JGC 318

First post, lurker, been going back and forth over a truck to pull a horse trailer.

Trailer: 3200lbs, 2010 Hawk Straight Load 2 horse, tack room. NOT a gooseneck trailer.
Horse: 1300lbs Draft Cross.
Hay, Tack, Gear, etc.: 300lbs
People/Dog: 500lbs
Total: 5300lbs max, and an overestimate.
Distance: 150-200miles round trip
Frequency: Once a month, 8-10 trips a year, tops.

Have a few options for trucks I'm considering. This is going to be a daily driver, used for trailing infrequently, but it's a horse, so it's shifting weight. Horse is positioned over the rear axles.

1. 2015 SCREW FX4, 5.0L, 3.31 gears, 6 speed auto
2. 2018 SCREW XLT, 5.0L, 3.73 gears, 10 speed auto
3. 2018 SCREW FX4, 3.5EB, 3.55, Max Tow, 10 speed auto

The 2018s I'm looking at as a lease option, as it will be a daily, and also towing a family member. 2015 would be a purchase - only has 20,000 miles, appears well cared for. Concern is the 3.31s being more of a highway gear than tasked with towing. All three have brake controller; trailer has brakes.

Wondering who has experience towing a similar weight horse trailer, and if the two newer options are overkill with the weight that's being pulled. I'd feel more confident having more than enough than something adequate. Realize this isn't a 7500lbs travel trailer, and a fairly simple weight, but being shifting weight and the three options I'm looking at to pick up here (kind of a time crunch too - fun!), trying to remove as many variables as possible.

My first choice was the 3.73 geared 5.0L 2018 FWIW.

Hoss10

I was in a similar situation to you and I ordered a HDPP/MTTP package my reasons were

-Ford is really messing around with the MTTP it appears that the true Max Tow is only on trucks with 20 inch wheels!
-Very cost effective I was ordering a 500a Lariat with 3.5 EB MTTP and LT tires the cost to go with the HDPP upgrade was less then 500 dollars which is incredible considering the amount of upgrades you get.
-I towed my TT with my daughters F150 and was not really impressed with the handling (disclaimer the WDH could have been set up better)
-Finally and this is huge, we also tow a travel trailer as well as the horses (also Draft Crosses) and I was worrying about weight, as you know Payload is your actual towing limiter With the 600 pounds or so of additional payload this becomes almost a non issue.

I have drove 2 HDPP/MTTP trucks and the ride is a little harsher, better in the second truck with tire pressure at 45 PSI, would be better still when not towing at 40 PSI. They are a more solid feeling truck they are a little taller in the front (heavier front coil) about the same in the rear. The really thing I didn't want was the 3.73 gears but they are only a 5% difference from the 3.55 (heck my Tundra runs 4.20s).
Just my thoughts.

5.0GN tow

Having towed both GN and 2H BP trailer similar to yours with my 13 5.0 3.55 geared truck, I would rule out the 3.31 truck. I would look at the 18 5.0 with 3.73, but that is just me. I liked the way my 5.0 pulled very much.

smokeywren

Any one of those three would pull a 5,300-pound trailer without braking a sweat. Best choice would be the 3.5L EcoBoost with 3.55 gears and the max-tow pkg. That's an amazing drivetrain. But even the 5.0L engine with 3.31 gears is rated to tow more than 9,000 pounds, so no problem pulling a trailer that will gross less than 6,000 pounds.

But there's a difference between power to pull a trailer and payload capacity to carry the hitch weight of a trailer. You will run out of payload capacity long before you reach the tow rating of an F-150. That's probably why Hoss10 ordered the heavy duty payload package (HDPP) on his F-150. But if you don't haul a cabin full of passengers and/or a bed full of heavy stuff, then the standard payload package on most F-150s should be enough to handle the 700+ pounds of hitch weight of a 5300-pound trailer without exceeding the payload capacity of the F-150. I plan to order the HDPP on a 2019 this fall, because my current F-150 with standard payload capacity is slightly overloaded when towing my TT that weighs less than 5,000 pounds when wet and loaded on the road. Just me and DW, two dogs and a camper shell with hitch weight of about 650 pounds. The new F-150s with aluminum body have a coupla hundred pounds more payload capacity than my 2012, but I want more margin of safety, so I'll order the HDPP and wait however long it takes for delivery. (Ford dealers rarely stock the F-150s with HDPP, so if you want one you probably have to order it and wait at least 6 to 8 weeks for delivery).

True for the 5.0L engine, but not for the EcoBoost. With the 5.0L engine, the only "problem" for some people is that you must rev the engine up to screaming RPM to have enough HP and torque to drag the trailer over a steep grade. It won't hurt the engine to have it screaming, but some folks hate that sound and think the engine is about to disintegrate. But 3.5L EcoBoost to the rescue. With its increased torque at lower RPM, the engine doesn't have to scream to drag a heavy trailer up the hill. Mine does fine with only a 3.15 axle ratio.

Too bad. The 5.0L will get the job done, but the EcoBoost is a better towing engine. But some folks don't trust the new-fangled twin-turbo technology yet. I drove a TurboCharged Ford tow vehicle or over 200,000 miles with no problems, so I knew that Ford knows their stuff about turbocharged engines when I ordered my 2012 F150 with 3..5L EcoBoost engine. That was over 6 years ago, and my drivetrain has been flawless and wonderful for dragging my TT all over the USA.

Stu Cazzo

https://www.ford.com/resources/ford/..._F150_Sep7.pdf

acdii

Do NOT get the 15 with 3.31, you will hate it! There are many threads with owners complaining their 5.0 with 3.31 can't get out of it's own way.

Ether of the other two will work just fine. Considering I pulled a Trail-Et New Yorker with two Thoroughbreds all over the place with a 97 Explorer, either one of the trucks will do it with ease. Horse trailers are unique in that the load on them is centered over the axles, so tongue weight is pretty much the same empty or loaded and only varies with the cargo in the tack room, so I would not worry about payload, but I would use a WDH no matter what as horses tend to move and you will feel that, but the WDH will keep everything nice and settled.

If I were to choose, I would take the EB, only because I know how it tows in any condition and at any altitude. Even so the 5.0 is very capable of doing the job and may get better MPG when towing. I know with the 3.5 you wont know the trailer is back there, heck I have towed mine with a Ford Flex EB, and other than the squat, it pulled it with ease.

Hoss10

smokeywren has it right about payload very easy to go over. Throw in a couple of extra hay bales and some water (our idiot horses tend not to drink the water away from home) and your over. I guess you have to ask yourself what is your truck for and then decide. As for motors if you like high RPMs and a great engine sound then the 5 L is great, if you like less drama and a Diesel like experience then the 3.5 EB.

I really wonder why more people don't order trucks, these things are huge investments so I want exactly what I want. When I ordered mine there was not another like it in the country (Canada).

acdii

Considering that Ford no longer makes an FX4 model, assuming it is an XLT, there will be plenty of payload for hay and water. If it is a Lariat, it "might" have enough. Mine is at 1583 payload, and has enough for my trailer with two horses, tack, 30 gallons of water and 2 bales of hay.

Hoss10

Actually the Lariat vs. XLT re: payload is a bit overblown. The XLT 302a truck (the most popular configuration) is very similar to a Lariat 500a (about 20 pounds less payload in the Lariat). It's when your opt for the Pan roof and Power Running boards etc. Payload goes south quickly

acdii

Agreed, I have a 502a with all that stuff, and it is at 1583. My 2014 though was a 501a, no rattle glass in the roof, and no options but the center console, and it only had 1470 pounds. A lot will depend on the years too.