I'd like to see some pictures and hear of your experiences and opinions from you who tow travel trailers with the new 2009-2010 F-150 Screws with the 6-speed. I had a much heavier travel trailer before (about 2,000 pounds heavier and 6 feet longer) with my 2008 Screw, and the tongue weigh killed me. So, now that we are down to a 5,000 pound trailer with a lighter tongue, the 2010 F-150 with the Trailer Max Package, the extra payload, and intgrated brake control looks like the best fit for a 50-60k daily driver and weekend travel trailer hauler. I'd like to see some pics and hear from you experienced travel trailer haulers. Thanks.

 

Since 2010 models have really only been on dealer lots for a month and Ford and not advertised this extra 475/500 pounds of GVWR, I suspect you'll get few or no responses for 2010 Max tow owners. However, plenty of people are happily towing (probably overloaded) 09 F-150's with the 6-spd as well as Expeditions back a couple years with the same combo. Most are pleased with acceleration, but there have been a few reports of trans hunting using tow/haul mode and you can only lock it in 3rd or 4th gear IIRC, skipping out of the top 3 or 2 gears. I got a picture of a 5.5' bed Platinum Screw 4x4 with actual door sticker payload of 1592 pounds, which is plenty

The 6-spd gear spacing is great. If you thought your old F-150 was good enough, the 6-spd will feel much better, although obviously not as good as your PSD.

Are you kampfirekid W rv.net?

 

yep, that is him!! i have seen a few here and over there. have to put things together about what they say if they dont have the same screen name. mine is pretty easy, same on every forum im on.....

 

Unfortunately, that is me. OMG! I've been found.

 

I'm not stalking you,, but I remember a couple threads about towing with the 2009 F-150 over there and ran across some of your posts in research. I didn't find the other threads I was thinking over, though. I'm just a lurker there.

 

Is your goal to get the better ride of a 150 and the desire to get away from the disadvantages of diesel if possible - without turning a tow into an ordeal?

 

I think Smoke gets bored quickly with his trucks. Haven't you done this swap a few times over the last few years, Smoke? As a long time lurker\occasional poster, I'm sensing some deja vu.

 

I believe these are company trucks, and look at how many miles he drives. He ran smokers for a long time, then tried a 150 and it didn't do the job well enough - and went back to a smoker with the current truck. Now he has a lighter trailer and I'm guessing he's about due for a new one.

 

You guys are all funny! I think you know me better than I know myself.

Yes, mine are company vehicles, and because I usually do high mileage, I do trade frequently. I have been driving Powerstrokes since about 1999, but have mixed a few F-150's in, as well. The first real tow experience with an F-150 was with my 2005 F-150, but the pop-up trailer was light at about 3,500 pounds. It towed well... obviously. Then, we upgraded to a 4,500 pound hybrid, but I had a 2007 F-250 Crewcab Stroke. No contest there. About that time, it was truck changing time, and I looked at the payload of the F-150, and because incentives were so stupidly large, I traded off for the more comfortable ride of a 2008 F-150 Supercrew King Ranch. That was going to be a long-term deal. I loved that truck more than any. It was tweaked with intake, exhaust amd custom tunes.

Well, it was a major shock towing the 4,500 pound trailer just because I was used to a diesel. After I settled down, I realized it wasn't bad at all, but still not an 8,000 diesel. For a daily driver - most of the 50-60k I put on a year, the King Ranch was sweet. I could live with the less than diesel performance for the daily driver ride. Then, we HAD to upgrade our trailer (a long story) so we went to a trailer weighing in at 7,000 pounds. It was still within the tow ratings, but the advertised 425# dry tongue weight pulled in at close to 975 pounds. Then, the payload became a problem because I was in a truck that put me over the edge when I put a family of four in the truck and loaded the bed. I built it with thinking I'd get 1,600 pound of payload, and I got 1,300. That 300 lost killed me. I still thought the new 34 foot trailer was a stretch for the F-150, too.

Well, the black cloud continued with trailers, and we now are stepping down to something much lighter (about 5,000 pounds max) and about 10 feet shorter. I actually scaled a tongue of a loaded trailer and it came in at 600 pounds. So, since we have decided we are basically going to be weekend warriors form now on, the new F-150 with the Max Tow Package could be a good thing again as a daily driver and a weekend hauler.

For 2010, the Max Tow adds 400 pound to the payload. So, even if everything still holds true and a typical actual Lariat/King Ranch payload comes in actually built at 300 pounds less than advertised, I think I should be close to 1500-1600 pound payload. With a trailer that has about 600 pound tongue, I should still have room to spare after loading the DW and the two rugrats... and some stuff in the bed.

So, there you have it... my warped life and plan. Thanks for the input guys.

 

Superduty. Ride in both all the time and there is no question the cab in the superduty is much more spacious. I'm a big guy at 6'2" 245 lbs and not much body fat it's tough finding a good fit for me. Also, the 2010 F-150s have e fans. That made it a deal breaker for me.

 

The 2009 F150 actually has more leg room front and back than the superduty. I am 6'6" and I can sit comfortably in the back seat behind the driver seat that is adjusted for me. I don't even have to put the front seat all the way back like I do in every other vehicle I have driven.

 

What's wrong with factory e-fans?

 

Well, after seeing the 2011 Superduty, all bets are off. That thing is beautiful! I am 6'-5" and push 225#, but now that they have moved the B-pillar back in the f-150, I'm fine with it. I just like the aura of a Superduty. It's great!

 

My travel trailer is 31ft including tongue and has a dry weight af 6300#. I also have a fiberglass bed cover and tools in the back. My family is a family of four as well so we definately travel with a load. The trailer used to squat my truck pretty bad, the load leveling hitch corrected it mostly but the ride was a little bouncy. The truck pulled and handled it OK. I put a 2.5 level kit on and added an AAL. Also got an Edge programmer which has since been upgraded to a Gryphon. The AAL made a huge difference in the ride and handling while towing. In fact the truck will now sit pretty much dead level with the trailer without the load leveling arms hooked up. This thing tows so much better now. The Gryphon tow tune is amazing and the addition of the AAL really makes the trailer feel like it is half it's size. Obvioulsy mine is an 05 but I suspect you would see the same type of improvement on a newer model with the addition of the AAL or air bags.

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seats in the superduty in the back are 10x better. there is only 1" of difference between the F-150 and superduty yet you don't sit on the floor of the superduty like you do the F-150. You also get a much wider seat and a wider cab area around your head. CU feet to CU feet I'm sure the superduty is bigger and as smokewagon said, once you own a superduty there is no other cab out there.