acdii

Oh man, I FEEL your pain! Sadly I lost my favorite horse last year and lost interest. They are just big pets now.

The other day I get a 4:30 AM phone call. It's the Sheriffs department. Do you have horses? Yes, Good, they are in your driveway along with two deputies.

Somehow those two buggers got out under the fence and were wandering around. Thankfully they didn't go far and they were easily led back into the barn. Now I have to go fix the bottom tape where it got yanked. Looks like one of them, and I know who, reached under the top tape where the bottom tape was down from something, reached a bit too far and touched the top tape and bolted under it, the other horse didn't like that he was on the other side and either went over it or under it. Both probably got a good bolt of juice in them too.

Between the fence and having to dig up the water line to repair it I have a lot of work ahead of me this spring.

ecotow

At least you are having fun while throwing money away on a boat.

acdii

At some point my Coleman will be getting a mural put on the back wall. A picture of a road, with a hole in it, and a hand tossing money into it. Can't really do that on a boat, but man, will it ever make a statement on the back of a travel trailer.

stringer

Ok I know it has been awhile since I posted in this thread but I have been extremely busy with work. We are probably less than a month out from pulling the trigger on a trailer. We are looking at an all aluminum construction trailer at least 2 horse slant (2,200lbs Dry), possibly 3 horse slant (2,500lbs Dry). The only reason I am considering a 3 horse is for the sole fact that I would be keeping the trailer for a lot longer than I'll have my F-150 for and I will spec out my next truck to be able to tow a lot more. Adding in the weight of the two horses I would be hauling (1,100lbs & 1,300lbs), that puts my wet weight at 4,600lbs with the 2 horse or 4,900lbs with the 3 horse. Add in the extra weight of tack and whatever else I may throw in the trailer, and I'll be flirting with 5,000lbs with the 2 horse and a couple hundred pounds over on the 3 horse.

Now, this had me worried since previously I thought I saw that I could only tow 5,000lbs with my truck. Here are my specs:

• 2.7 Eco
• 3.55 Electronic Locking Axle
• Trailer Sway Control
• Class IV Hitch
• 6500# GVWR Package
• OEM Trailer Brake Controller (Just added - taking to dealer to be flashed)

I don't have the trailer tow package or the max tow package.


I found some contradicting information regarding the maximum weight I can tow conventionally:
The Trailer Towing Selector on page 16 in the 2016 Ford Towing Guide shows 7,500lbs for the 2.7 Eco with 3.55 axle and 145" SuperCrew 4X4 wheelbase. It also does not note that either towing package is required for this weight like it does next to some of the other towing weights.






However, on page 13 of the Towing Guide, it states that if you are towing a trailer over 5,000lbs, you must have the trailer tow package or max tow package. Page 14 outlines the available towing features that are either standard or optional:








What exactly does the trailer tow package have that my truck doesn't already have?? Knowing that I can tow up to 7,500lbs instead of being right at a max weight of 5,000lbs would really put my mind at ease. I would absolutely be using a WD Hitch while towing and I would also not be towing across country - maybe 100 mile radius max and that is even a stretch. Most of my runs would be in the 25 -50 mile range. This is turning into one big headache that I just want to end lol.


Thanks in advance.

ecotow

I towed my horse trailer of 3600 lbs with 3000 lbs of horses across country numerous time with my 01 Tundra with 7100 lbs towing capacity. I had airbags on the truck and it worked fine, so you should have no problem towing the weight you are looking at. I tow a 10k loaded dump trailer with my 3.5 and tows great.

You might want to have a transmission cooler added if your truck does not have one. I know they are standard on max tow packages. Or just bite the bullet and trade it for a 3.5 with max tow.

stringer

The problem is I don't know what the max towing capacity is on my truck... I don't know if it is 5,000# or 7,500# since both are shown in my post above.

I could add the tranny cooler but since the truck is a lease, I really don't want to put more money into something that I won't have for more than 3 years... I already bought the OEM Trailer Brake Control and installed that out of pocket.

I can't just trade this truck in either. I took a huge blow from trading in my '14 Ram that was in non-running condition. I'm already paying what most pay for a Lariat or King Ranch on a lease because of what had to roll over.

smokeywren

The biggest item is the auxiliary tranny temp cooler. Don' even think about towing anything heavier than a rowboat until AFTER you install a good oil-to-air heat exchanger (auxiliary tranny temp cooler).


Even then, watch the tranny temp gauge and never allow the tranny to get too hot. If you have a digital tranny temp gauge in the "gauges" display on the dash, then select it when towing and never let it go over 225°. If you don't have the digital gauge, then watch your analog "idiot" gauge like a hawk, and stop an instant after the gauge jumps into the yellow zone. Yellow means your tranny is too hot. Red means your tranny is probably toast. A too-hot tranny will have a very short life, and an expensive funeral.

If you have to stop, put the tranny in park or neutral and elevate the idle RPM to about 1,200 to 1,300, then sit there twiddling your thumps until the idiot gauge jumps back into the normal zone or the digital gauge shows less than about 220°.

You have a standard oil-to-water heat exchanger (tranny temp cooler) in the bottom of the radiator. But it's inadequate for towing a heavy trailer in difficult conditions, such as climbing a grade with the torque converter unlocked, or even towing along in stop-and-go rush-hour traffic. That unlocked torque convertor creates a volcano worth of heat that the heat exchangers must get rid of, and without the auxiliary tranny temp cooler there is not enough cooling capacity to manage that volcano.

acdii

The answer is in column F150 53A, Other than the sway bar, the needed items are listed, and one of them is what Smokey mentioned, without that the trans can overheat. I pulled my TT without one, and yes the tranny does heat up fast going up a grade.