FORD 2013 F-550 v.1 - Manual (Page 263)

Ford Motor Company produces a towing manual for all authorized tow
truck operators. Have your tow truck operator refer to this manual for
proper hook-up and towing procedures for your vehicle.
Two-wheel drive (2WD) vehicles can be towed with the front wheels on
the ground and the rear wheels off the ground.
It is recommended that four-wheel drive (4WD) vehicles are to be towed
with a wheel lift and dollies or flatbed equipment with all the wheels off
the ground. However, a wheel lift may be used to lift the rear of the
vehicle so long as, depending on vehicle configurations, the following
preparations are met:
• On manual-shift transfer case vehicles, the front wheel hub locks are
in the FREE position prior to towing.
• On Electronic Shift-On-the-Fly (ESOF) vehicles, the 4WD control is
turned to the 2WD position prior to towing.
Note: Towing an ESOF 4WD vehicle with the front wheels on the ground
without disengaging the front hubs may cause damage to the automatic
transmission.
Note: Towing a 2WD or an ESOF 4WD vehicle with the rear wheels on
the ground for more than 50 miles (80 km) and/or in excess of 35 mph
(56 km/h) may cause damage to the automatic transmission.
Note: On dual rear wheel (DRW) vehicles, an outer rear wheel must be
removed prior to using a wheel lift wrecker.
TOWING THE VEHICLE ON FOUR WHEELS
Emergency Towing
In the event your vehicle becomes disabled (without access to wheel
dollies, car-hauling trailer, or flatbed transport vehicle), it can be
flat-towed (all wheels on the ground, regardless of the
powertrain/transmission configuration) under the following conditions:
• The vehicle is facing forward so that it is towed in a forward
direction.
• The transmission is placed in position N. See Automatic
transmission in the Transmission chapter if you cannot move the
transmission into N.
• Maximum speed is 35 mph (56 km/h).
• Maximum distance is 50 miles (80 kilometers).
262 Towing
2013 F-250/350/450/550 (f23)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA (fus)