SnowF150

New to the forum and an F150...or as my buddy calls it, a big boy truck. I had a 96 Tacoma standard cab RWD for years that I used for some very basic limited towing of a little utility trailer. Just personal use, not work related.

The same goes with my F150. I plan on buying something like an 8' x 12' utility trailer in the near future. Although, I do have aspirations of a travel trailer in a few years (if I can convince the wife).

With that, I have heard some people say towing with a cap/topper (whichever term you prefer) can be difficult. I am leaning towards getting a cap/topper for my truck. The truck will be used for family trips with my billion kids and I want to be able to throw their stuff in the back and keep it safe from the elements (good ol' MN). Do toppers/caps make driving with a trailer, especially backing up that much more difficult?

P.S. I tried the search function and couldnt find too much on this topic.

ji603

Nope. Use your mirrors when you back, don't look over your right shoulder. Put your hand at the bottom of the wheel, look in the side mirror, and turn your hand in the direction you want the back of the trailer to point.

Practice, and it's easy. The smallerthe trailer, and the longer the truck, the trickier it can be.

SnowF150

I used to drive a 25' fixed box truck so Im pretty comfortable using my side mirrors. I dont imagine my future trailer use being in overly tight conditions either.

brulaz

I find Ford's "Elephant Ear" tow mirrors very helpful with my Leer cap.

Also have the rear view camera and rear sensors. The camera makes hitching up easy, and sensors help in parking lots and when there's people/kids around behind me.

SnowF150

I dont have the tow mirrors, but I might have to get them in the future. Everyone that has them says they are worth it. I think I am going to go with a Leer topper/cap. The local truck shop sells them and they seem very high quality. It just seems to make sense for my style of use.

smokeywren

My 2012 SuperCrew EcoBoost towing machine is used to tow several different trailers, including a small TT and an 8x11 cargo trailer. I have a Leer camper shell mounted almost all the time. when towing those trailers. I also occasionally tow a fifth wheel and gooseneck trailers. For that I have to remove the shell. Me and my elderly DW can get it done, but it's a struggle so we usually call a couple of the young Mormon missionaries to help me get it on and off.


Yes, you need tow mirrors to be safe when towing any trailer that is taller and wider than your tailgate. I on purpose ordered my F-150 without tow mirrors, because back then they were part of the max tow pkg that included 3.73 axle ratio. But Ford offered OEM "plug and play" tow mirrors in their accessories catalog, so I ordered them and paid less than $300. My fancy little Lariat mirrors have been in the barn since then.


2015 models have different tow mirrors than mine, and the ones for a 2015 are a little more than mine. Ford very recently added tow mirrors for 2015 F-150s to the accessories catalog, so that's a good place to order from now.
http://accessories.ford.com/exterior...ror-11225.html


Notice those are the manual telescoping tow mirrors. OEM tow mirrors also come with power telescoping and power fold, but they will cost you an arm and a leg and your firstborn son over the dealer's parts counter until they are added to the accessories catalog.


If you order them from a Ford parts department you'll pay a lot more than the ones in the accessories catalog, unless you insist that they order thru the accessories catalog.

SnowF150

My truck is equipped with heated power mirrors/manual folding. I am find with manual folding/telescoping as long as they are heated, and the actual mirror adjustment is powered.

smokeywren

The tow mirrors for a 2015 F-150 in the current accessories catalog are manual glass - not power glass. There are no power tow mirrors in the accessories catalog yet.


My tow mirrors are power glass and heated glass, with puddle lights and turn signals, and with manual fold and manual telescope. But they don't yet have those that will plug&play on a 2015 in the accessories catalog. They are available in the parts department for a lot higher price, but not in the accessories catalog at a great price.


Don't even think about trying to tow a TT without tow mirrors. Too dangerous. Consider this: Order the manual tow mirrors from the accessories catalog. Plan to use the manual tow mirrors when towing, then replace them with your stock power/heated mirrors when not towing. It's a 15 minute job to R&R each mirror the first time, then maybe a 10-minute job for subsequent times. Do that R&R thing until the power/heated tow mirrors are available in the accessories catalog at a more reasonable price than the current price over the parts counter. After you later upgrade to the power tow mirrors, then sell the manual tow mirrors on Craig's List or similar.

mass-hole

Visibility out of the cap is not bad. My cap has tinted glass so it can be a little dark at night but other than that it doesnt cut down visibility too much.

brulaz

Depends upon what you've got inside and the type of cap. Ours is full of bikes and stuff. Some caps come with an under-roof storage area that cuts into visibility. And our next one will have doors and shelves in the sides so no vis there.

Really do like the rear-view camera and beeper with ours. The camera can be added after-market. The beeper is more difficult.