Can my truck tow this?

Grit dog wrote:
Thanks for the explanation, but ya made up the 8klb towing capacity thing.

Uh, no I didn't. It's simple arithmetic. GCWR - GVWR = 8k pounds. It's in the specs for the vehicle. You can retort and suggest that perhaps assuming GVWR is maxed is excessive. My response to that is 1) the vehicle is over 5k pounds to begin with, 2) the trailer has a tongue weight of over 1k pounds empty, and 3) the weight of the hitch itself and passengers, plus any additional tongue weight from trailer loading must be considered. Even assuming 15% loaded tongue weight, it is not unreasonable at all to conclude, by these deductive methods, that the truck will be at max GVWR or more with this trailer behind. We can go back and forth about how much the driver weighs, the hitch, etc., but the fact is that we have 2k pounds of payload, of which over 50% is gone from empty, unloaded tongue weight alone, and another 10% will be gone as soon as a driver gets inside. If you want to quibble over the remaining 800 pounds (of which the hitch itself will eat some), then so be it.

DutchmenSport wrote:
Well, I suppose it's my turn to chime in. I'm not going to give any information on what can or cannot tow, how much anything can tow, or even should I tow it answers. Nah! My approach is quite different.... Here's the basic tenant when it comes to settling the question... "Can I tow it?" Here goes....

If you had to ask the question in he first place, well??? probably not!

Why? Because you have doubts YOURSELF, regardless of now much pro-or-con and tit-for-tat goes on, on these forum discussions. The bottom line is, the original poster has doubts. And regardless of anyone's answer, he will always have doubts. And if anyone has any doubts, or concerns, or speculations about the ability of their tow vehicle and the trailer being towed, (they, you, or me) will NEVER have 100% confidence! And that ... will always ... result in a white-knuckle drive.

If you had to ask, you have doubts. You've just answered your own question.

In the world of qualitative answers to the question presented, I couldn't have said it better myself. Assuming the concerns addressed are based on some sort of rational approach, I couldn't agree more.

mkirsch wrote:

I'm skeptical what the "tow package" includes if your truck has 3.23 gears, by the way. A hitch receiver is not a "tow package."

Get your head out of the 1970's. The days of 3-speed transmissions and needing 4.10 gears to tow an empty wheelbarrow are long gone. This truck has an 8-speed transmission with a super deep first gear, and well spaced gears between there and the double overdrive.

Where you get the gear reduction is irrelevant, as long as you have it available. 3.23 is a perfectly fine towing gear.

Oooh, good one. What percentage of full size pickups come with gears that high? Does Ford even offer a 3.23 on an F-150? Even within GM sales numbers or on a dealer's lot, what percentage of trucks do you think come with 3.23 gears? I bet it's not many.

Where you get the gear reduction is a big deal for the transmission if you want it to last. I'm sure rebuilding that 8 speed transmission isn't cheap.