Ford as a tow vehicle

Yeah, sure.. But the HDPP will give you more payload to handle that (but bet you'll still be really heavy).. :)

I've run out of payload with a #7000 TT. Sure, I pack heavy, but not like I can just go out and get an #11,300 TT and call it good... ha, ha... :)

Mitch

MitchF150 wrote:
To get that high tow rating on an F150, you have to have the HDPP and those are not on the used car lots. You might find a MaxTow equipped one and that's better, in that you get a bit more GVWR on the truck, but forget about towing an RV of that 'tow rating' size..

I have a 13 F150 MaxTow Eco with #7700 GVWR and I'm towing a #7000 loaded TT and that's about all I want to tow comfortably with it. It can tow more, has tons of power, but just for the shear comfort level of towing, it's all I want to tow with it.

You will run out of payload long before you reach any 'tow rating'.. So, choose wisely.. The newer Fords all have the auto engine start/stop feature.. No cylinder deactivation, and you can turn off the start/stop, but have to do that every time you start the truck..

To get the old 6.2l in an F150 you have to get the Raptor or a Platinum or higher trim level probably some 5+ years ago.. But, they don't have any payload left, so won't do you any good anyway..

Good luck! Mitch

According to Fords F150 Fleet Guide for 2020 you only need 20" tires, 3.55 gears and the Max Tow to get the 13,200 tow rating. You do need the Super Crew and only 2wd.
https://www.fleet.ford.com/content/dam/aem_fleet/en_us/fleet/towing-guides/2020_Ford_RVandTrailerTowingGuide.pdf

MitchF150 wrote:
To get that high tow rating on an F150, you have to have the HDPP and those are not on the used car lots. You might find a MaxTow equipped one and that's better, in that you get a bit more GVWR on the truck, but forget about towing an RV of that 'tow rating' size..

I have a 13 F150 MaxTow Eco with #7700 GVWR and I'm towing a #7000 loaded TT and that's about all I want to tow comfortably with it. It can tow more, has tons of power, but just for the shear comfort level of towing, it's all I want to tow with it.

You will run out of payload long before you reach any 'tow rating'.. So, choose wisely.. The newer Fords all have the auto engine start/stop feature.. No cylinder deactivation, and you can turn off the start/stop, but have to do that every time you start the truck..

To get the old 6.2l in an F150 you have to get the Raptor or a Platinum or higher trim level probably some 5+ years ago.. But, they don't have any payload left, so won't do you any good anyway..

Good luck! Mitch

The auto engine stop is deactivated whenever trailer lights are plugged in so it is a total non-issue when towing. And you can rig up some extra lights to use when not towing if you want a simple defeat mechanism but you really are better off just getting use to it.

The 3.5 turbo has a lot more torque than your 5.3 does and it won't lose torque in the mountains like a naturally aspirated engine does. I think that it address the issues expressed by the op. The 3/4 ton gasses would be a little more solid towing but would actually have less power, especially in the mountains, and would consume a lot more fuel when not towing. I regularly tow over 10,000lbs with my 2016 and think that you would be happy with one if you don't need the payload of a 3/4 ton. 2018 and newer models will have the 10 speed tranny which seems to be a nice improvement while towing.

To get that high tow rating on an F150, you have to have the HDPP and those are not on the used car lots. You might find a MaxTow equipped one and that's better, in that you get a bit more GVWR on the truck, but forget about towing an RV of that 'tow rating' size..

I have a 13 F150 MaxTow Eco with #7700 GVWR and I'm towing a #7000 loaded TT and that's about all I want to tow comfortably with it. It can tow more, has tons of power, but just for the shear comfort level of towing, it's all I want to tow with it.

You will run out of payload long before you reach any 'tow rating'.. So, choose wisely.. The newer Fords all have the auto engine start/stop feature.. No cylinder deactivation, and you can turn off the start/stop, but have to do that every time you start the truck..

To get the old 6.2l in an F150 you have to get the Raptor or a Platinum or higher trim level probably some 5+ years ago.. But, they don't have any payload left, so won't do you any good anyway..

Good luck! Mitch

wow. I'd check out what KD sez (above). Hopefully you can defeat that cylinder de-activation when towing?

I wouldn't tow 13k with a half ton, perhaps it's ok now?

Your truck has a 5.3L engine, not a 5.7L engine. I mention that so you will have better luck searching for the aftermarket modification to defeat the AFM feature. It can be done and it should solve your problem without trading trucks.
Chevy ONLY put this system on the 5.3L engine. None of the other truck engines have it so you don't need to necessarily avoid a Chevy truck if you choose to trade away from this engine instead of modifying it.
No "1/2 ton" truck can tow a 13,000 pound RV because you won't have enough payload to support the likely 2,000 pounds of tongue weight plus the WDH, passengers, and stuff. If you were towing a 13,000 pound boat or a flatbed load of bricks with a lower percentage of tongue weight than an RV then I see no trouble using a truck at it's rated tow capacity.

Look into mods, I think I read that that system can be bypassed. I had the same feelings with a 2012 gmc similler specs. Took a second before the computer registered you put the pedal to the floor. Lol. I got a 2500 chevey now. No problems, but they dont have to meet emissions standerds. I didnt have bucking and misfireing. Some other minor stuff contributed to the bad towing also, my p rated tires mostly. I had a lot of sidewall slop in the rear tires when towing.

wtmtnhiker, your truck is a 5.3, not 5.7, but that is immaterial.
Importantly, it is NOT normal, and I’m trying to recall, I didn’t think they even went in to V4 mode in tow haul.
Regardless, we have a huge fleet of these exact trucks and I just put 100k miles on mine as well as driving a bunch of the others randomly, and the only way I knew they were in V4 mode was seeing it on the dash. 100% not normal to notice it.

Barring getting a solution from your dealer (if I wasn’t clear, they are brushing you off), you can tune out the cylinder drop mode with various programmers. Cost a few hundred bucks for a tuner.
The rest of the running quality issues are also not normal in the least.
You’re getting jerked around by the dealer it seems.
Yes a new Ford 3.5 Ecoboost will blow the doors off the 5.3 LS motor with 6 speed, but I’ve towed up to around 14klbs with the same truck as yours, over the mountain passes here in WA without issue. And it tows 7-8klbs just fine.

We have a 2020 f250 with the 6.7l turbo diesel and a 10 speed transmission. We tow a 38’ to that weighs just shy of 9000#. We absolutely love it and have not found a hill or mountain that it won’t climb with the cruise set at 70mph. Smooth and comfortable. Last weekend we were getting about 14 mpg on a 3hr 2 lane tour from south to to west ky.

My 2016 twin turbo will smoke the tires and pulls hard. I have the full towing package. It is smooth as silk

The newer models have more gears and I suspect that is even better. A 250 will pull a tank if you need or want a diesel.