does FORD has a dept. where to get valid techn. data which I can use for registration?

Does anyone have an original owners manual? Does it contain the tow information for the trucks? If it does, you can buy a new owners manual here.

well, the offer is very tempting,but I'm afraid that such a document will not be accepted as a official writing good enough to be accepted for registration over here.
I think that over here they need something as a lettre, with a letterhead, telephone number and a signature or so.

Bart F-350 said:

well, the offer is very tempting,but I'm afraid that such a document will not be accepted as a official writing good enough to be accepted for registration over here.
I think that over here they need something as a lettre, with a letterhead, telephone number and a signature or so.

Click to expand...

The fact is tow ratings aren't strict enough in North america for such documents to exist. We have plenty of disparity between max trailer weights in Canada vs USA with the same truck. Paying fees and licensing for the weight is more important than the truck's rating.

Maybe you can find a local (France) vehicle-inspection or upfitter shop that has the authority to write such a letter.

Chicken dinner^^^

Bart F-350 said:

well, the offer is very tempting,but I'm afraid that such a document will not be accepted as a official writing good enough to be accepted for registration over here.
I think that over here they need something as a lettre, with a letterhead, telephone number and a signature or so.

Click to expand...

If they say the owners manual written by Ford is not good enough, they have a problem or a ulterior motive of some sort. You have to remember how old that truck is, Ford has abandoned supporting it a long time ago.

We use a vehicle verification company in the prk for these issues.
Op, you have anything like that?

would you mind explaining that? and what do you mean by Prk?

you must not forget, if I try to modify some data in the (I think you call that a "title"?) vehicule documents which is a government affaire, the first thing they say is: go to the dealer, ask them.
Normally that's logic, but 1) it's old. 2) it's a US build truck with which Ford France doesn't like to interfere.
(I.E. cost too much time to research, we won't win anything on that.)

Bart F-350 said:

you must not forget, if I try to modify some data in the (I think you call that a "title"?) vehicule documents which is a government affaire, the first thing they say is: go to the dealer, ask them.

Click to expand...

I have butted heads with my own authority on weight (GVWR) for the 97 E350 van I had. Their rep finally sighted the door jamb decal and acknowledged the correct rating. You must realize, on this side of the pond, tow ratings aren't a labelled specification like gvwr. Also, nobody (say an engineer) with any sense of professional liability is going to re-approve a truck 30 years later for what it was rated for when new. Wear & tear, rust, metal fatigue, etc are too big a chance to take.

I suspect your authority has an alternate way of determining, or limiting the tow rating to a token amount. Of course they would prefer an exact number from Ford. When you tell them the Ford dealer could/would not give an answer... what's the second thing they say?

What a pity.
and then you go home, (with tears in your eyes??)

Bart F-350 said:

What a pity.

Click to expand...

That sucks. Are you sure that's an official response? Here there always seems to be another last-resort method that relies on talking to a manager/officer or making some phone calls to an alternate office.

When you import a vehicle over here, it's all or nothing. The processing of title/registration is a condition of entry. So if you managed to get it into the country legally, you're entitled to be able to use it. There may however be a condition of inspection or certain modifications required (mirrors and lights sometimes).

u2slow said:

That sucks. Are you sure that's an official response? Here there always seems to be another last-resort method that relies on talking to a manager/officer or making some phone calls to an alternate office.

When you import a vehicle over here, it's all or nothing. The processing of title/registration is a condition of entry. So if you managed to get it into the country legally, you're entitled to be able to use it. There may however be a condition of inspection or certain modifications required (mirrors and lights sometimes).

Click to expand...

His issue is, the Air Force took it over there…. as a military owned vehicle, then it was sold “locally” (In France) and he purchased it, from the Military….. not a bought here and shipped over there kind of thing.

snicklas said:

His issue is, the Air Force took it over there…. as a military owned vehicle, then it was sold “locally” (In France) and he purchased it, from the Military….. not a bought here and shipped over there kind of thing.

Click to expand...

I see, that's a unique situation.

I would have another look at the purchase paperwork. See if it was an as-is, where-is sort of thing (may as well be parts-only), or it was sold with registration the premise of being a usable vehicle. Also, the military may have more exacting specification data than Ford.

Are you going to tow with this truck? If not, take the hitch off. Then the point is moot? You do not need to know the tow rating because you will never tow with it?

@ Scott, no it's not an official answer, that, but then there is no coming back apart if you have the correct data/info they want to see.
And No I didn't buy directly from the airforce, but a surplus merchant in Germany, who provided me with a German"Title".
then the French authorities wouldn't accept the truck as a ambulance, and the person suggested another body
(taking of the ambubody, and build a flatbed) he said acceptance would be much easier... Now I know the opposite.
but, since then the sizes and weights didn't correspond to the reality, and I had to do something.
So I went to the Netherlands, since I know their system, and now it has a Dutch registration, with all the correct numbers, apart the cgvw.
And if I can show them an official letter from Ford stating the numbers corrospending to my truck, I'm ok! Apart from having all that accepted and transferred to a French "title", because that's where I live.
(I hope you still are able to follow?)

franklin2 said:

Are you going to tow with this truck? If not, take the hitch off. Then the point is moot? You do not need to know the tow rating because you will never tow with it?

Click to expand...

true, but with these fuel prices, I better load and pull the max. possible.