I am looking at buying my first F150, to tow a 2500lb TT. I looked at a 2007 4x2 Supercab 4.6l V8 truck yesterday with 80,000 miles. It does not come with the factory tow package, only a hitch. The sales guy at Ford Dealership checked and told me that the truck is good to tow up to 4000 pounds as-is, without any other modifications. That's down from the 6500 rating with tow package. Can anyone tell me if this is correct info? And if this would be a good truck to haul my trailer over mountains etc in the summer? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

 

Personally, I'd pass. That 2500# TT is probably going to weigh more like 3000-3500# by the time you have it ready for travel. And, it may well weigh more than 2500# to begin with.

The trailer you are considering would need an electric brake controller too.

I strongly recommend you buy a truck with the factory tow package if you're going to tow anything more than a simple utility trailer.

Don't get me wrong, the truck you're looking at would certainly pull the trailer without difficulty, but things would not be set up properly for safe towing.

- Jack

 

I think you would be fine as long as it's a Class 3 hitch and you add a transmission cooler. I can tow 3000# with my 4.2 V6 without factory tow with no problem. The 4.6, with or without tow package, will tow 5000# safely.

Yes, you will need an electric brake controller and a 7 pin rear harness unless the TT has surge brakes. If the TT doesn't have brakes, you can't legally tow it in most states anyway.

 

I may be wrong, but looking at the OP's post, I think the truck has a bumper hitch. I would not use that kind of hitch to tow the size trailer he's got.

This was my reasoning in recommending a different truck.

- Jack

 

If it has an aftermarket Class 3 hitch with a real 2" receiver, no problem. If it's just a ball bolted to the bumper, that's a no-go but a real hitch can easily be installed. Bumper ***** are fine for small utility trailers staying local, that's about it.

 

I have a 97 4x4 trailer tow, off road pkg with 3:55 posi rear gear. Personally I would look for a truck with a 5.4 and 3:73 gear if you are talking mountains... I put a 2007 4.6 PI engine that I hand built in my truck and in the hills of northern Michigan I sometimes wish I had more power while pulling a 26 ft pontoon boat. It will pull but not without downshifting. Not sure what gear that truck may have but a 3:73 would be a plus and a 5.4 would be a big plus... JMO

 

10th Gen bumper is rated for 500/5000. It's no slouch.

 

True, but it's at the wrong height and gets the tongue too close to the back of the truck to make it a confident tow. If you jackknife the trailer, you could very easily damage the truck.

 

The bumper hitch also puts all the tongue weight on the rear axle of the truck. This lifts the front, reducing braking and steering effectiveness.

Yes, you can certainly add a Class 3 hitch, a transmission cooler, wire it for a 7-pin connector and add the trailer brake controller. But, I suspect there is a used truck out there with the factory tow package already installed for not much more than is being asked for this one that needs the additional parts.

Adding parts to a truck is expensive. But, a truck with parts already added does not significantly change the resale value.

Again, I'd only use a bumper hitch to pull a small utility trailer, even though the bumper is rated for 500/5000#.

- Jack

 

The bumper Ball is definitely not good..I found a used Class 3 hitch for not much money, had an electric brake controller installed for $80 bucks on my old 97 4.6 L 2 wheel drive F150 Supercab with 3:55's and pulled my 25 ft trailer just fine here in Oregon, about 5500 lbs. I'm guessing ...going up the mountain passes I shifted down & could maintain 45mph over the Siskiyou Summit & similar passes, floorboarded! Not ideal by any means but it did fine & was very stable for a year then I got my 02 F150 with the 5.4 & tow package...So much better!