Hi everyone, I’ve got towing questions!!

[Kirk l]

It’s nice to be a part of this , I’ll be retiring in less than two years and I have some questions about my trucks towing capacity. I’ve got all the info and Ford dealership has not been very helpful as I didn’t buy it directly from them. I’m looking at work camping and I’m not looking at trailering anything big. Is there anyone that can help me with this? It’s mind boggling . I’ve got the owners manual but it can also depend on the tow package. Like I said I’ve got all the info but I’m not satisfied with guessing about anything. I was thinking of driving it to the nearest RV place to see if they could answer for me also. However if your sitting around the fire right now and have some knowledge I’d greatly appreciate it, kirk

 

[VTPete]

It’s nice to be a part of this , I’ll be retiring in less than two years and I have some questions about my trucks towing capacity. I’ve got all the info and Ford dealership has not been very helpful as I didn’t buy it directly from them. I’m looking at work camping and I’m not looking at trailering anything big. Is there anyone that can help me with this? It’s mind boggling . I’ve got the owners manual but it can also depend on the tow package. Like I said I’ve got all the info but I’m not satisfied with guessing about anything. I was thinking of driving it to the nearest RV place to see if they could answer for me also. However if your sitting around the fire right now and have some knowledge I’d greatly appreciate it, kirk

Hi Kirk, welcome to our community. You’ll get some helpful wisdom here. Can you share details about your current truck?

 

[Kirk l]

Hi Kirk, welcome to our community. You’ll get some helpful wisdom here. Can you share details about your current truck?

Hey Pete , it’s a 2017 F150 3.5 liter Ecoboost ( GTDI). The axle ratio code on the door is an L9 which translates to a 3.55 electronic locking differential. I have the trailer electric brake controller, the backup assist, the led light on the back of truck and both styles of plugs for connecting trailer. This along with the receiver picture should be the entire tow package. I don’t know if I have the larger gas tank.

 

[Germanrazor]

I have heard and seen videos of people towing heavy loads with the EcoBoost with the maximum tow package. The payload is the critical area to note. That is where the subtraction process becomes the deciding factor. You have 1969 lbs. Lets say what you want is a 9500 lb TT with a 1000 lb tongue weight. You would begin by subtracting that weight from the 1969. But here is the problem, that tongue weight is usually under what it is actually and by the time you add items to the TT like propane, equipment and any water in the tanks if you do. So say that 1000 is now 1300. Then you have the weight of occupants and any gear on the tow vehicle to consider. All these weights are taken from the payload number to see you are still in the +.

Well, you now see where the actual numbers are needed and then calculated in. Can a truck tow more than it is rated for? It happens daily and more so than not I would bet.

Good luck and it is not hard to do, just grab some paper and a pencil and record the weights.

 

[Kirk l]

I have heard and seen videos of people towing heavy loads with the EcoBoost with the maximum tow package. The payload is the critical area to note. That is where the subtraction process becomes the deciding factor. You have 1969 lbs. Lets say what you want is a 9500 lb TT with a 1000 lb tongue weight. You would begin by subtracting that weight from the 1969. But here is the problem, that tongue weight is usually under what it is actually and by the time you add items to the TT like propane, equipment and any water in the tanks if you do. So say that 1000 is now 1300. Then you have the weight of occupants and any gear on the tow vehicle to consider. All these weights are taken from the payload number to see you are still in the +.

Well, you now see where the actual numbers are needed and then calculated in. Can a truck tow more than it is rated for? It happens daily and more so than not I would bet.

Good luck and it is not hard to do, just grab some paper and a pencil and record the weights.

Thanks for the formula!! I don’t plan on getting a trailer bigger than a 4000 to 5000 lb gvwr. It’s only going to be me in the cab . I’m single and plan on work camping. I won’t be packing tons of stuff either. Aside from that is it safe to say my truck is rated for at least a 7000 lb TT? That’s what the dealer told me. However he then waffled on it because he didn’t understand the tow package. I can’t imagine my receiver with its load rating would have been installed by Ford on my truck with its rating if I wasn’t at 7000lbs or more. The manual that came with the truck says GCVWR of 11000

 

[Germanrazor]

With a 4000-5000 lb TT with hardly any gear packed in and your spec’s I would say more than safe. Problem is when folks try to stretch a F150 into F250 land...LOL. It happens and I have to be honest, I crunched the numbers on buying a truck like yours many a night but opted for the Super Duty 250 in case I ever chose a lighter fifth wheel for my family down the road as my RV needs may grow.

A trailer that size usually never approaches your maximum tongue weight rating. I would say a TT the size you are stating to be around 650-700 lbs at best. Also, a WDH can help a lot and make it even more stable on towing if you find it is squirrelly after you get it.

 

[Kirk l]

With a 4000-5000 lb TT with hardly any gear packed in and your spec’s I would say more than safe. Problem is when folks try to stretch a F150 into F250 land...LOL. It happens and I have to be honest, I crunched the numbers on buying a truck like yours many a night but opted for the Super Duty 250 in case I ever chose a lighter fifth wheel for my family down the road as my RV needs may grow.

A trailer that size usually never approaches your maximum tongue weight rating. I would say a TT the size you are stating to be around 650-700 lbs at best. Also, a WDH can help a lot and make it even more stable on towing if you find it is squirrelly after you get it.

 

[Germanrazor]

Oh, asking an RV dealer if your truck will tow something like trailer “X” you will almost always get the same answer from any and that would be “Heck yeah!” They usually want to sell something. Now obviously if you wanted a 11500 lb 5’er they would say nope, but anything very close but what most seasoned towers would say nope, I wouldn’t, they will say more than likely yippers....Lol

 

[Kirk l]

Thank you! Yeah some clothes , a fly rod and books, some tools general stuff to live and work somewhere . I’m lucky I can retire now . I have been with my job for almost 28 years and I can collect my pension at 55. However I will need to pick up some change to cover some expenses so that’s why I’m looking at the campground host positions that are paid.

 

[Kirk l]

Oh, asking an RV dealer if your truck will tow something like trailer “X” you will almost always get the same answer from any and that would be “Heck yeah!” They usually want to sell something. Now obviously if you wanted a 11500 lb 5’er they would say nope, but anything very close but what most seasoned towers would say nope, I wouldn’t, they will say more than likely yippers....Lol

Your right, I do know a trailer hitch shop/ store that would probably give me a straight answer. You guys have helped a lot .