Pleasantly suprised, 2018 F-150 towing Uhaul car hauler
05-27-2019, 11:18 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Pleasantly suprised, 2018 F-150 towing Uhaul car hauler
Towed my largest load yesterday to date. I regularly tow a 5x10 utility trailer to haul trash, mulch, etc but never any load to speak of. Had to go get a 2005 Jeep Liberty for a friend 2 states over yesterday when their transmission went out and I must say I am surprised how well the truck did. Used a Uhaul car hauler with surge brakes. According to Uhaul the trailer weighs 2100 pounds empty and the Jeep approximate weight was approx 4000#. Truck is a 2018 SCREW 4x45.5 bed xlt with 5.0, 10 speed, and all the trailer towing goodies. I know I needed weight distributing hitch as the tongue was pretty heavy, it did squat a couple of inches but not as bad as I figured, towed in the daylight so no headlight issues. I emptied my normal 400# of gear out of the bed of the truck to help as much as possible. Kept it at reasonable speeds (55-60 on interstate), locked out 8-10 on trans and she towed very well. Had a couple of sections of 6-7% grade for a few miles and was able to maintain 55 MPH with no issue, downshifted to 5th and 4th a couple of times and the trans did get a little over 220 for a brief period on the long pulls. The outside temp was close to 90 degrees in the middle of the day so I figured that was pretty reasonable. No sway to speak of at all, the trailer was rock solid. Not something I would want to do regularly by no means but I was really impressed with the stability and ease of going up hills with the load. Gas mileage hit the crapper for sure, but it beat the alternative of a huge tow bill for a 200+ mile trip. Makes me a lot more confident as I consider buying an RV next year hopefully, with a proper WDH, I should be able to tow the one I am looking at reasonably well (21 Foot Micro Winnie, 3800#) no problems.
05-27-2019, 01:34 PM
#2
Senior Member
Transmissions heat up when they constantly shift on hills. Locking out some gears and running it higher in rpms is better than letting it up shift a few times. Keep the trans cooler.
05-27-2019, 07:58 PM
#4
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Absolutely. Kept the rpm in a more comfortable place too. I locked down to 5 when climbing and descending hills. I found in the initial trek with trailer unloaded in tow haul mode the trans never shifted above 9 ever and stayed in 8 unless over 60. My previous F150 was a 6 speed so using the 10 speed was a little of a learning experience. Very happy.
05-27-2019, 08:07 PM
#5
UHaul trailers are built with idiots in mind so they are extra heavy on the tongue. This prevents people from issues with negative tongue weight but creates other issues by weighing down the tow vehicle too much. Next time (if there is a next time) use some blocks to stop the vehicle 6"-12" further back and then secure it in place there so the tongue weight is closer to 10-12% of the total load. The truck will be much happier.
6000 isn't a big deal with these trucks. 5 months ago I hauled a 5000 lb trailer 1000 miles from Texas to Florida with my 2002 F150 5.4 four speed auto. These trucks have had massive improvements in the last 15 years.
6000 isn't a big deal with these trucks. 5 months ago I hauled a 5000 lb trailer 1000 miles from Texas to Florida with my 2002 F150 5.4 four speed auto. These trucks have had massive improvements in the last 15 years.
05-27-2019, 08:36 PM
#6
Senior Member
Thread Starter
UHaul trailers are built with idiots in mind so they are extra heavy on the tongue. This prevents people from issues with negative tongue weight but creates other issues by weighing down the tow vehicle too much. Next time (if there is a next time) use some blocks to stop the vehicle 6"-12" further back and then secure it in place there so the tongue weight is closer to 10-12% of the total load. The truck will be much happier.
6000 isn't a big deal with these trucks. 5 months ago I hauled a 5000 lb trailer 1000 miles from Texas to Florida with my 2002 F150 5.4 four speed auto. These trucks have had massive improvements in the last 15 years.
6000 isn't a big deal with these trucks. 5 months ago I hauled a 5000 lb trailer 1000 miles from Texas to Florida with my 2002 F150 5.4 four speed auto. These trucks have had massive improvements in the last 15 years.
05-28-2019, 08:06 AM
#7
Senior Member
Engaging clutches under load, and running not locked out both generate a lot of heat. Locking out the right gears keeps the heat down, reduces clutch wear, and reduces debris introduced into the system by wearing clutches.
The F150 3.5's aren't as smooth as the ones they put into the cars, at least mine seems to need a good crank balance, but are perfectly aok running 2-2.5k all day long. Lock 'em out, boys! (and girls!)
The F150 3.5's aren't as smooth as the ones they put into the cars, at least mine seems to need a good crank balance, but are perfectly aok running 2-2.5k all day long. Lock 'em out, boys! (and girls!)
