Hey there folks, need to get some "real-world" info on towing with the F-150. I'm toying with the purchase of a new boat, and I'd have to tow it locally (less than 15 miles / trip) with the occasional longer outing (3-4 hours).

Boat weighs ~ 6000-6500 lbs, add 1500 lbs or so for trailer and misc and I'm looking at ~8K lbs, give or take. I'm looking at either an F-150 SC or Screw, possibly with a 5 spd (FoMoCo seems to like to put big discounts on the stick).

Would a F-150 SC 4x4, either manual or auto, have the guts to pull this load? Also, can the 5.4 be had with the 5 spd?

Many thanks!

 

I don't tow much, so the real towing gurus might have something better to offer but If it were me, even if the truck was capable of pulling that much I would move up to a superduty.

I was always taught not to pull at your limit, always give yourself some leeway.

Just a thought.

 

The 5.4 is not available with a 5 speed manual in any configuration of the F150. Even if it were availible, the tow rating on the manual in the F150 is extremely low.

As far as whether or not an F150 can handle the load with an auto - I'm no towing expert. I'm sure someone else knows...

 

I love that kind of logic - Ford is really doing you a favor by letting you upgrade to the bigger 5.4 for 'only' $500 bucks. Oops, did we forget to tell you that you need the oh-so-affordable $1500.00 automatic to go with that? Whoops, our bad...

 

Here's a 'real world' answer.

You are going to need a bigger truck or a smaller boat.

(I won't even mention that 6500 lbs belongs in a marina)

 

Hey, 6500 lbs ain't nothing (for the record, the boat is a 1978 28' Cigarette, back when they built them like tanks...)

I've got a number of friends that tow boats in the 38' range, with all up weights in the 10K - 12K range - now that's a lot of boat!

And I'm kind of resigned to the fact I'd probably need a SD if I wanted to tow any kind of distance. Although the Expedition is rated for something like 8000 lbs?!?!? Sure, if your route is all downhil...

 

Oh well, my boat is a 42 footer and weighs about 15K but, a lot of that weight is due to the twin diesels. Of course, my F150 will pull it but, I thought your question was about a stock F150 truck.

(One thing I just gotta get is an electric winch)

(Wanna armwrestle?)

 

It's funny to see what some folks will do - friend of mine tows his 34' (at least 7500 lbs DRY, no trailer) with an Expedition. Of course, he only tows twice a year, once to the ramp in the spring, once home in the fall, but that's still a lot of boat for that truck!

Another guy I know used to tow his 38' Hustler with a Tahoe; he has since traded up to a heavy duty PU.

 

Looks like no one here gave you a good answer yet, i think maybe your best bet would be to buy a 1 year old F-250 or F-350. It would still practically be a brand new truck and you could probably get it for about the same as a new F-150 and have a lot more truck.

-Jon

 

Tow capacities for 2002 F150 trucks suitably equipped:

Regular 4x2 - 8800 lbs
SuperCab - 8600 lbs
SuperCrew - 8000 lbs

So, in theory anyway, you could tow your 8000 lbs boat. However, I would also consider the following:

a) you cannot exceed the gross combined vehicle weight rating for truck and trailer. This means 4 passengers, full fuel, an ice chest full of beer might put you over.

b) a big boat (a BF actually) like that like to drink gas, so if you fill it before hitting the water (cheaper usually), count 6 lbs per gallon for gasoline... a 100 gallon tank is 600 lbs. Include an ice chest, ski/fish accessories, electronics, a head, and you can easily add another 100 lbs.

I'm with other posters on this question... you'll do best at about 75 percent of maximum tow capacity. For your short trip you could probably move closer to 100 percent. But the fact is, at 100 percent, there isn't much room in the envelope for emergency maneuvers, braking, acceleration, strong cross winds, etc.

 

Aha! I did some further research and have found that the boat in question was listed as having a dry weight of 5000 lbs. Add 500 lbs for fluids and misc weight gain, 1500 for a trailer, and I'm now at 7000 lbs, give or take.

With a SC 4x4, I should be comfortably under the limit.

"Honey, I need a new truck and a new boat! Is that OK with you?"