ctimrun

I feel a bit disappointed in its towing ability. I am posting this partially to vent, but also to see if others have had similar experiences with their 15's, and maybe someone can think of something I haven't as to why I have had this experience.

I traded in my 2013 F150 EB long bed for pretty much the same truck in a 2015. I love the technological improvements the new one has over my previous trucks. The only difference between the two F150's is my 2013 had 3.73 gears and this 2015 has 3.55 gears. The different gearing isn't really a factor as my complaint isn't with the pulling power of the new one. Both trucks have great pulling power. I live in the northwest and pull some fairly steep grades and really like the eco boost for the way I currently use a truck. BTW both trucks have the same 2.5" level kits on them.

I have a hobby (borderline bad habit) of buying and repairing/fixing up old tractors and lawn mowers, some of which can be quite heavy for their size. I have quite a bit of experience loading trailers (weighting properly) for comfortable long distance tows, I even use a tongue weight scale to set the load up. I recently loaded up some small equipment onto one of my smaller trailers for about a 1K mile tow.

This same/similar load with the 2013 would have been absolutely no sweat at all, and I wouldn't have felt the trailer behind the truck at all. I was really looking forward to pulling this load with the 2015, however I quickly found out that this new truck was a downgrade from my 13 in the towing department.

Like I said the pulling power is great, the truck hardly got over 2000 rpm the entire trip. The problem was with how much I felt the trailer yanking the back end of the truck around. The trailer pulled very straight (no sway) but I felt the truck being jerked around as the trailer ran over bumps, pot holes, lane markers, and the big rig crown in the right lanes of the various roads I traveled on.

I checked and double checked the trailer, hitch, load, and trailer/truck tire pressures. Came to the conclusion this truck just isn't as sure footed for some reason. My wife is really disappointed as we were looking at some (very small) travel trailers to camp with, but I'm just not confident enough in the way this truck tows to get a 5K pound camper to pull around with this. Even when this little trailer (pictured) is empty I can feel it behind this truck, as it bounces around on the road it pulls the truck around. With the previous truck this same trailer could not be felt as it bounced around.

I have read other threads about the 15's pulling campers and owners being really happy with them and I'm really confused. Is it possible people don't want to admit their $50k "investment" isn't as great as it should be?

Is it possible the bed being lighter weight compared to the other trucks give it the sensation of being less stable? This seems far fetched but is just a thought.

So I would appreciate any advice or to hear others experiences with the 15's, especially those who towed with the previous gen and now the newest one......

Picture of what I was towing. Approx 3000 total with 400 lbs tongue weight (and about 200 lbs in the bed of the truck)......

Gerrard155

Your truck weighs appx 700 lbs less than the one you replaced-so yes, it will be less stable when pulling a load. Ultimately, a heavier truck is going to do a better job of staying sure footed under load....

AbitaPro

OP - my thoughts is the 2015 truck does weigh less, I doubt a full 700lbs, but could be wrong, but the weight difference, plus the suspension and the steering are all contributing to your disappointment. I can appreciate what your saying as I had a 2012 with 6.5 bed and towed about a 4000 lb load on a tandem axle 14' trailer 6K rated and never new it was back there. The right tow vehicle does not wear you out nor give you a feeling of being uncomfortable or unsafe.

You are not the first to complain and I do agree with your $50K opinion. Some new 15 owners have looked to buy back the old truck they traded, others looked at 2014's and then again others moved to F250s.

From what you and others are saying, I don't think Ford has their new 2015 F150's dialed in just yet for a comfortable towing experience. Perhaps with more honest feedback Ford can make towing improvements? Honestly the 2015s should tow much better, not slightly, much better, so what happened?

AbitaPro

No offense ^^^^, I believe the trucks are rated to tow slightly more than the 3000lb load he towed and felt uncomfortable, his may be rated to tow 10,700LBS. If he felt uncomfortable with 3000lbs, how would he and his wife have felt towing 10,700lbs?

Its not rocket science, he bought a truck expecting to use it, and if he has a problem towing less than 1/3rd of the rated capacity, there is a problem! Especially considering he towed the same loads with the same trailer with his 2013 F150, and as he said, never new it was back there!

DallasTXF150

I've seen some of the videos showing tests while towing 9000-10000 pounds and there hasn't been any opinions on the unsteadiness while towing the trailers.

I've only towed a light trailer of about 1,000 pounds and it felt invisible. I know it's not anywhere near 3000 or the max but even a 1000 pound trailer has enough mass to upset the rear end of a bad bump is hit on the road.

I've also read a lot of owners who have towed heavy trailers and campers and whatnot and none of them have complained. In fact this is the first time I've read a complaint.

I'm sure you've checked all the aspects before towing but can't imagine Ford releasing a product as shaky as you're saying on a model line as bread and butter as the F150.

Gerrard155

None taken. It is important to understand that everything in this world is about 2 things-

1.) expectations
2.) Perception

People currently have an expectation that their half ton will-

1.) Have the towing and payload capability of a mining truck
2.) get the fuel economy of a prius
3.) Go 0-60 as quickly as a murcielago
4.) Have the interior space of the space shuttle
5.) Be easier to park than a Smart Fortwo
6.) Cost less than a used lawnmower
7.) Integrate flawlessly with all technology in the world
8.) Have the reliability of a ballpoint pen

...and others that I cant think of now. Also, every individual is skewed by their own perception of what they are getting, for better or worse.

I say all of that to make the point that it is impossible to gauge why this particular individual does not feel "comfortable" towing 3K lbs. I have towed 9000lbs with my 5.0 Lariat (a less capable motor) and felt fine about it and was happy with the performance. All about expectations and perception.

ctimrun

Very good points and I appreciate everyone's response so far. "Expectations and perceptions" was very well said. Keep in mind I have absolutely no complaint about how the 3.5 pulls compared to the 5.0 in your truck.

I am simply inquiring as to why this truck doesn't feel as sure footed as the previous gen with the exact same trailer and similar load/weight distribution. I'm curious as to other people's and user's opinions whether or not it is the lighter weight of the rear end of the truck or possibly the way the trailer feedback resonates through this truck frame and body back to the cab compared to my 2013.

I guess I'm a little surprised that a load that is only about 3K lbs affects the truck as much as it does, especially when I see others on this forum pulling much larger (size and weight) trailers without much complaint. Maybe my expectations are too high, however I am only basing my complaint on my comparison with my 2013.

I don't have any experience with weight distribution (only owned 5th wheel in the past) hitches and I know a weight distribution on this setup pictured would be silly, but maybe 3000 lbs is a little much for this truck without one? Maybe if I had a 5-7k lbs travel trailer with a properly setup WD hitch it would tame the feedback I am getting with this little load without? This is the kind of feedback I am hoping to hear from experienced users.

I have felt this way about this truck for a while now but haven't written anything till tonight. Maybe there are others who also feel this way and just haven't wrote it out yet, or don't want to knock their expensive purchase, and possibly after reading this will chime in with their similar concerns/complaints, or better yet solutions of some type.

I also want to make a point that I am not trying to bash anyone or anybody's vehicle purchase decisions, I want to love this truck and be totally satisfied with it the entire time I own it.

Thanks again for the input.

Steve Riggs

I also collect and restore garden tractors, but I prefer wheel horse. So far I only have 300 miles on my 2015 SCab and have towed a "light" load about 5-1/2 miles to my parents house down a country road. I did notice the trailer bouncing the rear of the truck a lot more than with my previous 2001 SCrew.



This is a typical load I put behind my '01. The 4.6 really lacked the power to get it moving but it seemed to bounce a lot less.

robbieg

I bet as a test if you put about 750LB in the bed it will "feel" more like the 2013. Some air springs will help a lot especially with the bouncing but you will still get some of the left to right pull from the weight of the trailer.

RACER X

maybe consider installing a Hellwig rear sway bar