2018 F-150 hype....believe it or not?

[AllenTC2]

So while looking into travel trailers, I’m also looking into the trucks to pull it. I’m applying the same rule of weights that I was applying to truck campers when I was looking into them; whatever the listed dry weight, add 2,000#. The truck must exceed that.

Enter the 2018 F-150. Equipped with 20” wheels, the 3.5l V6 EcoBoost, and the “Max Tow” package, it is said to have a maximum tow capacity of 12,200 pounds. Which puts my adjusted trailer weight at 75% (~9K#).

So what am I missing? Seems to be a no brainer but I was looking at F-350/450 for a ~6/7K# truck camper. I know towing and hauling are a bit different, but I’m surprised a relatively modest truck could tow 9K#.

[1stgenfarmboy]

Well.........shoot then.......I ain't gonna say you got it made..................but.








:B

[AllenTC2]

1stgenfarmboy wrote:

AllenTC2 wrote:

1stgenfarmboy wrote:
Allen, If a nice smooth ride is important to you and your wife I would consider going a little smaller so a well equiped 1/2 will tow it easily, towing with a truck that is maxed out will take some of the fun out of it, and having a 3/4 or 1 ton truck to drive around unloaded everyday is not fun.

Wait......I have to have a wife!?!? :E :B

OOooooooooo..............significant other..........? ? ? ?





:h

Neither, actually. :B

[1stgenfarmboy]

AllenTC2 wrote:

1stgenfarmboy wrote:
Allen, If a nice smooth ride is important to you and your wife I would consider going a little smaller so a well equiped 1/2 will tow it easily, towing with a truck that is maxed out will take some of the fun out of it, and having a 3/4 or 1 ton truck to drive around unloaded everyday is not fun.

Wait......I have to have a wife!?!? :E :B

OOooooooooo..............significant other..........? ? ? ?





:h

[mountainkowboy]

Ralph Cramden wrote:

Huntindog wrote:

As far as the current discussion about half ton capability.What is missing is the durability of the half tons vs their heavier duty siblings.

Despite being true, good luck getting that point across to many on this or any other RV related board.

Yup cause you should always buy twice the truck needed to tow with :R, 90% of vehicles are only owned for 4 years, so durability usually isn't an issue.

[jaycocreek]

But on the other hand, if I had an Excursion, or a 250 Van, with appropriately the same weight and wheel base, it's isn't an issue.

Laughing...But that is the truth on this forum.

If people would just read they could find things out.I read on a 2015 F-150 to find out they had three different axles and three different frame specs,depending on the package you choose..Example is the 9.75 HD axle rated higher than the 8.8 and 9.75 standard.

To bad they just don't have two variants,a standard F-150 and a HD 150 with the HD having all the packages to tow or haul advertised towing and hauling weights...That sure would make it black and white for the dis-believers!

[TomG2]

Maury82 wrote:
I know that the HDPP has stiffer springs and beefed up front and rear suspension. If you want to provide useful information doubting the ability of the truck, why not put up a challenge on whether that HDPP, beefed-up suspension is enough.

You got it! The HDPP is an "almost" F-250 and it will perform "almost" like one. You will enjoy its upgraded suspension, tires, frame, etc. compared to a regular F-150. You might not enjoy its price, ride, or availability. No need to get hung up on model names. A 7,800 gvwr pickup is a 7,800 pound gvwr pickup. That puts it in the "almost" F-250 range which many of us consider a great tow vehicle.

Only one question. Why don't they put the 3.5 V-6 in their Superduty pickups? We all know that it will pull a freight train.

[2112]

TomG2 wrote:
So, what is the score so far? How many are happy with the performance of their half ton pickup towing in excess of a 9,000 pound travel trailer? Any disappointed? Anyone actually towing over 12,000 pounds per the advertised rating?

LOL I'm happy with the 9000lb FW but not with the 9000lb TT

YMMV

[AllenTC2]

1stgenfarmboy wrote:
Allen, If a nice smooth ride is important to you and your wife I would consider going a little smaller so a well equiped 1/2 will tow it easily, towing with a truck that is maxed out will take some of the fun out of it, and having a 3/4 or 1 ton truck to drive around unloaded everyday is not fun.

Wait......I have to have a wife!?!? :E :B

[Maury82]

goducks10 wrote:

Maury82 wrote:

2112 wrote:

Maury82 wrote:
I read your testimony, and I know how much your trailer weight, but you skipped out all pertinent information about your 1/2 ton truck...why leave that out?

It is testimonials like yours that doesn't help a newbie like me at all, and is why I'm putting my money on the manufacture's claims, and not based on these testimonials.

I believe the manufacturers are probably stretching their numbers,and it is why I would not tow at over 80% of a truck's ratings, whether it is a 1/2 ton or a 1 ton.

What year was your truck?
Motor?
Rear end ratio?
Payload?
Towing ratings?

We're you towing over 80% of towing/payload rating? Those are very important information that you left out.

Sorry, it's in my sig

2011 f-150
3.5L EB
3.73
2084
11,300lbs
Timbren's helped a lot with sag and stability

We're you towing over 80% of towing/payload rating? Darn close if not a little over 80%. I didn't get a chance to weigh it. It was stolen to become a meth lab.

If the numbers were the same on a 25' low side trailer it most likely would have towed much better. I have no problem towing a utility trailer, car hauler with a tractor etc.. A 35' high side TT changes the game.

Thanks. My settings are not showing any signiture information.

You were ~ 80% on the tow ratings.

My trailer is also 37 ft, 8,300 lbs dry, and I will also be at around 9,000lbs. It is just me and a girlfriend at times, and besides a 50lbs inverter generator, the heaviest single item I'm likely to carryou would be the the two 30lbs. Propane tanks.I doubt if I carry any more clothing than I do in the trunk of my Honda...maybe some tools.

My RV is for vacations for a few weeks, tailgating at homecoming, and attending out of town festivals and events.

With the added capacity of the 2018 I'm looking to get, I should be in the 72-75% towing range (12,500lbs plus), and approximately 50% of payload ratings.

And with the lighter weight of your 2018 you'll be in the same boat as those with a softer sprung F150. The tail wagging the dog syndrome. The worst thing to do is make a tow vehicle lighter and the trailer heavier. Live and learn.

Live and learn I will, because the information Ford is providing is the only information I can go on.

I know that the HDPP has stiffer springs and beefed up front and rear suspension. If you want to provide useful information doubting the ability of the truck, why not put up a challenge on whether that HDPP, beefed-up suspension is enough.

You came with the "doom and gloom", and that is not useful information that I'm willing to make a important decision on.

If it isn't the wheel base, it is the suspension. If it isn't the suspension, it the weight. If it isn't the weight, it's the payload. If it isn't the payload, it's the car cutting you off. If it isn't the car cutting you off, it's the length of the trailer.

But on the other hand, if I had an Excursion, or a 250 Van, with appropriately the same weight and wheel base, it's isn't an issue.

[Maury82]

BarneyS wrote:
You are all aware, I hope, that the "V-5" shown in the picture above is not the class of that hitch. It is the document version of the testing standards that the hitch meets.

The "class" is determined by the weight numbers shown and that varies between different manufacturers.
Here is one manufacturers version.

Here is another.

Here is a third version by a retailer.

And a forth version.
Barney

[1stgenfarmboy]

Allen, If a nice smooth ride is important to you and your wife I would consider going a little smaller so a well equiped 1/2 will tow it easily, towing with a truck that is maxed out will take some of the fun out of it, and having a 3/4 or 1 ton truck to drive around unloaded everyday is not fun.

[Ralph_Cramden]

TomG2 wrote:
So, what is the score so far? How many are happy with the performance of their half ton pickup towing in excess of a 9,000 pound travel trailer? Any disappointed? Anyone actually towing over 12,000 pounds per the advertised rating?

LOL.....brave enough to read baxk through and tally it up? I'll supply the Thorazine and a Xanax chaser.

[jaycocreek]

I did find this in trying to decipher V-5 vs class V..

V-5 is a testing standard, not a Class.

A Class III hitch is rated at Class III by way of the V-5 testing standard.

The V-5 testing standard is now obsoleted, but those interested in comparing hitches should be aware that V-5 is only a testing standard, not a class rating. Most OEM hitches (up until the recent adoption of a new SAE standard) had "V-5" on the label, regardless of weight Class rating. The V-5 simply signifies that the V-5 standard of testing was used to determine the Class rating.

Incidentally, there is no such thing as a Class V in the V-5 testing standard. The highest class rating in the standard is Class IV. The use of the term Class V was a marketing ploy initiated by Reese, that later became a colloquialism for any hitch rated higher than the ratings defined as Class IV.

Specifically, "V-5" is simply a short hand acronym for the Vehicle Equipment Safety Commission Regulation 5, or VESC-5, or V-5. This federal commission was convened by the US Govt in the 1960's to address the lack of standards on the ratings of automotive towing equipment. In 1968, a final regulation was adopted, which was later revised in 1973 and 1977, and was later supplemented in 1980 by VESC-19, or "V-19", pertaining to fifth wheels and gooseneck trailers. Similar standards were commissioned by the Society of Automotive Engineers entitled the SAE J684, first issued in 1938, and more recently revised in 1998 and 2004. Some hitch receivers will say SAE J684 on the label instead of, or in addition to, V-5. Again, these symbols do NOT indicate a "Class V" weight or capacity rating, as no such rating exists in either of those standards.

The SAE standard was further supplemented with SAE J2638 pertaining to gooseneck and 5th wheel trailers, and was more recently revised with the towing testing standard that has been in the news during the last five years as the big three play chicken with each other as to who will adopt the new standard first or last, as the newer standard is more stringent, often yielding much lower tow ratings on the same equipment.

[TomG2]

So, what is the score so far? How many are happy with the performance of their half ton pickup towing in excess of a 9,000 pound travel trailer? Any disappointed? Anyone actually towing over 12,000 pounds per the advertised rating?

[Ralph_Cramden]

BarneyS wrote:
You are all aware, I hope, that the "V-5" shown in the picture above is not the class of that hitch. It is the document version of the testing standards that the hitch meets.

The "class" is determined by the weight numbers shown and that varies between different manufacturers.
Here is one manufacturers version.

Here is another.

Here is a third version by a retailer.

And a forth version.
Barney

This is stock from my 2015 GMC 2500.

2000 lbs either weight carrying or weight distributing and for up to 20K trailer.