5th wheel towing reality check 2015 short bed
06-19-2015, 08:12 AM
#21
I tow a goosneck horse trailer with my 13 STX 4x4 5.0. It's 3.55 gear set limits me to 7800 max trailer weight which is ok as usually that is about where I am at. The loaded with gear but no horses pin weight is 1060. My listed payload is 1800 app and we do just fine. It's about selecting the trailer to match the truck and working around the 1/2 ton payload but it's easy enough to do and the trucks do it well.
06-28-2015, 01:50 PM
#22
Yea, we are 1800+ payload on the truck and probably over by a little when traveling. It will work out just like SkiSmuggs did for a while. When we get to doing this stuff more often we will move up to a 350 and then maybe a bigger 5er as our friends want to go a out a lot more often when we all retire. Right now, we weekend warrior with just the two of us and it works out perfect for us. Just drove 300+ miles today towing the 5er and got almost 14 mph (Midwest flatland driving and a tailwind). It is going to take a lot more to move up to something bigger as we have enough power and stopping power to do everything we want.
06-28-2015, 04:47 PM
#23
ColdWar Vet-USN Shellback
I have hit above 7% grades with outside temps in the upper 90s with and have not had any adverse affects. Examples are outside Nashville, there is a stretch of highway that is rated as the toughest East of the Mississippi. We have traveled it many times during all times of the year without any problems. Another is in Missouri on 44...long slow climbs repeated many times in a row. I have not been West of Denver with our camper and do plan it for next year...we will see...
06-29-2015, 02:23 PM
#24
Senior Member/Vietnam Vet
I had one long (8 miles) pull up a mountain in Wyoming at 62 mph, passing diesels when my water temp started to rise. I slowed to 55 and the temps returned to normal. Other than that, the water temp never moved from the middle.
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RedOne (06-29-2015)
07-01-2015, 02:17 PM
#25
I've got a 14 F150 XLT 4x4 Boost Max Tow, and last year she worked perfect pulling my 8k Springdale TT from AZ to San Diego in 110° weather.This year I was going to move up to a light 5th wheel trailer.
But...this past April I got T-boned by a red light runner. Really rocked her pretty hard.My truck was out of commission for over a month, with only 20k on the odometer. Let me say this...it is true that your truck is NEVER the same again. Had some minor annoyances since the accident; interior squeaks, slight driver side vibrations when hitting S turns in the road doing 60mph, transmission felt sketchy, etc... Pain in the as*, hate going back and forth to Ford service with a new truck, especially when they had it that long . (not new anymore!...they should probably have totaled it)
Anyway.... this occurred while towing our 6-7% grade; "truck is overheating/power reduced" info screen comes on? :explicit:
This has never happened before. This was last weekend heading to Flagstaff - not happy with my F150 right now (But, I frickin love the truck!?)
I'm heading to San Diego in a week....I HOPE I don't have any overheating issues. The truck has plenty of power, thats not the problem.Worked out a few gremlins between the transmission and ECU... fingers crossed. So we'll see.
But...this past April I got T-boned by a red light runner. Really rocked her pretty hard.My truck was out of commission for over a month, with only 20k on the odometer. Let me say this...it is true that your truck is NEVER the same again. Had some minor annoyances since the accident; interior squeaks, slight driver side vibrations when hitting S turns in the road doing 60mph, transmission felt sketchy, etc... Pain in the as*, hate going back and forth to Ford service with a new truck, especially when they had it that long . (not new anymore!...they should probably have totaled it)
Anyway.... this occurred while towing our 6-7% grade; "truck is overheating/power reduced" info screen comes on? :explicit:
This has never happened before. This was last weekend heading to Flagstaff - not happy with my F150 right now (But, I frickin love the truck!?)
I'm heading to San Diego in a week....I HOPE I don't have any overheating issues. The truck has plenty of power, thats not the problem.Worked out a few gremlins between the transmission and ECU... fingers crossed. So we'll see.
07-04-2015, 01:49 AM
#27
Redone....I don't expect any problems now, as she is running pretty close to pre-crash performance status. I pull the 8k Springdale home from 7500 ' above sea level after the 4th of July..than San Diego in 7days!
It's definitely time for a 5th wheel though. I'll check the coolant pressure, maybe go full synthetic Mobile 5w-30
It's definitely time for a 5th wheel though. I'll check the coolant pressure, maybe go full synthetic Mobile 5w-30
07-04-2015, 11:22 PM
#28
ColdWar Vet-USN Shellback
Closest we have been was the Great Smokey Mountains and didn't have any problems. Anything more than that and we'll have to travel over 750 miles to the West...maybe we will find out next year.
07-05-2015, 01:44 PM
#29
The guys at Fast Lane Truck took a 14' F150 Screw Boost up Eisenhower Dam pulling 10k...wide open throttle most of way, they had to feather it because the truck would pull beyond the posted speed limit!
Their were no overheating issues what so ever, but than again it wasn't 110° out either. Bottom line....the truck can do some amazing things and is amazingly quiet while doing it!
Their were no overheating issues what so ever, but than again it wasn't 110° out either. Bottom line....the truck can do some amazing things and is amazingly quiet while doing it!
07-07-2015, 12:47 PM
#30
Grumpy Old Man
I haven't heard of that one. Did you mean I-70 from Denver up to the Eisenhower Tunnel? Been there, done that for the 20+ years I lived in Denver.
There's no doubt that the 3.5L EcoBoost drivetrain can tow up to the GCWR of over 11,000 pounds with no problems. I've towed a trailer that grossed over 21,000 pounds over the Hill Country northwest of Austin with no problems, other than the anxiety of knowing I was severely overloaded. But power and torque were not the problem. We climbed those hills at 62 MPH with no problems of overheating the tranny or engine. The half-ton suspension and payload capacity for hitch weight was the cause of my anxiety.