AndrewM
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Re: F150 - Over GVWR
Original yellow payload sticker says 1148#. I added a hard tonneau cover, spray-in bed liner, a sub box under the rear seat with two 10" subs, and two amps. When I weighed my truck I had a few odd and ends in the bed (nothing really heavy), full tank of fuel, myself, and my wife. I'm not exactly petite. I could lose the sub box and save about 50 lbs I guess, but that seems rather pointless.667Views0likes0CommentsRe: F150 - Over GVWR
First, I don't think of myself as a random potential idiot, but I get your point. Second, I do have plenty of towing experience including TT and 5th wheels. I just don't currently own one. I owned a 19' Aerolite TT that I pulled with my 02 Dodge Dakota 4.7 for thousands of miles. No problems at all. But kids got bigger and busier and didn't leave much time for camping so we sold it. I've also towed my dad's 5th wheel with his F250. To me I didn't notice a huge difference in towing experience between the two setups. The TT was setup correctly with an Equal-i-zer hitch and handled well. Also my current F150 is a work truck. I'm half owner of an engineering firm and we both purchased new vehicles through the company 5 years ago after a really good year. He wanted an Expedition and I wanted a truck. So since the company owns it, selling it won't be as straightforward as if I owned it directly. An upside is we have great insurance if I ever go careening down a mountainside and kill thousands of innocent puppies! I will check to make sure I would be covered pulling a TT for personal reasons though. I use it as my personal vehicle and get imputed income on my W2 for personal miles. Since it is a work truck, I have used it as such for field work. I've packed the bed full of field gear (ice chests, generators, etc.), loaded the cab full of guys and gear, plus towed our 5x10 single-axle cargo trailer that we tend to load tongue heavy. Thinking back, I bet I was easily 300 lbs over GVWR in those scenarios without even noticing. No issues then at all. I do have a family friend (father of my daughter's boyfriend who practically lives at my house!) that just bought a Grey Wolf 26DBH. It's heavier than what I'm looking at by about 1,000 lbs, but he tows it with his half ton Chevy. Maybe he'll let me hook it up to my truck and take it to the scales to see how it handles. Thanks for all of your replies. Certainly has made me think about all my options.668Views0likes0CommentsRe: F150 - Over GVWR
Thunderbolt wrote: If his truck is actually AWD instead of 4 wheel drive that is probably where the limit comes from. That's just a guess. lbrjet wrote: I am clueless why you would have a GCWR of 13,500 with the 6.2L/3.73 combination. Lack of cooling equipment is the only thing that would make it that low. I agree with peeps and would tow 7K with your truck. My truck does have AWD. In 2011, Ford had three 4-wheel drive transfer cases: Borg-Warner 4418 manual shift transfer case. (XL's?) Borg-Warner 4419 electronic shift transfer case. Borg-Warner one-speed torque-on-demand (TOD) transfer case. (Lariat Limited, HD) So I have 4x2, AWD, 4x4 high. In 2012, the TOD transfer case added 4L, so those trucks had 4x2, 4Auto, 4x4 high, 4x4 low.491Views0likes0CommentsRe: F150 - Over GVWR
For some reason Ford limited the tow capacity of the Harley Davidson and Limited editions. But other than 22" wheels, it's no different than any other trim level (minus max tow and HD payload). It has receiver hitch, 7/4 pin plug, transmission cooler and trailer brake controller. It has a low payload because it literally has every option available. Plus the 6.2 is a heavy engine. Then I added a ARE hard tonneau cover and sprayed in bed liner. I've had the bed loaded full of equipment for work, four guys in the cab, and a 3500 lb cargo trailer wo brakes. Truck performed flawlessly. Thinking back, I had to have been way over my GVWR then.490Views0likes0CommentsRe: F150 - Over GVWR
Thanks for the replies. We did find a TT with a rear kitchen, which would make it easier to load the trailer closer to 10-12% tongue weight versus 13-15%. Dry, it's at 10.7%. As an engineer myself, I really hate playing close numbers games like this. But I also recognize safety factors, so I doubt my truck will explode with a few hundred lbs extra payload. Also, no mountains anywhere near here. Biggest hill around here is the landfill. It's bound to handle better than my previous 2002 Dodge Dakota and 19 ft travel trailer, which was perfectly acceptable. I keep talking myself into and out of this. Just need to be convinced it won't be unsafe for towing in the southeast US.490Views0likes0CommentsF150 - Over GVWR
Wife keeps wanting to buy a travel trailer and I keep telling her we have to get a small one. Like oil and water. So like so many other threads, here's my situation: 2011 F150 AWD 6.2L v8 3.73 axle tow package with receiver, integrated brake controller, trans cooler (not max tow or HD payload) 22" wheels Michelin Premier LTX tires 285/45R22 (2601 lb load rating) GVWR: 7350 lbs F&R GAWR: 3850 lbs GCWR: 13500 lbs Scaled weights with full tank of fuel, wife, and misc stuff in the bed. Pretty close to what it would weight ready to camp, minus the WD hitch. Steer axle: 3780 lbs Drive axle: 3100 lbs Gross weight: 6880 lbs That only leaves me 470 lbs available payload for tongue weight and hitch. Other than a tiny TT or popup, no way I'm going to stay under that. But I am 750 lbs under the RGAWR. If I aim to say under my axle ratings, my options open up some. Thoughts on exceeding my GVWR by ~300 lbs but not exceeding any other ratings?? It will just be the wife and I. Kids are grown. And this will be a temporary solution because she wants a MUCH bigger trailer. Dually territory big.6.5KViews0likes41CommentsRe: MotorTrend Tests the 1500's
Fast Mopar wrote: AndrewM wrote: So if your main concern is fuel economy, not in a hurry, and don't tow much more than 5,000#, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is the best choice. I find the comments about being slow and not being in a hurry very interesting. I certainly understand the need for speed, but many here make it sound like the Ecodiesel does not have enough power to get out of its own way. In 1990 the Chevy 454SS pickup was introduced as a hot half ton, and it was rated at 230 horsepower and 385 ft lb torque, both numbers lower than the Ecodiesel. Yes, I know, things have changed over the last 25 years, but the Chevy 454SS had enough power to get out of its own way. When I drive around the city in my 201 horsepower Ford Freestar van that weighs 4200 lb, I am usually the first person away from a stop light regardless of who is next to me, and it tows 3500 lb very easily. Most half ton drivers are more concerned about texting or surfing the net while driving instead of being the first one out of the hole when the light changes to green. There is certainly a market for an efficient light duty diesel pickup that gets great fuel mileage even when you are not intentionally trying to hypermile. All very valid points. That's what makes this forum great. Point and counter point. And I'll be honest, I'll certainly test drive one when I'm in the market for a new truck. Don't see a big 6.2L being available from any manufacturer when I'm ready to buy again.152Views0likes0Comments
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