2015 3.5 EB with 3.15 read end
02-23-2016, 06:43 PM
#12
Grumpy Old Man
Looks good to me.
But if you're **** about getting it perfect, you need two CAT scale tickets. One with the spring bars tightened to where you think they should be when towing, and the other with the spring bars disconnected.
And you need a tongue weight scale so you can weigh the tongue when it's not connected to the tow vehicle. Here's mine:
http://www.etrailer.com/Tools/Sherline/5780.html
Comparing the axle weights on those two tickets, the trailer axles and the front axle of the tow vehicle should each gain 15% to 20% of gross tongue weight when the spring bars are tightened.
The rear axle of the tow vehicle should lose 30% to 40% of gross tongue weight when the spring bars are tightened.
But if you're **** about getting it perfect, you need two CAT scale tickets. One with the spring bars tightened to where you think they should be when towing, and the other with the spring bars disconnected.
And you need a tongue weight scale so you can weigh the tongue when it's not connected to the tow vehicle. Here's mine:
http://www.etrailer.com/Tools/Sherline/5780.html
Comparing the axle weights on those two tickets, the trailer axles and the front axle of the tow vehicle should each gain 15% to 20% of gross tongue weight when the spring bars are tightened.
The rear axle of the tow vehicle should lose 30% to 40% of gross tongue weight when the spring bars are tightened.
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Velosprout (02-24-2016)
02-24-2016, 08:41 AM
#13
Senior Member
Just check the front wheel well heights before and after hook up.
That's the important part. The rear end is designed to sag some.
Use your WDH to bring the front wheel well height back down to where it was initially or a bit less.
Think the Ford manual or your hitch manual talks about it some more
02-27-2016, 08:56 AM
#14
Senior Member
Elevation is not much of a problem with the twin-turbocharged EcoBoost engine. Like a turbo-charged diesel, don't worry about altitude as much as other things.
Power to tow a 6,800 pound TT with the 3.5L EcoBoost engine and 3.15 rear axle of a 4x2 SuperCrew is not a problem. My tow rating is 8,400, and I know it can pull 6,800 without breaking a sweat.
I towed a gooseneck trailer loaded with a full-size backhoe from Midland to Blanco through the Hill Country with no problems. That trailer grossed over 20,000 pounds. The F-150 definitely knew the trailer was back there, but it just kept on keeping on when climbing hills between Brady and Blanco.
The problem was not power and torque to pull the load with a gross combined weight of 27,500 pounds, but the payload capacity to haul the hitch weight of that trailer. My GVWR is 7,100 and my GVW was 8,460, or over 1,300 pounds overloaded on the axles of the pickup. The only real problem was 6.5 MPG on premium gas.
On another trip, I had to tow Darling Daughter's full-timer 5er from Austin to Midland County, again through the Hill Country. Austin to Llano to Brady to San Angelo to my home in sticks of rural Midland County. The 5er grossed close to 8,000 pounds. CAT scale ticket shows 3,300 pounds on the front axle, 4,680 on the drive axle for GVW of 7980 compared to my 7,100 GVWR. 14,780 GCW compared to 14,000 GCWR. Overloaded but no problems at all other than 8.5 MPG on premium gas.
Oh, and all that overloaded towing was on the stock P-Series 18" tires, pumped up to 44 PSI cold. No tire problems on those two trips.
But don't kid yourself. Towing a trailer that grosses 6,800 pounds will probably overload your F-150's 6,800 GVWR. It's not smart to plan on towing overloaded.
My TT has GVWR of 5,600 pounds and actual wet and loaded weight of 4,780 pounds, and it overloads my F-150 by 100 pounds over the 7,100 GVWR.
Delivering that backhoe to my son in Blanco was a one-time good deal, that I don't plan on repeating. Dragging DD's 5er home from Austin was also a one-time good deal that I don't plan on repeating. So I'll just tow my 19.5' TT that barely overloads my tow vehicle and be a happy camper.
Power to tow a 6,800 pound TT with the 3.5L EcoBoost engine and 3.15 rear axle of a 4x2 SuperCrew is not a problem. My tow rating is 8,400, and I know it can pull 6,800 without breaking a sweat.
I towed a gooseneck trailer loaded with a full-size backhoe from Midland to Blanco through the Hill Country with no problems. That trailer grossed over 20,000 pounds. The F-150 definitely knew the trailer was back there, but it just kept on keeping on when climbing hills between Brady and Blanco.
The problem was not power and torque to pull the load with a gross combined weight of 27,500 pounds, but the payload capacity to haul the hitch weight of that trailer. My GVWR is 7,100 and my GVW was 8,460, or over 1,300 pounds overloaded on the axles of the pickup. The only real problem was 6.5 MPG on premium gas.
On another trip, I had to tow Darling Daughter's full-timer 5er from Austin to Midland County, again through the Hill Country. Austin to Llano to Brady to San Angelo to my home in sticks of rural Midland County. The 5er grossed close to 8,000 pounds. CAT scale ticket shows 3,300 pounds on the front axle, 4,680 on the drive axle for GVW of 7980 compared to my 7,100 GVWR. 14,780 GCW compared to 14,000 GCWR. Overloaded but no problems at all other than 8.5 MPG on premium gas.
Oh, and all that overloaded towing was on the stock P-Series 18" tires, pumped up to 44 PSI cold. No tire problems on those two trips.
But don't kid yourself. Towing a trailer that grosses 6,800 pounds will probably overload your F-150's 6,800 GVWR. It's not smart to plan on towing overloaded.
My TT has GVWR of 5,600 pounds and actual wet and loaded weight of 4,780 pounds, and it overloads my F-150 by 100 pounds over the 7,100 GVWR.
Delivering that backhoe to my son in Blanco was a one-time good deal, that I don't plan on repeating. Dragging DD's 5er home from Austin was also a one-time good deal that I don't plan on repeating. So I'll just tow my 19.5' TT that barely overloads my tow vehicle and be a happy camper.
02-27-2016, 10:57 AM
#15
Grumpy Old Man
Towing overloaded occasionally requires not only prudence, but luck and experience and a properly maintained rig to avoid disaster. So far I've been lucky. But the average trailer puller doesn't have the experience to safely tow an overloaded rig, their equipment is not maintained to a high standard the way mine is, and relying on luck is foolish.
Sorry if I seem to "lecture". My intent is to provide info to help others understand the weight limits of their rig. For a lot of math-challenged people, understanding of how to match tow vehicle and trailer weights without being overloaded is beyond them without some nudging from the experienced folks on towing forums such as this one.
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Enived2 (02-27-2016)
02-29-2016, 08:16 PM
#16
Senior Member
I just don't see the 3.15 rear end as a tow rig, at least anything of decent weight.
02-29-2016, 08:25 PM
#17
Senior Member
If I had an EB I would go lesser gear to get better milage knowing I have to torque to make up for it when towing.
03-01-2016, 12:18 PM
#18
Senior Member
You'll be just fine in Colorado. I've towed between 10,500 ft and sea level in my EB, and I can't say I noticed much, if any, difference in performance.
You should also be fine w/ 3.15 gears. I had 3.55 in my 3.5 EB, and it moved my 6500 lb trailer nicely down the road, in 6th gear most of the time. If it is hunting a lot, just lock out 6th.
You should also be fine w/ 3.15 gears. I had 3.55 in my 3.5 EB, and it moved my 6500 lb trailer nicely down the road, in 6th gear most of the time. If it is hunting a lot, just lock out 6th.
06-15-2016, 11:32 AM
#19
My 2014 EB Screw has 3:15, and I pull a 28' Coleman just fine in 6th gear. The only issue I had was sway, but it was a really windy, gusty day too. 30MPH winds tend to toss things around.
A good starting point when setting up is to have the trailer level once hitched up and the bars applied. Once I did that, I found the rest fell into place. If it isn't level, with nose low, the tail of the truck is also low and the front end high, and that leads to a very frustrating driving experience. Once the WDH is setup correctly, you should have no issues pulling that trailer around. If you drop the ball to level the truck and have the trailer nose low, that can lead to other issues as an overloaded TW, so best to start with a level trailer once hitched with the SB on. Then hit the scales to see where you land.
A good starting point when setting up is to have the trailer level once hitched up and the bars applied. Once I did that, I found the rest fell into place. If it isn't level, with nose low, the tail of the truck is also low and the front end high, and that leads to a very frustrating driving experience. Once the WDH is setup correctly, you should have no issues pulling that trailer around. If you drop the ball to level the truck and have the trailer nose low, that can lead to other issues as an overloaded TW, so best to start with a level trailer once hitched with the SB on. Then hit the scales to see where you land.