Remember, that towing capacity is without people in the cab, gas in your tank, or any other accesories you have added to your truck. I've added a cap, trailer hitch, and a few other little things and that all lowers that capacity. You could probubly get away with towing that load. I've towed 3000 pounds and it didn't even seem like the engine was working hard. Of course that is in drive and not overdrive. You will also want to add a BIG tranny cooler to your truck if you don't allready have one. This will help your tranny a lot. If you have at least a 3.55 rear-end, you should beable to squeeze by with the weight you will be carring.

 

Yes, they overstate that rating. You will have to calculate your GCW (gross combined weight rating) of the two. Load the truck up they way you will be traveling and take it to the scales. Subtract that from the GCWR (gross combined weight rating) of the truck. What is left is your "actual" towing capacity. Take a little off for the camper being heavier than the weight of it as it is alos understated. Don't forget to calculate the hitch pin weight into the formula as it will impact your GVWR by around 1000 pounds as well. Also those towing ratings are established on a "properly equiped vhsicle" i.e. Towing package and all. They came up with that 6600 figure based on an unloaded regular cab 4X2 with no payload in it. Example: I had a F150 Lariat 4X4 Supercab. It weighed 5500 pounds with no passengers and a full tank of gass. Being its rating was now 6100, That only left me 600 pounds for people, gear and hitch weight. People at 600 pounds only left me zero for hitch weight. Even if you find a Fiver with only a 500 pound pin weight (which I seriously doubt) you are already over and have nothing left for any payload of any kind. So you see you can quickly lose most if not all of it before you are done with it.

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2000 F-250 Super Duty, SuperCab XLT, Oxford white with medium grey cloth captains chairs, 5.4L Triton V8 (260 HP - 345 FP Torque version!), 4R100 4 Speed Automatic Transmission, 4 wheel ABS, Deluxe Aluminum Wheels, Trailer Towing Package, Class IV Hitch, Reece load distribution system, Escort Sensor II Electronic Brake controller, Sure Stop towing skirt, "Westin" black powder coated step bars, "White-White" head lamps, Herculiner bed liner, ISSPRO Tranny Temp Guage, Excursion center console, Ford moulded mud gaurds, K&N Air and Oil filter, Amsoil XL7500 5W-30, Air filter minder, Perma Cool 8" (800 CFM) Tranny Cooler Fan (manualy switched).

 

Thanks for your help guys-i guess its time for a tranny cooler heh

Adam

 

I have a 97 4.6l and i was wondering if it could pull a fifth wheel that would max it out. The owners book says 6600 towing max but do they understate/overstate? the fifth wheel will be about 6000. Thanks for the help.

Adam

 

You will not be happy with that combination -- unless your towing consisted of a 30-minute run on flat land at sea-level twice a summer.

Fifth wheel trailers have a huge frontal area -- like pulling a kite.

If you add up your vehicle capacity (not towing capacity) and then subtract your weight, that of your spouse, dog, food, beer, tools, gas, 5th-wheel-hitch -- and lastly weight on the 5th wheel -- you will find that you have already overloaded the truck -- from just the standpoint of the weight of the truck alone.

Now then, what's going to pull the remaining trailer (and the fishing tackle, chairs, awning, charcoal & grill, shovel, rake, lawn furniture, and the rest)?

Still not convinced?

Ok, then, are you going to ever pull up a hill? Then subtract at least 4% of your available horsepower/torque for every 1,000 feet above sea-level -- and then see that you don't have enough HP to make the top of the first hill without being passed by a kid on a Razz.

F-150's are not made for fifth-wheel trailers (yeah yeah, dogs can be taught to walk on their hind legs too -- but expecting a dog to keep walking on his hind legs or expecting an otherwise 'average' F-150 to tow a 6,000# fifth-wheel satisfactorily are quite a gamble).

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Y2K™ Jim Gorka

Toreador Red, Keyless XLT SC SB 5.4L E4x4 4wDisc/ABS, 3.73LS, Skid, HD 7700# Towing, LT-245's on Chrome, Tube-Steps, Captain's, 6CD, Tonneau, named: "Nick"

 

I hate to disagree with Y2K but, I had a 97 F150 4.6L with tow package and a 24' fifth-wheel that weighed in at 6100lbs. I towed this all over New England and never had 1 problem. I now have a 99 F150 with tow package and tow a 30' fifth-wheel weighing in at 8100lbs. 2 years of towing and not one problem. Plenty of power and only loose about 10 mph on a steep grade. I only have helper springs on the back and even I thought this would not do the job, what a suprise it does fine.

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Fifth-Wheel

 

I just ordered the rear sway anti sway bar from hellwig and the rs9000 shocks for even better performance.
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Fifth-Wheel



[This message has been edited by f150fifthwheel (edited 07-26-2000).]

 

I have to go with the minority (y2k). F150's were not built for 5th wheels. Ya'll might have some that have them but Ford calls F150's light duty for a reason and they didn't make F250's and F350's because they are good to take a family vacation in.

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'97 F-150 XLT Clearcoat Red
4x2
4x4 wheels
Stepside, K&N, bedliner
32inch tires,flowmaster
tint, matching ford sticker
5spd fully loaded, hidden hitch
Comming soon:
spark plugs/wires,leveling kit,toolbox,
bed rails,push bar, CB with whiplash,
clear corner lenses,brush guard, blackouts,
edlebrock shocks, hypertech, K&N induction system,KC highlighters,
bed xtender, BOSE audio or infinity gold, disc changer,
side steps, dixie horn, white faaced gauges, and those small fender flares some 4x4's have,
matching boddy color of course, and some of those door guards,ventshade visors, power pulleys, that is all
i can think of right now

 

I tow a 6000lb trailer with my wife's 4.6/3.55 Expedition, when my truck is down or the kids come with, and it works hard but has made some 400 mile trips no problem.

 

Well, LOFL !

Perhaps that explains f50fifthwheel's "...leaf being about 3/4" out of place on both sides...Hellwig helpers on the truck for towing..." and inquiries into Chips to "...tow a 30' fifth wheel [whose] weight is about 8,500 lbs. Here are the specs. 5.4l, 3.55 LS, oil and tran cooler, helper springs..."

Sounds like he's trying to make an F-250SD out of that 99 F-150.

Now, about that 'walking dog' I was talking about...

 

well here is my 2 cents. chillip knows what he is talking about. I also tow with my truck and my last trip showed me what tolls can be had when towing. IE: We were loaded up with my 20' Nash travel trailer (about 4400 lbs loaded) now add the dog, my wife and me, wood, some tools, beer, extra water, full tank of gas, barbeque, and whatever else. The temp. out side was about 100 *HOT* so the air cond was on full blast. The truck did great untill we came to a 7% grade for 5 miles. Let me tell you the heat takes power away!
Just a thought.........never pull your maximun you might need some reserve power.

Get a smaller trailer.

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97 F-150 4.6 auto, 4x2, 3.55 LS, WMS Velocity tube, K&N, Dynomax Super Turbo exhaust with Echo tube.
Oh yeah, it's Oxford White with crome wheels, Legacy shell & custom grill!



[This message has been edited by mlaugh (edited 07-27-2000).]

 

Y2K
First, the bottom leaf came out when I was not towing, there is a service bulletin on this from ford for the 1999 chassis and will be installed tomorrow. The reason I use helper springs is the same for everyone even those who tow TT. This helps distribute the weight across the chassis instead of puitting the complete weight on the axle.

Second I never requested any information on super chips. I don't need it, I have plenty of power. I am not trying to make this a 250SD. Just getting what I can out of my 150. The truck came stock with all of the equipment that you mentioned with the exception of the helper springs. I never tow in overdrive and can maintain 60mph 2800rpm on a 6% grade with no problem, and I still have reserve power.

I respect your opinions on several points that you have made over the site.

I have been towing for over 30 years back to when a Buick or a Grand Marquies could tow a 5000lb trailer with no problem. You can't do that any more. At the time the Buick towed from Main to Florida and every where in between. Never A problem. I do have a little experence in towing and what a vehicle can handle. Please give me some credit.

Forgot to add one thing the trailer weighs 7204lbs dry with all of the extras in it and more than likely am not adding 1000 lbs of weight in the trailer. Pin weight is 1100 lbs.
When you weight the things you put in the trailer you can be suprised at the weights on some items. I have weighed every thing that I have put in it and was supprised myself on the weight of some items. For instance, I just weighed my golf clubs thought that they were about 50 lbs for the full set. Put them on the scale 20 lbs. I travel with only 10 gals. of water 83.3 lbs if my math is correct. So could I tow anything bigger? Not a chance, I would then opt for a f350 at that point. Our next one will be a class A. Oh this is a 2wd.

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Fifth-Wheel

[This message has been edited by f150fifthwheel (edited 07-27-2000).]

[This message has been edited by f150fifthwheel (edited 07-27-2000).]

 

F1505thWheel, your overloaded.. (And probably violating the law in the states you travel in..)

And now for the numbers:

According to the ford web site. Towing capacity of 5th wheel trailers using F150 and the 4.6l engine, auto tranny, and 3.55 rear end.
GCWR: 11,500
Max loaded trailer weight:
4x2 reg cab: 7,200
4x4 reg cab: 6,900
4x2 supercab: 7,000 4x4 supercab: 6,600



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Y2K F250 XLT SC 4x2 5.4L 5sp 4.10LS

 

R Bess,
Again the facts are incorrect. What I have is the following.

F150 SC 4X2
5.4L
3.55ls
Trany cooler
Oil cooler
Full tow package all stock when I purchased the truck.

Now here's the real numbers......

Ford web site.
4X2 3.55LS
GCWR 13000 lbs
Max trailer loaded
8300 lbs.

4X2 3.73LS
GCWR 13500 lbs
Max trailer loaded
8700 lbs.

You might want to look at the site to confirm.

Now for the rest of the data.
Fifth-Wheel weight dry off the assembly line with all options. (This was a special order)
Dry 7204 lbs
Carrying Capacity 1496 lbs
GVWR 8700

Loaded trailer weight from the scale.
8056 lbs

Pin weight 1150 lbs

Anyone want to do the math? Its close but not over.
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Fifth-Wheel



[This message has been edited by f150fifthwheel (edited 07-27-2000).]

 

When I am overloaded I put a 4x4 between the leaf springs and the frame(stoppers). Makes is so your truck doesn't sag so bad and you are not looking straight up. I think these trucks are under rated. If my truck or anything I own(fourwheeler, lawnmower,tractor etc) won't budge it, it is to heavy. Just go a safe speed and allow for braking distances all depending on load.

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1997 4x4 5.4 ORP XLT extended cab Dark Toreador red Westin nerf bars tint HARDER THAN A ROCK AND FASTER THAN A HEART BEAT