2010 F150 FX4 real-world towing advice from towing pros
 

First some background:

My truck is a 2010 FX4 screw with 5.5 foot bed (145" wheelbase) and factory trailer brake controller but without the max towing package. From the Ford towing site I see the following specifications for this truck:

Maximum tow rating is 9,600 pounds.
Maximum payload is 1,510 pounds.
GCWR = 15,500 pounds

So, last weekend we were at a large RV show in Green Bay looking at various 25-30 foot long travel trailers to use for short-ish trips (< 300 miles). The trailers we're looking at have a tongue weight between 700-800 pounds, total dry weight between 5,500-6,000 pounds and a GVWR between 8,500-9,500 pounds. We intend on pulling with the fresh, grey and black water tanks empty but most likely the two propane tanks full. The weight for the four of us and our dog is about 500 pounds (I'm about 220 lbs but I'd better not break it down any further between my wife and two girls :)).

My kids loved a 35 foot 5th wheel we saw that had a loft above the kid's bedroom. Of course it weighed about 12,000 pounds and cost more than $60,000. Uh, no thanks.

We had one dealer there trying to sell us on a trailer that had a dry weight of 8,000 pounds by itself and he said as long as we put no more than 1,600 pounds in it we'd be fine. Hmmmm, really?

Another dealer was pushing us towards a 27 foot or so 5th wheel that weighed about 6,500 pounds and had a dry hitch weight of almost 1,400 pounds. This dealer also said although the short bed was definitely not ideal if would be ok because of the special shape of the front of the trailer and also as long as I used something like the Pullrite SuperGlide hitch. I'm really not comfortable with the idea of trying to tow even a relatively small 5th wheel with this truck so I think that can be taken off the table. Anyone here tow a small 5th wheel with a short bed truck?

I don't want a white-knuckle experience every time we go away for a weekend trip but I do want to utilize the truck's capacity as the main reason we bought it was for eventually towing a travel trailer. Part of me regrets not getting the max towing package when I ordered the truck but what can you do?

Do you think towing a trailer with a dry weight of about 6,500 pounds, tongue weight of 750 pounds and a GVWR of 9,000 pounds is too much for this truck?

Are there any aftermarket parts you've used that would help with the towing? Any specific weight distribution products you'd recommend?

Thanks in advance.

If the truck is rated for it then you will be fine. I would think about adding another leaf spring just for peace of mind. The only issue you should have is gas, be prepared to spend alot on it!! This truck makes tons of torque down low and the 3:73 will help alot with that. Goodluck.

I'm not a pro,but we were also looking at travel trailers a couple of weeks ago just for a future upgrade. Currently we have a 2010 tent camper that weighs 2000lbs at the most.When I asked about pulling the travel trailer with my truck they said I would need a tow stabilizing bar for the trailer...otherwise I was well equipped to pull a trailer that size.

With something like this, you will be fine.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-p...on-systems.htm

You might also want to post on the towing topic to get it in front of pros like pmason and others on there.

Sigh, I did not scroll down far enough in the list of discussion forums to see the Towing and Hauling one in the Special Interest area. I'll head over there...

Maybe a kind moderator will move this thread to the towing forum.

Thanks.

wind drag and profile is a concern for highway towing. I tried to pull my 24ft car hauler with the 09 FX4. It was fine in town I could barely feel it with the 6spd and brake controller. But once I got on the highway or even the service road over 45mph it was outright underpowered and scary. I had to flog the engine to get to highway speeds. I tripped the trailer sway twice. The computer caught the load before it put me in the wall. The trailer was about empty 5k lbs and 600 tongue with a complete WD hitch and anti sway bar. I kept the F250 for hauling the toy box.. Now, if you got the new 6.2L the power may be better, the long 6.5ft bed would also help. The max tow pkg doesn't increase the #'s significantly over a truck with 20" wheels. There is a line of special light campers for half tons. I would drive one first.
Remember max loads are not considering fuel and passengers. So you can take 5-700 lbs off that 1,550lb cargo number with 4 people and luggage, that leaves you 6-700lbs max payload, not much... The 09 I drove had a max cargo of 1,180.
http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/...2/CIMG1883.JPG
http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/...rd_max_tow.JPG

thats weird I tow my 27 ft TT(24 ft box) with a weight of 5500-6200lbs (depends what I have in etc..) and I've never had a problem cruising at about 1800rpm at 90kmph(5omiles)I find it has tonnes of power in the mtns and on several pulls held 80kmph while only dropping one gear I use one friction sway and weight dist. bars I did one long trip fully loaded last year about 1500 kms round trip and got excellent mileage.. I'm 30 and have a heavy foot and I find the power while towing just fine.. we actually plan on upgrading to a 27-29ft bunkbed model next winter or spring ..

https://www.f150online.com/forums/me...26011-001.html

That sounds encouraging as it's pretty close to the size of the trailers we've been looking at.

I just have to remind myself that the trailer sales person may not always have my best interest in mind when they are telling me of course my truck will pull a 30 foot, 8000 pound dry weight trailer without a problem because the truck has a trailer brake controller, sway control, a V8, etc, etc.

Hmmm, I saw Edelbrock is releasing a supercharger kit for the 2009-10 F150 at the end of March. Bumping the horsepower up to 420 or so should help, no?

We're going to look at a few more trailers tomorrow so we'll see what happens.

Thanks for all the feedback.

This you first f150? I ask b/c my 01 toewed an 8k lb enclosed trailer 1600 miles just fine. That was only 4 gears and less hp......

I see trucks a lot less equipped than the 09/10 pulling trailers like yours every day. My trailer weights more than yours and i have no problem pulling it with mine day in day out. Perhaps you need to take a driving course on trailer control :thumbsup:


But really what your towing is not a big deal really. Fully loaded going up hill maybe a TD might help you but for normal highway driving the f150 will do that with ease.

I pull my 30' Chapparal boat with my 2009 F-150 down the road all the time. No problems on my end!!

First truck of any kind. We have a V8 Mercury Mountaineer AWD and a Mustang GT. I tow a 3K pound utility trailer with the Mountaineer.

I'm just hearing and reading a lot of conflicting information and am trying to establish a safe trailer size for my F150 to tow before I pony up the dough for the travel trailer.

I haven't actually bought a trailer yet. Before I buy I'm learning what my new F150 can safely handle out in the real world (i.e. outside of the claims by Ford and the trailer sales staff). The consensus so far seems to be that 7500 lbs or so is really the max I should look at pulling as the truck sits, especially if the trip will be anything more than a few hours.

And although I've towed smaller stuff before a lot, I'm all for learning better and safer ways to tow a larger trailer. Especially with the family with me! We plan on starting out with shorter (< 1 hour) weekend trips while we build up our experience and confidence. May not work for everyone but that's our plan A. Actually our kids just want to start off with the trailer parked in the back yard. :) Of course today when we were out they said they wanted to get another boat instead of a trailer so they could go tubing again. :rolleyes:

don't throw out the small 5th wheel. it could be your best option. the truck will take all 4 of you and 8000 lbs. of trailer anywhere your family wants to go. just take your time and make a good, clear and safe choice and injoy the family time.

Need some help from y'all...
 

Befer I pull the trigger on a new truck, will I be able to pull my boat safely?

Them coolers will be full...

http://www.lovelandnet.com/toms-plac...ck%20yacht.jpg

Thanks :)