I'm looking at buying a F150 with the V6 and 5 speed manual transmission as a replacement farm truck. I have a 2000 lb. boat & trailer I tow. My old V6 Dodge had plenty of power to tow my rig but it was an auto so it was easy to launch, hook up, and all. Question is: will I be OK with a manual at the boat ramp or will I be burning out clutches and cussing as I roll backwards into the lake? Are there any other reasons a manual is bad for towing a boat trailer? I have a fair amount of experience driving manuals, including pickups, jeeps, offroad, etc., but none pulling a boat. Thanks for any advice.

Provided you drive it right there will be no problems. Many heavy duty trucks have manual transmissions including 18 wheelers. Auto is easier as you stated.

ramps issues are about all I would be worried about. Look under that truck and make sure the trans is not wet by the cross member. The Mazda 5-sp used in Fords have 3 rubber plugs in the shift cover that are know to leak, you don't realize it until it runs dry and melts gears. Just keep an eye on your fluid level.

I've heard (from a couple of people that Ford F150's with the 4.2 V6's are hard on clutches, that's what got me worrying, but generally speaking I like the extra control that a manual gives you.

I have a feeling the wife will put the kabosh on the new truck anyway!

Thanks for the advice.

Some trucks use a very low gear ratio for 1st gear and you shouldn't have a problem at all with one of those.
For a 3/4 ton truck the clutch is plenty durable but some trucks might be a problem, don't know. My last truck was a toyota 5sp/one ton. It went 240k pulling the boat well over half that and I changed the clutch once at 180k or so.

If you know how to drive a standard its good, bought a 95 t100 toyota brand new in 95. V6 5 speed 4x4, mom drove it 2 years clutch went out. autozone and toyota said whoever drove it can't drive a standard, well 10 years, 200,000mi, 2 wrecks later, teenager first car............ noticed nothing about a clutch

Just make sure that whoever is backing the boat in knows how to drive a stick. I had a friend who had an old bronco with a "3 on the tree" who asked a new guy he was fishing with if he knew how to drive a stick. My friend's old bronco was geared real low in 1st gear, so he told the guy to take off in second. You guessed it, the guy had it in reverse instead of second, and sunk the old bronco all the way to the top of the radio aerial.

no problem with my standard Dodge diesel...I can put it in 1st gear on a very steep ramp and just let out the clutch without touching the gas and it pulls the boat out...LOL!! You have to train yourself to kill the truck, put it in 1st, and set the e-brake whenever you are launching by yourself.. I even leave the door open in case I have to run and jump in to hit the brake.

Same for me. Plus, if towing heavy loads, it is better for the tranny than an automatic.

Manual will outlast and out tow any auto out there provided the operator knows how to use one.

i tow with a f150 4.2 V6 and it does fine. i prefer the manual over auto especially on ramps.

if youre gonna be towing through the hill country, mtns, etc. a manual tranny is better, because all the shifting that an automatic has to do when towing in terrain like that can burn up the tranny

So it sounds like the manual is better if you know how to properly use one. My next truck will likely be a new F150 w/ the 4.2 V6 and the manual. Thanks everyone for your good advice.

I tow a Tracker TV-18 that weighs in at 2660# trailer and all. I have a 1994 F150 with a 4.9 six, five speed and 3:55 rear axle. It does good until I get on steep grades and I only have to shift down to fourth to handle it. Boat ramps are better now that I have Michelen LTX tires on it. Oh and i replaced the clutch at 160.000 miles but I had the transmission out and decided to replace the clutch then. It didn't really need it at the time. You should be fine

ON most 1/2 ton trucks (dodge, chev.,ford,) the towing capacity is much less with a manual transmission than with an auto. That should tell you something. I towed a 18' 354v Ranger all over east Texas with a 4 cyl./5 speed manual Toyota with no problems (ramps or anything ) but the wife did burn up a clutch on one ramp that was slick with green vegetation at Wright Patman. The auto is the way to go just remember to take it out of overdrive when towing. I put 177,000 miles on a T100 auto and it had towed the 354V and a 19' 481v ranger for many a mile and not one problem. Keep the transmission fluid changed every 25-30,000 miles and do not use overdrive while towing.