Towing Novice, need help with tow rating

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Originally Posted By: Miller88
The door tag should have the GCWR of the truck. Get the truck weighed, then subtract that from the sticker. That's the truck's towing / cargo capacity.


Or just use the payload printed on the yellow sticker. That's tied to the VIN And is the capacity of an empty truck with a full tank of gas. It's all subtraction from there. Subtract your weight, the wife's weight, the kids' weight, the dog's weight, the junk in the bed, the hitch weight, the tongue weight.
 
Alright - saw your sales sticker. You have a Supercrew 4x2 F150 with the 2.7 and 3.31 gears and NO towing package.

You are restricted to 5000lbs of towing. That is all you get without the tow package which adds transmission cooling and a thicker sway bar among other things.

What does your payload sticker say - inside your door jamb, driver door. Guessing it will be around 1500lbs. If your tow trailer weighs 5000lbs, your tongue weight is going to be 500-750 lbs, which comes out of your payload. Now you are down to 750 lbs for any other passengers besides you and all your gear.

This is where just buying a truck and assuming it can tow gets people into trouble. Even 1/2 ton trucks need to be properly equipped for towing above 5000 lbs... If the intent was to tow heavy, the first thing on the list should be the trailer tow package.
 
Looking at the Ford Towing guide, I would have to agree with MNgopher on 2 things.

1. You don't have the tow package, so you can't tow over 5,000 lbs according to Ford. Can you talk to the dealer about upgrading your truck to have the tow package? Although you have the hitch and 7 wire plug? So maybe you have the minimum?

2. Many people don't realize how tongue weight plays into what your towing limits are. The tongue weight of a travel trailer is significant. It could easily be 650-750 once loaded which really reduces who and what can still be in the truck and not be over your payload capacity. 1/2 ton vehicles are often payload limited when it comes to towing a travel trailer.


The 2.7L is a great motor, if you can get an appropriately sized trailer, it should tow it really well.
 
I think it's crazy that a 2.7L v6 engine can tow 7500 pounds!

I have a 1 ton for towing my Jeep around. But if I didn't have it and were to come into enough money that I could comfortably buy a new truck , it would be a 2.7 V6 F150. It can handle towing my Jeep around.
 
I tow a 4000lb boat with my 2016 F150 Supercrew 4x4 2.7 ecoboost truck. Blows the doors of towing with the old 5.4 in the same truck from 2004 with the 5.4 V8. Handles the load with ease. Gets similar gas mileage to the old truck when towing, but gets over 5 mpg better in unloaded driving. An amazing engine for this use.
 
And for refernce, on the 2018 F150's, what the OP has is a $95 option and nets:

Class IV Trailer Hitch

$95 S4

Add
Standard on LARIAT, King Ranch®, Platinum, and Limited. Included on XLT Mid and Luxury; optional on XL Base and Mid and XLT Base.

Includes:
• 4-pin/7-pin wiring harness
• Class IV trailer hitch receiver
• Smart Trailer Tow Connector

Versus the Trailer Tow Package which gets:

Trailer Tow Package

$995 S4

Add
Optional on XL, XLT, LARIAT, King Ranch®, Platinum, and Limited. Standard on Raptor (does not include Pro Trailer Backup Assist on Raptor).

Includes:
• 4-pin/7-pin wiring harness
• Auxiliary transmission oil cooler
• Class IV trailer hitch receiver
• Pro Trailer Backup Assist (not included on XL Base)
• Tailgate LED (standard on LARIAT and higher)
• Smart Trailer Tow Connector (standard on LARIAT and higher)
• Upgraded front stabilizer bar


Appears that the biggie is the transmission cooler...
 
Throw a tranny cooler on it and tow a big trailer. You’ll be fine.

I’d be worried if the hitch were different and the brakes were smaller. Not the case so you’re good to go IMO.
 
So maybe a trans cooler and a 3.73 gear for my 4500lb dry(6000 wet) trailer. Think I will run into warranty trouble?
 
Originally Posted By: FLORIDA
So maybe a trans cooler and a 3.73 gear for my 4500lb dry(6000 wet) trailer. Think I will run into warranty trouble?


Impossible to say.

Numerous people with Super Duty trucks with the Powerstroke Diesel, have been denied warranty coverage when their Bosch CP4.2 HPFP fails, even with NO trace of water in the fuel system, and the entire fuel system has to then be replaced at owner expense. Which is a 10k+ repair.

So I wouldn't be a bit surprised at Ford denying warranty coverage for any reason.
 
Originally Posted By: FLORIDA
So maybe a trans cooler and a 3.73 gear for my 4500lb dry(6000 wet) trailer. Think I will run into warranty trouble?
I wouldn’t re-gear it. Try it out, I’d be willing to bet it’s fine.
 
Just called my local ford parts department to explain my delimma and the desire to add a transmission cooler. He took my VIN number to price the cooler for me and he told me it was already on my truck. Hmmm. Too dark and rainy to check right now.
 
Originally Posted By: MNgopher
Alright - saw your sales sticker. You have a Supercrew 4x2 F150 with the 2.7 and 3.31 gears and NO towing package.

You are restricted to 5000lbs of towing. That is all you get without the tow package which adds transmission cooling and a thicker sway bar among other things.

What does your payload sticker say - inside your door jamb, driver door. Guessing it will be around 1500lbs. If your tow trailer weighs 5000lbs, your tongue weight is going to be 500-750 lbs, which comes out of your payload. Now you are down to 750 lbs for any other passengers besides you and all your gear.

This is where just buying a truck and assuming it can tow gets people into trouble. Even 1/2 ton trucks need to be properly equipped for towing above 5000 lbs... If the intent was to tow heavy, the first thing on the list should be the trailer tow package.


Payload is 1702lb.
 
definitely install a trans cooler.
when I sold RV's we had a general guideline (which is certainly no substitute for actual ratings) that if someone had a 1/2 ton truck, they should only tow 5000 lbs - which rules out most trailers that have slide-outs. we really recommended a 3/4 ton or larger for any trailer over 5000 lbs.

I would never trust a trailer salesperson to give you the right answer - they have an eye on their commission. I had a salesperson who kept trying to sell heavy popups to people with mini-vans.
any many people tried to buy trailers that were larger than their tow vehicle could handle.
 
Originally Posted By: tomcat27
definitely install a trans cooler.
when I sold RV's we had a general guideline (which is certainly no substitute for actual ratings) that if someone had a 1/2 ton truck, they should only tow 5000 lbs - which rules out most trailers that have slide-outs. we really recommended a 3/4 ton or larger for any trailer over 5000 lbs.

I would never trust a trailer salesperson to give you the right answer - they have an eye on their commission. I had a salesperson who kept trying to sell heavy popups to people with mini-vans.
any many people tried to buy trailers that were larger than their tow vehicle could handle.


Yea I hear ya on 5K for a 1/2 ton. All the trailers that I'm looking at are below 5,000 dry. I'm just worried about the little bit of stuff I have to carry pushing me above 5,000. Honestly I travel for work and everything that I carry fits behind the seats of my extended cab F150 now. The most I would carry extra above what I already travel with now would be my PC racing simulator(100lb) and maybe a extra firearm besides my normal CCW. Maybe an extra 20lb of cookware.
 
As far as whether that truck can actually "do" it, don't worry, it will, with ease. The transmission cooler idea is a good one. You should know that the 6 speed trans is just about indestructible and I'd guess that as long as you don't overheat it, you will get very long service life from it.

We were towing 10,000 pounds with 200HP for many years, no problem.
 
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