LadyFordTN

I am purchasing a 1998 F150 Lariat this weekend. I plan to tow either a pop up camper or hybrid travel trailer. I know this truck can more than handle but what is the true towing capacity with the triton engine V8??? Thanks for response.


Also, any advice on the correct trailer hitch to get. It is set up with a tow package but I will need to buy a new ball hitch.


Thanks!!

djfllmn

iTrader: (1)

got an owners manual? you will have the 5.4 as it is a lariat

SkiSmuggs

Tow capacity is determined by rear-end ratio and other option. You should have stickers on the door jamb that list payload and tow capacity I think.
You may want to get a weight distributing hitch (WDH) for the hybrid, but not necessary for most pop ups. I like the Equalizer hitch and an online search usually yields the best price and free shipping. The size ball will depend on the trailer, usually 2" or 2 5/16"

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-ballmount.aspx

Ball sizes: 1 7/8 inches
2 inches
2 5/16 inches

smokeywren

The '98 F-150 towing capacity is probably limited by the GVWR of the pickup. The GVWR is on the Federal Certification Label on the driver's doorpost. That's the label that includes tire size and PSI, VIN, codes such as paint code, front and rear gross axle weight ratings (GAWR), and the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR).

To determine the "true towing capacity" of your F-150:

1] Load the F-150 with everything and everybody that will be in it when towing. People, tools, jacks, options, cooler, pets, trailer hitch head, maybe some campfire wood? everything.

2] Drive to a truckstop that has a certified automated truck (CAT) scale.

3] Fill up with gas.

4] Weigh the wet and loaded pickup, including driver.

5] Subtract the weight of the wet and loaded truck from the GVWR of the truck. The answer is the max hitch weight of any trailer you can tow without being overloaded.

6] Divide that max hitch weight by 0.15. The answer is the max GVWR of any tandem-axle trailer you want to buy.

All the towing experts say you should not tow any trailer that could weigh more than 5,000 pounds without a weight-distributing hitch. And if you're my daughter RVing with my grandkids, then I'm going to strongly discourage you from towing any pop-up or hybrid TT that has GVWR more than 2,500 pounds without a weight-distributing hitch.

So assuming you're going for a lightweight pop-up or hybrid with GVWR less than 2,500 pounds, all you have to have is a ball mount with the correct rise/drop to connect the level trailer to the level F-150 and that will fit in your receiver hitch. Plus a ball that will both fit on the ball mount and properly connect to the coupler on the trailer.

The ball's shank size is determined by the size of the hole in the ball mount. The ball size is determined by the coupler on the trailer.

So you must know the correct ball size required by the coupler on the trailer before you can proceed. Common ball size is 1 7/8", 2", and 2 5/16".

You also need the trailer handy so you can measure the distance from the top of the coupler to the ground when the trailer is level. Also measure from the top of the opening in the receiver to the ground when the pickup is level. The difference in those two measurements of the approximate rise or drop the ball mount must have.

But that's all assuming you will have a really-lite trailer with GVWR less than about 2,500 pounds. But lots of pop-ups with all the options have GVWR over 4,000 pounds. And almost all hybrids will have GVWR over 4,000 pounds. So for those trailers you need a weight-distributing hitch with built-in sway control.

Ignore all the weight-distributing hitches you can buy for less than $500. You want the really good ones, and they all cost more than $500 from discount sources such as ETrailer.com, Amazon.com and Ebay. They include:

Reese Strait-Line dual cam with trunnion bars
Husky Centerline
Equal-I-Zer
Blue Ox

Here's my Strait-Line, but with the light-duty trunnion bars you need for a trailer with less than 800 pounds tongue weight:

http://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distr...e/RP66083.html

LadyFordTN

Thanks guys. So much to learn and research. I appreciate all the information.