Ford: Ford F150 Towing capacity, ford f150 4x4, rear axle ratio

Question
Hi,

I'm selling my 1989 Ford F150 4X4, and the buyer wants to know the towing capacity. Do you know of anywhere I could figure that out?

And, do you have anything particularly good or bad to say about a recent model Ford Ranger? I'm thinking of buying one for two years while I am not doing as much home repair, and instead commuting to school.

Thanks for any help you can provide -

Answer
Dave,
Ford says trailer towing capacity is effected by engine size, transmission type, and rear axle ratio. Without this information I couldn't tell you for sure. I don't have any reference matereal to look up specs for a 1989 but my educated guess is if you have a 351 cu. in. V-8, Automatic transmission and 3.73 to 4.10 limited slip rear axle you should be able to tow around 7,000 lbs on a frame mounted hitch. With a 6-cyl, manual transmission and 2.73 rear axle you would be around 2,000 pounds. There is a plate on the bottom of the rear axle that a mechanic should be able to read and look up the axle ratio. I am guessing on the axle ratios I am using here, but you should be close.
The Ranger has been a good truck for over 20 years and millions of buyers have been very happy with their Ranger. My Dad has a 1989 Ranger he bought new from me to use for around town chores and he is not close to selling it. Both of my younger brothers bought Rangers from me and were very satisfied and are now driving full size F-150s for family space. If I am confident enough to sell Rangers to my family I sure would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.
If you can get back to me with the engine size, transmission and rear axle type I will try to get closer with the trailer towing capacity.
Happy Motoring,
John