towing
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Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2010
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towing
I've been reading all the posts of people with these trucks and the consenus is that they are inadequate for towing, we purchased a 2010 f150 lariat screw with the intention of pulling a 5th wheel trailer but am now hearing that i will be overweight at the tounge weight or gcwr. The ad of that truck pulling the trailer is misrepresentation any legal advice would be helpful. My truck has the trailer tow package rated to tow a 11,200 lb.My trailer weighs 5400 dry and people laugh at me saying that i will void my insurance if i was to get in a accident. Whatta think?
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2007
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I think someone will be alone shortly to put your worries at ease. whoever told you that is full of you know what.
Ford has NOT been building the best trucks for umpteen years that won't tow anything. They are beasts when it comes to towing. See the "what do you two with your F150" thread and you will be fine.
I would not hesitate one second to tow anything, anywhere with my 2007 5.4L F150 XLT.
Here it is. Enjoy!
https://www.f150online.com/forums/to...your-f150.html
Ford has NOT been building the best trucks for umpteen years that won't tow anything. They are beasts when it comes to towing. See the "what do you two with your F150" thread and you will be fine.
I would not hesitate one second to tow anything, anywhere with my 2007 5.4L F150 XLT.
Here it is. Enjoy!
https://www.f150online.com/forums/to...your-f150.html
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,845
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From: In a house, in a small town
Towing a fifth wheel with your F150 is not a good idea you are most likely going to be over your limits with a dry fifht wheel. I dont know what trailers you have looked at and plan on towing but the tow ratings they are advertise for the F150 are for a stripped down XL work truck. I had an F150 and could not get the numbers to work out for tow a fifht wheel so we upgraded to an F350.
Is the 5400# weight the dry weight and what is the gross weight of the trailer? Most of the time you are going to run into problems with the pin weight of the trailer put you over your axle weight rating because a 5er can have a pin weight from 15% to 25% of the trailer. Your best bet is to weigh the truck and trailer loaded with everything that you are going to be taking with you and then drop the trailer and weigh only the truck.
Is the 5400# weight the dry weight and what is the gross weight of the trailer? Most of the time you are going to run into problems with the pin weight of the trailer put you over your axle weight rating because a 5er can have a pin weight from 15% to 25% of the trailer. Your best bet is to weigh the truck and trailer loaded with everything that you are going to be taking with you and then drop the trailer and weigh only the truck.
Last edited by dsq3973; Mar 28, 2010 at 05:31 PM.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,461
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From: Colorado
Reputable trailer dealers like myself do not recommend towing bed mount hitch trailers with any 1/2 ton truck.
Will it pull it? Sure!
On any bed mount hitch, your tongue weight should be 20% of the total trailer weight to have a safe balanced load.
Add to that the weight of the hitch and you have most likely exceeded either GVWR or GRAWR.
A 5k trailer weight means you have put a 1250# load on your truck.
MAX payload capaicity on any SCREW has ever been 1650# capacity which includes passengers.
A 10k trailer means you have put 2250# load on your truck.
Ford Publishes that it has a max trailer weight of 11,300 in the HD.
That's 2260# for tongue weight plus the weight of the hitch that had to be installed.
How do they get to that trailer weight number?? Got me!
That later trailer is deep into 1 ton territory. That 5k trailer is an acceptable load, but it is rarely achieved.
Just beacause it moves doen not mean it should be done.
You can pull a 25,000# wheel balanced trailer with a Toyota Tacoma too!
The big 3 have got into a one up war on numbers. The published towing numbers are true numbers and there is usually one model configued one specific way to get those numbers. It doesn't mean that every model will do it.
Do you have the new F150HD? That is the only SCREW that has published GVWR at 8,200#'s? Your door sticker will say 8200 GVWR.
Now, you are going to hear from all the people who do it.
Just because someone does it doesn't mean they won't have problems. It is just a matter of time.
I know someone who used to boast that they only changed their oil every 25,000 miles too and was proud of that fact.
Will it pull it? Sure!
On any bed mount hitch, your tongue weight should be 20% of the total trailer weight to have a safe balanced load.
Add to that the weight of the hitch and you have most likely exceeded either GVWR or GRAWR.
A 5k trailer weight means you have put a 1250# load on your truck.
MAX payload capaicity on any SCREW has ever been 1650# capacity which includes passengers.
A 10k trailer means you have put 2250# load on your truck.
Ford Publishes that it has a max trailer weight of 11,300 in the HD.
That's 2260# for tongue weight plus the weight of the hitch that had to be installed.
How do they get to that trailer weight number?? Got me!
That later trailer is deep into 1 ton territory. That 5k trailer is an acceptable load, but it is rarely achieved.
Just beacause it moves doen not mean it should be done.
You can pull a 25,000# wheel balanced trailer with a Toyota Tacoma too!
The big 3 have got into a one up war on numbers. The published towing numbers are true numbers and there is usually one model configued one specific way to get those numbers. It doesn't mean that every model will do it.
Do you have the new F150HD? That is the only SCREW that has published GVWR at 8,200#'s? Your door sticker will say 8200 GVWR.
Now, you are going to hear from all the people who do it.
Just because someone does it doesn't mean they won't have problems. It is just a matter of time.
I know someone who used to boast that they only changed their oil every 25,000 miles too and was proud of that fact.
Last edited by Colorado Osprey; Mar 28, 2010 at 06:07 PM.
Legal advice? For what?
All of the info you need is in the manual and on the door jamb of the truck YOU purchased. Same goes for your trailer.
Weigh the trailer, weigh the truck (front and rear axles). This is the only sure way to know where you stand with the "legal" weight ratings.
By the way, what kind of fifth wheel only weighs around 5k lbs? Is it a toy hauler?
All of the info you need is in the manual and on the door jamb of the truck YOU purchased. Same goes for your trailer.
Weigh the trailer, weigh the truck (front and rear axles). This is the only sure way to know where you stand with the "legal" weight ratings.
By the way, what kind of fifth wheel only weighs around 5k lbs? Is it a toy hauler?
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 5,358
Likes: 1
From: Commerce Twp, MI
Inadequate is a bit strong. The max tow package equipped F-150 is the most capable half ton pickup on the market. That does not mean most owners should use one to tow a fifth wheel RV. 2010 Max Tow package Screws can have up to 1990 pounds available.
Like CO said, people exceed Ford's ratings all the time, every day. We just don't recommend it.
You may be okay, just find out the details for your trailer and your truck. How much pin weight does your trailer have, loaded and ready for a trip? How much payload does your truck have available?
Like CO said, people exceed Ford's ratings all the time, every day. We just don't recommend it.
You may be okay, just find out the details for your trailer and your truck. How much pin weight does your trailer have, loaded and ready for a trip? How much payload does your truck have available?
Last edited by APT; Mar 29, 2010 at 08:59 AM.
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 124
Likes: 1
From: Johnstown, PA
Every manufacturer has their own way of coming up with their own towing capability. I believe that ford came up with theirs by utilizing a single cab 2wd truck with the 5.4 v8 and the 3.73 in it and a 150 lb driver.
When you go to the 4x4 and add a larger cab, larger tires, 4 wheel drive, etc... You are down to about roughly 9,500 capacity, not 11,200. The 11,200 is the maximum, but only for one specific F150 package.
If you have the factory towing package, you should be able to find the maximum towing weight and tongue weight for your vehicle. I don't think that Ford reccomends towing a fifth wheel trailer though with a crew cab. Only the regular and supercab.
That being said, I have seen crewcabs towing a gooseneck trailer. If you do this you may want to seriously consider adding some LT tires and Airbags to your suspension to help support the extra weight. They will level out your ride if you decide to tow that loaded gooseneck trailer. But, that is up to you.
I believe that in Truck Trend a few months back, I read that there is going to be standardized testing from mfr. to mfr. for truck towing claims in the next year or two. That will simplify what these trucks can really tow, and will paint a better picture for consumers.
I regularly tow a heavy camper (approx 9000) in the summertime up and down some steep mountains. If you do tow and find that you don't quite have the get-up and go that you are looking for, I would look into getting a programmer. It makes a huge difference in starting out from a stop. I have the Edge Evolution.
When you go to the 4x4 and add a larger cab, larger tires, 4 wheel drive, etc... You are down to about roughly 9,500 capacity, not 11,200. The 11,200 is the maximum, but only for one specific F150 package.
If you have the factory towing package, you should be able to find the maximum towing weight and tongue weight for your vehicle. I don't think that Ford reccomends towing a fifth wheel trailer though with a crew cab. Only the regular and supercab.
That being said, I have seen crewcabs towing a gooseneck trailer. If you do this you may want to seriously consider adding some LT tires and Airbags to your suspension to help support the extra weight. They will level out your ride if you decide to tow that loaded gooseneck trailer. But, that is up to you.
I believe that in Truck Trend a few months back, I read that there is going to be standardized testing from mfr. to mfr. for truck towing claims in the next year or two. That will simplify what these trucks can really tow, and will paint a better picture for consumers.
I regularly tow a heavy camper (approx 9000) in the summertime up and down some steep mountains. If you do tow and find that you don't quite have the get-up and go that you are looking for, I would look into getting a programmer. It makes a huge difference in starting out from a stop. I have the Edge Evolution.