Lone Star Guy

Hi, I'm not an F-150 owner yet. I'm looking at a used 2015 Lariat without the Max Tow Package. I'm told it can only tow 5000 lbs and that the Max Tow Package probably had to be installed new, at the factory. They say it can't be upgraded to tow more than 5000 lbs. So, my question is, and I know it would be with some risk... can I upgrade the hitch, if not a Class IV already, install a xmission cooler, and push it to tow say, 7500 lbs or is it just not possible without the max tow package, whatever else that includes? Hope this make sense. Thanks.

Mmm Coffee

Is this a Ford dealer telling you this? I would have a hard time trusting this information from any dealer really. The Lariat should come standard with a Class IV hitch and 5000 lbs would be the limit without a WDH. The hitch should have a stamp or sticker saying what the limit is with a WDH. What's the cab configuration, wheelbase, 4x4 or 2x4, and if you can find the axle ratio?

EDIT - I missed that you said it was a 2.7L in the title... got a little confused because you mentioned the max tow package. That's only available with the 3.5 EB.

Lone Star Guy

Trying to get used to the mechanics of this forum... I TRYING to respond to Mmm Coffee.

Well, some of the information came from chatting with Ford online. I have actually purchased the truck, after being 'convinced', that since it had a xmission cooler (mounted in front of the radiator (unless it was really a power steering cooler??? as I read somewhere else), a Class IV hitch, a 7 wire harness, Sway Control and told by the dealer that it had the 53A tow package with an Upgraded Front Stabilizer (they say they checked it) and the display shows information for the Smart Trailer Two Connector (although no one ever really showed me the connector). It does NOT have the trailer brake control installed. I don't think the first owner ever towed with it. It's in immaculate condition. The Ford Towing Selection chart indicates that with a Towing Package, the 2.7L with 3.3 Axle Ratio and 145" wheel base can pull between 7300 and 7600 lbs. What may still be unclear is what exactly constitutes a proper towing package to do that, but there are notes (x) and such about requirements to get to MAX towing capacity but none of them relate to this vehicle with the aforementioned specs. The hitch does indicate it can handle something like 11,000 lbs using WD. That is something I would have to rig up with the trailer, right?

I don't know if all this can help determine with brutal finality that it can tow 7300-7600 lbs, but I guess I was convinced it could and they led me to believe the same. If ultimately not, they're going to get a barrage of verbal abuse both there and in social media and I will do all I can to overturn the deal.

Mmm Coffee

I hope you're feeling more confident about what you've got at this point. I've been there and I know the feeling. It looks like you have done your homework to figure out how your truck is equipped and where it falls on the published towing guide chart. I would just suggest that you look up the GCWR for your truck (also on the towing guide chart), estimate the total weight of your loaded truck as it would be when you are towing - curb weight plus driver and passengers plus cargo, then subtract that number from the GCWR. That will be your max loaded trailer weight... possibly lower than whatever the chart tells you.

Ricktwuhk

Ignore charts. Read the stickers on your door jamb. You will see your payload. Subtract the weight of all occupants including yourself, as well as any modifications on the truck and anything you load into it. Divide the result by .13, i.e. 13% tongue weight and that is the MAX loaded trailer you can tow. Highly likely it won't be as high as you expect. There is an entire towing section of the forum you can review with in-depth discussions.

Interesting how in a matter of hours you went from not owning a truck and doing research to owning it and now doing research. Hope you got what you need.

1Aauto

Welcome to the site

Lone Star Guy

Thanks Mmm Coffee and Ricktwuhk... sorry, I was out of town for 10 days.

Ricktwuhk, it seems odd that I would ignore all the charts that FORD makes for the sole purpose of informing me of the towing capability of the truck, but I guess get your point. (Maybe you need to set yourself up to go around to the Ford sales folks and charge them to teach them how to figure the towing capacity!) At any rate, per your advice, I believe the 'payload' is indicated on the door label as "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed: 1483 lbs." Correct? My wife and I are not large people, so if I subtract, for example 600 lbs for both us AND the cargo in the truck and divide by .13, I get according to your formula, the ability to tow up to a 6807 lb trailer. Does that sound right? I think I can live with that. [It appears that according to your formula, a small change in cargo weight leverages a huge difference in towing capacity. If I reduce the cargo weight to 450 lbs total, the towing capacity jumps to 7961 lbs! So, I'm guessing I can move cargo to the trailer and pull more weight? I know, I have a lot to learn. That's OK. I have time and I like the truck even if I can't tow something huge. Anyway, I will get into the Towing info on the forum as soon as I can.Thanks again!

nubbins_

Welcome to the forum.

It looks like you have the regular tow package. It comes with the hitch, Smart Connector, aux tranny cooler but it is distinct from the Max Tow. I believe Max Tow can only be obtained on 157" and 163" wheelbases, similar to the Heavy Duty Payload Package. ==>

1. 53B: Class IV trailer hitch ==> literally the worst deal of all, I don't think any dealer actually orders trucks with this package, it just has the hitch and connector

2. 53A: "Regular" Trailer Tow Package (aux cooler, better front sway) ==> what literally everyone has

3. 53C: Max Tow Package (all of the above + axle upgrade, possibly HDPP frame??, standard Trailer Brake Controller) ==> a lot less common

Max Tow is not possible with the 2.7L EB.

The Trailer Brake Controller does not come standard with the standard 53A package. From the factory it is $250, but after you get the truck it costs a bit more to add.

Honestly I would be conservative with the towing numbers. Those numbers are highly idealistic as they assume everything is perfect and "set up properly". There are a lot of things that Ford does not tell you off the bat. The F-150 eSourceBook is available as a PDF and is a much better piece of documentation than the manual as it encompasses specs for pretty much every aspect of the truck.

fGAWR and rGAWR: your axle ratings vary depending on the package you have.

Front and rear springs: there are roughly 10 (I think) different spring sets for F-150s of different bodystyles, engines, frames and packages

Frame: most F-150s are divided between three frame types (LD, HD, HDPP). You can find this in the eSourceBook. The 2.7EB will either have LD or HD.

• If you have the "2.7L Payload Package", which usually results in a GVWR around 6700-7050lb, then you have the HD frame of 0.1" thickness.
• If you don't have the 2.7L Payload Package, your GVWR is closer to 6000 than 7000lbs, and you won't get the 3.73 gears, 9.75 axle and mechanical parking brake that it brings, and you have the LD frame of 0.087" thickness.

TL;DR, even without the 2.7 Payload, Ford says that you can theoretically tow 7600lbs, but obviously with the Weight Distributing Hitch. All of the numbers in the towing table assume the presence of WDH. 7300-7600lbs does not need Max Tow, which is unavailable for 2.7EB trucks anyways. If you have the 2.7 Payload Package, you can tow over 8000lbs according to Ford, but from the specs it does not look like you have the 2.7 Payload.

__________________________________________________ _________

You can use that method of calculation to come to 7900lbs of towing capacity; plenty of people carry over the payload spec or tow more than is spec'd.

Should you do it? Probably not. If Ford says you can tow 7500-7600lb on a good day (the difference between the two is 4x4 and 4x2 trucks, not sure which one you have), you probably shouldn't go bounding to 7900lbs.

Lone Star Guy

Thanks nubbins, good detail. I have no intention of pushing it to tow up to 7900. I can be happy towing a smaller RV trailer. Just want to be comfortable with 6000-7000 lbs and have some fun.