Hey everyone! looking to tow big and not sure if im going to be able to do it. Here's my plan for the winter, drive down to texas or somewhere around there and pick up a clean rust free crew cab sierra (i know here comes the hate lol) but im a gm and ford guy...heck i work on gm engines almost daily as a marine technician! anyhow i know my tow capacity of my 02 f150 is like 72 or 7300, the truck im looking to get weighs around 5000 plus the car hauler trailer so it will be close......

I have access to a tri axle 35' hauler but i think it weighs atleast 3500 alone so im trying to find a smaller tandem axle to use. question is even if i find a trailer that will be within the limit should i attempt it? i mean the truck is not very valuable so im not to worried about really putting some wear on her lol. i will be going from ontario canada to somewhere down south and back. all input appreciated

 

If you had a 5.4 and the tow package, the tow rating would be 6600lbs I think. I don't know if the 4.6 reduces the rating or not. I think I would make sure the transmission has a large cooler, not just the factory unit. It will be a turtle for sure when towing.

 

4.6 is rated at 5000. That's what's on the bumper....

 

I'd do it over a couple hundred miles of flat land. Father over mountains no..

 

Thanks for the input guys! I would definitely put an aux engine and tranny oil cooler on if I was to do this! As for the towing capacity I was wrong its actually 6900 as per what the manual says. The 5000 that's on the bumper is for the bumper I'm using a class IV hidden hitch

 

The nice thing with a car hauler trailer is you can adjust how much tongue weight you have by where you place the car on it... So, as long as you keep the TW enough to keep it from swaying and you use a WD hitch setup on it, you might be better off with the triple axle, even if it is a heavier trailer to begin with..

You won't have as much wind resistance as a full sided trailer, so I think you'll be okay for the most part.. Tow ratings and GCWR don't mean anything after the warranty is done on the truck...

You can break down just driving to the grocery store, so that's just something you'll have to risk..

Good luck!

Mitch

 

To the OP, your still not looking at towing capacity correctly.
Towing is based on Gross Combined Weight Rating of the tow vehicle.
If you look into an owner manual for your truck beginning on page 194, there you will pick out what truck equipage you have.
Then look at the GCWR of the truck, not just the trailer weight.
Then consider total weight of trailer and it's load.
Add this to the weight of the truck 'also loaded'.
Finally, does this total exceed the truck's GCWR?
If yes you will be overloaded.
Don't just go by a trailer weight without the above considerations because it leaves out to much of the total.
Your intending a long trip over varying conditions, so give yourself the best chance of success.
These trucks loaded to near max have a hard time pulling really well as it is.
Good luck.

 

Your 32" tires will hurt you a little too.