Tony O'Connell

A friend of mine is soon to sell his 2011 Lariat and says he has the tow package installed. I don't see any "Tow" button or overdrive switch (to disable when towing). How do I tell if this would be the right truck to tow my Rockwood Ultralite 2608WS TT? He is meticulous in his care of this vehicle and I would hate to pass it up, but if it's not suited, then I'll have to forget about it.

Any advice appreciated.

smokeywren

The regular tow pkg and the SelectShift tranny were standard on the 2011 Lariat. There should be an "M" range in the tranny selector display, and there should be a tow/haul button on the end of the gearshift selector lever.


2011-up F-150 does not have an overdrive kill button. It was replaced by the tow/haul button. But no worry, the Owner's Guide explains how to lock out gears in the Select Shift tranny as well as how to use the "M"anual gear selector feature in case you want to play boy racer and go "Udden, udden" as you manually select gears. Be sure the truck comes with a 2011 Owner's Guide. If the previous owner misplaced it, you can get a replacement copy from MyFord.com

Tony O'Connell

Thanks for that info, GOM. I'm sure he still has the owners manual. He put down an old carpet to protect the bed liner and wipes the truck down after it gets wet in the rain, so it will be somewhere safe.

Ricktwuhk

That button doesn't tell you if you can tow your trailer. Read the PAYLOAD sticker on the door jamb, then read the almost daily posts here explaining the math.

smokeywren

Your F-150 with the standard towing package can tow up to the GCWR as far as power and torque to drag the trailer over hill and dale is concerned. Your problem is payload capacity of the F-150.

GVWR minus the weight of the truck = payload capacity.

Your Rockwood Untralite 2608WS has
Dry Weight 5876 pounds
Cargo carrying Capacity (CCC) of the trailer 1444 pounds
= 7320 GVWR


Average tongue weight of a wet and loaded TT is 13% of trailer weight. With a normal load for a weekend camping trip, you can expect that trailer to gross 7,000 pounds with 910 pounds of tongue weight. Add another 100 pounds for a good weight-distributing hitch and total hitch weight will be around 1,000 pounds.

So subtract 1000 pounds from the payload capacity of your F-150 and the remaining is the max weight of people, pets, tools, jacks, campfire wood, and other stuff you can haul in the pickup while towing that trailer.

In a nutshell, if that half-ton pickup doesn’t have the optional maximum towing package, then you’ll probably be overloaded when on the road towing that wet and loaded trailer with a truck full of family and stuff. My 2012 Lariat SuperCrew 4x2 with 6.5’ bed and EcoBoost drivetrain is barely overloaded with my TT that weighs only 4,870 pounds when wet and loaded on the road. With a 7,000 pound TT, I’d be severely overloaded.

Tony O'Connell

I weighed my trailer loaded at 6400lb and using a tongue weight scale my tongue weight is 760lb which is close to 12% The only variance is what we pack in terms of food and drink. In my truck be I carry a couple of folding bikes, golf clubs and a 20lb propane tank (45lb) and a couple of lawn chairs. Total weight can't be more than 300lb. My 2004 F-150 is rated 8300lb towing and does not have a problem with this trailer using a Reese straight line hitch. From what I researched online the 2011 Lariat EcoBoost is rated to tow 8200, 9300 or 11,300 depending on axle ratio. So, I should be okay if I were to buy this truck, yes?

smokeywren

You'll probably not be overloaded over the GVWR of the F-150 if you keep the tongue weight down to 760. But tongue weight can change in a hurry if you're not conscious of the limited payload capacity of your F-150.


Those tow ratings tell you only the weight you an PULL without overheating anything in the drivetrain. But that's not your limiter. GVWR (and actual payload capacity based on GVWR minus truck weight) is your limiter.


My 2012 F-150 4x2 with EcoBoost engine and 3.15 axle ratio has tow rating of 8,400 pounds, but I slightly exceed the GVWR of the F-150 with my small TT that grosses only 4,870 pounds with 650 pounds hitch weight. So ignore tow rating and concentrate on GVWR. (GVWR minus truck weight = payload capacity.)


If you read the tow rating table correctly, then that pickup has the 3.5L EcoBoost engine. With that engine you will have all sorts of extra power and torque for dragging that 6,400-pound trailer up the mountain pass, regardless of axle ratio. So just because you can easily pull that trailer doesn't mean you're not overloaded.


After you have the pickup and trailer and loaded it up for camping, with the spring bars of your Strait-Line hitch tight, weigh the wet and loaded rig on a CAT scale. If the combined weight on the front and rear axles of the F-150 is less than the GVWR of the F-150, you're good to go. But if the weight on those two axles exceeds the GVWR of the F-150, then you'll need to get some weight out of the truck, or maybe reduce tongue weight, when towing.

Tony O'Connell

OK. Great! My main concern was the 2011 F-150 not having the guts to pull my trailer like my 2004 5.4 V8. All the rest should be similar to what I do now. I don't dry camp so I don't pack water or a generator. I'll have to compare the GVWR between both trucks.