Mountain Towing Experiences with 1/2 ton & TT

[behing19]

Hey all,

My wife and I have a 2001 Ford F150 with the 7700# option for better towing. We purchased it from the only owner it has ever had who used it occasionally to pull a 27-foot 5th wheel.

We plan to use the truck to pull a travel trailer, which we have not bought yet. We will be full timing and moving about 1-2 times per month. We only plan to travel around 150 miles each time we move, at most....some of this will depend on where our next campground is and there may be an overnight in between if we have to go further to get to our next campground.

My questions and concerns come with mountain towing. We have discussed the possibility of going out west, which, from my understanding means we cannot avoid towing through the mountains to get to California, Oregon, Washington and will also deal with some mountains/hills in many states out west.

We have also discussed avoiding mountains alltogether with an east coast trip or a trip from Florida to Wisconsin/Michigan and back.

The travel trailers we are looking at are all under 4,500 pounds try (many closer to 3500) and will be between 21 and 24 feet long. The truck is supposed to have a maximum towing capacity of 8,900 pounds, which we don't want to push close to at all.

IN my rough estimations, with a full tank of gas in the truck, full tank of water in the TT, our stuff, us and our dogs, we will still be well under the 80% mark of our towing capacity.

Does anybody have experience with a similar type of set up and mountain towing?

Does anybody know which routes are the best/worst for towing in the mountains throughout the west and the east?

I know somebody is going to chime in and tell us to upgrade our truck. That isn't an option and won't happen, so please keep that in mind.

Thank you for all your help!

[time2roll]

Lwiddis wrote:
"Hardest climb was Nine Mile Canyon Road out of Pearsonville off CA395."

Time, were all of the 17 people that live in Pearsonville friendly?

Hard to know. I just fill at the Shell station right there. I think the employees come in from Lone Pine or Bishop.

[Lwiddis]

"Hardest climb was Nine Mile Canyon Road out of Pearsonville off CA395."

Time, were all of the 17 people that live in Pearsonville friendly?

[Thom02099]

Lots of good advice and information provided by previous posters.

While I don't have the combo of TV/TT that you're talking about, I do have a rig combo that has similarities. And I can give you some feedback from my experiences at altitude. I am in Colorado and routinely tow at 8000-11000 feet. Others here are also experienced high-altitude drivers.

The Tahoe is a 5.3L/3.73 rear. The trailer is a 25ft Keystone Outback, with a scale weight of right around 6100 lbs. Towing capacity of the 'hoe is 7400 lbs (less than yours), combined scale weight was ~11200 with a max of 13400. Weight distributing hitch w/anti sway. Usually 2 people on board and some firewood, included in the weights.

The places I've towed with this combo in Colorado have not been difficult. Slow sometimes, yes. Drop down to 2nd gear and even 1st on occasion, yes. Had any problems getting where I want to, no. The interstates, as stated previously, can have some long inclines/declines, but there are consistent standards that they meet (I think no more that 7% grade). And there's usually pull offs at the tops of passes if you want to pull over and rest yourself and the vehicle. Also, as previously stated, you'll likely be in a line of truckers/semis, so you'll likely be caravaning with them and other RVs. Don't be intimidated by the big diesel MoHos that seem to breeze up those high passes. Take it slow and easy, stay within what you perceive as your limits. When I tow I'm a LOT slower and more cautious than I normally would be.

Couple of rules of mountain driving. First, never go DOWN without using the same gears that you used going UP. Second, if there's a line of cars (3 or more) behind you, use a pull over to let them get around you. Many Colorado roads (and in other states as well) will have frequent pull overs for such situations. And third, if going UP a narrow road and meeting an on-coming vehicle, the UPHILL vehicle has the right-of-way, and the DOWNHILL vehicle must back up or pull over to make way.

As for routes getting from Florida to where ever out west, use T H I S - Flattest Route link to find the flattest route between 2 points you may consider. For example, if you look at Pensacola FL to Los Angeles CA, it routes you on I-10 and the highest point is less that 5000 feet. Also, the graph it provides is compressed, so keep that in mind as you look at graphs.

The whole point of what you're doing is ENJOYMENT! And for that, I wish you safe travels and many good memories.

[dodge_guy]

The F150 7700 is a payload pkg that makes a standard F150 into a 3/4 ton. In fact the F250 around 1998 or so was what the F150 7700 was. They offer larger axles with 7 lug wheels, along with larger brakes and springs, as well as a stiffer frame. And it had the 4R100 as opposed to the standard 150 that came with the 4R70W. They are not a 1/2 ton! Depending on how the cab and bed is configured it can have anywhere from 2700lbs to 3300lbs CCC! That's more than most 3/4 ton trucks.

[APT]

I would not recommend full time RVing with a half ton, especially a 16 year old one. I think you will be carrying a lot more thing and weight than typical recreational weekenders. I had two F-150s from that generation. They are great trucks for that era within their limits.

[dodge_guy]

behing19 wrote:

time2roll wrote:
I have a similar 2001 F150 5.4L SuperCrew with now 190,000 miles. We go up and down the mountains all the time with a 7880 GVWR trailer. I did change the gears from 3.55 to 4.10 ratio. We are slow at times but never an issue of keeping up with traffic. Been over the Rockies, through Death Valley, Siskiyou pass to OR. Hardest climb was Nine Mile Canyon Road out of Pearsonville off CA395. Nine miles of 10 percent grade in 115F heat. Just avoid Ebbett's and Sonora passes in CA and you will be fine. Headed to Glacier this Summer. Keep the trailer GVWR within your tow rating for best results.

Awesome advice. We have the 3.73 ratio. Would it make a difference if it was changed to 4.10 or is that even possible? If so, what type of difference would it make?

3.73 will be acceptable. 4.30's will make towing a breeze. With a light weight trailer you will not need to change gears. If towing heavy (over 6500lbs) I would go to a 4.30. As 4.10 will not be a noticeable improvement. The van I stated I was towing with earlier had 3.90 gears. It would've performed much better with something a bit lower like 4.30's.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

🙂 Hi, my Lincoln Navigator has the same tow rating. (8,900 lbs.) I towed my 6,300 lb. GVWR trailer for ten years with this Lincoln. You shouldn't have any problems towing the slightly lighter trailer that you mentioned. The biggest advice that I can give you is to manually down shift when going down any mountains.

[time2roll]

I had to decide between 4.10 and 4.56 as I could not get 4.30 for both front and rear back when I changed mine. If your F150 3.73 seems to downshift a bit too soon or too often then I do recommend a change and to go 4.30 or 4.56 as you will be mostly towing. Mine was also a daily driver. You will still make it out West with 3.73 so don't jump too quick... see how it runs as is first. Either way you may not be using overdrive much. I about never do when towing.

I think the F150HD that year has a 10.25 differential with lots of ratios available.

Randy's R&P

BTW I have never had trouble with braking or controlling speed down long grades.

[behing19]

time2roll wrote:
I have a similar 2001 F150 5.4L SuperCrew with now 190,000 miles. We go up and down the mountains all the time with a 7880 GVWR trailer. I did change the gears from 3.55 to 4.10 ratio. We are slow at times but never an issue of keeping up with traffic. Been over the Rockies, through Death Valley, Siskiyou pass to OR. Hardest climb was Nine Mile Canyon Road out of Pearsonville off CA395. Nine miles of 10 percent grade in 115F heat. Just avoid Ebbett's and Sonora passes in CA and you will be fine. Headed to Glacier this Summer. Keep the trailer GVWR within your tow rating for best results.

Awesome advice. We have the 3.73 ratio. Would it make a difference if it was changed to 4.10 or is that even possible? If so, what type of difference would it make?

[TurnThePage]

I also think you have a very dependable towing platform that should easily tow what you are considering. My experiences with a similar vintage Ford revealed that the weakest link was the brakes. Mine wasn't the heavy half like yours though.

[time2roll]

I have a similar 2001 F150 5.4L SuperCrew with now 190,000 miles. We go up and down the mountains all the time with a 7880 GVWR trailer. I did change the gears from 3.55 to 4.10 ratio. We are slow at times but never an issue of keeping up with traffic. Been over the Rockies, through Death Valley, Siskiyou pass to OR. Hardest climb was Nine Mile Canyon Road out of Pearsonville off CA395. Nine miles of 10 percent grade in 115F heat. Just avoid Ebbett's and Sonora passes in CA and you will be fine. Headed to Glacier this Summer. Keep the trailer GVWR within your tow rating for best results.

[Lwiddis]

"I have seen many half tons flopped. Trailers in pieces and dogs loose or dead on. All on interstate highways. Sure 3/4 tons too. But majority have been halftons. "

NO, Pat, NO! Those were dumb drivers, not TV/TT issues. Please don't discourage our fellow RVers from seeing the West by scaring them.

[dodge_guy]

I towed a 6500lb loaded 28ft trailer with a 97 Dodge conversion van with the old 5.9L.

IMO you are limiting yourself with the size and weight trailer you are considering especially full timing. That year 5.4 and it being a 7700 spec F150 will have no issues with a 6000lb loaded trailer. I went through the mountains with mine and it never had an issue. Yes it worked hard but that's what it was designed to do. And it will be pulling 4K + rpm on the big grades. But that's how it's designed.

With a 7700lb GVWR you have plenty of payload so that isn't an issue. The 7700 is basically a 3/4 ton with a 1/2 ton badge.

[PAThwacker]

coolbreeze01 wrote:
Gear down!!! I've seen too many rolled RV's due to faded breaks. Some were funny most were sad. The dead pets.........

I have seen many half tons flopped. Trailers in pieces and dogs loose or dead on. All on interstate highways. Sure 3/4 tons too. But majority have been halftons.