F150 Towing Experiences?

[MapNerd]

Wife and I are thinking of trading in the Cherokee Trailhawk for an F150. We find the Cherokee is just too small for our current needs, and particularly too small for my knees. With two kids in the back, a dog on the floorboard and hardly any cargo space, it just doesn’t leave us with much room. There’s never been a better time to trade in a used car and I’ve got a standing offer from Carvana for the Cherokee that is just a few grand less than what I paid for it to begin with.

Of course, there’s the headache of getting a new baseplate fit and the new AF1 system and all, but I’m fine with that. I’m curious though to hear about anyone’s experiences flat towing an F150. I hear it flat tows fine, but anecdotes and things to consider for can be helpful.

 

[redbaron]

I recently heard that fords suffer a problem when the battery drains while being towed, it will shift transfer case back to 2wd from neutral. This will destroy the transfer case.

Do some research on this to decide if its a real concern.

I have towed chevys for 12 years and have had good experience with them. Recently moved to my wrangler with 2 kids, wife, and a dog. Definitely a lot smaller.

 

[MapNerd]

That would definitely be bad - comically bad. What would even be the purpose of it doing such a thing, I can’t imagine.

 

[redbaron]

2018 F-150 Toad Tranny Toast - iRV2 Forums

We've got a 2018 F-150 King Ranch that we bought to use as a toad. It's been on 6 trips, and on 2 of them, we've found the battery dead after towing a few hours. Neutral tow mode was activated as per

www.irv2.com

 

[CaptainGizmo]

Whoa whoa horses! ;-)

I’ve towed my 2017 F-150 Raptor for 20,000 miles without a SINGLE issue!!!!

@Dutch Star Don just got a new Raptor and followed all the same guidelines and is another happy Raptor camper.

There are some great and LONG threads on this whole subject but I’ll summarize the best way to go.

Raptors have a NEUTRAL TOW option built into their dash controls. It’s all electronic now and works effortlessly.

I use a Roadmaster All-terrain tow bar which is rated well beyond the Raptors weight.

I have the Air Force 1 braking system which is permanently mounted and operated by the Spartan’s factory SafeHaul air system designed just for the AF1.

There is NO need for a battery charge cable!!!!
The Raptor uses NO power in the Neutral Tow mode. All the necessary power and light control is fed by the 7-pin attached to the coach.

THAT SAID...YIKES!!! I just read that other post and it doesn’t make me feel very good. But, again, we’ve been pulling our Raptor up to 6,000 miles at a time over 6 weeks and never had a hint of a dropped battery. At the most, our Raptor would stay hooked up for 2 days of towing.

The key to having the Neutral Tow is the 4WD option. The fun of a Driving a Raptor is optional.

 

[redbaron]

The issue as I understand it was the battery drained at some point during the tow. Not sure why it drained. When it drained, the electronic transfer case glitched and shifted into drive from neutral.

There are a few other cases with similar issues, and I don't know if the Raptor is different from the F150/F250, or if there are different electronic shifting modules between the various drive train options.

From my very limited research, it seems that most people had trouble convincing Ford that this was not driver error.

I am not sure what year the owner of the Ford had that I was talking to. I have asked him to come to this thread to post up the details first hand. Lets see if he chimes in.

 

[MapNerd]

I read up quite a bit on this last night after @redbaron was kind enough to clue me in on the issue. I’m inclined to think these are cases of operator error but I will say I think Ford shares some of the blame for it.

One of the stranger things about Ford’s Flat Tow setup is that if you don’t have push button start, you’re required to leave the key in the ignition, in the OFF position. It doesn’t explain why but my assumption is that this is to prevent the steering column from locking. I would presume that these incidents could all be traced to vehicles which did not have push button start, and the owners may have left the key in the ignition in the ACC position. Another possibility is that they may not have locked the doors upon leaving the vehicle, which someone said triggers the shutoff of 12V power to the vehicle electronics and switches the power input to the vehicle from the battery to the brake lighting harness being powered by the coach.

I don’t know any of this to be the case in any of these instances. It’s all pure speculation.​

I would be setting it up the same as my Jeep is set up. Roadmaster Nighthawk Towbar with an AFO braking system. I’ll be sure to get a push button start which negates the need to keep the keys in the vehicle ignition or in the vehicle at all. That should help with avoiding the issue.

According to everything I’ve read, the F150, when being flat towed properly should not be using any battery power. Lights should be powered by the 7-pin harness and brakes powered by the AFO, which is powered by the coach’s air and 7-pin harness.

I’ve been a Ford Man all my life, I just can’t see myself in a GM vehicle of any variety. Hope I don’t learn the hard way! @redbaron thanks so much for sharing that info. I hope I never experience it but it will be super helpful to know that it’s happened before so that I can be on the lookout for it.

I’ll probably more in the well equipped Lariat - King Ranch range. While the Raptor is an awesome truck, I personally wouldn’t be able to spend that much on it and then have the guts to take it rock crawling. If I get a desire to go crawling, I’ll find a place that will rent me something suitable that way when I smash it up, I dont have to care.

 

[CaptainGizmo]

Great insight, John! You bring ups some good points that I will emphasize.

YES, Push Button Start is important to make this an effortless process.

HOWEVER, as you and Ronnie speculate, there is a HIGH chance of operator error and here is why:
The sequence MUST be followed EXACTLY. I have it on a cheat-sheet, but have done it so many times that it’s now locked into memory. But, still, I’ve had it FAIL it’s sequence when all things are not aligned; whether YOUR fault or the truck’s!

If you’re not techie or thoroughly familiar with the “signs” of this process failing, you’ll be in trouble!

Also, I set my A/C to recirc, and turn it off.
Then, I switch my alarm to PERIMETER ONLY, which disables the sound sensors inside.
Finally, I take my FOB with me, after turning the Ignition off with the Button, and LOCK the doors.

Again, with a full cross check to make sure it’s in Neutral Tow and the E-brake is Off, there shouldn’t be a problem.

 

[BGMAC]

Funny with all this automated stuff how many steps you have to make and made exactly to work. With a manual system you just took the 4X4 shift handle on the floor to "N". done. LOL

 

[MapNerd]

Funny with all this automated stuff how many steps you have to make and made exactly to work. With a manual system you just took the 4X4 shift handle on the floor to "N". done. LOL

But...technology! I just don’t understand why it has to be such a strange series of convoluted steps. It’s like sending a secret signal to the car.

1. Open the tailgate
2. While holding the brake pedal, put the vehicle in neutral
3. Rotate your review mirror in a counter clockwise direction 5 times within 3 seconds
4. Wait 11.5 seconds and then press the brake pedal four times while holding down the unlock button on the passenger side.

These steps must be performed while your car is pointed True North (Not magnetic north) and only when a rainbow is clearly visible on the horizon.