F150 Towing Experiences?

["EZ"]

I would suggest to prevent this horrible and expensive scenario you might want to consider buying a Ram 1500 4wd truck. You tow the truck with the transmission in park. The transfer case in neutral. It lubricates the trans while driving. And Ram Trucks have won JD Powers Truck of the Year 3 years in a row!!! That's never been done before. Buy one. You'll love it. And you can quit worrying about the battery in your Ford and whether or not the transmission or transfer case is going to explode on the next trip. And fighting with Ford over who is going to pay for it. I couldn't take that. The stress would drive me crazy!

 

[Kevin D Pem]

would suggest to prevent this horrible and expensive scenario you might want to consider buying a Ram 1500 4wd truck. You tow the truck with the transmission in park. The transfer case in neutral. It lubricates the trans while driving.

So would I, but I don't tow flat. I did read in the manual though about the subject. The question I have for you on this subject is is that transfer case electronic or manual? The manual talks about a lever or cable that needs to be pulled, I could not find it. Either I didn't look hard enough, or didn't care, as it didn't apply to my need. How many miles have you towed the RAM without checking it, is my next question. Seems that one day tows are not the problem only longer trips without checking the state of the battery.

 

[PartTimeRVer]

So would I, but I don't tow flat. I did read in the manual though about the subject. The question I have for you on this subject is is that transfer case electronic or manual? The manual talks about a lever or cable that needs to be pulled, I could not find it. Either I didn't look hard enough, or didn't care, as it didn't apply to my need. How many miles have you towed the RAM without checking it, is my next question. Seems that one day tows are not the problem only longer trips without checking the state of the battery.

I believe this depends on the year of your vehicle it could also be model related I am not sure. I have a 2014 ram 1500 4x4 blackout package which I believe is considered an express package. I have seen 2014 rams that need a pen to push a pin until neutral but mine is just press and hold the main dial. My procedure is start vehicle, put in neutral, hold 4*4 button til neutral lights up, then go back to park and I am done. Nothing to disconnect. I have mentioned before there are little battery chargers like this that hook into your 7 pin connector and for piece of mind is fantastic. This one seems to have gone up in price though.

 

[VTPete]

I believe this depends on the year of your vehicle it could also be model related I am not sure. I have a 2014 ram 1500 4x4 blackout package which I believe is considered an express package. I have seen 2014 rams that need a pen to push a pin until neutral but mine is just press and hold the main dial. My procedure is start vehicle, put in neutral, hold 4*4 button til neutral lights up, then go back to park and I am done. Nothing to disconnect. I have mentioned before there are little battery chargers like this that hook into your 7 pin connector and for piece of mind is fantastic. This one seems to have gone up in price though. View attachment 4638

I like the RVI Solution , but just a reminder they do not support AGM like my F150. I just checked with them for an update and they told me the following:
Hi Pete, we're still doing additional testing and research. At this time, it looks like it should work with all AGM batteries outside of a Chevy Equinox. However, we're not 100% on that yet...We're hoping to know for sure within the next couple of months here.

 

["EZ"]

So would I, but I don't tow flat. I did read in the manual though about the subject. The question I have for you on this subject is is that transfer case electronic or manual? The manual talks about a lever or cable that needs to be pulled, I could not find it. Either I didn't look hard enough, or didn't care, as it didn't apply to my need. How many miles have you towed the RAM without checking it, is my next question. Seems that one day tows are not the problem only longer trips without checking the state of the battery.

My transfer case is electric. Just push a button and it's in neutral. I've towed it from Chattanooga to Daytona a few times and from Chattanooga to Gulf Shores a couple times. 8-10 hours each way. Never checked the trans fluid because the owners manual said I didn't have to. If it wasn't lubricating the trans while you drove you'd know it the first time you started to drive it. lol.

 

["EZ"]

I believe this depends on the year of your vehicle it could also be model related I am not sure. I have a 2014 ram 1500 4x4 blackout package which I believe is considered an express package. I have seen 2014 rams that need a pen to push a pin until neutral but mine is just press and hold the main dial. My procedure is start vehicle, put in neutral, hold 4*4 button til neutral lights up, then go back to park and I am done. Nothing to disconnect. I have mentioned before there are little battery chargers like this that hook into your 7 pin connector and for piece of mind is fantastic. This one seems to have gone up in price though. View attachment 4638

The electric transfer case is an option. Standard the come with a shifter in the floor that seems to always be in the way. I spec all the commercial trucks I sell with the electronic version and everyone loves it!

 

[Kevin D Pem]

My transfer case is electric. Just push a button and it's in neutral. I've towed it from Chattanooga to Daytona a few times and from Chattanooga to Gulf Shores a couple times. 8-10 hours each way. Never checked the trans fluid because the owners manual said I didn't have to. If it wasn't lubricating the trans while you drove you'd know it the first time you started to drive it. lol.

Just so everyone understands. Auto in park= trans not turning, no need to lubricate. Transfer case uses different lube and on Ram trucks still needs service. Thanks for answering my question, to all that chimed in. Mine is a 2016 must not have the cable/lever. Flat towing would be a problem for me. Yes I did it earlier in life, but will never do it again.

This is the story;

It was foggy in the morning and I needed to deliver my truck to my brother in Bull head city. I left early in the morning before the fog cleared. I was driving the bigger of the two trucks and had added extra weight to the bed of the tow vehicle. That said I entered the cloverleaf on to I-5 and the following (flat towed) truck continued straight as the front tires chose to slide on the dew rather than turn. As the truck slid forward it drug the truck I was driving closer to the rail and the curb, yes a curb forced my truck in the proper direction and started the flat tow to follow. However it was to late and I headed into the center of the cloverleaf.

Because Ice, dew, and any number of conditions beyond my control happen every day, I would rather use a car trailer that will follow the tow vehicle, rather than choose to go straight.

 

["EZ"]

I can't even tell my truck is back there when I flat tow it. With the weight difference in my 40' motorhome and the pickup truck I doubt it could make the coach slip or slide it it wanted to! I can tell you this........when the tire blew on our 4wd Jeep Grand Cherokee and I drove it until the tire was completely gone........I never felt it or heard it. I was even watching it several times a minute in the back up camera while I drove. It never even wiggled. Of course it was raining like crazy so I'm sure that's why I didn't see any sparks....

Driving one pickup while flat towing another pickup would be a different story. There may not have been as big of a weight difference as you thought and you may have added more weight to the pickup being towed than you thought. Lots of variables there. But trailers are not the be all end all answer either. I had a race car trailer that I used for my Super Gas 1967 Camaro for 15 years or so until I sold the car. I kept the trailer. It pulled like a dream. But I loaned it to my Father-in-Law so he could go pick up an S-10 Chevy he was going to use the suspension and frame for a street rod. He was pulling it with a half ton Chevy pickup. He must not have loaded it properly because it started to sway and it got worse and worse. He completely TOTALLED my trailer. I mean the drop spindles were ripped out from under it on one side. Both fenders were completely ripped off. He bent 2 of the wheels and 1 other was missing. He broke the drop tongue and hitch. There was NOTHING left of this trailer but the deck. I was amazed. Needless to say he totaled the S-10 and I'm amazed he didn't total the truck he was driving as well. The trailer DID beat in both sides of the bed on the bigger Chevy truck he was using to tow the other one with. So as much as you like trailer towing, it can be as bad or worse than flat towing if everything isn't loaded just right.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I will agree with you on the can be as or worse. The lesson of course is the trailer needs to be loaded right. Funny the truck I was towing was an S 10 totally empty. Even the supplies for the trip were in the bigger truck. The lesson was a slick surface provides no traction no matter the size of the load or the tow vehicle. Only answer I had for the problem was the little truck was on solid footing and the tow vehicle was no longer. Something that can happen because the tow vehicle enters the patch first.

 

[osuallen]

Driving one pickup while flat towing another pickup would be a different story. There may not have been as big of a weight difference as you thought and you may have added more weight to the pickup being towed than you thought. Lots of variables there. But trailers are not the be all end all answer either. I had a race car trailer that I used for my Super Gas 1967 Camaro for 15 years or so until I sold the car. I kept the trailer. It pulled like a dream. But I loaned it to my Father-in-Law so he could go pick up an S-10 Chevy he was going to use the suspension and frame for a street rod. He was pulling it with a half ton Chevy pickup. He must not have loaded it properly because it started to sway and it got worse and worse. He completely TOTALLED my trailer. I mean the drop spindles were ripped out from under it on one side. Both fenders were completely ripped off. He bent 2 of the wheels and 1 other was missing. He broke the drop tongue and hitch. There was NOTHING left of this trailer but the deck. I was amazed. Needless to say he totaled the S-10 and I'm amazed he didn't total the truck he was driving as well. The trailer DID beat in both sides of the bed on the bigger Chevy truck he was using to tow the other one with. So as much as you like trailer towing, it can be as bad or worse than flat towing if everything isn't loaded just right.

Sounds like the trailer was loaded with the weight balance being heavier behind the axle rather in front of it. That loading characteristic will make a trailer sway wildly. There are a couple of YouTube videos using model cars that really show this. I experienced it one time using a trailer to haul a couple of cords of firewood. Thought the trailer was uniformly loaded. Got to 40 mph and got a little sway. It got really bad at 50. Got out and checked the hitch, tire pressures. etc. Started back up and same thing. Stopped and moved a few logs from the back of the trailer to the front and zero problems after that.