Hello,
I am interested in ordering an F150 and have spent weeks going over all sorts of information to spec out the truck I want but also learn about towing. I've read a zillion posts on this site and others, but want to request this community's help to ensure I am not missing something in all the considerations and calculations.

Goal: Daily driver vehicle that can tow my boat approximately 150 miles on flat Eastern roads (very short section is on highway and would keep speeds down on that, otherwise traffic lights and smaller roads keep me slow) a couple of times a year. Because of use as daily driver, limited towing needs, and MPG considerations I want to avoid F250/SD. I really like the Powerboost for a number of reasons but understand it is a hit to payload.

Truck Specs: Looking at a F150 Lariat, SCrew, 4x4 Powerboost, with 6.5' bed, trailer tow package (not max tow or tow tech), 18" wheels, 3.73 axle ratio, 7.2 kW Pro Power, trailer mirrors. No need for moonroof, power tailgate, power running boards, FX4, or bed liner. May upgrade stock tires to LT or possibly E rated.
Based on these options and me reviewing every payload sticker and window sticker combo I could find online and in dealer lots, I THINK the truck should be in the 1500 or maybe even low 1600 lb payload range. So annoying that Ford makes it impossible to understand a likely payload for a configuration.
From the Ford literature I have focused on for configurations, weights, and towing (https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/atta...ecs-pdf.10601/ and https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/content..._F150_Dec3.pdf) these seem to be the key numbers for a 3.73 PB SC 4x4 truck:
Base curb weight: 5,540
Max GVWR: 7,350
Max GAWR: 4,050 front, 4,150 rear
GCWR: 17,000
Max loaded trailer weight for towing: 11,000 (though I thought max trailer weight should be GCWR minus GVWR)

Boat specs: 8120 GVWR and I will keep the weight under that, taking into consideration how much fuel and water is in it (recently had it weighed at a CAT scale and it was 7880 lbs)
From online research and talking to local trailer company the recommended tongue weight is in the 7-10% range. I plan to estimate and load for the 10% end of that range to reduce sway.

Calculations: I did some math on my own and also used the towing checklist calculator from the BigRockMedia video on towing. Including my weight, the weight of my family members and the amount of gear we typically carry, as well as weights of tonneau and adjustable hitch I plan to buy, I came in under the 1500 lb payload.

All that said, it's possible I misunderstood or miscalculated something (of course there are axle loads and tire load ratings in there too). Please let me know if there is some key consideration I have left out or misunderstood, since it's been a lot to learn.

Also, if anyone can tell me the size of the Class IV hitch receiver on the F150, I'd appreciate it as I've had trouble locating that. 2x2 inches?

I really appreciate your patience reading my long post and any feedback you have on this.

 

Looking over your numbers, everything looks good for what you want to tow. I'd say go for it!

You might consider the Max Tow Package though... It gives you a lot of stuff for not a lot of money for the upgrade...

 

I can not speak of the 21, but my 2020 Lariat without a moonroof or rear step (I ordered) has a payload of 1760#. I did get the max tow, I really love my 36g gas tank and other goodies with the package. I feel my truck would pull your boat, it would start to get at the upper end of my ideal with a 1/2 ton. If I had one redo, I would get the longer bed as you are, it will help with overall stability, however they sure seem long to park, lol. Gas mileage, my 3.5 gets 21ish on hwy at 80, and when towing a TT, forget it, 10ish.

 

This truck would have a payload sticker of 1810 lbs. GVWR - Curb Weight

 

Thanks yall for the feedback. I was avoiding Max Tow package since the Powerboost gives several of the features from that package (it lacks the heavier-duty bumper and axle, I think) and want to avoid the weight penalty. HDPP is not available for the package I want - the Powerboost can’t get the 36 gallon tank but comes with 30 gallon. The 6.5’ bed will be nice but you are right not when parking!
Also correct that 1810 is the max payload you can get with a PB Screw 4x4 with 6.5’ bed, and each option you add subtracts from that payload

 

THAT truck would, but that's not the truck the OP s buying.

It says the BASE curb weight is 5540. If you subtract that from max GVWR of 7350 you do get 1810. But there is no way to know how much the curb weight of the actual truck the OP buys, until you look at the payload sticker. It will be somewhere less than 1810. But the OP's guess of 1500-1600 seems pretty reasonable to me.

When you start towing around 8000 lbs with an F150 making careful choices in the truck, and how you pack start being more critical. It is possible to make it work, if you get the right truck, but you may have to make some sacrifices in regard to what else you can carry in the truck while towing.

If I needed to tow that much, especially with the 6.5' bed on a Screw I'd just buy a gas engine F250. For the type of truck you're looking for without the bells and whistles you can actually find a F250 cheaper than a F150 set up to do what you need. And you'll have plenty of extra capability in case you need it later.

In the last year and a half I've had a brother-in-law and 2 friends who tow 6000-8000 lbs decide to upgrade to a F250. Their F150's were doing OK, but they all feel the upgrade was worth it.

 

Never towed a boat. But I do tow a ~7000lbs travel trailer using a basic Husky WDH and a 2020 screw F150 2.7L 3.73 RWD 5.5 box truck with standard tow package and RAS in the hills of eastern Tennesse with ~700 lbs of passenger and cargo weight in the truck. My little ecoboost holds 65mph up 7% grades no problem, and engine braking at ~4500rpm does 75% of the braking work for truck and trailer down those same grades at ~45mph. Your boat is a little heavier but far less frontal area so my guess is it's even easier to pull at speed and with less sway. Really you should be good with any F150 equipped with 53A or 53C tow package and any axle ratio (assuming the 3.5L GTDI powerboost platform). Boat tongue weights are a little less than travel trailers, 7-10%, so I'd say minimum comfortable payload is 1600lbs but every little bit more is better. Just make sure you have trailer brakes on your boat and get 4wd if boat ramps are steep and slimy. If you experience too much sag then get a WDH and/or you can add RAS, add-a-leafs, air bags, timbrens/sumo, etc to stiffen rear suspenion, it does make a major safety and ride quality difference to get appropriate weight to your front tires. Load range C LT tires (50 psi) is all you'll need, D or E is overkill for F150 format but harm to mpg and acceleration is minimal, or get quality SL (P-rated) HT/AT tires load index 112 or better and you'll be more than set. Enjoy the boat, and go to the link below for tons of 2021+ f150 towing information if you haven't been there before:
https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/foru...-trailering.7/

 

I really appreciate yall taking the time to look at my request and providing helpful feedback.

Marshallr, I agree with you the loading will require some care and tradeoffs. I considered F250 but given I only plan to tow a couple times a year, I did not want the Super Duty ride or lower MPG the 95% of the time I am driving around town or on long road trips.

Ejk905 thank you for those details to consider. I am curious why you say 1600 lb payload is minimum comfortable - if my trailer tongue weight is 810 lbs (10% of 8100) and I am not carrying much passengers or cargo on the few occasions I do tow the boat (say 500-600 lbs), are you referring to how the truck is loaded or something else?

On the tires, I am thinking of upgrading the stock 275/65 R18 tires to the stock LT tires (LT265/70R18Cs) or a different LT tire. Agree that E rated might be overkill but I want to have something more stable than stock P tires for the times when I do tow the boat. Any suggestions on whether to gl with the stock LTs or third party LTs? Thank you.

 

Also be sure to consider any add ons you put on the truck after the factory. One common useful add on is a pickup camper top. A 200 pound camper top takes a bite out of payload! Post factory add ons all come out of payload.

Myself, I keep trucks a long time, at least ten years. If I was ordering a truck, I would get the top tow package, just to have it. Adding stuff later is a PITA and can be costly. Who knows what you might tow over the life of truck ownership? My current truck is 12 years old, waiting for the supply shortage nonsense to end before getting a replacement.

Agree, it would be EASY for Ford to have a build your own F150 tool that included anticipated payload. But they would rather hide that figure until the end, when your new truck arrives. At that point, its too late.

And when you weighed your boat at the CAT scale, did you disconnect, or take multiple weights? The typical CAT scale weight will give you total weight and axle weight. So if you get an axle weight on the trailer, it does NOT include tongue weight. Assuming they don't want you disconnecting on the scale, one approach is to drop your boat in their parking lot, properly secured against theft, and getting a re-weigh. The change in your truck's axle weights will be the tongue weight. Disregard if you already did this.

 

It's pretty easy to get a ballpark idea (within a couple of hundred pounds) of what a particularly optioned truck will have for payload simply by checking around online at forums like this one. There's also a build guide that lists the weight of every option if you really want to get detailed. However, as has been said many times before, if you are worried about a few hundred pounds of payload, you probably should be looking into a more capable tow vehicle.