How to identify a tow package
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How to identify a tow package
I'm considering buying a 2008 Ford F-150 XLT 4X4 to tow a '22 center console boat and would like to find out whether the F-150 has a towing package, and, if so, which one. All I know now is that it has a towing hitch, which is supposedly standard on the XLT.
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My bad I must of thought 2018 didn't realize it said 2008!!!
Last edited by Mark Miller; Feb 5, 2018 at 02:08 AM.
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From: Near Macomb, Illinois
An older truck won’t usually have a window sticker. I believe there is a website that will print out how the truck is optioned if you key in the Vin#. I can’t tell you how far back it goes for model years though, I’ve never used it.
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Check out Ford ETIS...www.etis.ford.com/vehicleRegSelector.do
Enter the VIN and boom, all the optoins included on the truck., Super helpful when shopping for a used truck.
Enter the VIN and boom, all the optoins included on the truck., Super helpful when shopping for a used truck.
Grumpy Old Man
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From: Midland County Texas, just west of the star in my avatar
How to identify a tow package
I don't have order guide for 2008 or any F-150 before 2012. I was into SuperDuty trucks back then. But based on what little I remember, there was only one towing pkg for F-150s back then. So your 2008 F-150 either has it or not.
The best clue is whether the F-150 has the oil-to-air (OTA) tranny cooler (heat exchanger) down low in front of the radiator. But don't confuse the heat exchanger for the power steering pump with the one for the tranny. Follow the hoses that go into the heat exchanger back to their source. If the source is the radiator, then that's the tranny cooler. But if the source is the power steering pump, that's the power steering pump cooler.
Another clue might be the receiver hitch. If it is an OEM Ford receiver, then it's probably part of the towing pkg. But if it's an aftermarket receiver by Reese or DrawTite or Curt or Husky, then it's not part of a tow pkg. The OEM receiver will have a sticker on the frame of the receiver that gives weight limits, and that sticker will include a small blue oval with "Ford" in it.
There are ways to look at your window sticker using the internet and the VIN for your F-150. I don't remember exactly how to do it, but if you're a good internet surfer, you can probably find it. However, Ford often stops support for any vehicle over 10 years old. Your 2008 is now 11 years old, so you may not be able to find the sticker on a Ford website.
Until recently, the receiver hitch was not available on F-150 except as part of the tow pkg. So if your F-150 has an OEM Ford receiver, then it probably has the towing pkg.