bobkyle2

Welcome to F150forum.com .... Lots of good guys and info here.... Be sure to post some pics !!

v6 FTW.... I tow all around the world with my v6... My 02 and my 08 .. there 4.2's though

moasew

Thanks for all the comments. I'm surprised at the negative comments for both these vehicles.As I said my old Frontier towed the Flagstaff much more comfortably.I towed it home through driving rain for four hours and didn't mind it abit ! The only issue was the truck was too narrow to see well past the trailer even with the trailer mirrors.It was rated for 5000lbs but I don't know what the gear ration was.
Anyway enough said about it.
The F150 has the only gear ratio available for that engine which is the 3.7.I actually would've like to get the 3.5 but I guess that would've been worse.
I'll just tough it out as trading would like be a very expensive option.The truck also has limited slip which increases the tow capacity another 400 lbs according to Ford .
In 1968 my Dad bought a new Ford 1 Ton 300 6 in which he added 3ft to the frame and built a stack box on the chassis.He hauled fertilizer,milk,potatoes etc for five years with that sucker no problem.Granted it was a standard and geared different no doubt.So if my Truck is supposed to be equivalent to the ol "Big Six" tan it is certainly along way from it.
My best bet is to trash the Truck and get an upgraded model with the 5.0 with my replacement insurance .......if I make it . I'm mainly hauling an hour to two at a time and not expecting to go on a long road trip with this sucker.Just wish Ford was a little more up front with the realities of the engine as I would've easily spent 1000 to get the 5.0. Couldn't test the truck for a couple of reasons.It was the middle of Winter when I ordered and the Trailer was in Storage.Plus there are virtually no 2wds on the dealer lot.Everyone around here seems to want 4x4 ! Guess they haven't learned to drive 2wd in Winter.
As far as the ratings are concerned I also towed a 29ft Maxxum Coachmen with a previous 1997 F150 4.6 rated at the max trailer weight of 7000lbs for three years and even though you knew it was behind you (as you should so you don't get complacent) there were no sway issues and power felt better than the Big Six.

Lenn

The comments are not so much negative as they are real. The 3.7L will do you just fine but you will have to go to a aftermarket supplier to find a set of rear gears so you can comfortably pull the trailer. 3.73's or 3.55's will probably do you just fine without a HUGE expense of trading out trucks.

There are options for you with your current rig but in its Ford configured state, your truck was more geared toward comfort than towing abilities.

moasew

I bought the V6 because I did not want to be driving around 50 weeks of the year with a larger engine I didn't need plus the fact that I knew I wasn't at the max trailer towing capacity and only doing hauls of 2hrs or less. When paying 1.23 per liter you have to keep that in mind.however I don't think the 5.0 drinks much more fuel as it wouldn't labour as much.If the six is not that much more fuel efficent or matched with a better gear ratio it puzzles me why Ford rejuvenated it? The 2001 Frontier Crew really did haul the trailer (surprisingly to me) comfortably.

moasew

Thanks Lenn.The Truck came with 3.7 gears. If I were to change gears would I have to go above or below this? The 3.55 gears were not available with this engine through Ford at the time I ordered

moasew

You would think Ford would mention the way the trailer capacity is rated so they could sell you a larger engine.As I mentioned I would've chucked out the extra 1000 to move up to a 5.0 if I had've known and likely wouldn't labour as much as the 3.7 even just driving around the city.

zap

4.10 gearing is what you need, but will affect your fuel mileage. I'll maybe buy the 400 lb increase with a LS, but only in unideal conditions. At the end of the day, you'll be at the limitations of your converter, but torque increase is what you need and what will mainly help you, which a regear would help with.

I saw someone compare horsepower of the engines. That really doesn't have a whole lot to do with it. Power is the rate at which you can do work. Work is defined as a force by distance (or torque). Basically, you may have a higher power rating, but it doesn't mean you can do more work, just work at a faster rate.

Look into a Bully Dog GT tuner. On a sled pull comparison with an F150 done by Horsepower TV, they got more distance (more weight pulled) after retuning the stock 2011 V6 F150 (not sure which engine it was) and taking another pull run. Also did it with a 6.1 Hemi Charger and it still made a massive difference in distance. May help you with your issue and is cheaper than a regear.

ecotow

The whole idea behind the ecoboost is to give v6 gas mileage with v8 towing capacity.

If you need both of those, get the ecoboost.

zap

There is still a lot of room for improvement though. Next step, maybe variable vane turbos? Personally I think the EB would be a saint if it was a diesel, but no one seems to want to or be able to (Mahindra) release a half ton diesel in the US. Oh well...

ktmrider203

I went from the 3.73 to the Ford racing 4.10 plus new bearings and seals which have towed 6000 pounds a few times . MF135 tractor plus dual axle flatbed trailer . It does OK and did not have electric trailer brakes then so no mountains .. For flat or hilly Ok but a no go in steep stuff . The stock 17 inch tires not load rated for that tow weight so went to 18's with 112 load rating and 44 psi . Much more stable. The 4.10 helps but it is only a 10% increase in ratio so its not a huge difference.Lost 0.2 mpg on highway no tow. And need premium fuel to get max torque . Have installed variable adjustment electric brake controller and highly recommend that over 2500 pounds tow weight. Its plug and go except the brake controller ground require punching small hole and add grommet in firewall below master cylinder for ground and adding 30 amp thermal breaker on hot wire under hood before attachment to battery . Hot wire needs no firewall hole comes up from frame rail on passenger side. Tinned marine grade #10 wire to handle amps and moisture and slip on wire covering tidy it up - looks stock. . Added 6 prong plug in rear and kept stock 4 prong for little 1 ton max weight trailer . Will add airbags on rear for heavy towing as front end lifted too much with 6000 pound load- not unsafe but would not want to go cross country w/o them nor anti-sway bars .