Ro150XLT

I recently bought a 2016 XLT 3.5 EB RWD (no tow package with 3.15 read diff.). I got a sweet deal on it and towing wasn't going to be the first thing on my mind but now we are talking about getting a TT and heading to the beach in May. For now I will be just local California traveling, not to much long distance especially because I have the small fuel tank. Anyways what are your recommendations on tow hitch and trailer break? Not going to tow more than 6-8,000 pounds loaded. Also is the trans cooler a must? Tow mirrors would be nice but I don't want to break the bank, my budget on truck upgrades are about $1,000 maybe a little more. Thanks!

smokeywren

Your drivetrain with 3.15 axle has plenty of power to pull a 6,000-pound TT. And with careful loading of what you haul in the truck, you can probably tow a 6,000 pound TT without exceeding the payload capacity of your F-150.

But your limiter as to max trailer weight will be payload capacity, not towing capacity. So stop dreaming of towing an 8,000 pound TT, and revise your sights downward to the 6k range.

When towing, expect less than 10 mpg. And to add a safety factor so you won't have to hitch-hike to get gas, plan your trips so there are good gas stations or truck stops not more than 200 miles down the road from the last fill up.

I needed at least a 300-mile range, so I tired of that 200-mile range nonsense, and had my dealer replace my 26-gallon tank with the 37-gallon tank. About $1,000 out the door for my 2012, but money well spent.

Assuming you mean the weight-distributing (WD) hitch and not the receiver, then don't buy a cheap hitch. You want not only good weight distribution, but also excellent sway control. Cheap hitches with sway control may have decent weight distribution, but they have barely adequate sway control. Spend more money and get one of these:

Equal-I-Zer
Blue Ox SwayPro
Reese Strait-Line with trunnion bars
Husky CenterLine HD (the old CenterLine, not the newer CenterLine TS)

Absolutely. Without the auxiliary oil-to-air (OTA) auxiliary tranny cooler, your tranny will probably have a very short life when towing.


As for the trailer brake controller, nothing is better than the integrated trailer brake controller (ITBC) that was optional on your truck. I've had others, but nothing is even close to the Ford ITBC.


If your truck doesn't have the auxiliary tranny cooler, then you don't have a towing pkg. Without a factory towing pkg, you cannot simply plug in the ITBC. Your Ford dealer may have a work-around so he can sell you the ITBC, plug it in and get it functioning, and flash the computer so the ITBC will activate.


Tow mirrors are required for safe towing of a TT. If money is a problem, then start with some cheap clip-ons, or the OEM manual tow mirrors for an XL. Then save up for the more-expensive power mirrors for next year or later. R&R of the OEM tow mirrors is about a half-hour DIY job, so you can replace them with the stock power mirrors when not towing.

The part number for the manual pair of tow mirrors for a 2016 is FL3Z-17696-AA. List price is $350 for the pair, but you can buy them for $270 from Ford discount parts dealers, such as this one:
http://parts.autonationfordwhitebear...rd/fl3z17696aa

Ro150XLT

Thank you very much smokeywren! I will absolutely get the trans cooler. Also I will look into these sway control hitches as well. Also maybe I should have elaborated better but my truck didn't even come with a receiver, trailer break, or wiring harness for trailer hook up. I will have to purchase all of this as well. Any suggestions on this as well would be greatly appreciated! Glad to have the guys with 50 years of towing experience on my side!

old_programmer

Do you plan to go with factory parts or aftermarket? Do you plan to do the work yourself or pay someone to do it?

I don't think you will be able to do factory parts on a $1K budget. Definitely not if you will be paying a dealer or other party to do the work. Doing the work yourself you might be able to meet your budget with a mix of Ford and aftermarket parts.

A 10K lbs Equal-i-zer hitch will run around $500. That leaves you $500 for a tranny cooler, receiver, brake controller, wiring and 7-pin connector. An after market tranny cooler will run $50-$100, Connectors, wiring and other electrical $50-$100 and receiver for $120-$175. I don't know what the factory brake controller wiring harness would run as my truck has the towing pkg. When I installed my brake controller it was under $200 for the Ford controller and to have my dealer install and activate it. An aftermarket Tekonsha proportional controller will run $100-$150. I used the Primus EQ in my last tow vehicle and it worked well. Their Prodigy models are a bit better.

You will be limited to a Class III hitch receiver for aftermarket parts from what I saw. It would still handle a 6K lb trailer as the max WDH hitch weights are usually 800/8000 lbs. The Ford hitch that comes on my truck is Class IV.

smokeywren

I've found that the folks at eTrailer.com know their business and can give you good advice.


First thing you need is a receiver hitch. Your F-150 is different than other brands of trucks, so be sure you order a receiver that is for an F-150 that doesn't have any tow package.


Here's a bolt-on receiver that will work for any TT you can tow without being overloaded:
https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hit...leid=201643994


Another option is to install the Ford OEM receiver. With that, your truck would appear to be "stock". The rear bumper frame comes in three parts. The center part is either just a reinforcement on yours, or it's a receiver combined with a reinforcement on all F-150s that have a factory receiver hitch. If you order the receiver/reinforcement, then that's your receiver. It's an R&R plug&play bolt-on modification to your truck. Here's one source:
http://parts.autonationfordwhitebear...=reinforcement


In addition to the receiver, you need the wiring harness, fuse and relay(s)to add the 7-pin trailer plug near the rear bumper, and to add the plug-in for a trailer brake controller under the dash. Automotive wiring is above my pay grade, so you need an expert do it for you or at least tell you which parts you need. I would simply turn it over to the service department at my Ford dealer, but if you are an automotive electrical wiring guru, then you can probably buy the parts and instructions from eTrailer.com.


Then you need the actual trailer brake controller module. As mentioned earlier, I would insist on the Ford ITBC, but less expensive options are available. I towed a 9,000-pound RV trailer over 100,000 miles over 10 years using a DrawTite Activator trailer brake controller.
https://www.etrailer.com/Brake-Contr...Tite/5100.html

jtemple42000

If you're interested in the 36 gallon tank keep your eyes on the salvage yards. I just bought a 36 gallon tank with the heat shield for $200. Purchased the extended range fuel pump through white bear lake Ford for another $115 shipped. I'll do the swap myself everything else is existing parts on my current 23 gallon tank. Total cost $315.