Wannafbody

Maybe try renting a F150 and tow your Jeep and see how it feels before committing to buying one. I have a F150 and tow a 20ft cargo trailer at 6000# and while it tows fine my dad's Chevy 2500HD is a bit more solid feeling.

Jeffreybomb

That's actually not a bad idea. I may do just that when it's not so ridiculously cold outside; we currently have a wind chill of -12°. Bleah!

I did a little comparing yesterday and found that the Tundra is also a half-ton pickup, so I'm guessing the feel is very similar.

Ricktwuhk

Read the rental contract real closely. Most won't allow you to tow anything.

Jeffreybomb

You're exactly right. Of the three rental companies I found that have F150s in their fleet, none of them allow towing. Damn.

smokeywren

Compared to the 50L V8 in an F-150, yes, the 3.5L EcoBoost engine is better for towing. I don't know about that new 2.7L EcoBoost engine available in the 2015-up F-150.



I don't know of a way other than either counting the times the driveshaft turns a complete 360° revolution when a rear tire turns one complete revolution, or else find a decoder table with axle ratio and their codes on it for the year of F-150 you're looking at.

For example, my 2012 F-150 has axle code "L5", which is 3.15 ratio with electronic locking. That's the only code I know. But any manager in a Ford dealership should be able to tell you how to locate the table that gives all the axle codes for that year.

The axle code is on the driver's doorframe, on the same sticker (Federal Certification Lable) that tells you GVWR, GAWRs, tire size and PSI, and several other codes such as paint code.


Here is an axle code decoder chart I found with a quick search online for 2011 F-150 axle codes. No guarantees, so check it out, but my L5 code is on there and correct.

• 15: 3.15 ratio, open differential
• 27: 3.31 ratio, open differential
• 19: 3.55 ratio, open differential
• 26: 3.73 ratio, open differential
• H9: 3.55 ratio, limited-slip differential
• B6: 3.73 ratio, limited-slip differential
• L5: 3.15 ratio, electronic locking differential
• L3: 3.31 ratio, electronic locking differential
• L9: 3.55 ratio, electronic locking differential
• L6: 3.73 ratio, electronic locking differential
• L4: 4.10 ratio, electronic locking differential

Jeffreybomb

You guys are hooking me up with some awesome information. I really appreciate it.

A little more information: I'd like to stick as close to $20k as possible. Given that amount, it looks like I've got some really good options for models around 2011.

Jeffreybomb

Another quick question for you guys: I've noticed some F150s come with trailer brake switches to the left of the center console. Some trucks don't have the switches.

If the switches are not there, does that mean the truck doesn't have some kind of towing package? How important is the towing package? Is the truck a capable hauler without the trailer brakes switches?

smokeywren

The Integrated Trailer Brake Controller (ITBC) has been included as part of the Maximum Towing Package since 2011 model year. It was optional for other F-150 that have at least the regular towing package.


No, it just means that the F-150 doesn't have max tow, but it might have the regular towing package.



The regular towing package is very important because it includes an auxiliary tranny cooler. Without that extra cooling capacity, you can easily burn up the tranny when towing. The regular towing pkg also includes the receiver hitch and trailer plug wiring harness


The max tow package adds tow mirrors (elephant ears), the ITBC, and increased payload capacity for hitch weight.


I didn't want max tow because it required 3.73 axle ratio. So I ordered the regular towing package, plus the optional ITBC. But tow mirrors are required for any trailer taller or wider than the tailgate, so I ordered the tow mirrors from the accessories catalog. Here's a link to my tow mirrors:
http://accessories.ford.com/exterior...ror-10319.html



Any trailer with electric trailer brakes must have a trailer brake controller, but not necessarily the Ford ITBC. Aftermarket trailer brake controllers have been available for years. If yours doesn't have the ITBC, then you can either have the ITBC installed or else you can buy a different brand, such as DrawTite or Tekonsha, and have that installed.


I towed my 5er with a DrawTite Activator II brake controller for almost 12 years. Worked fine. But the Ford ITBC in my F-150 works much, much better, because it's integrated with the truck's braking system. If your F-150 doesn't have the ITBC, then I'd strongly recommend you order one from a discount internet source, plug it in, and have any Ford dealer "flash the computer" to tell the truck the ITBC is installed and ready to tow.

homeskizzle

For me personally, I didn't consider a truck without the max tow package (meaning it had to have the trailer brake switches).

Since you're looking at towing, if at all possible, get a truck with the max tow and integrated brake controller. Not essential, but definitely helps.

maxpat82

any '11+ EB or 5.0 will tow a open trailer with jeep on whitout a sweat.

people tow 10 000lbs travel trailer that have way higher wind resistance then any vehicule on a trailer will ever have.

your looking to tow around 7000lbs with jeep-trailer-stuff.
Heck I towed that weight of my toy hauler with my 07 5.4(rated a 9600lbs) fairly easy for 4 years. (a '11 + is rated at 10-11 000lbs)