averagef250 wrote:Fordman, I don't disagree that the an F100 could possibly move 5000 pounds in it's bed, but I would never recommend it for the truck's sake and the sake of other people on the road.
No matter the engine, tranny or rear end option an F100 2wd should never tow more than 5000 pounds (only that much with really good brakes) and I feel 1000 pounds is pretty much max in the bed. Yeah, I'm sure you can fill it with more weight and move it at slow speed on level ground, guys have moved semi trailers with toyota pickups. Point is it isn't safe on the road.
The F100 frames are real flimsy. Even the 250 2wd frames are not very rigid so they handle pretty poorly with lots of weight. IMO, if you are towing more than 3000 pounds on a regular basis or hauling more than 700 in the bed go get a 3/4 ton. There's a real tangible difference between what a truck will do and what it can do safely on the road. I'm guilty of grossly overloading 3/4 ton trucks, towing 10K over the legal limit without the brakes to stop it or tires rated for the weight. I'm a little spoiled these days with my 89 F350 long wheelbase dually. It's very nice to be able to tow 15K, not notice it behind me, stop it on a dime and haul 5K on the bed without the truck flinching. All I can say is I've never caused a traffic incident in my life, but very well could have caused a catastrophie doing what I used to by overloading a light truck. I have maybe a grand tied up into that dually and it pays for itself by NOT getting myself or anyone else killed everytime I use it. I wish I had the brains to get one a long time ago.
My f100 frame cracked acros the top flange on both sides behind the cab.I believe as a result of adding a rear sway bar. The frame flexed until it cracked, very badly. Before you haul much bed weight you might want to look at yours in that area. FWIW. My crew is built on a f250 cab and chassis. It is heavier in every aspect. The depth, thickness is more like a real truck frame. The f100 frame is similar to a car frame, very small and thin. The cab and bed need to be tight to help strengthen it. It serves as a diaghprahm type brace. Park your truck on uneven terrain and you can see the twist from the bed to cab..
