Dan T

Hi
I have a 2009 F150 with the 5.4 V8.
We just got a new trailer and its dry weight is 6400lbs, I am a little worried about how hard my truck will be working.
Anybody have any input on if it should be ok or if I should be adding anything( mods or chips) ?

smokeywren

What is the GVWR of the pickup?


What is your axle ratio?


Does the F-150 have the optional towing package including an auxiliary tranny cooler?


How much does the wet and loaded pickup weigh when loaded with people and other stuff that will be in it when towing?


Do you have a regular cab, SuperCab or SuperCrew?


4x4 or 4x2?


The 2009 Ford RV and Trailer Towing guide says a 2009 F-150 with 5.4L engine can tow a trailer that grosses anywhere from 7,800 to 11,300 pounds, depending on answers to those questions.


That's the "tow rating", which is myth because it assumes there is nothing in the truck but a skinny driver.


My F-150 has a tow rating of 8,400 pounds, but I'm overloaded with my TT that grosses only 4,780 when wet and loaded for an RV trip. But then I haul a lot more in my SuperCrew than a skinny driver.

zx12-iowa

My 5.4 easily towed a8k lb trailer across country.

Dan T

The GVWR is 7200lb
Not sure how to check the axle??

It has the tranny cooler and is a super crew 4x4.
Not sure if that really narrows it down??

schmenke

"FRONT GAWR / REAR GAWR" as indicated on the driver side door sticker.

KR Kodi

iTrader: (1)

Take a look at this 2009 Towing Guide: https://www.fleet.ford.com/resources...9RVTTguide.pdf

Scroll down to page 31 and there's a table with all the axles. It looks like the 2009 F150 had six different axles - four non-limited slip, and two limited slip rear ends.


Just below that table there's a picture of the "Truck Safety Compliance Certification Label". On the very bottom line of that label it says that vehicle has a "3L" axle.


Your sticker will be on your driver's door. You can see it has your front/rear GAWRs, GVWR, etc. There's another sticker (tire sticker) that will have your all important payload capacity.


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Dan T

So looking at all that info I found that I have the 3.55 axle with the 5.4 so the tow rate would be 9000+ lbs.
Does that sound right??

Again thanks for the feed back as I am unsure if I am reading all the info correctly....

KR Kodi

iTrader: (1)

I dunno!?!? But, take whatever the brochures and guides say with a grain of salt.

As I said in my previous post: "There's another sticker (tire sticker) that will have your all important payload capacity."

What does the sticker say that your payload capacity is???


You say your trailer is 6400 lbs dry, so it will probably weigh around 8000 lbs wet&loaded.


Your tongue weight must be 10% to 15% of the trailer weight, with a real world minimum of 12%. So, if the trailer weighs 8000 lbs, the tongue weight will be around 950 lbs. Your WDH hitch head will probably weigh 50 lbs or more, so the total weight on your hitch receiver will be about 1000 lbs.


If the payload capacity on your sticker is 1500 lbs, and your trailer uses up 1000 lbs of it, then you've got 500 lbs remaining for people and stuff in the cab and bed.


Also, lie down under your rear bumper and look up at your hitch to see the sticker that has your hitch rating - which I think will probably be a max of 1100 lbs tongue weight for your hitch.


Your GVWR sticker also has the front and rear GAWRs. You will need to load up and hook up, then take your rig to your local CAT scales to get what everything actually weighs and make sure you're not going to overload your rear axle.


These trucks will haul a heavy load, but if you want to stay within the limits of your truck for a safe and comfortable tow, as well as reliability and long life of mechanical parts, then you probably want to stay below the weight limit ratings of your truck.


Bottom line - I doubt you'll be able to pull a 9000 lb trailer and stay within the limits of your truck. Depending on your payload capacity, you may be okay up to 8000 lbs if you have a light load in the cab. It all depends on your payload capacity. If you load your 6400 lb dry weight trailer lightly and have sufficient payload capacity to carry the tongue weight plus the people and cargo you'll carry in the cab and bed when towing, then you should be good to go with that trailer.


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Dan T

Thanks KR Kodi for all the help!!!

The payload is 1400lbs and the young weight is 771lbs ( dry) we would have 2 adults and 2 kids with not much else. We do pack fairly light with No water in at all!!! I will have to check the hitch rating but with the above should be about 1150lbs or so for the payload.
So it looks like it's high but should still be doable?
I think my next truck may need to be a 250 though.....

KR Kodi

iTrader: (1)

Take a look at the Heavy Duty package on an F150. An F150 can be a true 1 Ton truck with a more than 2000 lb payload capacity on a HD F150.


All the F150 engines are good, but the EcoBoost has its full torque available low in its RPM range - much like a diesel. Read a couple of recent threads where EcoBoost owners are very happy with the ability of their trucks to tow a very heavy load with ease.


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