Need help with comfortable towing weight and length.

bmanning wrote:
snip...

455ft/lb out of 3L is VERY impressive.

GM's 8.1L big-block V8 puts out around that amount.

While not apples-to-apples, still pretty amazing that a 3L motor can put out the same torque as an 8.1L motor.

What many 'newbie' folks to boy racer stuff forget or do not know
that force feeding a small ICE (internal combustion engine) makes it
perform like a larger displacement ICE that is not forced fed (naturally
aspired)

That that 3L V6 with a turbo...it depends on the controls (old days
waste gate, but today computer controlled vanes inside the turbo) might
allow 15PSI over atmosphere...meaning that 3L V6 now ingests big block
amounts of air and fuel, which is both why it has such high output
and low MPG when on the turbo

At about 15PSI...that 3L is being forced to ingest about twice that
amount of air...so really performing like a naturally aspired 6L

Key is it's longevity and the jury is still out for me

Proteus wrote:
This explains a great many comments on the board about towing in the mountains. With all these large block truck engines, I expected that they would produce strong power and torque? Didn't realize how inefficient they were. The Ford F150 5.4 looks like 260hp and 350ft-lbs of torque. Compared to my little 3L V6 TDI with 240hp and 455ftlbs.

Tell me again why a modern SUV with a V6 is bad?

455ft/lb out of 3L is VERY impressive.

GM's 8.1L big-block V8 puts out around that amount.

While not apples-to-apples, still pretty amazing that a 3L motor can put out the same torque as an 8.1L motor.

Proteus wrote:

Tell me again why a modern SUV with a V6 is bad?

The power (of your turbocharged diesel) is great. The chassis, suspension, and receiver are a bit weak for 30' 7k pound RVs.

Few people with 2010+ tow vehicles complain about towing power. How they handle the weight of the family, gear, and TW are a different story.

Proteus wrote:
This explains a great many comments on the board about towing in the mountains. With all these large block truck engines, I expected that they would produce strong power and torque? Didn't realize how inefficient they were. The Ford F150 5.4 looks like 260hp and 350ft-lbs of torque. Compared to my little 3L V6 TDI with 240hp and 455ftlbs.

Tell me again why a modern SUV with a V6 is bad?

Apples and oranges. Yours is a turbo diesel which make more torque than gas engines by nature.

Fwiw, the Ford 5.0 v8 the op is asking about is rated at 360hp and 380 ft lbs.

APT wrote:
Under 6k dry is a good number for most half tons, including yours. Payload, receiver limit are likely to be exceeded when towing an RV near the tow ratings.

Good advice. At 6,000 pounds total weight, your tongue weight should be in the 750-900 pound range which will leave you some room for passengers and "stuff" before running out of payload. People that exceed their payload are often on here asking about better hitches, overload springs, Timbrens, gear changes, or such. Hardly ever about engine power.

This explains a great many comments on the board about towing in the mountains. With all these large block truck engines, I expected that they would produce strong power and torque? Didn't realize how inefficient they were. The Ford F150 5.4 looks like 260hp and 350ft-lbs of torque. Compared to my little 3L V6 TDI with 240hp and 455ftlbs.

Tell me again why a modern SUV with a V6 is bad?

“Comfortable” is sort of an elusive word, it can mean many things to many people. I have an F150 5.4 4x4 with a 3:55 axle. Most of my travel is in the mountains and I wouldn’t be comfortable pulling a 6000# TT. Mostly because I don’t have much tolerance for slow, high rpm climbs. Others would be very comfortable with that weight and even more. You do have the 6 speed transmission which I don’t have and I don’t know how much difference that would make.

In the flats the heavier TT is comfortable to tow. But you will certainly notice the weight if you do much mountain driving and only you can judge whether you would be comfortable with it. In general, though, if you do a lot of mountain driving the lighter the TT the better. I’d avoid towing near your max unless you always stay in the flats. My perception reading posts for a long time is that most people who tow near max aren’t happy with it, the TV’s kick down a gear on the slightest grade.

I haven’t given you any numbers to work with and don’t know if this is much help to you. But I didn’t notice any comments about the terrain you plan to tow being a factor in your comfort level. Good luck.

Gerald1755 wrote:
Thanks Mr. Landry.
So i guess my problem is I don't know the tow rating of my truck. I thought that the gvwr is the max truck and all cargo and passengers. Or am I wrong? What is or where can I find the max tow rating.
Again, thanks for the help.

all you need to do, is Google "2011 Ford Towing Guide".
all the info is there and you probably have it with the owner's manual.

it shows, based on your info, you have a towing capacity of 7700lbs., which is rated with only a 150lbs. driver in the truck and full tank of gas and nothing else.

BenK wrote:

1560 payload

 

This is based on the OEM's 'curb' weight and only has one 150lb driver
and the tow option.

Unless you have that stripper model and only weigh 150lbs, then that
1560 lb payload does NOT apply to your TV

Reference the below diagram to make sense of what I just said

The payload rating doesn't assume a 150 lb driver. The sticker says "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed..." so if he's getting this number from his sticker on the door that is amount of weight he can add to the truck as it left the factory with full fuel. Anybody in the truck, cargo, and tongue weight, must be less than that amount.

Welcome and hope I can be of assistance

First, I do not normally say 'sure you can', or 'no you can not', but
provide the metrics for you to figure it out yourself. If you are
only looking for confirmation of what you want to hear, you will not
get that from me, but will get tons of it from others....along with
specific metrics that might be out of context for you so it will
seem very confusing

Comments in red embedded in your quoted question and the last quote
from another thread with a diagram of how the ratings systems work
in concert (it is a system) and than maybe you can see that some of
folks take a single component (rating) out of context as an absolute

Gerald1755 wrote:
I'm sure this question has been covered multiple times before so please forgive me. I have the following truck and I am trying to decide what would be an appropriate trailer to purchase. I understand that the payload includes all passengers cargo in truck and hitch weight. What I would like to know is what would be a comfortable weight and length trailer to tow. I am thinking somewhere between 25' and 28'. Is that a good range? What about max gvw of trailer? 6,000-7000? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

2011 f-150 4x4 super crew 145"wheelbase 

Longer wheel base than
my 3/4 ton Sub, but the crew will work against you here

I no longer subscribe to older rules of thumb for TV wheel base vs
trailer length. Technology for tires, suspension, etc have changed
that and it's really up in the air, as it is dependent on what
you have, which hitch system (which bars you have vs actual weights,
how you set it up, etc, etc) where you tow and how you drive (your
talent and style of driving...like me..heavy foot boy racer)

5.0l v8 6spd auto
3.55  gears

7200 gvwr pkg

Regular half ton and married with the crew cab
works against towing heavy

1560 payload 

This is based on the OEM's 'curb' weight and only has one 150lb driver
and the tow option.

Unless you have that stripper model and only weigh 150lbs, then that
1560 lb payload does NOT apply to your TV

Reference the below diagram to make sense of what I just said

Below quote from another thread from a newbie asking similar question
and normally all ask similar but in a slightly different way.

Why I always recommend going out and weighing your TV axle by axle,
both empty and fully loaded ready to go camping. Including all people,
pets, ice chests, cargo in/on the TV.

That is the only way to know for sure where you are in reference to you
TV's ratings.

BenK wrote:

BenK wrote:
Below is my diagram showing how the specifications/limits/ratings system works

Best to weigh your setup axle by axle fully loaded ready to go. If you don't
have one or the other, then use their GVWR's as the potential max...if you load
everything like most do...few are truly light in the stuff they load

Also, decide if you believe in the ratings or not.

If not, then do whatever but a new 2013, assume still under warranty. so know
that if they find out over loaded, warranty might be denied (I would if I was
the OEM)

If yes, then check out the below diagram, gather the specifications for 'your'
TV and plug in the actual weights to do the simple math.

You have found out that it is not all about go, but the ratings are the true
measure. You will get tons of 'sure you can', etc, etc advice, but there is only
one person responsible for the setup and that is the driver, who might not be
the OP, but a buddy or spouse. Then the OP should ask themselves if the advisers
would pay for any overload break down?

I do not advise with the 'your are good for it', 'sure you can', 'no you can not'
but provide the metrics for the OP's to figure it out themselves...I have to
sleep at nite as I take providing advice seriously...

This is NOT a half ton can't tow anything...everything can tow
and then they also have specifications/limits/ratings on what they
are 'rated' to tow.

Just that half tons have lower ratings and head room than bigger trucks

Then note that there is a huge spread on 'half tons'. From less than
6.2K GVWR to over 8.1K GVWR (I call them fake half tons). So many
get bit by hearing/reading of a 'half ton' doing whatever but miss
or the poster didn't say they have one of those fake half tons. I've
gotten several PMs about that and one guy so mad he wanted to sue the
guy telling everyone a half ton can, but he had one of those fake
half tons...so this guy who PM'd me burned up his diff towing what
he though all half ton's can because one guy said he does and advise
that guy he too could...





another thread titled: New guy needs help

BenK wrote:
Welcome to the forum !

First decide if you believe in the OEM specifications/limits/ratings or not

If not, then do whatever but note that if there is warranty left...the
OEM may be denied. If no warranty, then you have taken the OEM off the
liability hook

If yes, then read up and ask lots of questions

There is a huge difference in how a question is asked or answered
'Can do' is way different from 'should do' or 'rated for'



The specifications, limits and ratings is a 'system' and most take
a single rating as an absolute or out of context....like your reference
to your TV's MTWR (Max Tow Weight Rating)

Meaning that, those MTWR's are only a true rating within the fine
print of the OEM's specifications

Meaning that they derived those MTWR's from a 'curb' weight TV, which
is the 'stripper' model with no options other than the tow option
and one 150lb driver. Some full fluids, others partially filled

Best is to weigh your TV's fully loaded...axle by axle. That is the
only way to figure out your 'true' MTWR

You should gather these ratings for both your TV's

GVWR
FGAWR
RGAWR
GCWR

Then do the simple math to figure out your true MTWR

Some come here looking for confirmation of what they want to hear
or what they have already decided on....they WILL get many advisers
that will do exactly that...just ask yourself if those advisers will
provide the funds for warranty or whatever cost an overloaded TV
might suffer

This image shows how the ratings system looks like in graphical form

howmuchcanitow