I have a 2008 Ford F150 FX4 5.4L and just purchased a 22 ft V Nose Car Hauler with the #5200 lb axels. I'll be pulling all of my house hold goods and my wifes Mazda 3. I have the EVO programmer, P3 Brake Control, and a K&N Air Filter. I'll post a picture once I get the trailer and let you know how the move went. It is about 2700 miles from Ft. Benning to Ft. Lewis.

Any recommendations on what else (parts wise or advice) I may need to make this a better haul? This is my first major haul.

Thanks,

Nolan

 

Weight distrubiting hitch is a requriment...

 

Great, ordered one now. Do you have any other recommendations? I assume I'll need to drive with the overdrive off? I'm also assuming my truck will be able to handle about 8000-10000 lbs at about 60 mph?

Anyone want to verify? Thanks.

Nolan

 

how far you pulling it?

 

2700 miles is what he said, and i have towed about 8 with my 05 f150 and it did it alright but my break controller was my friend. Your correct about turning of overdrive

 

yea sorry i missed that. I would look at sticking to 55 and see how it feels in a panic situation before pushing the speed

 

Trailer is about 2400#'s right?
That v-nose helps a bunch.

5200# axles are actually 6k axles with 15" tires- tires are the weak link.... also trailer tires are speed limited to 60mph. Go faster and you can easily encounter a blow out even when underloaded.
You should have plenty of axle/tire combo as long as you don't tray and max out the trailer with house hold stuff.
Your maximum that you can load including the car should be around 8k in the trailer. This will be a large load for any F150. If you can keep the cargo load closer to 5k or under you will have a happier tow and less likely to have a tire failure.

Like stated above Weight Distribution bars is a requirement for those loads.

As far as OD on or off: As a general rule of thumb, if the vehicle is switching back and forth, lock it off. If you can maintain speed without it jumping in and out of OD, running in OD is ok.

Good luck and thank you for your service

 

Thanks for the replies and help.

 

Took my truck to the ford dealer to get my computer flashed bc I installed the p3 brake controller, but they told me it was not needed. Can anyone verify? Thanks.

 

No computer flash needed for an aftermarket BC.

 

Great thanks!

 

A fellow Ft. Lewis member!

Lewis was my first duty station after Basic/AIT/Airborne at Benning. Lewis is great; Mt. Rainer Natl Forest, Yakima, Pikes Market in Seattle, Definace Point, Skiing at Mt Hood in June!!

Good luck with the haul and I hope you enjoy Lewis as much as I did!

 

Don't forget a spare tire for your trailer.
One of these are cheap and handy as can be if you have have a flat. If you have dual axles

http://tweetys.com/trailer-aid.aspx

 

No it doesnt, it actually can make things worse. Moreover, depending on the length of your V, it can severely limit your choices of WDH setups. If I wouldnt have gotten such a blazing deal on mine, I would have never bought it.

Edit:
This right here. Although, admittedly, I use the "poor mans" version of a double stacked 2x12 since I have them for loading the racecar into the trailer.

Also, some advice for the OP, its going to be a tight squeeze with the Mazda 3 in the trailer and packing it with other items. Make sure you strap the car down by the shipping hooks if you can, not the control arms or wheels. Especially so if you plan on having stuff packed tightly around the car. Resolve yourself to driving 55 in the right lane, your wallet and truck will thank you.

My biggest piece of advice is to plan your route and stops carefully.