2012 Ecoboost towing

[rtf]

I have a 2012 ecoboost 4x4 with max tow package. i have a new 36 foot travel trailer weighing 8830 lbs. my truck is rated at 11K towing. will i be safe towing this long trailer? i do have a weight distributing hitch with sway bars.

[jerem0621]

milo wrote:

Thomas/NH wrote:
I've towed that 9,000 lbs. camper 40,000 miles with the F150s (equipped as mentioned before). Then "up-graded" to the new F250 towing 10,000 miles up and down the same roads in the same weather conditions. Like I said before, I'm not impressed with the new rig.

I often wondered why Skip&shar (a well respected, long time poster here) went from a F150 to a F250, then after 1 year went back to the F150. Well, now I know...

Most guys here have never driven, towed or lived with the F150. They only spew statistics they've either heard or read somewhere. Take from me the guy with real time experience, The F150 ecoboost, max tow, heavy duty payload is a very capable truck.

Very well said... We went from a F-250 to our present F-150 & DW couldn't be happier. Twice, three ...four times better towing experience.

Similar experience here. Except mine was a 97 F150 with a 5.4 V8. Towed a 7,700 GVWR TT very well...'upgraded' to a 99 F350 Dually and took about 25 miles after I bought it to regret the decision. Loved my F150... Not so much the behemoth...not even close.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[milo]

Thomas/NH wrote:
I've towed that 9,000 lbs. camper 40,000 miles with the F150s (equipped as mentioned before). Then "up-graded" to the new F250 towing 10,000 miles up and down the same roads in the same weather conditions. Like I said before, I'm not impressed with the new rig.

I often wondered why Skip&shar (a well respected, long time poster here) went from a F150 to a F250, then after 1 year went back to the F150. Well, now I know...

Most guys here have never driven, towed or lived with the F150. They only spew statistics they've either heard or read somewhere. Take from me the guy with real time experience, The F150 ecoboost, max tow, heavy duty payload is a very capable truck.

Very well said... We went from a F-250 to our present F-150 & DW couldn't be happier. Twice, three ...four times better towing experience.

[Thomas_NH]

I've towed that 9,000 lbs. camper 40,000 miles with the F150s (equipped as mentioned before). Then "up-graded" to the new F250 towing 10,000 miles up and down the same roads in the same weather conditions. Like I said before, I'm not impressed with the new rig.

I often wondered why Skip&shar (a well respected, long time poster here) went from a F150 to a F250, then after 1 year went back to the F150. Well, now I know...

Most guys here have never driven, towed or lived with the F150. They only spew statistics they've either heard or read somewhere. Take from me the guy with real time experience, The F150 ecoboost, max tow, heavy duty payload is a very capable truck.

[Grit_dog]

Yes you can tow that trailer safely and with authority given you got the Eco boost.
Don't let the weight ninnies scare you if that's the real world weight of your TT, or even if it's heavier.
Idfk what people did before we had 14kgvw pickups with ABS, sway control, built in trailer brake controllers, 10klb axles, 4 wheel dual piston disk brakes, 4000lb cap tires and 900 ft lb stock engines with smart 6 speed slush boxes and automatic exhaust brakes..........
Oh wait, they/we/I, hooked up and towed. It was a bonus if you had overload springs, a BIG block or trailer brakes........
Maybe the roads are scarier today than back in the good ole days!

[alexleblanc]

relevant to your question, I had a max tow 7700GVWR 2011 F150 EB and upgraded to a similar size and weight of TT, one trip out and my next upgrade was to an F250. The powertrain was more than up to task with pulling that much, the trucks suspension and brakes were a different story - you will not be happy with any less than a 3/4 ton with that size of TT.

[spoon059]

White knuckle is often the result of improperly set up trailer or inexperienced driver. You can be over your payload and not be "white knuckled"... and you can be way under your payload and be "white knuckled".

OP, without knowing all the details, many of us here believe that is too much trailer for your truck. The HD F-150 with Ecoboost is a great engine and strong platform, but you have a LOT of weight and wind resistance (frontal and sideways) from a 36 foot long trailer. The HD F150 is still a relatively light truck, weighing in around 5500 lbs or so. While you have plenty of engine to pull that weight, you don't have much truck weight to resist trailer push.

If you decide to tow with this truck, I hope you have a high quality weight distribution hitch and make sure that it is properly set up. If you don't have load range D or E tires, I would recommend them. Make sure to do annual brake inspections on your trailer and ensure they are working properly. Watch your speed, be careful in high winds and keep speeds down when descending grades.

[Thomas_NH]

I up-graded the TV because of insurance reasons only... I could tell the new TT was tongue heavy, so I bought a tongue scale. When it read 1600 lbs. it was time to go truck shopping (I trade every 2 years for business purposes). Knowing the F150 was only rated for 1200 lbs. I didn't want to get caught over weight if there was ever an accident.

[tragusa3]

Wow! That's the first time I've heard that. Of course, you don't know how the F150 would have compared apples to apples because it couldn't handle the 1600 TW. But impressive comments none the less.

[Thomas_NH]

Real world experience...

I've owned 2 F150s HD with ecoboost and towed a 35' TT. They did the job much better than expected, both we very capable vehicles. I towed the Cougar 321-RES 30K miles though some of the worse conditions and never had a "White Knuckle" experience.

I've now upgraded to a new Reflection 313-RLT and the tongue weight jumped to 1600 lbs. So I stepped up to 2016 F250, 6.2 (same body style/trim level)... I'm not impressed at all, the F150 was a better truck all the way around (better ride, better fuel economy, better performance and better design).

Can't wait for the 2017 Super Duty to come out, since they are combining the beat of both vehicles. This time, it well be the desel.

[SouthpawHD]

OP, also take a look at the EcoBoost forum. Those guys tow some bigger weights that might match your setup as well.

[Atlee]

With the F150 before 2015 model, Max Tow pkg was different from HD pkg.

My 2014 truck has both. Max Tow pkg = $565 option, and HD Payload pkg = $1,695 option.

[Atlee]

Beginning with the 2015 model, the HD pkg came with only 6 lugs. 2014 and earlier came with 7 lugs. Also, at least thru 2014, the HD pkg required the 8' box with std cabs and Supercabs. Supercrew cabs required the 6.5' box.

tragusa3 wrote:
Yes, 7 lugs are only with the payload package. Not sure, but I read folks saying that the latest models don't have 7 lugs at all?

[tragusa3]

Yes, 7 lugs are only with the payload package. Not sure, but I read folks saying that the latest models don't have 7 lugs at all?

[Kevin_O_]

OH48Lt wrote:
If you have the true MaxTow package, then you have 7 lug wheels and a 6.5' bed. The longer wheelbase with that bed makes it more stable, but a 36' trailer is a big wind catcher. Drive north from Dilly into OK and KS and hit that wind, and you'll wish you had more truck under you.

The 3.5EB has all the power you'll ever need, but it takes more than that to tow safely.

I had the true max tow pkg but I had six lug wheels. The HD payload pkg came with the 7 lug wheels I thought?