Hello - we are seriously considering one of the ford vehicles with the twin turbo 3.5L ecoboost engine. Anyone who has experience towing with this engine, I would love to hear how it's working for you! We have a small trailer (16 foot Amerilite, dry weight 2300 pounds) and a small light boat. Want something that can easily tow our trailer cross country, sometimes in mountains. Any input is appreciated!Oh one more thing - am I going to see much difference between the 3 Fords that have this engine? Is the F-150 necessarily better than the Flex?Thanks!Melanie

A search will give you hours of reading on towing with a EB F150.Short story - our TT weighs 4800# empty (no idea loaded) and with my wife and I it doesn't lack for power.For your trailer and boat either the 5.0 V-8 or possibly the base V-6 would be OK.

Can't speak on the Flex or 2.7eco but I have a 3.5eco, xlt, 3.55,4x4,cc. It is a 2013, purchased in Dec 2013. Now has about 14,000 miles. We just had the battery replaced under warranty, other than that no problems.We have towed about 6,000 miles with it. Some hills but no mountains. We had a 18' aerolite (4,000 loaded ), now have a 25' Apex ( about 5200 loaded ). Have been to the Fl keys twice, once with each trailer. It tows like a dream compared to the 2004 F150 4.6 v8 4 speed I had. As to hills, only thing I can relate to so far are the tall bridges in Charleston and Jax. Mine will not miss a beat in tow haul / cruise getting to the top. I know they are not mountains but do give an indication of how it would handle the hills.Met a fulltimer in the Keys in Dec pulling a long TT with the same truck. He said it went up the mountains like crazy. Said his only problem was with braking on a couple of steep Rocky Mountain grades. Could have been operator error plus he was pulling 2 or 3 times what you will have.I would not hesitate in taking mine cross country. I can't imagine you having any problem at all.

Agree with riven1950. We have about 23,000 miles with about 12,000 towing. Have not taken it out west yet but no problems at all in Smoky's which may be the steepest the 150 has been.I don't know about the Flex, would it be considered a possible tow vehicle. The new Expedition with the 3.5 should be a nice combo though. My 2nd favorite tow vehicle was my 98 expy.

Think which model half ton, which options and how you load (including the weightof the people/pets/etc) are going to matter more in regards to the ratings systemthan the trailer itself (assuming it's GVWR isn't up there)Meaning that if your proposed TV is loaded with all options, crew cab, etcand you also load it up to it's GVWR or RGAWR before hooking up...theremight not be any ratings left for the trailer tongue weight/hitch/etc

I am amazed at the power my 2013 has. It outpulls my single valve V10 with no trouble. Mine is used to pull a 17' horse trailer that weighs about 5,500lbs with one horse in it. The only issue is that the rear suspension is a little soft when pulling. I replaced the rear shocks with Rancho 9000's and it helped some. The real solution would be to use a load distributing hitch or get max payload package. I would expect the Flex to be even softer but might still be adequate for a 2300lb trailer. Just keep in mind that you probably will be much more in control with a load distributing hitch and good trailer brakes even though they may not be required. Also, your trailer will weigh a lot more than 2300lbs when embarking on a camping trip. Since I need two tow vehicles I plan to buy a second Eco-boost as soon as the max payload package is available and replace the old V10. That might tell you how much I like the Eco-boost.

experiences towing with 3.5L ecoboost | Good Sam Community

riven1950
Explorer
Feb 18, 2015
Can't speak on the Flex or 2.7eco but I have a 3.5eco, xlt, 3.55,4x4,cc. It is a 2013, purchased in Dec 2013. Now has about 14,000 miles. We just had the battery replaced under warranty, other than that no problems.

We have towed about 6,000 miles with it. Some hills but no mountains. We had a 18' aerolite (4,000 loaded ), now have a 25' Apex ( about 5200 loaded ). Have been to the Fl keys twice, once with each trailer. It tows like a dream compared to the 2004 F150 4.6 v8 4 speed I had. As to hills, only thing I can relate to so far are the tall bridges in Charleston and Jax. Mine will not miss a beat in tow haul / cruise getting to the top. I know they are not mountains but do give an indication of how it would handle the hills.

Met a fulltimer in the Keys in Dec pulling a long TT with the same truck. He said it went up the mountains like crazy. Said his only problem was with braking on a couple of steep Rocky Mountain grades. Could have been operator error plus he was pulling 2 or 3 times what you will have.

I would not hesitate in taking mine cross country.

I can't imagine you having any problem at all.
mbopp
Explorer
Feb 18, 2015
A search will give you hours of reading on towing with a EB F150.
Short story - our TT weighs 4800# empty (no idea loaded) and with my wife and I it doesn't lack for power.
For your trailer and boat either the 5.0 V-8 or possibly the base V-6 would be OK.

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experiences towing with 3.5L ecoboost

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