I will be going to Colorado and have a 2010 F150, towing a 2014 jayco x23b. Just under 4000 lbs dry prolly figure 4700 loaded. I have hauled all over Missouri and it's your typical hills and it pulls very easy. I am wondering what peoples thoughts are towing into Colorado and into mountains. Some have said it's fine go slow, others have said don't do it. Any thoughts from people who have done it?

If the truck is in good shape you have exactly zero to worry about with that weight of trailer. Lived and worked in the CO mountains for 5 years and towed more than that with an 01 F150 and an 08 F150, both 5.4s. You have the 6 speed which is better. Just be aware when you start running out of air, you may not be able to rip up the passes at 70 mph.

Colorado is tall and it has plenty of windy roads, some of the toughest in the country. But you have a trailer that is a reasonable weight and a late model PU. Fuel injection really helps in the mountains. I have towed stuff all over CO and WY and I think you will be fine, but some of the roads take some getting used it. Big drop offs with no guard rails are common. Some of the secondary roads are narrow and have truck traffic.

jrwalw345 wrote:I will be going to Colorado and have a 2010 F150, towing a 2014 jayco x23b. Just under 4000 lbs dry prolly figure 4700 loaded. I have hauled all over Missouri and it's your typical hills and it pulls very easy. I am wondering what peoples thoughts are towing into Colorado and into mountains. Some have said it's fine go slow, others have said don't do it. Any thoughts from people who have done it?as long as you have the 5.4, you should be ok.

bikendan wrote:jrwalw345 wrote:I will be going to Colorado and have a 2010 F150, towing a 2014 jayco x23b. Just under 4000 lbs dry prolly figure 4700 loaded. I have hauled all over Missouri and it's your typical hills and it pulls very easy. I am wondering what peoples thoughts are towing into Colorado and into mountains. Some have said it's fine go slow, others have said don't do it. Any thoughts from people who have done it?as long as you have the 5.4, you should be ok.A 3.5 EcoBoost should do well, too. Non-turbo engines loose power at higher elevations and the turbo on the EcoBoost keeps them going strong as you climb.Rob

You should have no problem climbing mountains. Just be very careful on the long downhill runs. Some trailers tend to start swerving at higher speeds going downhill.

towing with 1/2 ton | Good Sam Community

BubbaChris
Explorer
Jul 04, 2018
My TT weighs about 6,000 lbs loaded to travel and we have a few camping areas we go that are 8,000' to 10,000' in elevation.

I use tow/haul and downshift manually to 2nd gear in some cases. But I'm always able to get to 45-50 MPH where conditions allow. I used to ride motorcycles so high RPMs don't bother me.
BizmarksMom
Explorer
Jul 03, 2018
I have a similar set up in Idaho. You'll be fine. Just use your gears, and take the downhills slow.
JAC1982
Explorer
Jul 03, 2018
You won't win any speed races going both up and down, but you should be fine. As someone else mentioned, going down is the harder part in a smaller truck.
time2roll
Nomad
Jul 03, 2018
Bobbo wrote:
I have a friend who is a retired RV salesman. That is what he did all his life. He towed a medium/large fiver with his F-250 for years before deciding to go out west. Driving through the Rocky Mountains, he went up a medium grade, crested the top, and went down a steep grade into the valley. When he tried to make it up the steep grade on the other side, the truck couldn't pull the fiver. He turned around to go back to find another route, and the truck couldn't pull the grade the other way either. He ended up having to trade his truck for a bigger truck to get his fiver out of the valley.

Moral of this story, don't use trust a marginal set-up.
For a few hundred $$ a new ring gear would have gotten him over that hill with no worry.
I think he just wanted a new truck.
time2roll
Nomad
Jul 03, 2018
My older 2001 F150 has pulled 7500# over the Rockies a couple times and will again next summer. (4.10 gears)
No worries, no fear.
Bobbo
Explorer II
Jul 03, 2018
rexlion wrote:
Bobbo wrote:
I have a friend who is a retired RV salesman. That is what he did all his life. He towed a medium/large fiver with his F-250 for years before deciding to go out west. Driving through the Rocky Mountains, he went up a medium grade, crested the top, and went down a steep grade into the valley. When he tried to make it up the steep grade on the other side, the truck couldn't pull the fiver. He turned around to go back to find another route, and the truck couldn't pull the grade the other way either. He ended up having to trade his truck for a bigger truck to get his fiver out of the valley.

Moral of this story, don't use trust a marginal set-up.

What?? Not even in 1st gear? Hard to believe.

A 4wd would have been beneficial in such a case. Shift into low range, first gear... plenty of slow speed power to the wheels.

It is what he told me. He wasn't bragging.
rexlion
Explorer
Jul 02, 2018
Bobbo wrote:
I have a friend who is a retired RV salesman. That is what he did all his life. He towed a medium/large fiver with his F-250 for years before deciding to go out west. Driving through the Rocky Mountains, he went up a medium grade, crested the top, and went down a steep grade into the valley. When he tried to make it up the steep grade on the other side, the truck couldn't pull the fiver. He turned around to go back to find another route, and the truck couldn't pull the grade the other way either. He ended up having to trade his truck for a bigger truck to get his fiver out of the valley.

Moral of this story, don't use trust a marginal set-up.

What?? Not even in 1st gear? Hard to believe.

A 4wd would have been beneficial in such a case. Shift into low range, first gear... plenty of slow speed power to the wheels.
2edgesword
Explorer
Jul 02, 2018
You loss about 3% of your power for every 1,000 feet of altitude so at 10,000 feet you've lost 30% of your engine power. What was a piece of cake to tow at sea level is going to be a struggle for a regularly aspirating engine at 10,000 feet. Add summer heat to that and the power loss increases.
Jayco-noslide
Explorer
Jul 02, 2018
I used to do it with a half ton Chevy towing much more weight; 25 ft. 5th wheel. When in doubt, consult the manual for towing capacity.
ppine
Explorer II
Jul 02, 2018
Years ago I did some logging in Summit Co on the backside of Loveland Pass which is around 11,990 feet. Our log loaded took 45 minutes to make it up the grade from Dillon to the top of the pass. When it gets high and steep try a lower gear. Be careful going downhill. I drove a 5 ton flat bed with a load of logs over Berthoud Pass in a blizzard once but do not want to try that again.