Hi,How well would a F150 tow a 5350 lbs dry/6900 GVWR/550 lbs hitch weight travel trailer. It's a total of 28 ft long. I think I will be at most 6000 lbs loaded.F150 is a 2016 crew cab with the 5.0 V8. A weight distribution and sway bar would be used.Does anyone have experience with this setup on the highway? I'm concerned about sway and how much the trailer will effect the truck ride.Thanks!

You will be fine with a good hitch. We tow a very similar combo using an Equalizer hitch.

I tow a 30' TT that weighs in at 6000 #, with an F150 eco boost and have plenty of power to spare. I use a WDH and equalizer bars, you should be fine.

No reason it can't work for you, just don't overload the truck with people, gear, and bed full of firewood. The 5.0 is a strong engine, don't be afraid to let it rev, when needed. Your truck should have some sway control built in, to aid in towing. With a good WDH, set up correctly, you should have a good towing experience.You are right to be concerned, as you are approaching your towing limit. If you see a 32' 8,000 lb trailer you like, it may be too much.Happy camping,Jerry

Agree with above replays. Your 5.0 will be turning more rpms than you are accustomed to. Just be prepared for the rpms.

OK, I will be the first dissenter. You MAY be fine but maybe not. We need more info.First, 6,000 loaded will be 780 lbs tongue weight plus the WDH and you are near 900 lbs. Your F-150 hitch is likely rated for 500lbs without a WDH and 1,000 with but you need to check. It's stamped on the hitch.Second, you need to know your cargo rating If you have 900lbs TW and 600 lbs of passengers you are at 1,500 lbs of cargo. How much extra gear? Look at the sticker in your door jamb. It will say but cargo capacity usually allows for a 150 lb driver. You need to know how much cargo you have before you load the bed, load the cab, and hook up a TT.Last, you need to know your axle ratio. The 5.0. Is rated as low as 6,900 and as high as 10,800 tow capacity. 3.31, 3.55, or 3.73. There is a code on the sticker in door jamb. You can look the code up. I;m linking the Ford 2016 tow guide. I thought the codes were in there but I can't find them and I need to head out to work. This is a great resource for you anyway.2016 Ford Towing Guide

Towing a 6000 lbs TT with F150 | Good Sam Community

24 Replies

rowekmr
Explorer
Feb 21, 2017
My FIL F150 Ecoboost would sub in for trailer towing duty when my F250 was down. Fairly stout truck with regards to power and braking. The rear suspension was of course softer than I was used to but I would tow all but the heaviest trailer when I needed to. I've moved my TT with it around the campgrounds easily but never took it on the highway so can't comment on the stability there. I have mainly towed my 20" tilt flatbed auto transporter many times with cars up to another 1/2 ton on it.
Terryallan
Explorer II
Feb 13, 2017
nickthehunter wrote:
Exactly what do you mean by "the truck currently doesn't have a hitch"? A hitch consists of a "receiver" and a "drawbar". The hitch head is mounted to the drawbar. I have never ever seen a F150 that didn't come with a receiver.

Not standard equipment. And If it has no hitch. It does not have any towing equipment.
BenK
Explorer
Feb 13, 2017
Also, external ATF cooler if it has an automatic...and...a host of other 'HD' hardware components/systems & software

bikendan wrote:
nickthehunter wrote:
Exactly what do you mean by "the truck currently doesn't have a hitch"? A hitch consists of a "receiver" and a "drawbar". The hitch head is mounted to the drawbar. I have never ever seen a F150 that didn't come with a receiver.

A number of F150s don't come with tow packages.
A fellow firefighter had the Harley Davidson edition and it had no tow package or receiver.
bikendan
Explorer
Feb 13, 2017
nickthehunter wrote:
Exactly what do you mean by "the truck currently doesn't have a hitch"? A hitch consists of a "receiver" and a "drawbar". The hitch head is mounted to the drawbar. I have never ever seen a F150 that didn't come with a receiver.

A number of F150s don't come with tow packages.
A fellow firefighter had the Harley Davidson edition and it had no tow package or receiver.
nickthehunter
Nomad III
Feb 13, 2017
Exactly what do you mean by "the truck currently doesn't have a hitch"? A hitch consists of a "receiver" and a "drawbar". The hitch head is mounted to the drawbar. I have never ever seen a F150 that didn't come with a receiver.
sele
Explorer
Feb 11, 2017
Terryallan wrote:
It all honesty. It may be better, and possibly less expensive to trade the truck, and get one with a higher GVWR, and factory tow package. adding the tow package after market gets sort of pricey, and when you are done. You will still have a low GVWR and high geared truck. I don't believe you will be happy towing the 6000lb + TT with that truck. Unless of course, You decide to change the gears as well. Again. spendy.
I agree, with the right setup you would be very happy and the best way is to probably trade instead of trying to update your current F 150. When I bought mine I set it up for tow haul and not gas mileage and am very happy with the job it does. Everybody has given you some good advise the ball is know in your court. Good luck
Terryallan
Explorer II
Feb 10, 2017
It all honesty. It may be better, and possibly less expensive to trade the truck, and get one with a higher GVWR, and factory tow package. adding the tow package after market gets sort of pricey, and when you are done. You will still have a low GVWR and high geared truck. I don't believe you will be happy towing the 6000lb + TT with that truck. Unless of course, You decide to change the gears as well. Again. spendy.
bikendan
Explorer
Feb 10, 2017
deanon wrote:
Thanks everyone for your advice. Some asked for more info about the tow vehicle. The sticker on the door states GVWR of 6800 and the AXLE 27, which I think is a 3.31.
The truck doesn't currently have a hitch. I'm planning to add a Curt hitch with 1000 lbs tongue weight and 10000 towing capacity.

You'll need to duplicate the factory tow package, not just the hitch RECEIVER. That means Trans cooler, pre-wiring for brake controller and tow mirrors.

And that Curt receiver you're installing, doesn't mean your truck can tow 10,000lbs or handle 1,000lbs tongue weight.
Those numbers are for the receiver alone.
irishtom29
Explorer
Feb 10, 2017
Never mind.
Terryallan
Explorer II
Feb 10, 2017
deanon wrote:
Thanks everyone for your advice. Some asked for more info about the tow vehicle. The sticker on the door states GVWR of 6800 and the AXLE 27, which I think is a 3.31.
The truck doesn't currently have a hitch. I'm planning to add a Curt hitch with 1000 lbs tongue weight and 10000 towing capacity.

You will also need to add the tow package. No hitch no trany cooler. Also no hitch will increase tow cap. You will just have a really good hitch. More hitch than truck