So while looking into travel trailers, I’m also looking into the trucks to pull it. I’m applying the same rule of weights that I was applying to truck campers when I was looking into them; whatever the listed dry weight, add 2,000#. The truck must exceed that. Enter the 2018 F-150. Equipped with 20” wheels, the 3.5l V6 EcoBoost, and the “Max Tow” package, it is said to have a maximum tow capacity of 12,200 pounds. Which puts my adjusted trailer weight at 75% (~9K#). So what am I missing? Seems to be a no brainer but I was looking at F-350/450 for a ~6/7K# truck camper. I know towing and hauling are a bit different, but I’m surprised a relatively modest truck could tow 9K#.

Figures don't lie, but ....... Check out the tongue weight and frontal area of that 12,200 pound trailer in the ads for starters. Ask, ask, ask before you buy truck or trailer.

The frontal area limitations for the F150 (with payload package) are exactly the same as they are for the F250.F-150 Base Vehicle Frontal Area (36.6 sq. ft.) Without Trailer Tow Package or Payload Package55 sq. ft. Any Powertrain with Trailer Towing Package or Payload Package andTrailer Towing Ratings Between 5,001 and 7,700 lbs.60 sq. ft. Any Powertrain with Trailer Towing Package or Payload Package andTrailer Towing Ratings 7,701 lbs. and Greater75 sq. ft. All 5th-Wheel and Gooseneck Applications with Any Powertrain withTrailer Towing Package or Payload PackageF-250/F-350/F-450/F-550 Super Duty 75 sq. ft. All 5th-Wheel and Gooseneck Applications60 sq. ft. All Other Applications

Payload's usually the biggest concern with 1/2 tons. My 2010 F150 Max Tow was rated at 11,100 lbs for towing. LOL, no way would I or could I tow that. I had 1857 lbs for payload. My tongue weight was 900-950 lbs for my 31' 7300 lb TT. With the gear and a canopy on the truck along with the DW and I, I was 50 lbs under GVWR of 7650 lbs @7600. If you want to tow 9,000 lbs get a 3/4 ton truck.

So the 13,200 configuration is the long wheelbase 2x4 SuperCrew with the max towing package and the gen 2 ecoboost 3.5. It looks like the max payload for that configuration is 2,870 (if also equipped with HD package, but the max tow is for the max GCWR config so I assume it implies HD) so tongue weight shouldn't be a big deal except for the fact that the class IV hitch maxes out at 1,320 if they keep to the same rating formula they've used for the last few models. I've not seen a class v hitch for the F150 so you'd have to have a custom one made if you want to exceed the 1,320 tongue weight.Then again at 9k gross weight you'd have to be really close to 15% to exceed 1,320 so just add some weight behind the axles to get it down a tad =)

Turned it on and got it poppin, only takes a few minutes.

2018 F-150 hype....believe it or not? | Good Sam Community

198 Replies

mountainkowboy
Explorer
Dec 06, 2017
TomG2 wrote:

Ouch! Name calling is really cool and smart. By the way, it would be the contraction you're for you are, not your.

Sorry, blue collar worker and left school at 15 to make a living. :p
mountainkowboy
Explorer
Dec 06, 2017
Huntindog wrote:
Great observation from a person who's newest vehicle is an 2011! Also has an 2006, and a 1978!

What has that got to do with the facts about auto ownership? This is easily found information
WTP-GC
Explorer
Dec 06, 2017
There's an often used saying of "experience trumps education". In this thread, we have both experience and education presented. Mostly, the education presented here is "Ford says XYZ". And for the most part, the experience presented here is based on "been there, done that".

So should someone make their TV decision on what any manufacturer says it can accomplish during a pass/fail test which is performed on a limited basis, which is intently and obviously done on a marketing basis? Or should they at least listen with an open mind to those who say they tried it and it didn't work out so well?

No one is arguing that new 1/2 ton trucks aren't head and shoulders above their older siblings. In fact, I think most people are quite impressed with the newer technology that allows 1/2 ton trucks to be so much more capable. But there's just so much more to actively towing heavy loads than just what the marketing says about a vehicle's ability to pull a heavy load in a straight line in a controlled environment. That's why those with "experience" say you should go with a bigger, more suitable truck.

And for giggles, I did run through the build pricing of a Ford with 3.5L EB and max towing/HD package. The MSRP is less than an comparably equipped 3/4 ton diesel powered truck of all 3 major brands, but not by much. It is not less expensive than a comparably equipped 3/4 ton gas powered truck.
TomG2
Explorer
Dec 06, 2017
Fourteen years ago when I retired, I hitched up my almost new half ton to a 5,000 pound travel trailer for a nice long trip. Second pit stop and I smelled transmission fluid and saw a puddle under the vehicle. It would pull the trailer but it didn't like it. I have learned a lot in those fourteen years. Always before, my typical tow was less than one hundred miles. Not the thousands like they are today. (I was under my tow rating by over 1,000 pounds)
TurnThePage
Explorer
Dec 06, 2017
It appears that very few of us abuse our vehicles to that extent, even the ones like me that go over those dreaded numbers a little here and there. Before I bought my current half ton, my previous one was almost 20 years old.
Huntindog
Explorer
Dec 06, 2017
mountainkowboy wrote:
Ralph Cramden wrote:
Huntindog wrote:

As far as the current discussion about half ton capability.What is missing is the durability of the half tons vs their heavier duty siblings.

Despite being true, good luck getting that point across to many on this or any other RV related board.

Yup cause you should always buy twice the truck needed to tow with :R, 90% of vehicles are only owned for 4 years, so durability usually isn't an issue.
Great observation from a person who's newest vehicle is an 2011!
Also has an 2006, and a 1978!!
AllenTC2
Explorer
Dec 06, 2017
1stgenfarmboy wrote:
Well.........shoot then.......I ain't gonna say you got it made..................but.

:B

I certainly don't have to worry about who is gonna like/dislike the color truck I get, or the decor in the TT. :B
jerem0621
Explorer II
Dec 05, 2017
jaycocreek wrote:
But on the other hand, if I had an Excursion, or a 250 Van, with appropriately the same weight and wheel base, it's isn't an issue.

Laughing...But that is the truth on this forum.

If people would just read they could find things out.I read on a 2015 F-150 to find out they had three different axles and three different frame specs,depending on the package you choose..Example is the 9.75 HD axle rated higher than the 8.8 and 9.75 standard.

To bad they just don't have two variants,a standard F-150 and a HD 150 with the HD having all the packages to tow or haul advertised towing and hauling weights...That sure would make it black and white for the dis-believers!

Boy ain’t that the truth! My dad told me that my F150 could pull his 7,800 lbs UVW Fiver with my F150...my f150 has a 6,400 lb tow rating. It’s got the smaller 8.8 rear axle. If I change to 3.73 the rating goes up to 6,800 lbs.

So, for me and my use, I’m going to be shooting for something around 4,500 ish dry. It will be about 5,500 loaded up for camping and my truck will handle it great. I have lots of experience towing RV’s and look forward to putting my truck to work again.

Just based on my experience, while my 7,700 GVWR Travel trailer pushed about 7,000 lbs loaded and it towed great with my F150 my personal limit is about 7,000 lbs for a Half Ton Truck.

I get the rating system and all that stuff, but for my truck, if I’m towing 8-9k I really want a F250.

Here is why, I had a Dually that I towed with the same trailer listed above. I took it to Disney and I75 was tore to pieces in South Georgia. There was about a 20 ish mile stretch where there was no hard shoulder..there were concrete barriers sitting on the lines. There was heavy traffic and no where to go.

Let me tell you, I have never been more comforted by a vehicle than sitting in that right lane with those dually’s back there and a properly set up hitch and balanced trailer.

Other than that, I hated my Dually, but it sure was stable. Mostly hated the trim package. It was an XL and the interior was very uncomfortable.

This is what a lot of new Half Ton owners do not get. A HD truck is COMFORTING not necessarily comfortable in all situations. Rarely it’s the trailer weight that gets a Half Ton it’s the payload. Try as you might to manage the tongue weight on a trailer. Sometimes you just can’t get it to 10-15%. I had a 3000 Pup with 475 lbs of tongue weight. I couldn’t do anything about it. And believe me I tried. Towed great though.

My Buddy BenK says that when Murphy strikes it is not the time to make sure you have equipment that can handle Mr. murphy’s Whims.

Thanks!

Jeremiah
Huntindog
Explorer
Dec 05, 2017
troubledwaters wrote:
Huntindog wrote:
demiles wrote:
FYI The SAE j2807 towing standard is available for free around the web. If you can’t find it I can send a link to my own copy.
The J standard is ballyhooed a lot.
Though it is a huge step in the right direction compared to the previously used no standards... Tow ratings used to be totally fiction, as every manufacturer made up their own.

It is important to understand what the J standard is, and what it is not.

It is a MINIMUM standard, with a no score or grade. Just a pass or fail. There is no way to know if the truck barely passed the test, or easily passed it.

IIRCC, it requires 35 MPH speed be maintained up a specified grade (among other requirements).

Many of us here, myself included do not consider that acceptable performance. So that standard is pretty useless for us.

A real life example: The current GM diesel offerings are not rated nearly as high as Ram and Ford according to the J standard. But in towing performance tests among the three at GMs ratings. the GM wins handily.
GM has stated that they want their trucks to deliver an acceptable level of performance because that is what their customers expect. So their trucks easily pass the J standard at the GM specified load. Where the Ram and Ford with higher ratings barely pass the J test at their rated load.

One could make the assumption that the GM could tow just as much as the other two.. I am not advocating that. There are some obvious differences. Axle ratios for one. GM only uses the 3.73 and the others use lower gears in their max to configurations.. This obviously will result in the ability to move heavier loads up a hill, but at slower speeds.

As far as the current discussion about half ton capability.What is missing is the durability of the half tons vs their heavier duty siblings. IOW, you may never have an issue using a half ton towing heavy so long as usage is low. But as usage goes up, so does wear and tear.
I personally experienced this on a half ton I started out with.
The rear end gears simply ground away.
In certain areas... Size matters.
First you start out by saying there is no score or grade, just pass and fail. Then you say the GM "easily" passed while the others "barely" passed. Since no one there was keeping score you witnessed all the testing to make that determination? Did you witness all the testing every year or just one year?

Please share with us your first hand observations. We'd all like to know what you know.
You are misunderstanding what I wrote.
I did not state that I witnessed any testing. ( that isn't necessary to understand it) What I said is that when all three , Ford, Ram, and GM are in various published tow tests, at GMs max TR, that the GM wins handily time after time. IOW, it MUST easily pass the J standard at that weight, as it easily bests the competition that is J rated at MUCH higher TR.

This is NOT to say that the OB will not easily pass the J standards at GMs TR. The other two brands would easily pass the J standard at GMs TR, but they simply do not do it as well as GM at that weight.

I hope this helps you understand.
1stgenfarmboy
Explorer
Dec 05, 2017
Well.........shoot then.......I ain't gonna say you got it made..................but.

:B

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

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