Sask F150

Hey all, Just got back from my first camping trip with my new(used) trailer and 2014 F-150 5.0L 3.55gears. Trailer is a 2009 Keystone Hideout(no slide) about 6000# loaded. Using a Blue Ox sway pro WD hitch.

So this is my first time pulling with this truck and trailer and the only other experience I've had pulling is a little tent trailer with my old 2004 5.4l ford. So going up to our camp site(2.5hrs) was not pleasant. The truck and trailer handled really well with my wd hitch and there was next to no sway. Truck was a little bouncy but I think that is normal.

What bothered me the most was the 5.0l and hunting gears. Is this truck supposed to do that? Ive got about 14000km on it now so it is well broken in transmission wise. The whole way up it was running in 4th at about 2500rpm and would shift to 3rd up a hill. I had tow/haul mode on and switched it on and off to see if I could see a difference but I didn't. Every so often it would find 5th but not stay there long. Even on what looked to be flat driving it would stay in 4th. Maybe that's normal but it worried me as a first timer lol

After about 1.5 hours of this I stopped and put it into manual mode. MUCH better! I was able to shift through the gears to get it up to 100km/h then set cruise and shift between 5th and 4th at about 2000 rpm. Got about 23.1L/100km on the trip home.

Is this common for most people? Just want to make sure using manual was the right way and that the way the truck was responding in drive was normal and that I don't need to take it in for service lol.

Also one last question regarding Manual mode. Is it safe to switch between drive and manual while driving? Or do I have to stop to switch it?

Thanks

Bill14STX

What kind of altitude was this at? I have the 5.0L and 3.55 gears as well, and my trailer weighs just a little less than yours at around 5600 lbs loaded up with two motorcycles on board (2014 LivinLite Bearcat BC7X20). I have not experienced this, but have yet to tow at altitudes over 1000 ft. Mine does downshift when pulling hills, but as long as I leave it in tow/haul mode, it doesn't hunt.

What I have found is that this truck tows WAY better with a lot less drama than my old 2006 F150 with the 5.4L and 3.55 gears under similar conditions.

5.0GN tow

I tow a lot more weight than yours with a 2013STX 4x4 5.0 with 3.55s. My towed weight is little over 7500 and sometimes well north of that. I have found that the only hunting I get is between 5 and 6 on mostly small hills. I usually lockout 6th and she tows great at 70mph. It will drop to 4th on larger hills but to drop to 3rd usually means a really big hill that I had to slow down for traffic going into the climb.

Sask F150

I'm pulling in Canada. Saskatchewan to be exact so not much elevation. The truck did not really hunt for gears all the time it just seemed to stay in 4th way longer than it should. When i tapped the gas it shifted to 5th then 6th but would loose speed in 6th right away. There was a good wind going to so that could of been a factor. On the way home I drove in manual and it seemed to be fine at 60mph in 5th and when going up hill I would manual shift down to 4th. I was not sure what to expect when pulling something this big so it could be completely normal and that's why I posted this to see if anyone else had the same types of things happen.

Also nobody answered my question of if you can put into manual mode while driving?

Manuellabour247

You can put it in manual mode while driving with no problems. Your transmission has learned your normal driving habits. That means no load and no tow/haul mode. Could just need to lock out 6th like said above. Should pull well while in t/h mode though. It's supposed to hold the gears for the power, or in the power band longer to maintain momentum.

Sask F150

Ok thanks, So if its running in 4th at 2500rpm with tow/haul mode on thats normal for the particular driving conditions?

Also do I just hit the minus sign to lock out gears?

smokeywren

I don't know about the 5.0L. With my EcoBoost dragging a 5,000-pound TT, I put it in "D", push the button to lock in tow/haul mode, set the cruise control on 62 MPH, and boogy.


I rarely use manual mode. It's good for towing in town where I cannot achieve 62 MPH. To make the AC do a good job, I put it in manual mode, then select whatever gear results in about 3,500 to 4,000 RPM.


Yes, you can switch between manual and automatic mode while moving. If you switch to manual, the computer will select the same gear you were in when in automatic mode. After it's in manual mode, you can then use the go pedal to speed up or slow down, and the paddle shifters to upshift or downshift to achieve your target RPM.

Manuellabour247

Yup. You don't have to be in manual mode to lock out the gears. These 5.0's make their power higher in the RPM range. It's a nature of the beast. I lock out 6th when I tow my trailer. It's barely 2k pounds, but I go through a lot of hills. Keeps from hunting gears as much.

5.0GN tow

Yes you can go manual mode while driving. I have found with pulling the big goosneck horse trailer that headwinds will have a big impact on the fuel economy and gear selection. I pulled awhile back in a 25 to 30 mph headwind and on level ground it was work to hold 5th at 70, any hill dropped me to 4th. So I would say as you found out coming home wind can play heck with you. Big bulky trailers are kind of like a giant drag chute.

The more you tow the better it will get too. The tow haul mode engaged then toggle down once and 6th will be locked out.

Velosprout

Each truck and trailer combination and the wind and road conditions differ. Use either manual or the tow/haul or overdrive off modes as appropriate to reduce hunting for the gear.