MagneticScrew

New to the forum here. As an owner of a 2017 157" HDPP F-150 5.0L #7850GVW / 2,523lbs payload on door sticker. I have done a lot of research on the differences between the HDPP & non HDPP as well as owning both hdpp & non hdpp 150s.
There are many more differences then just an extra leaf spring and thicker frame. Your kidding yourself if you think those are the only differences. If it truly was the only difference then Ford would not have canceled HDPP orders until mid 2016. They would have simply printed different payload labels and fulfilled the orders.
The thicker frame must be required according to Ford.

thicker frame.
extra leaf out back.
factory lift blocks between springs and axle for longer suspension travel.
larger wire diameter front coil springs.
aluminum higher load rated wheels.
aluminum matching spare wheel & tire(keeps unsprung mass behind rear axle lower).
36gal fuel cell.
3.73 elect locker.
HD version of the 9.75" rear axle rated 580lbs higher(4800lbs total)
Super engine cooling.
larger rear rotors for non electric park brake 5.0L
Different more squared off shaped front air dam.
And other small variations not mention in the ford fleet dimension pages.
I owned a 2016 non hdpp version and when installing my 5er hitch i noticed a lot of the heat shield materials present on the non hdpp version are absent on the hdpp one i own now. Can only speculate its to save weight to increase payload. Im sure there are more differences i have yet to come across as i have only owner the hdpp for 3 months.
I can also add the HDPP version seems to have a lot more power under acceleration and sounds different out the exhaust. Sounds like it has glasspack muffler.
I have towed my 8,300lb loaded 5er RV with both HDPP & NON HDPP and can say its night and day different. I will be purchasing a Jayco 30.5MBOK 5er dry weight 10,000lbs 37' length pin weight 1,800lbs and have no worries if the truck can suport the weight.

Im not knocking Farmer for towing what he wants to as i will in the future be exceeding the GCWR OF MY 5.0L 150 but will stay within the 17,100lb ecoTOOT GCWR with the new Jayco 5er.
Just know there is more to it then whats printed on paper.
Good luck and happy towing.

MagneticScrew

Just to add another 2 cents about the factory lift blocks between the rear axle and springs. These blocks lift the rear end of the 150 higher in the air giving it longer suspension travel as well as changing the rake angle of the unloaded truck. This completely changes the front to rear weight distribution when loaded and unloaded.
When your non HDPP 150 has 2,000lbs of load in the bed the rear end will be sitting considerably lower causing more of the front end of the trucks weight to transfer to the rear axle as well as lightening the load on the front axle. This will give the HDPP version 150 better control for steering and braking then a non HDPP truck all bc its about 1" higher in the rear.
I can promise if we weighed our two trucks with the exact same amount of weight in them. Your rear axle would be supporting more of the weight then a HDPP version just bc of the lift blocks. Ford also deemed it necessary to add these lifts block for some serious reason. I say this bc the HDPP trucks have a lower MPG rating based on the difference of the rake angle of the truck. Ford along with all auto manufacturers are governed with CAFE standards. So if the blocks were not needed, ford would not have added them to keep the HWY MPGs of the HDPP higher. Every HDPP 5.0L is rated at 19MPG HWY. thats a 10% loss in MPGs

Ford has engineers design things a specific way.
Then to look at only parts of the data available to the public & make a guess is setting up for failure.

"When you dont know enough to know you dont know enough, your dangerous to yourself & everyone around you."

SkiSmuggs

When we decided to move from a TT to a fiver, I was commuting 70 miles daily and knew I didn't want to do those country roads in a Super Duty. I read as much as I could, realized that, with planning, I could do it with a properly configured F150, so I bought a 2011 Ecoboost with Max Tow. I would have preferred HD Payload, but those were rare beasts. After looking at specs of the Jayco Eagle HT line that I had seen towed by a 2011 F150 5.0L w/airbags, I knew that the 1700 lb pin weight was too much and moved on to find our Cougar High Country, same floor plan with a pin weight of 1410 and GVWR of 10K. I added Supersprings and Bilsteins to my truck, avoided heavy gear in the front of the fiver and put nothing in the bed of the truck. When I weighed it, I was within all specs except the RGAWR where I was 650 lbs over. I towed for 3 years and 20,000 miles, up and down mountains, had a couple of panic stops and some high winds. I never felt like I didn't have enough truck for the job. I traded for an SD at 64,000 miles because I didn't want to be that limited. A big surprise to me was that, other than a firmer ride, I felt little difference in handling, stopping or pulling except for reduced shifting and better fuel mileage. I am now retired and travel more so I would not go back as my next fiver will probably be heavier, but I don't regret the way I did it and would do it again given similar circumstances. When you say 1/2 ton, you have to remember that Ford is not Chevy, Ram or Tundra, none of which is rated for fifth wheel towing. http://fifthwheelst.com/2015-half-ton-truck-towing.html

acdii

Well they may not be rated, but that wont stop people from doing it.

NC F150

What about the guys who carry a 1400 lb truck camper in a 1/2 timber? Wet it down, add food, gear and people. There's not a one out there that's not overloaded. And the camper dealer will swear you can carry the extra load by simply adding air bags.

MagneticScrew

The "weight police" are a joke to me. Ive got one at my camp ground now. Guy tells me i cant tow a 10,000lb 5er with my HDPP 150 and he doesnt even know what a HDPP f-150 is. Same guy has a giant toy hauler with an empty hitch pin weight of 3,600lbs. He has a dodge mega cab dually diesel. He claims the trailer weighs almost 20,000lbs loaded. That translates to over 4,000lbs hitch pin weight. A dodge dually mega cab diesel doesnt even have a 3,000lb payload capacity. Same guy has a crushed down bed from being careless and not double-triple checking his 5er jaws. Same clown tells me he runs 80-85MPH while gross combined over 27,000lbs.
Im certain i wont be accepting any advise from a guy who is clearly waaaaaaaay overloaded, dropped his trailer, and clearly has no safety mechanism in his brain to tell him 80-85MPH is unsafe with extreme weight attached to his TV.
Its that clown who will kill people. Not me who is traveling 5mph under the posted speed limits and only exceeding GCWR by 400-500lbs & still under all payload ratings.

These weight police officers are blinded by the "1/2 ton" logos on the fenders and tailgates.
Id rather tow 12,000lbs behind a 2015-17 f-150HDPP then a f-250 that was originally desined almost 20 years ago. I was 16 years old when the dam SD came out. Im 35 now.
I think tech has passed that old dog 10 years ago. 3 or 4 generations of f-150 have come and gone since the 2017 SD redesign from ground up. 16 and okder SD are running as far as i know the same frame that was introduced almost 20 years ago. 18 years before the SD a 1 ton was rated at that, 1 ton. Now my "1/2 ton" has a 2,500+ payload rating. Times have changed boys. Let go of the Budweiser and read the dam info that is connected to your vehicles.
How does a 2016 f-250/350 gasser have a higher tow capacity when, the 6.2L only puts out less then 10% more torque and same HP as a 5.0L f-150. On top of that the trans and diff gearings are identicle and the f-250/350 should be at a disadvantage with the larger diameter tires as that reduces torque???
braking u say? perfect. Do you want to stop 19,000lbs combined weight with smaller brakes or 17,500lbs with larger brakes????(13.7"f-150,,,,13.66"f-250/350 rotors sizes) Its a simple answer.
It boils down to a marketing game for the big 3.
I can make 10 valid cases for why a f-150 HDPP can handle as much of a trailer as a gasser 250/350 with 3.73s. Marketing marketing marketing. Im not advoacting anyone to go overload their trucks. I just look at the data between trucks and compare the obvious.

If your not experienced at towing DO NOT max your truck out.