F150 Questions

[iagary]

I have a 2014 F150 with 5L and 355 gears. my window sticker says nothing about a tow package but I have tow/haul, brake controller, 7 & 4 pin connectors and a small (approx. 21" X 3") transmission cooler. is there something else in a tow package that I am missing? Have been towing about 5500# with no problems. Do you all think I could move up to a 7000# gvwr trailer? I have a 4X4 super crew with 145" WB. as far as I can tell I am rated at 7700# towing capacity. Any advice is appreciated!

[iagary]

Hybridhunter, thanks for the reply. What is the weight of your TT?

[Hybridhunter]

Shorter axle gears and or smaller tires don't always work better...... It is very specific to each rig. With the 6 speed in the F150, it's more a question of having the right gearing. My truck used to tow perfectly (3.73 gears) in 5th gear at 70mph, 2550rpm or so, now that our trailer is lifted, large exterior storage and bigger axle, springs, rims and tires, I'm in 4th at around 3200@70mph. Realistically it would tow better at speed with 355's, as it wouls still be in 5th, but at around 2900rpm, so there's an example of taller gears being better. Also, right now, climbing mountains at 65, puts me at 6500 rpm, not usually full throttle, but it could easily do it at 6000, (if I had 3.55's), again, I get moving a bit better, but at speed, 3.73's aren't ideal for me......
And no 'fraidy cats replying about the rpm please..... especially the (turbo) diesel $10K engine club members lol)

[MitchF150]

I've got the Ecoboost, 3.73 gears and my TT is only #5000 loaded, but I can cruise up the grades in 4th gear, pulling around 2500 rpms and going about 60 mph with LOTS of power to spare.

Your 5.0 is going to want a few more revs to get into it's peak torque range, so I would suspect you'd be in 3rd gear pulling around 3500 or so rpms?

On the flats, I can cruise in 6th, but sometimes 5th is preferred if I find it's downshifting anyway. For me, 5th gear at 60 mph is around 2000 rpms.

You will probably find that to be about the same for your 5.0 on the flats.

Don't reduce your tire size... That will also reduce it's load capacity in most cases and not really net you all that much in final drive ratio..

I've got the optional 20" wheel/tire package and they are the same height as the 18" combo.. I know, because the OEM spare tire is an 18" combo.. 🙂

I'd tow up to about #7500 loaded weight with my F150. I know it could tow more, but I like a comfortable tow, so that's just my personal limit with this truck..

Good luck!

Mitch

[iagary]

Once again, thanks for all the help. Reducing tire size would essentially reduce the gear ratio, correct? That being the case, with a 6 speed transmission, wouldn't a lower gear accomplish the same thing? Towing 7000# TT with this pickup, what gear and how many RPM should I expect?

[TNRIVERSIDE]

Terryallan wrote:


In the owners manual you will find that 17" tires have 500lb more towing capacity than 18" tires, At least that is what it says in mine. Also why do you think it would change the GVWR, You can get 17 with the same, or greater load capacity as 18s.

What I said was this could change you carrying capacity. I was just stating that changing tire and wheels could Chang the capacities. And I stant by that statement. But thanks for adding what your owners manual says.

[Terryallan]

TNRIVERSIDE wrote:

Terryallan wrote:

iagary wrote:
Thanks everyone. Am I crazy to consider going up to a 7000 GVWR TT with this pickup?

good to go. You are well within the capacities of the truck. Have to remember. It does not take a HUGE trans cooler to do the job. 7700lbs is plenty of tow cap for that TT. However, IF you want to raise the tow cap. Put on a size smaller tire,( say go from 18s to 17s)
and flash the computer.

Does it also have a powersteering cooler? I bet it does.

Smaller tires to increase your tow capacity????
This might change your gearing but could also change you carrying capacity. Your towing capacity and your carrying capacity both need to be considered. Your F150 sounds like a good setup from the factory.

In the owners manual you will find that 17" tires have 500lb more towing capacity than 18" tires, At least that is what it says in mine. Also why do you think it would change the GVWR, You can get 17 with the same, or greater load capacity as 18s.

[iagary]

Thanks Ida. If I were doing it over, I would get the Eco with the lower gears. I think that would be just about ideal for the trailer I am thinking about.

[IdaD]

I just read your original post. I thought you were considering buying a new F150 and were wondering if it would work for this trailer. Based on the weights you provided yeah I think your F150 can handle it. That's a little bit different question than I thought you were asking hence the recommendation to err on the side of buying more truck.

[iagary]

Larger truck would be a consideration in the future. My current TT is only 4000 unloaded weight and around 5500 loaded so this is thinking about the future. This site is so helpful. I found the build sheet and it does show "With Heavy Duty Trailer Towing". I am surprised they don't put that on the window sticker. If/when I go with the larger TT, I may look at trading pickups, or it may be time to trade up the older work pickup. Could upgrade it to a 3/4 later model. I have a lot to consider, a lot of options and plenty of time to think it through. Thanks everyone!!

[IdaD]

When you get down to the point of having it that close I think it makes better sense to just get more truck, but that's just me. The difference between the towing and hauling performance is dramatic, while the difference between daily driving or highway cruising comfort is minimal to non-existent.

I just did a 650 mile highway trip without my trailer and the truck was really comfortable I averaged 22.4 MPG. The trip involved lots of mountains so it wasn't ideal from a fuel economy standpoint, although my speeds were limited to about 65 mph so that helped.

[skiles]

FWIW, I have pretty much the same truck. Mine did come with the "tow package" and has everything you listed. I pull my camper without issue, about 6500 lbs (ish). I bought a Tekonsha P3 brake controller. Works great.

[iagary]

Got it, 1621# payload capacity. it says occupants and cargo. Gas doesn't count against this? Estimating occupants/cab wt. at 600#, Honda eu3000i at 134#. Tongue wt. at 800#. Remaining cargo allowable is 87#. This doesn't sound like much but I think it is actually doable. TT has 2000# cargo wt. Honda only needed if no hookups and air needed. Otherwise no gen or champion 2000 at 50#.

[mrkoje]

TNRIVERSIDE wrote:
... There are some web sites that can give you a window sticker if you enter your VIN. OR check with you dealer.

Ford took the looking up of window stickers away for everyone but dealers now. However you can still get a build sheet by going to: FORD ETIS . Click on the vehicle tab and then type or copy/paste the VIN in. This will bring up a build sheet on the lower right hand side of the web page. It's useful to check for specifics like a tow or max tow, or HD payload on a Ford vehicle.

MK

[Atlee]

Drivers side door. It's a yellow sticker.

iagary wrote:
Where do I find payload or tare weight? GVWR is 7350#.