not more important than torque.

Just the way my tb struggles pulling 5500 lbs I could not imagine having less power and more weight

[bartonmd]

outside of possibly stricter standards. I think most would agree a heavier vehicle with better brakes is a good thing when towing a load. There is more to towing a load than pulling. Handling and stopping equally if not more important than torque.

Just the way my tb struggles pulling 5500 lbs I could not imagine having less power and more weight

So... Ya know that THE tow vehicle for a lot of years was the 6000# 3/4 ton Chevy with a 350 that had 175hp and 275 ft-lbs of torque, right? Guys would tow 15k# goosenecks with this setup... This was back before the days of "drive it like it's empty, while towing a car trailer" engines, chassis, and brakes, though... The brakes on the TB are stronger than the brakes on these old trucks, too... THE ULTIMATE tow vehicle, then, was a 7000# dually with a 454, making 230hp and 355ft-lbs of torque...

(Compare that to the 5.3L in a TB, making 303hp and 330ft-lbs in a 4600# vehicle... FWIW, my TB tows a car trailer with much more power to spare than my '90 Cummins 4x4 5-speed, with 4.10 gears does...)


The Ford is likely rated to tow more because it weighs more and is wider... Also, because the corporate lawyers weren't as big then...

The TB likely has better brakes.

Mike

[NC_IslandRunner]

True most think hp and torque are all you need. Most trucks can haul a lot more than you think but it's what it will stop that is most important.

[bartonmd]

True most think hp and torque are all you need. Most trucks can haul a lot more than you think but it's what it will stop that is most important.

True, but stopping hasn't been as big of an issue, in the past... What's really most important is wheelbase, width, and weight... There's only so much trailer you can town before the trailer starts to wag the dog, so to speak... The TB probably has better brakes than the Bronco...

Mike

[fishsticks]

True most think hp and torque are all you need. Most trucks can haul a lot more than you think but it's what it will stop that is most important.

True, but stopping hasn't been as big of an issue, in the past... What's really most important is wheelbase, width, and weight... There's only so much trailer you can town before the trailer starts to wag the dog, so to speak... The TB probably has better brakes than the Bronco...

Mike

Broncos from that era are disc/drum and fit easily in 15" wheels... vs our 4wheel discs that needs a 16" wheel or the EXT fronts which won't fit in anything less than a 17" wheel. There's no 'probably' about it.

That year Bronco has a 104.7" WB, 9" shorter than ours. Win for the TB towing wise.

We are narrower, but with wheel spacers we essentially have full width axles, so width isn't really a factor.

Our COG is lower (stock).

Curb weights are similar.


I'm going with lawyers...

[Rob93]

Broncos from that era are disc/drum and fit easily in 15" wheels... vs our 4wheel discs that needs a 16" wheel or the EXT fronts which won't fit in anything less than a 17" wheel. There's no 'probably' about it.

That year Bronco has a 104.7" WB, 9" shorter than ours. Win for the TB towing wise.

We are narrower, but with wheel spacers we essentially have full width axles, so width isn't really a factor.

Our COG is lower (stock).

Curb weights are similar.


I'm going with lawyers...

My thoughts exactly

[cbbryan]

I pulled my buddy's 97 Wrangler on a 16 foot dual axle trailer with no issues. I even stopped just fine from 65 when some fool in a S.L.A.B. decided to suddenly brake and make a left turn without using their indicator. This was before i changed out my rotors too, which no one would turn. I even pulled an old 60s model Ford tractor before.
I believe the TB is fine at towing.

[Rob93]

I pulled my buddy's 97 Wrangler on a 16 foot dual axle trailer with no issues. I even stopped just fine from 65 when some fool in a S.L.A.B. decided to suddenly brake and make a left turn without using their indicator. This was before i changed out my rotors too, which no one would turn. I even pulled an old 60s model Ford tractor before.
I believe the TB is fine at towing.

Trailer brakes?

[cbbryan]

Trailer brakes?

Nope. The tractor was just pulled out of the shed though. My previous statement may have been misleading.

[dvanbramer88]

When you see a maximum towing capacity of 24,000lbs (new chevy 3500HD) that is the weight limit to be able to reasonably drive, stop, and turn in traffic on real roads in the real world. The truck can haul and move much more weight, but that is where they draw the line for realistic driveabilty.

[The Roadie]

... that is where they draw the line for realistic driveabilty.

"They" being the lawyers who don't want to defend GM in a lawsuit when somebody with a massive 5th wheel trailer loses their electric brakes while descending a mountain interstate and misses the runaway truck ramp with their red-hot brake rotors.

[dvanbramer88]

... that is where they draw the line for realistic driveabilty.

"They" being the lawyers who don't want to defend GM in a lawsuit when somebody with a massive 5th wheel trailer loses their electric brakes while descending a mountain interstate and misses the runaway truck ramp with their red-hot brake rotors.

I'm not saying you should exceed that limit. I'm just saying in other cases the truck can move a lot more weight than the "limit" Like what they do on the commercials or TOP GEAR. The trucks can do alot of things that you couldn't do on a real road.