TT weight Limit

Kings28 wrote:
Hello to all. I am new to this web site and will be new in the future to purchase a TT. I have a question to assist me. I have a 2012 F 150 3.7L V6 Crew cab and my manual says my trailer weight is 6300 which I am assuming that is when loaded. My trailer hitch sticker is calling 10,500 total weight. Can anyone help me on what type of TT dry weight I should be looking for and a good Manufacturer and length. We have a family of 4 no pets and I don't think we will be loading a lot of extra stuff in the trailer, at least for now of course.

Thanks

First your hitch is a generic hitch. the same hitch is on trucks with a 10,500lb towing capacity. It means nothing to you.

As for your TT weight. I would look for a TT in the 4500lb dry range. It could be close to 5500 loaded. And when the truck is loaded. You will be right at your max.

As for length. Some where in the - 31 foot range. You will run out of weight, before you run out of length.

Thanks for the info. How about a Manufacture?

Look at the yellow sticker on the drivers door jamb to find out what the capacities are for your particular truck. You will see listed the payload and gross vehicle weight, these are what you need to know. There are threads on this forum that explain these numbers in detail. Good luck with your search, it is half the fun.

Looks like 6100lb for a reg cab is max. I think you're in the 55-5700lb range.
https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas/topics/2012/12_flrvtt_gde.pdf

goducks10 wrote:
Looks like 6100lb for a reg cab is max. I think you're in the 55-5700lb range.
https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas/topics/2012/12_flrvtt_gde.pdf

X2 on the tow capacity.

According to that chart, the 3.7 V6 Crewcab F150 is listed at 5700 max tow capacity (with 3:73 gears).

In addition to tow capacity, you also need to check your cargo capacity (payload). You may find, you don't have much room there, also. Check the sticker on your drivers door post. It should have a number for max occupant / cargo weight. That is the capacity of what the truck is rated to carry. In many cases, you run out of payload, before you get close to to max tow weight.

Payload is eaten up pound for pound by, aftermarket accessories (bed liners, bed covers, undercoating, etc), driver, passengers, cargo, weight distributing hitch, and trailer tongue weight.

Add up the weight of your family and any planned truck cargo. Deduct that from your payload. Then deduct another 100 lbs for a WD hitch. What is left is available payload for tongue weight.

Divide the available payload by .13. That will give you an approximate loaded trailer weight that will put you at max capacity.

Example: Say you have 500 lbs available payload (500/.13= 3846 lbs).


With 5700 lb max tow rating, you should probably look at trailers with UVW less than 3500 lbs.

Towing at max weight is unpleasant. Leave yourself some cushion.

I had and 06 F 150 with the v6 and 4 speed auto. I added the tow package( oil cooler, battery charge and brake wiring etc).
I tow a 21 Amerilite. It weighs about 4500lbs loaded.
The truck didn't have any problems with it starting out or on the highway.
That said I don't think I would want to go much over this.
If the factory said it can tow 6500lbs I would guess the most you would actually be COMFORTABLE towing would be around 5000.
For me, being a safe and comfortable tow was important.
If you are on edge with white knuckles the whole trip, it won't be any fun, and you won't use it.
Remember the tow rating is based on a flat bed trailer loaded with cement blocks, not towing an 8' x 10' sail sideways.

Isn't the engine 4.2L (no eco-boost available yet), not 3.7?

My experience, FWIW:

Our 1st TT was 20' and 5K lbs (scaled weight) and we towed it with a 2000 F150 with the 4.2L V6 and 3.55 gears (and added a tow package). The max. tow capacity was 5500 or 5800 lbs (can't recall exactly). It was slooow to accelerate, super slooow on hills and difficult to maintain a steady speed in heavier gusting winds. On steeper grades, like Grants Pass in Or., we could only make 30-35 mph flat out and had to run on the right shoulder along with the semis. Not a fun experience.

Besides being slow, it was hard on the drivetrain and the engine was running at high rpms a lot of the time to make enough power. On an 1800 mile trip to NoCal and back, we had to stop at a Ford dealership 3 times to get some engine work done (nothing serious fortunately - we babied the truck and it was in excellent shape). Gas mileage was awful too and as low as 5.7 mpg on one run on the above trip in the hills. No problems whatsoever with handling and sway. When we sold the truck last year (at just over 100K miles on odo.) to a co-worker of DW, they had to get the tranny rebuilt a year after owning it.

An excerpt from this article for the '08 F150 says: The V6 engine, says Consumer Guide, has "adequate power for commuter duty, but struggles with even modest loads." Kelley Blue Book calls the engine "tepid but fuel-efficient (for a big truck)," but cautions, "We don't recommend this engine for towing or hauling heavy loads." That certainly was my experience... I would say for shorter local trips on flat-ish roads, you'll be okay. As mentioned above, I would restrict weight to around 4500 lbs.

This was one of our trips to the dealership mentioned above. You don't want to end up like this, lol. Another camping day lost, sigh...


When we bought a longer and heavier TT, we moved up to a "real" truck. No more towing issues, hehe...

The 3.7 is a non turbo engine and the 3.5 is the EB turbo. They dropped the 3.7 for 2015 and now have the 2.7 EB and 3.5 EB, plus the 5.0 NA.

I don't think you'll be too happy towing any high walled trailer. It takes a lot of power to pull one through the air at 60mph. Expect 3000rpm cruising and 5000rpm hills. IS that acceptable to you?

goducks10 wrote:
The 3.7 is a non turbo engine and the 3.5 is the EB turbo. They dropped the 3.7 for 2015 and now have the 2.7 EB and 3.5 EB, plus the 5.0 NA.

Did the 10th generation 4.2L V6 F150 get reduced to 3.7L in the 11th generation and does it have less HP? In a bit of quick googling, I couldn't find info. on the 3.7L in '08. It looks like a 3.7L wasn't introduced until '11 (OP has an '08)?