2018 F-150 hype....believe it or not?

JIMNLIN wrote:

If you get the Heavy Duty payload package then it's possible you won't be white knuckling all the time.
If you just get the Max Trailer Tow in a Super Crew 145" WB then good luck.
The Max Trailer Tow Package does nothing to make the truck more stable. It's just a bunch of added options for trailering.

Excellent point.
Too many F150 owners simply bought into the max tow hype and didn't look into the max gvwr/rawr packages. They get a small 6800-7000 lb gvwr and small 3800 rawr/P tires crew cab with the 5.0 or 3.5 eb engine/8-10 speed tranny and then complain the truck seems overloaded or being pushed around or a squishy/squirrelly handling. Then lump all 1/2 ton trucks in their bad choice.

The OP has indicated he not looking at for those big 10k-12k TT's but something in the 25'/8k range.
If he sticks with a F150 I would look at the 7550-7850 lb gvwr with a 4550-4800 rawr packages. The F150HD 7850 gvwr and 4800 rawr comes oem with LT tires.

Choose the right F150 5.0/3.5 eb engine for a 8k 25' trailer and their won't be any white knuckle or tiring towing experiences.
Choose the wrong one and you too can make wild claims about a 1/2 ton can't do the lob.

Bingo!!

The manufacturer designed and engineered the standard 1/2 to have enhanced towing and payloads capacity, and I believe they are capable of delivering just that.

You have these guys trying to convince newbies that the enhancements are basically a waste of engineering and your money, and just get a HD and forget it.

I'm not buying that.

TomG2 wrote:

Maury82 wrote:
...snip...... Most of you guys are just plain bias against a capable 1/2 ton towing a certain weight and length TT, and I don't believe most have even towed a heavy trailer with a modern 1/2, . ...snip.......

I do not know who you are talking about but I have towed a lot of trailers weighing up to 8,000 pounds with six 2003 or newer half ton pickups, both Ford and Silverado. I have also towed the same and other trailers with a F-250 and two 2500HD Silverado pickups. Anything over about 6,000 pounds was a lot more fun with the 3/4 ton models. The 1/2 ton pickups got me there and back but I sure appreciated the performance of the 3/4 ton platform in every instance.

I currently tow a 4,000 pound travel trailer with a 2017 5.0 V-8 F-150 and am completely satisfied. I will NOT be purchasing a much heavier trailer, fifth wheel trailer, or truck camper in the future. That is a capability cushion that I do not need. New people often get "Two foot itis" which means that they outgrow their original tow vehicles. The pickup salesmen love these folks. Buying a more capable tow vehicle can be a Win-Win situation. A great tow now and a solid platform for upgrades.

Personally, I would not want to tow at the limit of a truck's capacity, whether it's 30,000lbs with a 1 ton dually, or 13,000lbs with a 1/2 ton.


I haven't heard anything close to a compelling argument why a 12,500lbs plus rated, 2,600lbs plus payload 1/2 ton can't safely tow a 1,075lbs tongue/ 9,800 lbs max 37ft TT, and the "doom and gloom" tailed waging the dog, aluminum, wind sail, etc, aren't compelling arguments without personal experiences.

That 3.5 EB and ten speed will serve me better than that 6.2 and 6 speed.

I'm not a truck guy, and never cared for them until I needed one for this TT.

if you gave me a loaded F350 diesel dually, I'd sale it, and get me a F150 EB CC Max trailering and HDPP and a 2018 Accord 2.0T six speed manual.

I want a safe and capable TV, and unless I hear some first-hand specifics on why the F150 isn't capable nor safe, I'm sticking to the information that Ford is providing.

If you get the Heavy Duty payload package then it's possible you won't be white knuckling all the time.
If you just get the Max Trailer Tow in a Super Crew 145" WB then good luck.
The Max Trailer Tow Package does nothing to make the truck more stable. It's just a bunch of added options for trailering.

Excellent point.
Too many F150 owners simply bought into the max tow hype and didn't look into the max gvwr/rawr packages. They get a small 6800-7000 lb gvwr and small 3800 rawr/P tires crew cab with the 5.0 or 3.5 eb engine/8-10 speed tranny and then complain the truck seems overloaded or being pushed around or a squishy/squirrelly handling. Then lump all 1/2 ton trucks in their bad choice.

The OP has indicated he not looking at for those big 10k-12k TT's but something in the 25'/8k range.
If he sticks with a F150 I would look at the 7550-7850 lb gvwr with a 4550-4800 rawr packages. The F150HD 7850 gvwr and 4800 rawr comes oem with LT tires.

Choose the right F150 5.0/3.5 eb engine for a 8k 25' trailer and their won't be any white knuckle or tiring towing experiences.
Choose the wrong one and you too can make wild claims about a 1/2 ton can't do the lob.

There are many f150’s towing on the heavy side 7.5-9k without issue, then there are those with 6k trailers that struggle. This is because towing characteristics of a trailer can differ regardless of length and weight. The problem with the lighter F150 trucks (shorter wheelbase models even more so) is that they are less tolerant to trailer CG changes, high yaw inertia, and WD setup. So a F250 that’s 2,000 lbs heavier can tolerate less than perfect characteristics much better. If you’re lucky and the trailer is well designed and balanced/loaded correctly the F150 may serve you well but you’ll never know until you load/hitch up and go.

"Next year I'm purchasing a 2018 F-150 EB with the Max trailering package for my 37 ft/ 8,300 dry(9,800) max TT, and based on how bias so many are, while not providing actual personal experiences with towing such TT with a modern 1/2 ton, I'm going with the information that Ford is providing, and based on that information, the F-150 should be plenty capable in all weight/payload capacities with room to spare. "


If you get the Heavy Duty payload package then it's possible you won't be white knuckling all the time.
If you just get the Max Trailer Tow in a Super Crew 145" WB then good luck.
The Max Trailer Tow Package does nothing to make the truck more stable. It's just a bunch of added options for trailering.

• 3.55 Electronic-locking rear-axle
• 4-pin/7-pin wiring harness
• 36 Gallon fuel tank
• Auxiliary transmission oil cooler
• Engine oil cooler
• Class IV trailer hitch receiver
• Pro Trailer Backup Assist with Tailgate LED
• Smart Trailer Tow Connector (standard on LARIAT and higher)
• Integrated Trailer Brake Controller
• Upgraded front stabilizer bar
• Upgraded rear bumper

FYI, I've towed heavy with an F150 and a 3/4 ton. I know the difference.

Maury82 wrote:
...snip...... Most of you guys are just plain bias against a capable 1/2 ton towing a certain weight and length TT, and I don't believe most have even towed a heavy trailer with a modern 1/2, . ...snip.......

I do not know who you are talking about but I have towed a lot of trailers weighing up to 8,000 pounds with six 2003 or newer half ton pickups, both Ford and Silverado. I have also towed the same and other trailers with a F-250 and two 2500HD Silverado pickups. Anything over about 6,000 pounds was a lot more fun with the 3/4 ton models. The 1/2 ton pickups got me there and back but I sure appreciated the performance of the 3/4 ton platform in every instance.

I currently tow a 4,000 pound travel trailer with a 2017 5.0 V-8 F-150 and am completely satisfied. I will NOT be purchasing a much heavier trailer, fifth wheel trailer, or truck camper in the future. That is a capability cushion that I do not need. New people often get "Two foot itis" which means that they outgrow their original tow vehicles. The pickup salesmen love these folks. Buying a more capable tow vehicle can be a Win-Win situation. A great tow now and a solid platform for upgrades.

Maury82 wrote:
During the two years that I have been lurking, I picked up tons of much needed information regarding the ins and out of RV maintenance, problem areas, camping, and other information relating to RVing, but there is one thing I learn not to do, and that is to listen to the "doom and gloom" and the end of the world scare tactics of towing a longer and heavier TT with anything that is not a 3/4 or a 1 ton.

While I do understand this thing with guys and big trucks, but when it comes to advising newbies and other seeking credible information and advice about picking out a TV, I was a bit appalled at how so many would try to scare a new RVer into purchasing a huge TV for trailers that were well within the capability of properly quipped modern 1/2 ton. Most of you guys are just plain bias against a capable 1/2 ton towing a certain weight and length TT, and I don't believe most have even towed a heavy trailer with a modern 1/2, yet are the first one trying to scare a newbie into a 3/4. The more I read, the more I was convinced that a lot of the "doom and gloom" crew probably haven't towed much of anything with a modern and capable 1/2 ton, and there is no way would I make such an important decision based on Zero person experiences and Zero proof that towing a longer and heavier TT well within weight and towing limits of a 1/2 ton is dangerous or unsafe.

Next year I'm purchasing a 2018 F-150 EB with the Max trailering package for my 37 ft/ 8,300 dry(9,800) max TT, and based on how bias so many are, while not providing actual personal experiences with towing such TT with a modern 1/2 ton, I'm going with the information that Ford is providing, and based on that information, the F-150 should be plenty capable in all weight/payload capacities with room to spare.

I am absolutely convinced that many of the "half ton" folks have NEVER experienced potentially BETTER TOWING via a BETTER MORE CAPABLE vehicle platform with excessively longer and heavier loads.

I HAVE experienced a border line tow vehicle/trailer combo, thought it was normal to have the TRAILER push the vehicle around.

That came to a halt once I bought a 3/4 ton.

There IS a difference in the handling department.

Half tons do have their place, they are capable of decent loads, however the squishy suspension and P tires does LIMIT them..

So, you could put LT tires on them, perhaps add custom built heavier springs, perhaps air bags but then you have the ride of a 3/4 ton that you DIDN'T want.

Think the F150 is cheaper?

Think again.

A F150 with Eco and all the payload packages can have a MSRP north of $60K and you may have a max of 2,200 lbs payload and the wrong combination you may only get 1,800 lbs payload..

You can get a F250 with 6.2 gas for a MSRP around $50K and get 2900 lbs to 3500 lbs payload depending on cab and bed length..

If you want turbo, buy it, but you will pay more and get LESS capacity than a F250.

Don't paint yourself into a corner by only considering a F150, do some REAL research, price a F150 and then a F250 and compare capacities between them, it can be an eye opener..

During the two years that I have been lurking, I picked up tons of much needed information regarding the ins and out of RV maintenance, problem areas, camping, and other information relating to RVing, but there is one thing I learn not to do, and that is to listen to the "doom and gloom" and the end of the world scare tactics of towing a longer and heavier TT with anything that is not a 3/4 or a 1 ton.

While I do understand this thing with guys and big trucks, but when it comes to advising newbies and other seeking credible information and advice about picking out a TV, I was a bit appalled at how so many would try to scare a new RVer into purchasing a huge TV for trailers that were well within the capability of properly quipped modern 1/2 ton. Most of you guys are just plain bias against a capable 1/2 ton towing a certain weight and length TT, and I don't believe most have even towed a heavy trailer with a modern 1/2, yet are the first one trying to scare a newbie into a 3/4. The more I read, the more I was convinced that a lot of the "doom and gloom" crew probably haven't towed much of anything with a modern and capable 1/2 ton, and there is no way would I make such an important decision based on Zero personal experiences and Zero proof that towing a longer and heavier TT well within weight and towing limits of a 1/2 ton is dangerous or unsafe. While I'm not expecting the 1/2 ton to tow like the 3/4 ton I often rent from Enterprise, but I do expect it to handle comfortably, but with a tad more push from wind and maybe trucks, but with much more pulling power from the 3.5 EB, as oppose to towing with the rented 3/4. That 6.2 engine is barely enough for merging into traffic.

Next year I'm purchasing a 2018 F-150 EB CC with the Max trailering/HPP packagefor my 37 ft/ 8,300 dry(9,800) max TT, and based on how bias so many are, while not providing actual personal experiences with towing such TT with a modern 1/2 ton, I'm going with the information that Ford is providing, and based on that information, the F-150 should be plenty capable in all weight/payload capacities with room to spare.

rbpru wrote:

Bigger and stronger has little to do with safety...

This is one of the most grossly incorrect statements I have ever read on this forum. It's almost borderline crazy talk...

AllenTC2 wrote:

WTP-GC wrote:
For the safety of my family, please don't pull a 12K load with a tin can F150.

Let's not get melodramatic. :B I think my "worst case" number is 9-9.5K#. LOL And that's adding 2K# to the listed dry weight of the TT.

There's a lot of that in here. It amazes me how scared people are to use there vehicles for what there rated.